Max Neubauer is hard to miss in the crowd. Standing at 6ft 8in tall, he shows off his overwhelming skills in any poker competition. And tonight, at the World Poker Series European Main Event Finals table, he got everyone to look down on him as he lifted his gold bracelet in the air.
The 26-year-old Austrian is the new WSOP European Main Event Champion, who beat a record 817 players to win the title and the €1,500,000 prize. He did it in great fashion, and gave a hero’s name against Eric Chai at the end of the contest, ensuring his name would forever be etched into the WSOP legend. 경마
“It means a lot. I mean, the bracelet itself means a lot. And then the WSOP main event actually means a lot more,” he said. He said, surrounded by a crowd of supporters who cheered and held signs reading “Max” all the way through the last table. “Honestly, the most meaningful thing for me is that my friends are here and support me. It was great. I don’t know what the experience would have been without them.”
Neubauer is a world poker champion, but his first career aspiration was in another game. He was a professional basketball player who played for bc Vienna in the Austrian First Division before turning to poker. He also represented the Austrian under-18 team. When his athletic career ended early, poker seemed to be the perfect way to stimulate his competitiveness.
“I had a big problem with my knee. When I stopped playing basketball, I started playing poker. I just felt that the competition and the improvement and working on the game were really important to me and there was a gap to fill. Poker was that for me,” he said.
Neugebauer’s previous best tournament cash was $27,000 at a tournament in Las Vegas in June. He also made two cash runs at WSOP this summer. His total live income was only $84,000 before the main event, and his first prize money today beats his fellow players. Neugebauer attempted to participate in this week’s main event by satellite, but failed to settle down and instead paid a direct admission fee of €10,350. It was a great investment.