Germany’s Schneegass overcomes tough poker year with EUREKA Rozvadov victory for €187K
Find out everything that happened at EUREKA Rozvadov 2023 in our content hub
Table of Contents
The largest standalone event in the EUREKA Poker Tour’s history has come to an end in Rozvadov, with Germany’s Jörg Schneegass overcoming a 1,866-entry field to win €187,335.
Rozvadov’s King’s Resort is undoubtedly Schneegass’ poker home, with all of his $14K in cashes coming from this most unique poker destination. But a deep run, let alone a major title, had eluded him until today.
“I feel very excited, just great,” the 33-year-old told us after his victory. “Before this, my biggest live cash was just €5,500!”
Schneegass lives in Munich and has a regular job outside of poker, but he’s been playing the game semi-professionally for around a year – mostly in Rozvadov, a two-hour drive from his home. However, the past 12 months on the tables have been cruel to him.
“I had a very bad last year,” he says. “Just running very bad. So I got some coaching and took some advice from professional players. This is the perfect outcome. It has really paid off.”
Jörg Schneegass is the champ in Rozvadov
Last year’s EUREKA Rozvadov Main Event (2022) attracted 1,096 entries. It became the largest standalone (i.e. EUREKA event not attached to a European Poker Tour stop) to date and many thought it would be tough to beat.
But this event has absolutely smashed it. A total of 1,866 entries were received over the five starting flights, creating a gargantuan prize pool of €1,722,700, far surpassing the million guarantee.
That meant there was an astonishing €283,000 reserved for the winner. Just 21 players returned for the third and final day, and the action came thick and fast. After five hours they were down to a final table.
Eureka Rozvadov Main Event Final table players
The big story was that the man of the moment, PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) 2023 winner Aliaksandr Shylko, was on yet another PokerStars final table.
The Belarusian not only won $3.1 million in early February for his PSPC victory, but he also took down the High Roller event at EUREKA Rozvadov 2022 and hoped to add more silverware to his growing collection.
Alas, his journey ended in seventh place, good for €39,700.
Shylko says his goodbyes
When they got to five-handed play was paused and an ICM deal was made, leaving some cash to play for, €20K of which was reserved for the heads-up battle. We got there when the last remaining online qualifier, Italy’s Paolo Calculli, was eliminated in third.
Paolo Calculli – the last qualifier standing
Calculli – who had $29K in cashes prior to this event, the largest being a seventh-place finish on the Italian Poker Tour in 2010 (also for €5,500) – was all in with ace-jack off against the dominating ace-king off of Schneegass. He couldn’t improve, and his amazing satellite spin-up earned him €160,935.
With that, Schneegass took a dominating chip lead into heads-up play against his compatriot, Paul Knebel: 36 million vs 19.5 million. Knebel put up a fight, but Schneegass continued to pull away and eventually found a situation in which Knebel couldn’t get away.
The board read J♦ K♠ 9♠ 6♣ 5♦ and with a now overwhelming chip lead, Schneegass set him all-in. Knebel thought for some time, but with a large pot out there and not much behind, he ended up making the call with Q♠ J♣ for second pair.
But Schneegass had rivered a straight with his 7♣ 8♠ , and it was all over.
Schneegass and Knebel after the final hand
That’s a wrap from EUREKA Rozvadov. You can catch up on everything that happened at this festival right here in our content hub. Until next time!
EUREKA Rozvadov 2023 Main Event
Dates: 16-20 March, 2023
Buy-in: €1,100
Entries: 1,866
Prize pool: €1,722,700
1 Jörg Schneegass (Germany) – €187,335*
2 Paul Knebel (Germany) – €127,503*
3 Paolo Calculli (Italy) – €160,935*
4 Narcis Nedelcu (Romania) – €125,684*
5 Eusebiu Jalba (Romania) – €134,543*
6 Cosmin Nica (Romania) – €52,400
7 Aliaksandr Shylko (Belarus) – €39,700
8 Kimon Fountoukidis (Poland) – €30,000
9 David Berdis (Slovakia) – €22,700
FULL PAYOUTS
Catch up on all our coverage right here in our EUREKA Rozvadov Information Hub.
