Eight Remain in the Hunt for the €1.14 Million Top Prize
After four intense days of poker at King’s Resort in Rozvadov, the 2025 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) €10,350 Main Event is down to its final eight contenders. Out of 659 total entries, just one will walk away with the €1,140,000 top prize and one of poker’s most coveted gold bracelets.
Brazil’s Murilo Garcia Pedroso will lead the pack into Wednesday’s final table with a commanding 13,400,000 chips, good for 54 big blinds. The Brazilian has already secured a career-best score, surpassing his previous record of $101,455 from a runner-up finish at the 2024 Enjoy Poker Tour Main Event in Punta del Este.
Neugebauer’s Bid for History
Right behind him sits Austria’s Max Neugebauer with 11,025,000 chips, looking to make poker history. The towering Austrian has become only the third player ever—after Jason Mercier and Daniel Negreanu—to reach the WSOPE Main Event final table twice. A repeat victory would cement his place among Europe’s all-time greats after his breakthrough win in 2023 over a record field of 817 players.
Neugebauer’s road to this final table was anything but smooth. Returning to Day 4 as one of the shortest stacks, he survived several all-ins and grinded his way to second on the leaderboard after more than fourteen hours of high-stakes action.
Strong European Contingent
Europe will be well represented at the final table, with four German-speaking players still in contention: Daniel Pidun (10,350,000), Gerald Karlic (7,900,000), Matthias Gude (1,500,000), and Neugebauer himself. Gude, who entered the Main Event fresh off a third-place finish in Event #12: €1,500 Mystery Million, will be the short stack with just six big blinds when play resumes.
Veteran Italian grinder Claudio Di Giacomo brings both experience and chips, sitting comfortably with 10,250,000, while Finland’s Teemu Jaatinen (6,975,000) and Romania’s Catalin Pop (5,025,000) round out the international lineup.
The Road to the Final Table
Day 4 began with 37 hopefuls, each guaranteed €31,000 from the €6,138,585 prize pool. The field quickly thinned as notables like Luca Maccatrozzo, Ratmir Kesidis, and 2025 Mini Main Event champion Yuhan Wang fell early in the day.
Martin Kabrhel, who had been the chip leader with three tables remaining, seemed poised for another deep run before Bastian Gallitzendoerfer turned the tide. Gallitzendoerfer called off two of Kabrhel’s massive bluffs, including one with just ace-queen high, before finishing the job when Garcia’s pocket sevens held against Kabrhel’s king-jack to send the Czech pro out in 14th place.
The momentum shifted as the table drew closer to the final nine, with Claudio Di Giacomo knocking out Robert Ashelmin ninth place after flopping kings over top pair. The final eight bagged their chips shortly after midnight, ready to return for one last battle.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Catalin Pop | Romania | 5,025,000 | 20 |
| 2 | Max Neugebauer | Austria | 11,025,000 | 44 |
| 3 | Gerald Karlic | Austria | 7,900,000 | 32 |
| 4 | Matthias Gude | Germany | 1,500,000 | 6 |
| 5 | Teemu Jaatinen | Finland | 6,975,000 | 28 |
| 6 | Claudio Di Giacomo | Italy | 10,250,000 | 41 |
| 7 | Daniel Pidun | Germany | 10,350,000 | 41 |
| 8 | Murilo Garcia Pedroso | Brazil | 13,400,000 | 54 |
Final Table Payouts
| Rank | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | €1,140,000 |
| 2 | €757,000 |
| 3 | €525,000 |
| 4 | €370,000 |
| 5 | €265,000 |
| 6 | €195,000 |
| 7 | €145,000 |
| 8 | €110,000 |
| 9 | €84,985 (Robert Ashelm) |
What’s Next
The final table kicks off Wednesday, October 8 at 4:00 p.m. local time, with blinds at 125,000/250,000 and a 250,000 big blind ante. All players have already locked up at least €110,000, but the real battle begins when the cards go in the air and the chase for the €1.14 million top prize resumes.
Fans can catch the cards-up coverage with a delay on the King’s Resort YouTube channel, while live updates will follow all the action as the 2025 WSOPE Main Event plays down to a champion.
