partypoker players flock to the site in droves whenever there is a major live poker tournament on the horizon as they dream of turning a small buy-in satellite entry into a poker trip and the chance of a bankroll-boosting prize. Czech player Lukas Boubel was one such player in the run up to the recent partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Europe festival. Not only did Lukas win a €3,300 Main Event seat for a mere €0.01, he put together a deep run and finished in 18th place for €11,000, which is one hell of a return on his investment!
Lukas is a 28-year-old who was born on the Czech-German border but now lives in the capital city of Prague. He works in the finance sector making forex trades, and likes spending his spare time going on nature trips and city breaks with his girlfriend, enjoying good food, and, of course, playing poker.
“I’ve been interested in games and card games since I was little, but poker fascinated me. One of my friends introduced me to poker in high school, and we sometimes played at home. Later, we set up some home game tournaments for small money, and I fell in love with the variability and complexity poker has. I’ve always played No-Limit Hold’em tournaments, sometimes sit & go poker games, but multi-table tournaments fit me perfectly and are what I enjoy the most.”
Starting the MILLIONS Europe Qualification Process By Mistake
Although Lukas qualified for the €3,300 MILLIONS Europe Main Event for €0.01, it was not his intention to do so! He believed he was trying to qualify for an online tournament, and it was only when he reached the €33 level that it dawned on Lukas that he was progressing towards a live event seat!
“At first, I thought it was qualification for a smaller tournament played online, but I realised after several rounds that it was for a live event. I’ll be honest, I was a little upset because I didn’t think I had any chance of winning and thought I’d wasted my time.”
“Maybe because I had nothing to lose, I did not feel any pressure and remained calm. It was something incredible when I won the €3,300 Main Event seat, which was the biggest tournament of my life. I couldn’t believe I’d won, and I made some jokes to my girlfriend about starting to pack our bags because we were going to Barcelona at the weekend! It wasn’t until the next day that I realised it was actually happening.”
A Cooler Hand Ends the Dream For Lukas; For Now
Lukas made his way to sunny Barcelona after progressing from the online Day 1. Everything was going great in the live event until two key hands saw Lukas bust out. First, he made a fold with pocket tens, which would have won a three-way all-in against pocket nines and ace-queen. He then got his stack into the middle with ace-king only to run into the pocket aces of Ireland’s Daniel Smyth, eliminating Lukas in 18th place for an €11,000 score.
“I can’t change how those hands went, and I can only take a lesson for the next tournament. It was a bit of a bittersweet feeling for me but I still consider it an unbelievable success and a great experience. My only goal was not to be the first player eliminated and I did more than that!”
A five-figure payday aside, Lukas told the partypoker blog that it was the overall experience that made his Barcelona trip so memorable, and that has made him want to play in more partypoker LIVE events.
“It was just awesome! Everything was of the highest level of organisation. It was the biggest poker experience of my life and I enjoyed it as a whole. It was unbelievable being on the table with players I know from the biggest tournaments I watch on TV or on streams. There were so many big names I played against, but if I had to choose just a few highlights I’d say Steve O’Dwyer, Andrea Ricci, Mathias Siljander, or my fellow Czech Michael Sklenicka. I actually feel a bit sorry for Michael because we collided with similar stacks and I all but eliminated him. But that’s the game and even though Michael is a great player, anyone can beat someone else in a single hand of poker.”
Next Up For Lukas
MILLIONS UK is the next live event that Lukas is looking to qualify for online at partypoker.
“I will certainly try to qualify for some interesting online events, and the MILLIONS UK; I’ll probably try to get there. It would be amazing to be there but I think it would be a real miracle to succeed again against such strong competition.”
Before Lukas headed off to fire up some satellites at partypoker, he left our readers with this little piece of advice for anyone who is contemplating following in his footsteps.
“Just try it! I’m a great example that nothing is impossible. Believe in your game and with a little luck, everyone can succeed.”
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