A Lithuanian Legend is Born
Prague’s getting used to making poker history. Last night, Lithuania’s Marius Kudzmanas outlasted a field of 2,617 entries to claim the WSOP Europe Main Event title, pocketing €2,000,000 and his third career bracelet. Not bad for a guy who almost skipped the trip.
I caught up with Kudzmanas about an hour after his victory (once the champagne had stopped flowing). “Three bracelets now,” he said, still looking a bit stunned. “When I won my first one in 2019, I thought maybe that’s it, you know? Lightning doesn’t strike twice.”
Guess it strikes three times if you’re good enough.
The final hand saw Kudzmanas’ pocket jacks hold against Bulgaria’s Simeon Spasov’s A-10. Classic race situation. Spasov had been nursing a short stack for the last two hours, making some incredible folds to stay alive. But sometimes the cards just don’t cooperate.
The Record Books Get Rewritten
This wasn’t just any Main Event win. The 2,617 entries obliterated the previous WSOP Europe Main Event record by nearly a thousand players. Prague delivered in ways nobody expected.
“We knew moving to Prague was the right call,” a WSOP official told me during one of the breaks yesterday. “But this? This exceeded every projection we had.”
The numbers tell the story: €12,478,150 total prize pool. 393 players making the money. And get this - Day 1A alone had more entries than some entire WSOP Europe Main Events from previous years. The Czech capital has officially arrived as a major poker destination.
Credit where it’s due: King’s Casino Prague handled the massive field like pros. I’ve covered plenty of events that buckled under unexpected turnout. Not here. Extra dealers appeared out of nowhere, additional tables materialized, and somehow they kept everything running on schedule.
Lithuania’s Quiet Assassin
What most people don’t know about Kudzmanas - he’s been grinding live tournaments across Europe for over a decade, mostly flying under the radar. His first bracelet came at the 2019 WSOP in Vegas ($1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw), followed by another in an online event during the pandemic.
“I like being the unknown guy at the table,” he admitted.
That anonymity served him well at this final table. While everyone focused on some of the bigger names and wilder personalities, Kudzmanas just kept chipping up. Patient. Methodical. Picking his spots.
His countryman Vladas Tamasauskas (who finished 47th) was sweating him hard from the rail. “Marius plays perfect tournament poker,” Tamasauskas told me. “He never gets too high or too low. Just grinds.”
That grinding style was on full display when we hit three-handed play. While his opponents were trading massive pots and playing for stacks, Kudzmanas was content to pick up the scraps. Small pots add up. By the time they got heads-up, he had a 3:1 chip lead.
What This Means for European Poker
Prague just changed the game. For years, WSOP Europe felt like the forgotten cousin of the Vegas series. Smaller fields, less prestige, fewer pros making the trip.
Not anymore.
The success here has people talking. I overheard at least three major operators discussing Prague events for 2027. The infrastructure is there, the player base showed up, and the city itself? Let’s just say nobody’s complaining about spending two weeks in Prague versus some previous WSOP Europe locations.
(No offense to Cannes, but the €10 beers got old quick.)
One interesting wrinkle: about 40% of the field came from Eastern European countries. Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania - players who might not make the Vegas trip found Prague much more accessible. That’s a massive untapped market that’s finally getting proper attention.
Looking Ahead
Kudzmanas plans to play the WSOP Main Event in Vegas this summer. With three bracelets and this massive score under his belt, he’s got the bankroll and confidence to take some shots at bigger games.
“Maybe I try some high rollers now,” he said with a grin. “Or maybe I just keep doing what works.”
Smart money says he keeps doing what works. But either way, Lithuania’s got itself a new poker hero. And Prague? Prague just proved it belongs in the conversation with Vegas, Barcelona, and Monte Carlo as a premier poker destination.
The European poker boom is real, folks. And we’re just getting started.
