Three players have overcome the odds and earned their first major WSOPE victories
The 2026 World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) concluded its inaugural Prague residency this past weekend, crowning three first-time bracelet winners as the festival drew to a close.
Nikolai Ogoltsov headlined the final stretch by parlaying a €1,500 buy-in into a career-high $523,250. Competing in the European Circuit Championship, Ogoltsov outlasted a massive field of 2,628 entrants that generated a prize pool surpassing $4.1 million.
Although Michael Sklenicka dominated the final table with five eliminations, Ogoltsov secured the win when his pocket jacks held against Sklenicka’s ace-four. This victory also earned him 1,200 Player of the Year points.
In the €1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha Double Board Bomb Pot event, veteran professional Adam Geyer finally secured his first gold bracelet. Despite amassing nearly $4 million in prior career earnings, Geyer had frequently finished as a runner-up or in third place in major events over the last 15 years.
He navigated a field of 280 players, including poker heavyweights Benny Glaser and Ari Engel, to claim the $69,000 top prize. Geyer finished the tournament in rare fashion by executing a double elimination on the final hand, winning both boards with an ace-high flush and a full house.
The festival’s final major title went to David Wintersberger in the €2,750 No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Bounty. Wintersberger topped a 466-player field to earn $161,000 in prize money along with his accumulated bounties.
A dramatic turn of luck during heads-up play against Arsenii Karmatckii saw Wintersberger’s ace-jack overtake ace-nine on the river, shifting the momentum in his favor. He officially closed out the win by flopping a set of threes. With the Prague series now complete, the poker circuit will pause for seven weeks before the World Series of Poker resumes action in Las Vegas.
