Pokerstars Pro Team Welcomes WSOP Star

Today, the pro poker team at PokerStars welcomed Martin Staszko to its rolls. The 35 year-old Staszko, who finished second at this year's WSOP Main Event, becomes only the second Czech player to join the PokerStars Pro team.

Staszko, a former auto plant worker, hails from Třinec, Czech Republic. Like many other poker pros, he got his start playing online freerolls. Staszko graduated quickly to tournament play, and in the last four years has earned nearly four million Czech crowns (approximately $200,000 USD) playing online poker under the name filfedra.

Says Staszko: "Surprisingly, I enjoy a live game, but for practical reasons it is better to play online. I can play every day without ancillary costs."

Staszko's biggest success thus far occurred thanks to live tournament play. Staszko appeared almost from nowhere to place second from a field of 6865 in the 2011 WSOP Main Event, where he was the first Czech player to appear at the final table. For this win he took home $5,433,086.

Prior to the WSOP, his biggest victory had been an eleventh place finish in the Main Event at EPT Deauville in 2010, wherein he pocketed €35,000.

Regarding tournament play, Staszko says that there are few decent live tournaments in the Czech Republic: "Even tournaments with a five or ten thousand crown buy-in are not interesting when you have to pay hotel and travel."

Come next week, he may have to amend that statement. That is when Staszko will appear alongside fellow PokerStars Pro Team member, Pius Heinz at the live EPT Prague Event. Tournament action kicks off December 5 at the Prague Hilton Congress Hall.