Martin Staszko
Encyclopedia
Martin Staszko is a Czech
poker
player from Třinec
, best known as the runner-up of the Main Event at the 2011 World Series of Poker
, where he finished second to Pius Heinz
.
town Třinec
, best known for Třinec Iron and Steel Works
. His parents are Rudolf, who works in iron works, and Žofie, who works as a pharmacist.
As a child, Staszko proved to be a talented athlete and became long jump champion of his Třinec Polish primary school. He started playing mariáš and betting on sport games during high school. Later, while studying at Technical University of Ostrava
, he not only supported himself from the games, but he also saved roughly CZK
400,000 (€14,000) annually. During his studies, Staszko became champion of the Czech university darts
league and was also a successful chess player. After finishing studies, Staszko started working at Třinec Iron and Steel Works
.
He began playing poker in 2007, initially playing online in games which did not require entrance fee, but provided some very limited returns. At that time, Staszko worked as foreman at a Hyundai Nošovice automobile manufacturing plant's paint shop. He was in charge of around 200 workers, earning a little over CZK 30,000 (€1,200) a month. He used to get up at five in the morning in order to attend twelve hours shifts followed by playing poker, leaving only some four to five hours for sleep. He was able to win an equivalent of six-months salary a night online. In 2010, following a win of €35,000 in France, Staszko decided to leave his job in order to fully concentrate on gaming.
His runner-up finish in the 2011 Main Event garnered him $5.43 million (€3.98 million).
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player from Třinec
Trinec
Třinec is a town in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The town has 37,405 inhabitants as of 2009, in 2001 17.7% of the population were Poles...
, best known as the runner-up of the Main Event at the 2011 World Series of Poker
2011 World Series of Poker
The 2011 World Series of Poker was the 42nd annual World Series of Poker . The WSOP is the most prestigious poker tournament in the world with the winner of the Main Event considered to be the World Champion. It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada between May...
, where he finished second to Pius Heinz
Pius Heinz
Pius Heinz is a German poker professional from Cologne, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2011 World Series of Poker. He is the first German player to capture the Main Event bracelet....
.
Life
Martin Staszko lives in industrial SilesianCzech Silesia
Czech Silesia is an unofficial name of one of the three Czech lands and a section of the Silesian historical region. It is located in the north-east of the Czech Republic, predominantly in the Moravian-Silesian Region, with a section in the northern Olomouc Region...
town Třinec
Trinec
Třinec is a town in Frýdek-Místek District, Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It lies on the Olza River, in the historical region of Cieszyn Silesia. The town has 37,405 inhabitants as of 2009, in 2001 17.7% of the population were Poles...
, best known for Třinec Iron and Steel Works
Trinec Iron and Steel Works
Třinec Iron and Steel Works is a producer of long rolled steel products in Třinec, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. TŽ produces over a third of all steel produced in the Czech Republic . Since its establishment, Třinecké železárny's plants have produced more than 150 million tons of...
. His parents are Rudolf, who works in iron works, and Žofie, who works as a pharmacist.
As a child, Staszko proved to be a talented athlete and became long jump champion of his Třinec Polish primary school. He started playing mariáš and betting on sport games during high school. Later, while studying at Technical University of Ostrava
Technical University of Ostrava
The Technical University of Ostrava , is a university located in the city of Ostrava, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic....
, he not only supported himself from the games, but he also saved roughly CZK
Czech koruna
The Czech koruna or Czech crown has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 8 February 1993 when, together with its Slovak counterpart, it replaced the Czechoslovak koruna at par....
400,000 (€14,000) annually. During his studies, Staszko became champion of the Czech university darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
league and was also a successful chess player. After finishing studies, Staszko started working at Třinec Iron and Steel Works
Trinec Iron and Steel Works
Třinec Iron and Steel Works is a producer of long rolled steel products in Třinec, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. TŽ produces over a third of all steel produced in the Czech Republic . Since its establishment, Třinecké železárny's plants have produced more than 150 million tons of...
.
He began playing poker in 2007, initially playing online in games which did not require entrance fee, but provided some very limited returns. At that time, Staszko worked as foreman at a Hyundai Nošovice automobile manufacturing plant's paint shop. He was in charge of around 200 workers, earning a little over CZK 30,000 (€1,200) a month. He used to get up at five in the morning in order to attend twelve hours shifts followed by playing poker, leaving only some four to five hours for sleep. He was able to win an equivalent of six-months salary a night online. In 2010, following a win of €35,000 in France, Staszko decided to leave his job in order to fully concentrate on gaming.
His runner-up finish in the 2011 Main Event garnered him $5.43 million (€3.98 million).