Martin Staszko Bio

Martin Staszko Professional Poker Player

When Martin Staszko was working in the paint shop of a car factory in his native Czech Republic, he would probably never have imagined that in the space of a few years he would find fame as the highest-earning poker player his country has ever produced.

He’d been playing poker for a few years as an amateur, and by 2010 had begun to achieve some impressive tournament results. He almost made the final table at EPT Deauville, busting in 11th for $49,547, and was also winning big online. But none of this comes anywhere near the level of success he was about to achieve at the 2011 World Series of Poker*.

He started out small but steady, with cash finishes in four preliminary events for a combined total of more than $20,000. The run-good continued in the Main Event, where after days of intense action Martin emerged not just as one of the November Nine, but as the overall chip lead.

Martin kept his cool, played a solid game and eventually found himself heads-up against German Team PokerStars Pro Pius Heinz. It was a tough battle that saw the chip lead shift from side to side, but in the end the result wasn’t destined to go Martin’s way. The runner-up finish was still good for an incredible cash of $5,433,086 however, which gives Martin the kind of lifestyle and bankroll that most poker players can only dream of.

Elsewhere Martin has also scored some impressive results online, including a 2011 Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) title worth $91,539, and a 4th place finish later in the same year in a No Limit Hold’em event in the World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP), this time good for $73,338.

While lesser players would consider coming so painfully close to winning the Main Event as a failure, Martin is using it as motivation to win his first major title, and currently has his targets set on taking down an EPT event. He represents Team PokerStars Pro and you can find him playing online with the user name 'M. Staszko'.

Career Highlights

Event	Date	Position	Prize
EPT Prague €5,000 No Limit Hold’em Main Event	January 2010	11th	$49,547
PokerStars SCOOP $109+R No Limit Hold’em	May 2011	1st	$91,539
2011 WSOP $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo	July 2011	39th	$5,874
2011 WSOP $1,500 No Limit Hold’em	July  2011	58th	$10,156
PokerStars WCOOP $215+R No Limit Hold’em	September 2011	4th	$73,338
2011 WSOP $10,000 Main Event	November 2011	2nd	$5,433,086

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