Tomasz Brzezinski

Tomasz Brzezinski, a 37-year-old from Poland, has lived in Malta for approximately a decade, working in the sports betting industry. Despite his recent success on poker's biggest stages, he identifies as a recreational player rather than a full-time professional. Brzezinski has described poker as a passion project, noting that he chose the "safe route" of regular employment over pursuing poker full-time years ago. He has always played on the side, however, and credits a circle of talented friends for helping him improve. "I try to be a sponge, learn from them, and analyze spots," he told PokerNews. "Somehow, it's paying off."

Before his breakout 2025 campaign, Brzezinski had accumulated career earnings of approximately $1,696,575, with a world ranking of 1722nd. He has been a consistent presence in international poker events, including the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and European Poker Tour (EPT), though detailed public records of his earlier results are limited.

In August 2025, Brzezinski announced himself on the global stage with a fourth-place finish at the EPT Barcelona Main Event. That result represented the biggest score of his live poker career at the time and set the stage for an extraordinary run of form. The deep run in Barcelona demonstrated his ability to navigate massive fields and compete against some of the world's best tournament players.

Just one festival after his Barcelona breakthrough, Brzezinski went one step further at EPT Malta, presented by PokerStars. He captured the €5,300 Main Event title at Casino Malta, defeating Ukrainian debutant Mykhailo Ostash in a dramatic heads-up battle. The victory came with a first-place prize of €631,632 after the two players agreed to a heads-up deal, leaving €28,524 and the trophy still to play for.

Brzezinski topped a record-breaking field of 898 entries, which generated a prize pool of €4,355,300. The win made him just the 11th player in EPT history to reach back-to-back Main Event final tables, following his fourth-place run in Barcelona. Combined, his two EPT Main Event results earned him more than €1 million in just over a month.

Final Table Results

*Denotes heads-up deal

Brzezinski entered the final day in Malta with a middle-of-the-pack stack of 67 big blinds, while his eventual heads-up opponent Mykhailo Ostash held the chip lead for most of the day. During five-handed play, Ostash at one point had more chips than his other four competitors combined. It was only when play reached three-handed that Brzezinski began to close the gap.

A pivotal hand came at the 50K/125K/125K level. Ostash opened to 250,000 on the button, and Brzezinski called from the big blind. The flop connected with both players but heavily favored Ostash, who bet 225,000. Brzezinski called, and the turn gave him additional equity with full-house possibilities, though he was still far behind. He check-called 750,000 with trips, and the river completed a runner-runner full house for Brzezinski. The pot gave him the chip lead for the first time.

Shortly after, Brzezinski eliminated Adria Calonge in third place when Calonge shoved his last 19 big blinds with king-five and Brzezinski called and held. That elimination gave Brzezinski a 1.7:1 chip lead heading into heads-up play against Ostash.

The two players initially discussed a deal but decided to play on with no agreement in place. However, after Ostash narrowed the gap to near even, deal discussions resumed, and they settled on an even chop, leaving €28,524 and the trophy to play for. Brzezinski ultimately prevailed in the rollercoaster heads-up battle.

Brzezinski had strong local support throughout the final day in Malta, with friends and family on the rail at Casino Malta. "It means so much to have everyone here supporting me," he said. "I couldn't do it without them." During heads-up play, he stood beside his girlfriend during almost every all-in confrontation, both wearing hopeful smiles.

Reflecting on his victory, Brzezinski admitted the win felt improbable at times. "It was wild," he told PokerNews. "At some point, yes, I thought it might slip away. I'm not the luckiest in heads-up. I've been second six or seven times at festivals before, so it almost felt like I was cursed. Especially after losing so many flips in a row and watching the stacks even out again. But in the end, it went my way, and I'm very happy."

Brzezinski is known for a solid, fundamentally sound approach to tournament poker. He leverages positional advantages in deep-stacked stages and focuses on disciplined hand selection, avoiding marginal spots. Postflop, he applies pressure by exploiting opponents' range leaks. His back-to-back deep runs at EPT Main Events demonstrate an ability to adapt to different table dynamics and maintain composure under pressure.

Despite his success, Brzezinski remains humble about his abilities, emphasizing the importance of learning from stronger players and continuously analyzing spots. He has also stressed the importance of bankroll management as key to long-term profitability, a principle that has guided his approach to the game.

Brzezinski's 2025 EPT Malta victory is a career-defining achievement and a testament to the potential of dedicated recreational players. His success has resonated within the Polish poker community and among those who balance poker with full-time careers. By reaching back-to-back EPT Main Event final tables and earning more than €1 million in combined prize money, he has proven that passion, study, and perseverance can yield extraordinary results on the game's biggest stages.