Průcha revels in winning feeling

How does it feel to be ParadisePoker Tour champion here in Prague?
It’s an amazing feeling to have won here in Prague. I’ve been playing poker for a number of years so to win an event like this is fantastic. In many ways the feeling of being the winner is even better than the money! I really enjoyed it; the event was really well-organised and I think it’s a great idea, giving normal players the chance to experience a big tournament like this.

You had to face two big chip leaders on the final table. Did you always believe you could come back and win?
It’s always important for any player to believe he can win the tournament, otherwise he shouldn’t even sit down. The plan for the final table was simply to double up so I could play my game.

Going into heads-up your opponent still had a big chip advantage. How did you turn it around so quickly?
I had some good hands right at the start of heads-up and won a few chips. He lost a few pots and he started to get a bit nervous. He was extremely aggressive but he didn’t have the cards to back it up, so I was able to take advantage of that.

You made a big lay down three-handed when you showed AQs after Mariusz Chrusciel pushed all-in over the top of your pre-flop raise. What was your thinking behind such an important decision?
I had played with Mariusz for two days so I had a lot of history with him. I had plenty of information on his game and I knew his range was AQ+ when he shoved. He was a really tight player so I was convinced I was beaten, even with a hand like that. I still think it was the right decision because I had only raised to around 35,000 and he made it 750,000 when he went all-in. If I had called and lost, I would have been down to a few big blinds.

So was that the most important hand of the event for you?
Actually no. There was another lay down I made against Tibor Boros which I think was the most important. It was on the final table when he re-raised pre-flop, c-bet the flop and I raised. He then went all-in on an 8-5-2 board and I had pocket sevens. It was a big decision because he’d been very aggressive, but I laid it down because I would have been out if I lost the hand. I’m not sure what he had but although I lost 30% of my stack, I think it was the key moment because I survived when I could have been eliminated.