Vasilis Nikolas Wins First Live Title and More Than €150,000 at King’s Million EPC

The useful part

The 2026 King's Million European Poker Championship featured eight starting flights for the €1,000 Mystery Bounty, generating a €1,583,550 prize pool, with Nikolas navigating three full days of poker action to secure the title. With Nikolas' first recorded live cash coming in 2022, the €1,000 price tag represents the highest buy-in tournament of his poker journey, with today's payday exceeding his total live earnings to date. It's just the beginning!" Humble in victory, Nikolas was quick to attribute a portion of his success to the unbounded support he had alongside his tournament run.

How it works

• The only other player to turn their bounty into a five-figure result on Day 2 was Leonidas Georgopoulos, who secured the second-largest prize of €75,000 during the following break.
• However, Georgopoulos couldn't replicate Bayout's run, crashing out in 54th place for €1,970.
• Each bounty was worth at least €300, but it was the top prize of €150,000 that caught the attention of those fortunate enough to have a spin at the wheel.
• Midway through Day 2, it fell to Axel Bayout to break the hearts of the remaining field as he became the recipient of the maximum bounty.

What to take from it

With one pull, the French professional nearly matched the first-place prize, guaranteeing himself a hefty payday regardless of where he finished. He converted his big bounty momentum into a deep final-table run, eventually finishing fourth for an additional €89,280, ensuring he had the largest financial gain of the entire tournament. The bounty remained unclaimed throughout the day and was still up for grabs deep into the final table, adding another dynamic to the action as players were willing to get their chips in wide for one last shot at the prize.

Example or evidence

• That was, until a turned ace saw Nikolas' boisterous rail of friends and family erupt in cheers.
• In the last bounty pull of the night, Nikolas claimed the remaining €30,000 prize, taking his total haul beyond €150,000 and capping off a tournament he'll never forget.
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Details worth keeping

It's been many final tables here, but it's my first trophy ever. This is very, very, very important to be a poker player. She trusts me, and today, she knows I deserve this." Bounty Action Day 2 saw the introduction of the Mystery Bounties, with each elimination giving the player responsible for the knockout an opportunity to draw for a prize of unknown value.

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