Marek Uharcek led all the way to win the King's Festival PLO championship.

Marek Uharcek led his team to victory in the 2026 King's Million European Poker Championship €1,500 PLO tournament, winning €95,000 and the Royal Scepter. He defeated Lucas Giebing to win his first tournament title.

Marek Uharcek entered the final day of the €1,500 PLO tournament as the chip leader, knowing he still has a long way to go to win the 2026 King's Million European Poker Championship Royal Scepter.

Uharcek has come close to winning major tournaments in the past, including reaching the final table at King's Resort a year ago on the same day, but he maintained his lead throughout the day and ultimately won his first tournament title.

"I'm not really a tournament player," Uharcek told PokerNews after defeating Lucas Giebing in a long heads-up match to win his best prize of €95,000. "I might play ten tournaments a year, and I prefer cash games, but this is my first title."

The tournament attracted 286 participants and was divided into two preliminary rounds. The largest prize pool of €500,000 was won by Uharcek after nearly 12 hours of intense competition.

€1,500 PLO Championship Final Table Results

Day 2 Match Results

A total of 44 players returned to the field on Final Day, each already secured €3,525 in prize money after bagging chips in the preliminary rounds. Uharcek started as the chip leader after taking the lead in Group B on Day 1. He remained among the top chip leaders when the field was nearly halved before the first break of the day.

"Obviously, when you're the chip leader, you have a lot of hope. But a lot of times in these tournaments, you need luck to get good results. So being the chip leader helps, but you also have to get through the day. I try to put pressure on people in certain situations and try to take some chips from short stacks. But it's mainly about making decisions one by one."

As he gets closer to the final nine, Uharcek tries to draw on his experience of making deep runs in recent years, including an eighth-place finish at the same table last year. The pot-limit Omaha specialist has also reached the European Poker Tour final table twice in the past three years.

"I think the most important thing is when you have bad luck, like when my opponent hits four outs in heads-up play. So maybe the best thing to do is try to stay calm and not rush into judgment."

Conquer the final table

Uharcek entered the final table as the chip leader, as he had for most of the day. He also secured the first elimination, quickly gaining a prize jump and solidifying his position at the top of the chip leaderboard.

"There are some very experienced tournament players at the final table. I mean Jan-Peter Jachtmann, he's a bracelet winner. So I don't think I have an advantage, I'm trying to make good decisions."

After holding on with two better pairs, Uharcek eliminated Jachtmann in fourth place and soon entered the heads-up match with a slight lead.

The four outs Uharcek mentioned came when Giebing went all-in and had only two cards left. He made a straight on the turn, completely turning the tables in heads-up play.

Uharcek doubled up shortly after, putting Giebing at risk once again, with the championship within reach. This time, Giebing missed a straight draw, allowing Uharcek to celebrate his first tournament victory.

“It was a relief,” Uharcek described the last hand. “It was a relief because we went all in when he hit four outs against me. At that point, I was quite, not sad, but disappointed with the last hand. He also had many options in the last hand, so it was a big relief.”

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