On Saturday, at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) 2026 at King’s Casino Prague, the title of European Circuit Champion and thus WSOPE Bracelet #12 was awarded at the Hilton Prague Atrium among the final 16 of a total of 2.628 entries. With a guaranteed €19.500 from the €3.547.800 prize pool, the players at the final two tables were aiming not only for a place in the WSOP annals but also for the €455.000 top prize. Three Germans still had the best chance of achieving this.
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WSOPE Event #12: €1.500 European Circuit Championship – Day 3
Japanese player Daisuke Ogita emerged as the chip leader from Day 2 of the 3-day event, followed by the most well-known of the remaining finalists, Tobias Peters from the Netherlands. Behind the two-time WSOP bracelet winner was his compatriot Pascal Vos. With Marcel Kessler and Stefan Peukert, two Germans entered the final day as mid-stacks, while their compatriot Alessandro Laubinger, 14th of the 16 in the chip counts, needed a few good spots for a comeback.
However, the comeback did not happen. Unfortunately, it was Laubinger who was the first to vacate his seat on Saturday in 16th place in the European Circuit Championship. This meant a payday of €19.500 for the German. Day 2 chip leader Daisuke Ogita had a much worse day by comparison, becoming the second bustout of the final day to everyone’s surprise and only being able to cash for “only” €25.000.
The two remaining Germans, Marcel Kessler and Stefan Peukert, did not let themselves be swayed from their course to the final table. After the elimination of Daan Mulders (NED) as the FT bubble boy (10th, €32.244), the two players from the DACH region were allowed to take their seats at the final table. Italian Mario Colavita (9th, €40.000) was the first to leave it. Then it was Marcel Kessler’s turn, who received €53.000 as the 8th of the 2.628 starters. However, the hopes for another WSOPE bracelet ended shortly thereafter. He was followed to the rails in seventh place by his compatriot Stefan Peukert. The strong performance over 3 days was rewarded with a €65.000 payout.
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The elimination of the Germans was followed by that of Greek Lampros Vlachos (6th, €85.000) and Italian Mikel Calo (5th, €115.000). This meant that the 12th bracelet of WSOPE Prague would go to either the Czech Republic or the Netherlands, as both countries were still represented by two players. In 4th place, tournament favorite Tobias Peters had to end his hunt for a third bracelet without any further arm jewelry, but with a €155.000 payout. His compatriot, friend, and padel partner Pascal Vos followed him to the rails shortly after in 3rd place. This meant another €210.000 for the Dutch padel pairing.
This led to a Czech heads-up, which Michael Sklenicka finished as the runner-up. A €290.00 runner-up prize served as a consolation for narrowly missing out on the bracelet. After 3 days of play, it went to his compatriot Nikolai Ogoltsov. The Czech player thus won not only his first WSOP bracelet but also the top prize of €455.000!
Read more WSOPE #12 – Ogoltsov becomes European Circuit Champion, Peukert & Kessler at the Final Table!
The payouts on Day 3 (1-16):
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (EUR) |
| 1 | Nikolai Ogoltsov | CZE | 455,000 |
| 2 | Michael Sklenicka | CZE | 290,000 |
| 3 | Pascal Vos | NED | 210,000 |
| 4 | Tobias Peters | NED | 155,000 |
| 5 | Mikel Calo | ITA | 115,000 |
| 6 | Lampros Vlachos | GRE | 85,000 |
| 7 | Stefan Peukert | GER | 65,000 |
| 8 | Marcel Kessler | GER | 53,000 |
| 9 | Mario Colavita | ITA | 40,000 |
| 10 | Daan Mulders | NED | 32,244 |
| 11 | Marton Czuczor | HUN | 32,244 |
| 12 | Yohan Rascar | FRA | 25,000 |
| 13 | Keshu Peng | HKG | 25,000 |
