Daniele Santaniello Rises from the Ashes to Conquer King's Million Main Event

This massive tournament with a €250 buy-in attracted a total of 5,596 entries, boosting the initial million-euro guarantee to a final prizepool of €1,175,160. Originally, the winner's reward was set at €128,000, but after a deal in heads-up play, Santaniello took home €116,300 and the prestigious trophy.

You can catch the thrilling final table action, a true 'Cinderella story' in poker, on King's Resort's YouTube channel:

From 3.5 Blinds to the Top

Daniele Santaniello entered the final day as the ultimate outsider, holding just about 1% of all chips in play (3.5 big blinds). In the poker world, such a scenario almost guarantees elimination, but through precise decisions and a bit of luck, Santaniello orchestrated an incredible turnaround.

In the second hand of the evening, he went all-in and tripled his stack with A-K. It didn’t take long for another crucial double-up when his A-J hit an ace on the turn against Dieter Pichler's K-K. From a player expected to bust first, Santaniello became a genuine contender for the title.

While Santaniello's stack was growing, the initial chipleader, Vietnam's Duc Tran, experienced a sharp decline. Tran lost a significant portion of his stack in a showdown with Santaniello and eventually finished in 7th place.

In the final heads-up, Santaniello faced Patrik Cacaleceanu, a Romanian living in Italy. Given their even stacks and the significant financial differences, they agreed on a deal, leaving €20,100 and the coveted trophy to play for.

In the tournament's last hand, Santaniello held K d T d against his opponent's 2 s 2 h, and the board 9 s 4 h ​​​​​​​T c ​​​​​​​3 c ​​​​​​​A c sealed one of the greatest comebacks in Rozvadov poker history. For Santaniello, this marks his first major success, a career milestone he’ll never forget.

Final Table Results:

Sources: King's Resort, YouTube, FB/KingsResort