The post Breathtaking Performance by Breakout Star Tomasz Brzezinski in EPT Malta Main Event appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.
898 entries to Main Event
Malta had not hosted a European Poker Tour (EPT) event in almost a decade, so the anticipation was palpable in the warm Autumnal Mediterranean air as 898 entrants stumped up €5,300 ($6,152) to produce a prize pool of €4,355,300 ($5,055,393). Among them, Tomasz Brzezinski, a 37‑year-old Polish player, who has spent the last decade living on the island and working in the sports betting industry, entered with a quiet confidence.
the dream of making back-to-back final tables became possible, probable, and eventually inevitable
Brzezinski was enjoying a breakout year on the live felt, having already finished 4th in the EPT Barcelona Main Event for a career-best €493,250 ($572,537). As he navigated his way through the field, the dream of making back-to-back final tables became possible, probable, and eventually inevitable. His signature sharp reads and canny awareness of where he was in hands propelled him up the chip counts.
With two tables remaining, it was a star-studded affair in the Eden event center, adjacent to Casino Malta. However, several of the game’s biggest stars bowed out on the penultimate day, paving the way for Brzezinski, who ultimately squared off against Mykhailo Ostash in what was an epic showdown, befitting the occasion.
A breakout year for Brzezinski
With a grinder’s resume of four-figure scores in mostly three-figure buy-ins, Brzezinski had about €70,000 ($81,252) in recorded live winnings prior to 2025. I know that there was a time when he seriously considered playing poker full time but, perhaps choosing the safer path, he opted instead for an industry career, ultimately becoming the head of a sportsbook. Nonetheless, the game has remained a passion and, as this fellow Maltese resident can testify, he has always been a formidable opponent in local games.
just two months later, he was back at another big final table
This year started off auspiciously for Brzezinski, who took second in the CNP Winamax Barcelona for €35,000 ($40,626), a result that he felt was somewhat overdue after umpteen crossbars over the years. It proved to be some foreshadowing as just two months later, he was back at another big final table – this time, the Notte Degli Assi event in Albania. Heartbreak would ensue as he finished 8th for €32,000 ($37,144) in a ridiculously top-heavy structure where a million euro was guaranteed to the winner.
Brzezinski traveled to Barcelona in August for the EPT, kicking off his campaign with a min-cash in the Open. He entered the EPT Main and seven days later found himself at the final table with life-changing money on the line. Fourth place was more than a taste, and he returned to Malta, buoyed by the experience and hungry for more poker. The Sigma Poker Tour Main Event was a €400 ($464) buy-in, but it came with more pomp and ceremony than your average grassroots game. On the livestream final table, he crushed the opposition and was unlucky not to claim the trophy, taking second for €19,000 ($22,054).
Ostash and Brzezinski maneuver through the elite field
Brzezinski put a couple of small cashes on the board at EPT Malta prior to his deep run in the Main Event. Composure personified behind a pair of sunglasses, he maneuvered his way through a tough field, particularly in the end game, by which time the cream had very much risen to the top. The trio of Adrian Mateos, Juan Pardo, and Ben Heath was a particularly daunting prospect, but he just went about his business with lots of pot-controlling lines, some well-timed aggression, and more than his fair share of hero-calls.
When the three high rollers fell in 11th, 8th, and 7th, respectively, the horizon opened for Brzezinski and the remaining players. When Fin Toni Kaukua busted in sixth, the final five for the final day were set, and it was an international affair. Tom‑Aksel Bedell, a Norwegian businessman and high roller, who had led in chips on multiple days, was in the hunt. So, too, were Spaniard Adria Calonge, Ukrainian Ostash, and Belarusian Aliaksei Boika, who was seeking to defend a title he won nine years ago in Malta and thereby become one of the few who have claimed repeat EPT Main Event triumphs.
Bedell was eliminated first, his pocket deuces no match for Ostash’s pocket threes. The next to fall was Boika, who, after mounting a brief resurgence, had his pocket Kings cracked by Ostash’s pocket fives. Calonge was the next to succumb, the bish-bosh action suggesting an early finish for all. However, that wasn’t to be, as Ostash and Brzezinski played out one of the wildest heads-up contests in EPT history. You had to see it to believe it.
Heads-up
When heads-up began, the stacks were nearly even and the two finalists struck a deal, splitting €603,058 ($700,000) each, leaving €28,534 ($33,121) and the EPT trophy for which to play. At the commencement of play, Brzezinski took the early initiative, pressing and pushing his opponent. A pocket tens versus King-Jack flip could have ended things early on, but Ostash would get there. Brzezinski grinded his man back down again, only for Ace-Eight to lose a flip to Queen-Ten. Rinse and repeat, but this time Ostash held with pocket fours versus Ten-Nine. The double-ups were relentless.
It was poker theater.
When the cards went on their backs, Ostash was the one at risk nine out of the first ten times. The only time Brzezinski won was when he was at risk. It was a preposterous sequence. It was poker theater. The 11th all-in showdown was for almost all the cheddar, and it saw Ostash in trouble, his Ace-Ten dominated by Brzezinski’s Ace-Jack. The best hand held, and this time, there would be no miraculous comeback.
In the final hand, Brzezinski had Ten-Four versus Ostash’s Five-Four. The ten on the flop all but sealed it. The turn four left Ostash drawing dead. A relieved Brzezinski was finally able to enjoy the moment, so tantalizingly close so many times during the blustery and blistering heads-up battle. He celebrated with his rail, commiserated with Ostash, and then bee-lined for the trophy, which he proudly held aloft.
The other side of variance
I had a few quick chats with Brzezinski at various points throughout the last three days. For a man who has just recently burst into the limelight, he was remarkably chill, enjoying the experience, allowing himself to switch off at breaks so that he could be laser-focused on the felt. When we spoke at the end, I could tell he was exhausted, his adrenaline reserves utterly depleted after the epic denouement to an extraordinary result.
The moment was not lost on Brzezinski as he described years of running under EV before this purple patch, where he has enjoyed the other side of variance. He gave me some insights into his overall strategy and some of the adjustments that he looked to make versus the beasts in the field. I don’t feel like it is appropriate to share them, but suffice to say, they were all very nifty, premeditated, and well-executed deviations.
With this result, Brzezinski goes to the top of the list for poker’s breakout stars of 2025. His story is very inspirational as one of grit and perseverance, but also a tale that contains more than a dollop of “Roy of the Rovers” magic. On home soil, Brzezinski pulled off a breathtaking performance. After years of near misses, a player can finally get their reward.
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