Hungarian Player Rallies From Eight Big Blinds to Capture Title
Hungary’s Patrik Demus overcame a short stack late in the tournament to win the PokerStars Open Paris €1,650 Main Event, topping a 2,992-entry field for €551,090 at the Palais des congrès de Paris.
The prize is the second-largest first-place payout in the tour’s history, behind only the €772,000 won by Alexis Nicolai in Barcelona. Demus’ path to the trophy was far from straightforward. With four players remaining, he was down to just eight big blinds before mounting a comeback that carried him through to the title.
“I didn’t expect it, I’m very happy,” Demus said after the victory.
Although his first recorded live cash came 13 years ago, Demus has largely focused on online play. Now based in Bali, he has accumulated live results across Asia, including stops in Taiwan, South Korea, and Cambodia. He recorded two six-figure scores last year, but neither approached the scale of his Paris win.
The victory also adds valuable points toward the Medium tier of the PokerStars Live League. Demus said the result has encouraged him to attend more EPT stops this season. He plans to remain in Paris to play the €5,300 EPT Main Event on Tuesday before returning to Indonesia with his girlfriend, who supported him from the rail.
Final Day Action
Six players returned Monday to play down to a winner, with Sweden’s Adam Martinsson starting as chip leader. Martinsson eliminated Sebastien Seguin and Benoit Grobocopatel but eventually finished fourth.
Italy’s Lulei Hu continued a strong run on the low- and mid-stakes circuit, finishing third. Demus had previously taken a large portion of Hu’s chips by doubling twice, first with ace-ten against king-queen and later with ace-queen against pocket sevens.
Heads-up play began against France’s Enzo Nicolas. The key moment came when Nicolas moved all in as a bluff on a queen-high board after missing a flush draw. Demus called with pocket tens to take control of the match.
Nicolas could not recover. The final hand saw Demus hit a river seven to win with ten-seven against jack-two and secure the championship.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrik Demus | Hungary | €551,090 |
| 2 | Enzo Nicolas | France | €346,230 |
| 3 | Lulei Hu | Italy | €247,310 |
| 4 | Adam Martinsson | Sweden | €190,220 |
| 5 | Benoit Grobocopatel | France | €146,320 |
| 6 | Sebastien Seguin | France | €112,540 |
| 7 | Ilan Cukrowicz | France | €86,560 |
| 8 | Antoine Labat | France | €66,570 |
Event History
The Paris Main Event continues to draw large fields. The 2026 edition produced 2,992 entries from 1,393 players and a €4,308,480 prize pool.
Previous winners include Alan Goasdoue, who won the 2023 event with 2,071 entries for €287,830, and Mateusz Moolhuizen, who topped the 2024 field of 4,149 entries for €470,830. Demus now joins that list with the largest Paris payday to date.