Boguzas pulls off sensational EUREKA double in Rozvadov with High Roller Victory (€84,291)
It’s been quite a week for Boguzas
Fresh off his win in the EUREKA cup (see our Cup report below), Lithuania’s Rimantas Petras Boguzas has done the Rozvadov double, taking down the €2,200 High Roller too for €84,291!
To do so, Boguzas had to defeat a final table which included Jonas Lauck, before defeating Peter Kamaras heads-up.
EUREKA Rozvadov 2023 High Roller
Dates: 19-20 March, 2023
Buy-in: €2,200
Entries: 199 (including 42 re-entries)
Prize pool: €378,100
1 Rimantas Petras Boguzas (Lithuania) – €84,291
2 Peter Kamaras (Hungary) – €52,684
3 Volodymr Drokin (Ukraine) – €37,632
4 Aram Ali (Germany) – €28,947
5 Andras Balogh (Hungary) – €22,266
6 Damian Rapanowicz (Poland) – €17,128
7 Jonas Lauck (Austria) – €14,266
8 Neculai Macovei (Romania) – €11,887
CONTENT ARCHIVE
ROZVADOV: THE BADGE OF HONOUR EVERY TOURNAMENT POKER PLAYER NEEDS
Published: 20 March, 2023
You might think you’ve done it all in poker.
You’ve played in Las Vegas and London and Dublin; battled in Macau and Melbourne and Monte Carlo; inflicted sublime suck-outs and endured brutal bad beats; won and bubbled and been the first to bust in too many tournaments to mention.
But let me tell you something. If you’ve never played a full tournament series at the King’s Resort in Rozvadov, you simply have not completed poker. Not even close.
Think of this place like a Scout badge. You’ve got your emergency aid badge, your martial arts badge, and your swimming badge.
But you still need your Rozvadov badge before you can move up the ranks.
Not everyone makes this trip. It’s something of a badge of honour among tournament poker players.
And only when you’ve been here, done it, and got the t-shirt (or badge), will you know why.
READ: Rozvadov: The badge of honour every poker player needs
THE HIGH ROLLER: ANOTHER POTENTIAL RECORD BREAKER?
Published: 19 March, 2023
The record-breaking EUREKA Rozvadov Main Event is rightfully hogging the limelight here at King’s Resort, but there’s another big tournament being played worth shouting about.
The €2,200 EUREKA High Roller is the largest buy-in of the festival and play began at 4 pm today (Sunday). Re-entry is unlimited and registration will remain open until the 10th level (600/1,200/1,200), by which time the 30,000 starting stack will provide 25 big blinds.
It could be a late night for those playing. Like the Main Event before it, Day 1 of the High Roller will play until just 15% of the field remain.
But the good news is that all of those who survive and bag chips will be guaranteed profit, while those of us following the event are guaranteed to avoid the slow-footedness brought on by an impending money bubble.
Before the PSPC 2023, Shylko’s only live win came in the EUREKA Rozvadov High Roller in 2022
The last time this event took place – at the EUREKA Rozvadov festival in May 2022 – it was none other than PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) 2023 winner Aliaksandr Shylko who emerged victorious.
Shylko outlasted the 179-entry field to win €75,332, which until the PSPC was his only live tournament victory.
Let’s just say his $3.1 million sophomore effort surpassed his debut.
Shylko is currently battling in the Main Event, where there are 97 players remaining at the time of writing.
But we do have the likes of 2016 World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) Main Event winner Jonas Lauck, former EPT Prague Main Event final tablist Michal Mrakes of the Czech Republic, and German circuit regular Konstantin Färber in the High Roller field.
