Swiss poker player Elvir Nuhiu emerged victorious in the PokerStars Open Campione €1,100 no-limit hold’em championship, navigating a field of 1,582 entries at Casino Di Campione in Italy. He locked up the title and $236,755 through a three-way deal, marking the biggest cash of his career.
Nuhiu, who mainly focuses on cash games, stumbled into the event almost by accident. He had driven a friend to Milan and spotted the festival nearby, deciding to join on the spot. “I’m mostly a cash-game player but I was at EPT Prague and cashed some events,” Nuhiu said to PokerStars staff after the win. “I was not planning to come here, but I had to drive a friend to Milan and saw this festival nearby and decided to come. It feels really special to reach this kind of final table. I wanted, so badly, this victory.”
The event drew enough players to smash its €1 million guarantee, creating a total prize pool of $1,792,889 distributed among the top 223 finishers. The deal at the final table also delivered career-high payouts to runner-up Vincenzo Petruzziello of Italy with $197,692 and third-place finisher Christian Stantchev of France with $177,748.
Fifth-place Michele Brandes earned $78,081 from the main event. Brandes had already claimed victory in a €220 pot-limit Omaha side event days earlier for more than $5,400, pushing his festival earnings past $83,000.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elvir Nuhiu | $236,755 | 1,080 |
| 2 | Vincenzo Petruzziello | $197,692 | 900 |
| 3 | Christian Stantchev | $177,748 | 720 |
| 4 | Eduard Fondos | $101,504 | 540 |
| 5 | Michele Brandes | $78,081 | 450 |
| 6 | Renzo Pedrotti | $60,074 | 360 |
| 7 | Thomas Olivieri | $46,197 | 270 |
| 8 | Giorgio Favotto | $35,553 | 180 |
| 9 | Tanmmay Jhunjhunwala | $27,352 | 90 |
