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Nipping out to Europe quick, we are here to check out on Leon Tsoukernik, a casino owner who has a flair for poker and knows how to outlast his competitors – both on the felt and in life and business. Tsoukernik was slated to join the WSOP in Las Vegas earlier this year, but he finally decided that Austria, Europe, has its own distinct charm, which is worth exploring in full.

Tsoukernik Joins the EU Poker Race

Tsoukernik may have lost his $50,000 deposit for the WSOP event, but he didn’t flinch at the news that his money is not-refundable. Instead, he decided to drop extra $30,000 for the Super High Roller tournament. He was clever to do so, as the event quickly turned out to be a raging success for him and he added a bit of extra cash to his bankroll, making his losses several-fold.

His strategy was quite simple in fact – swoop in, dismantle the competition and leave with the EUR1,165,000 prize pool on the spot. The event attracted 27 players, which is not much, but then again, the buy-in was significant and few players were as confident as Tsoukernik whose casino was happily chugging along at home.

Adding the latest prize money, Tsoukernik has managed to bring his total winnings to $2.7 million from what he has earned during live events alone! He has long been a fan of the tournament and frequenting it has provided him a peace of mind, as well as monetary satisfaction.

Tsoukernik, the Inglorious

Tsoukernik has not always been known as a ‘good’ player in the sense of personal example. For instance, he has refused to settle a debt with fellow poker player Matt Kirk. But that’s just business if you ask him. Even then, his victories have diminished since the EPT Prague SHR nearly two years ago, which he won for $782,453. He also won a SHR Bowl, which fetched him the staggering $1.8 million.

Looking at the numbers, it’s easy to guess that Tsoukernik is doing well. Not only that, but his Czech-based casino is also doing rather well. Being a bit of a celebrity at home, a lot of local gamers flock to his casino in the hopes of catching him and play poker against him or just exchange banter if he’s in the mood – which, if rumors are any indication, he’s more often not.

Still, Tsoukernik deserves admiration in the way he handles game assets. He is not upset over willingly giving up money for an entry-fee for an event he’s not really sure he wants to play. With the European poker scene developing, he may also stand to benefit from the growing field.

Of course, having a more mixed variety of players is also helpful, as the Triton Poker tournament has suggested on multiple occasions. Tsoukernik may do a bit better in improving his public figure, but then again, he doesn’t seem to be interested by what others think of him. And after all, his game is reason enough to like the tacit and silent pro of poker.