Jonas Lauck
Michal Mrakes
Konstantin Färber
Right now there are 132 total entries, which means the €100K guarantee has swelled to €252,700.
But it’s only Level 4.
Perhaps this one will be a record-breaker too.
THE LARGEST STANDALONE EUREKA MAIN EVENT EVER
Published: 19 March, 2023
The EUREKA Rozvadov 2023 Main Event is officially the largest standalone tournament to ever take place on the EUREKA Poker Tour, and by some way, too.
Last year’s EUREKA Rozvadov Main Event (2022) attracted 1,096 entries. It became the largest standalone (i.e. EUREKA event not attached to a European Poker Tour stop) to date and many thought it would be tough to beat.
But this event has absolutely smashed it.
A total of 1,866 entries were received over the five starting flights, creating a gargantuan prize pool of €1,722,700, far surpassing the million guarantee.
The jam-packed poker room at King’s Resort, Rozvadov
That means there’s an astonishing €283,000 awaiting the winner, with the top three finishers banking six-figure paydays. Take a look at the final table payouts below:
1. €283,000
2. €172,000
3. €121,000
4. €91,000
5. €69,000
6. €52,400
7. €39,700
8. €30,000
9. €22,700
A min-cash is worth €1,775. That’s what all of the 281 players returning for Day 2 today have locked up. You see, this tournament is a bit different to other Main Events, in which registration is often open until the start of Day 2.
Instead, EUREKA Rozvadov starting flights played down to 15% of the field, rather than just playing a set amount of levels. This means that anyone who finds a bag at the end is already in the money.
That also means there’s no bubble!
The goal for today is an ambitious one: play down to 16. Action kicks off at 2 pm local time.
SHYLKO FLOPS A STRAIGHT FLUSH
Published: 18 March, 2023
There’s running hot. Then there’s running hot, Shylko-style.
Aliaksandr Shylko, who won the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) at the beginning of February for $3.1 million, is currently playing Day 1D of the EUREKA Rozvadov Main Event.
And the Belarusian is out here flopping straight flushes.
Our man Manuel Kovsca was on hand to capture it.
Shylko flopped the 10-high straight flush
That’s Shylko style
And as if he wasn’t running hot enough, earlier today, King’s Resort presented the PSPC champ with a special cake to celebrate his incredible Bahamas victory.
What a life.
King’s Resort presented Shylko with a special PSPC cake
FROM WEEKLY GAMES WITH FRIENDS TO BATTLING AT EUREKA ROZVADOV: ONLINE QUALIFIER YAN NICLAS HOEPFNER
Published: 18 March, 2023
“I would say I only play poker once a week,” Yan Niclas Hoepfner tells us. “Just small cash games with friends. Win a hundred, lose a hundred.”
That’s probably the case for many of you reading, too. In fact, that’s probably true of the vast majority of poker players around the world.
And it’s not surprising. Poker is an incredibly fun game to play with your pals, the perfect excuse to get together around a table and catch up.
Plus, there’s nothing more fun than bluffing your closest compadres.
But occasionally, Yan Niclas Hoepfner – like many of you reading probably do, too – feels the itch to play something bigger.
The 37-year-old from Berlin works as a Sales Manager for a battery supply company by day, but every now and then he fires up his PokerStars client in the evening and tries to qualify for a big live tournament.
That’s exactly what happened to get him to EUREKA Rozvadov 2023.
READ: From home games to EUREKA
EUREKA ROZVADOV QUALIFIER THOMAS SCHÄVEN ON THE GERMAN POKER COMMUNITY: “IT’S A SPECIAL THING”
Published: 18 March, 2023
When one thinks of “poker crews” – i.e. a community of players who travel to tournaments together – one inevitably thinks of German players.
After all, the country was the first to introduce a wave of young talent to poker’s highest echelon: the world of high rollers and super high rollers, in which the likes of Tobias Reinkemeier, Fabian Quoss, Philipp Gruissem and Max Altergott became poker superstars.
