WPT Prime drew considerable turnouts throughout Season 21, stamping several entries into the record books. In fact, the largest ever Prime field outside of the 2022 Prime Championship at Wynn Las Vegas was achieved this year.
You might think such an event would take place around a major population center in a densely populated country, like Spain, France, or perhaps somewhere in Asia. But the non-US record of 1,644 entries was instead set in the tiny country of Liechtenstein, At 160 square miles, surrounded on either side by, surrounded by Austria and Switzerland on either side, it’s the sixth-smallest country in the world by size – and yet, in early September, Grand Casino Liechtenstein brought in players from all over the world to create a considerable prize pool of over $1.8 million.
When the dust settled, David Kozma of Bulgaria held the trophy aloft, claiming a first-place prize of $300,541 that also included a seat to December’s $40 Million Guaranteed WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Kozma. “It was only my second time in Liechtenstein. Before that, I had only played cash games there. And one thing I really enjoyed was that the organization of the event was incredible. They made the players feel really good.”
Kozma’s win stands as a strong argument for persistence in the face of temporary setbacks, and his overall experience at Grand Casino Liechtenstein certainly didn’t stop him from chasing the title.
“My plan was just to play the tournament and some cash games on the side,” said Kozma. “I was planning to fire three bullets, three chances, but I found the field very soft. So I kept on firing, and I ended up being in for five.
“On that fifth try, I just started running good,” said Kozma.
Running good is something Kozma seems to be doing a lot of these days. As part of the Day 1B field in the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open, Kozma quadrupled his starting stack by the time the dinner break hit.
“I find this field to be amazing,” said Kozma. “I also have a very lucky table draw. Right now, I’m running good and I hope it lasts.”
While this isn’t his first trip to South Florida to play tournaments, his past experiences in such events made flying from Bulgaria an easy call.
“For one thing, the weather is amazing,” said Kozma. “Right now it’s snowing in my country, and it’s sunny here. And the numbers are huge. And when the numbers are huge, then it’s gonna be good action.”
Winning WPT Prime Liechtenstein was a life-shifting moment in Kozma’s life and career for a few different reasons. Not only did he secure the biggest title of his career, he multiplied his lifetime-best tournament cash by more than two and a half times. The win also completely changed Kozma’s plans for what will now be a very busy month of poker coming up.
“I’ll be at Wynn for sure,” said Kozma. “The Prime title I won came with a seat to World Championship. So while I wasn’t originally planning to go to Vegas in December, it made that decision easy.”
With his ticket to the signature event in the series punched, Kozma also figured that since he was already going to head to Las Vegas, he might as well extend the trip to take advantage of the prolific calendar of tournaments that are set to play out throughout the month of December.
“Now, since I’m going there, I’m gonna play as much as possible,” said Kozma. “I’m heading there right after this event ends. I’m gonna play the $600, the Prime Championship and some other events if I can.”