Triomphe pour Alejandro "Papo MC" Lococo (417.820€), douche froide pour Alex Reard
In a heads-up match that lasted less than ten hands, PokerStars Ambassador "Papo MC" Alejandro Lococo has defeated Bartolomeo Tato to win the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague €1,100 Eureka Main Event and claim the first place prize of €417,820.
Also known by his stage name "Papo MC", the Argentinian is a rapper, avid poker player, and hugely influential figure in South America with 2.7 million followers on Instagram, over 2 million on YouTube, and nearly a million on Twitter.
The aforementioned Tato, hailing from Italy, finished runner-up for €249,000, while the Czech Republic's Jakub Koleckar rounded out the podium with a cash of €174,130. France's Alexandre Reard, one of the favorites coming into the final table, finished in ninth place.
EPT Prague €1,100 Eureka Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alejandro Lococo | Argentina | €417,820 |
| 2 | Bartolomeo Tato | Italy | €249,000 |
| 3 | Jakub Koleckar | Czech Republic | €174,130 |
| 4 | Jon Kyte | Norway | €131,900 |
| 5 | Yann Nasser | Luxembourg | €99,920 |
| 6 | Ville Jantunen | Finland | €75,690 |
| 7 | Nicolas Cottin | Chile | €57,340 |
| 8 | Merijn van Rooij | Netherlands | €43,430 |
| 9 | Alexandre Reard | France | €32,860 |
On last fall's final table of the 2021 WSOP Main Event, Lococo saw a deep run end in seventh place for $1,225,000. This time, the Argentinian star closed it out, marking his second largest-ever tournament score, and his first major tournament win.
The event drew a record field of 3,155 runners, who together created a total prize pool of €3,028,800. 469 players finished in the money across the four-day event.
Rapper and Poker Player
After breaking through in the international poker world following his final table in the WSOP Main Event, Lococo once again made headlines as a poker player. While more than familiar with the spotlights as "Papo MC", with the ambassadorship at the world's biggest poker site in combination with another eye-popping cash, does he consider himself primarily a rapper or poker player these days?
"Both," Lococo laughed when prompted. "I'm a poker player ánd a rapper."
Besides the comparison of his crafts, the question on everyone's lips as well was how this victory compared to the deep run in the WSOP Main Event, which instantly turned him into a household name outside the LATAM region as well.
"It's two different sensations," Lococo explained, who called in the aid of a translator to give a more in-depth explanation of his feelings.
"Playing the WSOP Main Event gave me an advantage here today. The patience needed in the Main Event, where payjumps ended up in six-figure territory like 200k, half a million, made me feel that there was less pressure here."
Cruising From Start to Finish
Where he battled among some of the world's greatest players in Vegas for days on end, including world champion Koray Aldemir, on today's final table, Lococo came in with a massive lead and never really looked back, just once dropping the chip lead to Tato with whom Lococo ultimately ended up heads-up.
After eliminating four out of seven opponents, with Tato meticulously taking care of the other three, the heads-up showdown between the two ended after just a few hands. The final hand saw Lococo call a 25 million chip all-in bet from Tato on a turn board of 
. Tato's 
for a pair of sevens was no match for Lococo's 
for a pair of aces, which held up on the 
river.
After answering a few questions in English, Lococo added a few words in Spanish mostly directed at his family.
"Greetings to all my family. I love you so much. I dedicate it to all of them. To my wife who banks me on the other side, to my son, my daughter, and to all the people who give me good vibes."
"Follow your dreams. Don't listen to others," he concluded.