Then came the second wave, led by the wunderkind Fedor Holz and featuring Steffen Sontheimer, and Stefan Schillhabel, all of whom enjoyed phenomenal success.
But what the outside world might not know is just how tight-knit the German poker community is at the lower stakes, too.
Thomas Schäven, perhaps better known in the community as “Hempmaster”, is part of a group of German poker players who got to know each other online, but now meet up and travel the booming live poker circuit together.
“Our community is hype,” the Cologne resident tells us on Day 1D of the EUREKA Rozvadov Main Event. “We love this. Everyone at home follows our play and cheers us on. Everyone here says good game when you get knocked out.”
READ: Thomas Schäven on the German poker community: “It’s a special thing”
ONLINE QUALIFIER UWE MATTHIAS SEEKS OWN ALDEMIR MOMENT AT EUREKA ROZVADOV
Published: 17 March, 2023
At the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event, 59-year-old German real estate manager Uwe Matthias not only enjoyed the best tournament run of his life, but he then got to celebrate with the eventual winner, his fellow countryman Koray Aldemir.
Now, after qualifying on PokerStars for €60, Matthias is at King’s Resort in Rozvadov for the EUREKA Rozvadov festival, hoping for an Aldemir moment of his own.
“It was my first time winning a qualifier on PokerStars,” he tells us. “The Main Event here is a great tournament with a fantastic structure,” he says. “Plus, €1 million is a very nice guarantee.”
READ: Online qualifier Uwe Matthias seeks own Aldemir moment at EUREKA Rozvadov
Rimantas Petras Boguzas wins €330 EUREKA Cup for €32,530
Rimantas Petras Boguzas: EUREKA Cup champion in Rozvadov
Published: 17 March, 2023
Thousands have flocked to the King’s Resort in Rozvadov to play some live poker. But the truth is, Lithuania’s Rimantas Petras Boguzas is only here to relax.
“I have little kids at home,” he tells us, chuckling. “So I came here for a holiday. But it’s always nice to play a bit of live poker.”
That’s exactly what the 30-year-old from Klaipėda has been doing for the past three days.
He’s been busy battling his way through a massive 932-entry field in the €330 EUREKA Cup, one of the flagship events on the PokerStars EUREKA Poker Tour.
And now he can really relax. Because he’s just taken it down for €32,530, following a four-way deal.
“It feels great,” he says as he awaits his winner photo. “It’s not my biggest ever poker win – that was online – but it’s my biggest live poker score.”
“I came here for a holiday!” – Rimantas Petras Boguzas
Boguzas is predominantly an online grinder but comes to Rozvadov at least once a year to play. He discovered poker when he was roughly 16. “Nothing serious,” he says. “Just games with friends.”
Football was his primary passion into his early twenties, but when he stopped playing in 2016, he began to take poker more seriously and has since turned the game into a career.
Now he’s a EUREKA champion.
