Bundesliga Soccer Player Ships WSOPE No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max Tournament

Bundesliga Soccer Player Ships WSOPE No-Limit Hold’em Six-Max Tournament

There s no shortage of professional mainstream sports stars who have gone on to win at the poker tables – the competitiveness of the activity drives them. The latest to add his name to the list is Max Kruse, a Bundesliga soccer player who just took down a World Series of Poker Europe () event.

Bundesliga soccer player Max Kruse reacts on the field. He also became a successful poker player, earning a WSOP bracelet in a recent event. (Image: Stern)

Kruse shares the same space as Paris Saint-Germain s . or former MLB player Alex Rodriguez. They all thirst for success at the poker tables. Of these three, only Kruse can brag about winning a WSOP bracelet.

The 34-year-old forward won the €1,650 (US$1,650) WSOPE No-Limit Hold em Six-Max tournament in the Czech town of Rozvadov. Kruse, who has had difficulty on the soccer field over the years, could make a living as a professional poker player.

From Soccer Kicks to Poker Chips

With the win, Kruse scored a payday of €134,152 (US$134,152), but it wasn t his first. In 2020, he pocketed a little more than $57K in the $25K No-Limit Hold em Poker Players Championship. He followed that up last year with a third-place finish for just over $62K in the GGPoker WSOP Online $10K Heads-Up Championship.

His best WSOP result was in 2014. That year, he finished third in the WSOP $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball for $36,494.

Congratulations to Vfl Wolfsburg () player Max Kruse () for outlasting 413 entrants in the €1,650 NLH Six-Max to earn his first WSOP bracelet!

I’m overwhelmed. It’s the greatest feeling to have finally won a WSOP bracelet.

WSOP World Series of Poker (@WSOP)

Kruse cruised to victory by eliminating French player Doran Melchers in the final heads-up battle of the seventh WSOPE event.

Down 2:1 in chips, he launched a surge that culminated in a showdown between his pocket 2s and Melchers A-Q. Although his opponent found his pair on the turn, a deuce on the river gave Kruse a set to win the hand and the event.

The Bundesliga player has been with Wolfsburg but is leaving after falling out with coach Niko Kovac. There are rumors about a move to But there s also a chance he could return to his former team, Werder Bremen. Kruse played for them from 2016 to 2019.

Short Deck Event Delivers Tall Prize

In another WSOPE event, Switzerland s Emil Bise secured the €2,200 (US$2,200) Short Deck event for his second WSOP bracelet. He added €49,521 (US$49,521) in prize money.

Forty-five participants and 46 re-entries pushed the prize pool to €172,900 ($172,900), with 14 players remaining in the final run. The bubble had burst on Day 1, and those still at the table were set to take home at least €3,572 (US$3,572).

As players continued to hit the rail, Bise was in a position to be next. However, he doubled against Tom Paz and Simeon Tsonev, giving him some breathing room. With a comfortable lead, Jakub Koleckar went heads-up against Bise. But the Swiss pro doubled, grabbed the lead, and eventually, the bracelet.

It came down to pocket queens vs. A-10, with Bise holding most of the chips and the pair. The flop didn t help either player, but Bise secured his win on the turn when a queen appeared. At that point, Koleckar was drawing dead, and the 6 on the river was irrelevant.