The action continued at King’s Casino Resort for the 2025 World Series of Poker Europe with two new bracelet winners joining the fold after two events finished in consecutive days. Stepan Budac walked with six figures and a bracelet in the massive, 3,229-entrant field in the opening event and then Sascha Wilhelm took down the €1,000 pot-limit Omaha event for $173,862.
Budac Outlasts Giant Field for First Bracelet and $132,620
The €350 buy-in Kings Million drew a massive 3,229 entrants across five starting flights to beat the €1 million guarantee. Budac was nearly felted seven-handed, but the Moldovan battled his way back with 1.5 big blinds to win the largest event of his career for his first bracelet.
“It was a dream. This is not the first time I’ve come back from a blind to win big prizes. In poker, the most important thing is not to give up,” Budac told PokerNews live reporters on site.
The final day of play saw 16 players return, but it was at the final table that Budac secured his fate. Jan Kohl hit a river straight to best Budac’s pocket nines, leaving the eventual champion short. Following the beat, Budac quadrupled up with pocket aces after action checked down to the river by the active players.
Budac earned his revenge when the pair met heads-up for the bracelet. They were virtually even to start and played a back-and-forth match. The key hand came when they went to a flop of 10♦9♦5♣, Budac bet and Kohl moved all in. Budac called quickly with pocket kings and Kohl needed help after he tabled J♥10♠ for top pair. He missed his draws and Budac won the bracelet and readied for winner photos.
Jan Bendik (17th), Darius Neagoe (28th), and Tjan Tepeh finished in the top 100 spots. The final ten players all received a ticket to the €10,300 WSOPE Main Event.
| Place | Player | Payout |
| 1 | Stepan Budac | $132,620 |
| 2 | Jan Kohl | $92,840 |
| 3 | Martin Vittek | $71,195 |
| 4 | Heger Sare | $55,868 |
| 5 | Sarah Link | $44,753 |
| 6 | Michal Szczeblewski | $36,680 |
| 7 | Tudor Zapsa | $30,713 |
| 8 | Bogdan Roman | $26,384 |
| 9 | Vagke Sagkinian | $23,145 |
Sascha Willhelm Tops Pot Limit Omaha for Second Bracelet
The €1,000 pot-limit Omaha eight-max event drew 811 entrants across two day one flights and came up just shy of the €1 million guarantee. Wilhelm entered the final table second in chips and played his way to his second career bracelet, with both coming in PLO events.
“It feels great, obviously. Always a good feeling to win, especially after so long. It is a lot less money than last time, but it still feels good to get another one,” said the German.
Wilhelm previously won the 2024 WSOP $1,000 PLO mystery bounty for $282,290 for his career-high score. This latest deep run was his fourth WSOP cash and second final table.
The heads-up match between Wilhem and Daniel Ortmann saw each player take turns with the chip lead. They played for around an hour before they found themselves at a flop of A♥Q♣3♠, Willhelm bet, and Ortmann potted for his stack. Wilhelm called with pocket queens in his hand and Ortman had the nut flush draw. The board completed running jacks and Willhelm’s full house earned the title.
Thomer Pidun (17th), Renji Mao (26th), Dario Alioto (43rd), and Manig Loeser (47th) all cashed but fell short of the final table.
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Sascha Wilhelm | $173,862 | 912 |
| 2 | Daniel Ortmann | $115,830 | 760 |
| 3 | Filippo Ragone | $79,677 | 608 |
| 4 | Vitaliy Kryza | $55,809 | 456 |
| 5 | Tobias Peters | $39,839 | 380 |
| 6 | Rifat Palevic | $28,958 | 304 |
| 7 | Javier Francort | $21,470 | 228 |
| 8 | Salih Atac | $16,205 | 152 |
Photo credits: King’s Resort.