EUREKA Cup – Rozvadov 2023
Dates: 15-17 March 2023
Buy-in: €330
Entries: 932
Prize pool: €265,620
1 Rimantas Petras Boguzas (Lithuania) – €32,530*
2 Robert Pawel Binek (Poland) – €26,586*
3 Carlos Dan Fernandes Lourenco (Portugal) – €31,620*
4 (Unknown) – €24,814*
5 Tom Johnatan Or Paz (Israel) – €12,500
6 Daniel Beck (Germany) – €9,600
7 Victor Ionut Dota (Romania) – €7,400
8 Vasil Nikolov Veselinov (Hungary) – €5,700
*denotes a deal was made
SIDE EVENT RESULTS SO FAR
EUREKA Rozvadov 2023 Closer
Dates: March 19, 2023
Buy-in: €550
Entries: 289 (including 81 re-entries)
Prize pool: €137,275
1 Igor Mataruga (Serbia) – €21,416*
2 (Unknown) – €19,531*
3 Bartolomeo Tato (Italy) – €17,228*
4 Vitaliy Kryza (Ukraine) – €9,644
5 Claudiu Bucataru (Romania) – €7,418
6 Catalin Moraru (Romania) – €5,707
7 Yakiv Syzghanov (Ukraine) – €4,711
8 Dan Larsen (Denmark) – €3,926
*denotes a deal was made
PL OMAHA EUREKA Championship
Dates: March 18, 2023
Buy-in: €440
Entries: 213 (including 81 re-entries)
Prize pool: €80,940
1 Daniel Seitz (Germany) – €14,804*
2 Ivan Pichadzhy (Czech Republic) – €10,768*
3 (Unknown) – €7,731*
4 Yevhen Mevsha (Ukraine) – €7,987*
5 Renato Messina (Italy) – €4,516
6 Marek Rous (Czech Republic) – €3,527
7 Stanislav Parkhomenko (Hungary) – €2,940
8 Florian Guertler (Germany) – €2,450
*denotes a deal was made
Daniel Seitz of Germany won the PLO EUREKA Championship for €14,804, following a four-way deal
EUREKA Morning Turbo Knockout
Dates: March 15, 2023
Buy-in: €120
Entries: 140
Prize pool: €18,090
1 Andreas Dyll (Germany) – €3,819
2 “DYE111” (Germany) – €2,388
3 Moritz Muchow (Germany) – €1,706
4 Michal Zamani (Croatia) – €1,312
5 Senad Tursonovic (Germany) – €1,009
6 Sebastian Weinreich (Germany) – €788
7 Vasili Radov (Romania) – €657
8 Gyoergy Simon (Hungary) – €548
Andreas Dyll won the Eureka Morning Turbo Knockout for €3,819
EUREKA Morning Turbo Freezeout
Dates: March 14, 2023
Buy-in: €220
Entries: 73
Prize pool: €13,870
1 Marc Meden (Germany) – €3,906
2 Mahdi Norozian (Germany) – €2,520
3 Halim Tutku Kara (Denmark) – €1,800
4 Nicholas Einan (Spain) – €1,385
5 Gheorghi Tafratov (Hungary) – €1,065
6 (Unknown) – €847
7 Leonardo Fricchione (Italy) – €678
8 Renato Messina (Italy) – €542
Germany’s Marc Meden won the Morning Turbo Freezeout for €3,906
PHOTO GALLERIES
Did you play poker at EUREKA Rozvadov 2023? Or know someone who did?
Have a look through our photo galleries and you might just spot yourself!
You’ll find photos from every tournament played, as well as the player activities.
All photos by Manuel Kovsca.
EUREKA ROZVADOV PHOTO GALLERIES
HISTORY OF POKER IN ROZVADOV
The glitz of Las Vegas. The decadence of Macau. These are the places the mind jumps to when considering the most popular poker destinations on the planet.
What you probably don’t think of is a small village in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic, with a population of approximately 800 people.
But you should, for the past 20 years, Rozvadov has cemented itself as one of Europe’s premier places to play poker, with millions in prizes awarded and big tournament series running regularly.
But how did this humble town become one of the epicentres of poker in Europe? And what has happened at PokerStars events in Rozvadov throughout the years?
Let’s take a look through the history of poker in Rozvadov.
EUREKA ACTIVITIES
Rozvadov might be the most poker-focused destination that PokerStars Live events visit.
But just because the town outside of the lavish King’s Resort is quiet, doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do here away from the tables.
Here, courtesy of photographer Manuel Kovsca, we can bring you photos from the fun activities arranged by PokerStars for players at EUREKA Rozvadov 2023.
Go-kart competition – 16/3/2023
EVERYTHING ELSE
EUREKA ROZVADOV OFFICIAL SITE
The PokerStars Live official page, with everything you need to know about the tournament series in Rozvadov.
FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Twenty-one events will play out across the EUREKA Rozvadov tournament series. Here’s the day-by-day schedule.
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