€10,350 WSOPE The coveted gold bracelet of the main event was left home as Josef Goulas Jr. won ahead of Johan Gilbert. In the 2021 edition, the WSOP Europe Main Event set a new entry record as 688 participants generated a prize of EUR 6,536,000, with 95 participants exceeding the previous record. Only the top 104 spots were paid and Goulas received the highest payout of his career so far, earning a top prize of €1,276,712.
He became the eighth player from the Czech Republic to win the WSOP Gold Bracelet, with more than half of the victories recorded in his home country. Martin Cabrell won both career bracelets at Kings Casino, which is also the home casino of goulas.
"It's an incredible feeling. I'm really grateful and happy," an overwhelmed Goulas said in an interview after the victory. "It was a perfect tournament with a very nice structure to the best casinos in Europe. It's just amazing!"
Throughout the festival, he only entered the opener and spent the day at the cash game table while waiting for the main event to begin, thanks to his third-place finish in the 250 euro IPS main event last June. Many ticket winners at the King's Resort promised a big field, so he would have entered the main event through a direct purchase anyway, but instead entered at a discounted price.
"It's an incredible thing, and I would wish it on everyone. To feel the atmosphere and feel of the last table, everyone has to participate and play in those situations," the winner said of the special atmosphere of the last table, which was broadcast live.
When asked what he would do with the money, Goulas was pretty sure he would build a house and collect the rest of the money. Bullying by his family, Goulas, 24, usually sells cars, but there may be a career change. His father, with the same name, was right there when everything opened and was a few steps short of money after bowing on the third day.
Runner-up Gilbert, also known online as "YoH ViraL," became one of Europe's most popular streamers and bloggers and received a prize of €789,031 in consolation money. The French man lives in Malta and recently competed in an international high roller competition and raised six-figure cash. Two years ago, Gilbert found his coveted gold bracelet and missed his first win in the event #36: $3,000 No Limit Hold'm Shootout.
Another three of the final eight players joined Gulas, who later became champions, thanks to qualifying for the flagship tournament in a buy-in competition of less than 500 euros. Ilya Savevski earned 125,052 euros in eighth place, Thomas Denie collected 163,434 euros in seventh place, and Stanislav Koleno received a salary of 292,862 euros.