On December 15th, 2019, American poker pro David O’Neill made history by winning the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague Main Event. After starting the final table with the second-shortest stack, O’Neill staged an epic comeback to take down the €1,122,800 first-place prize.

The EPT Prague Main Event attracted a total of 1,175 entries, creating a prize pool of €5,619,000. After five days of intense poker action, the final table was set with O’Neill in second-to-last place. He was up against some of the best players in the world, including the chip leader, France’s Jean-Noel Thorel.

Despite his short stack, O’Neill was determined to make a comeback. He started off strong by eliminating two opponents in quick succession. He then took out Thorel in fourth place to take a big chip lead into heads-up play against Germany’s Stefan Schillhabel.

The heads-up battle lasted for nearly three hours and saw O’Neill’s chip lead swing back and forth. In the end, it was O’Neill who emerged victorious after his pocket nines held up against Schillhabel’s ace-king. With the win, O’Neill became the first American to win an EPT Main Event since 2013.

O’Neill’s victory at EPT Prague is a testament to his skill and determination. After starting the final table with a short stack, he managed to come back and take down one of the biggest prizes in poker. His win is sure to inspire many aspiring poker players around the world.