Seat 8: Robert Kokoska, 27, Neratovice, Czech Republic - 895,000
One of the top poker players from the Czech Republic was originally planning another career, playing football for Sparta Prague. But when Robert Kokoska injured his knee several years ago, he started taking poker seriously and turned professional soon. Kokoska has been successful both live and online, playing since 2008. On the live circuit, he's amassed over $230,000 in live tournament winnings with the biggest prize of $52,430 earned for a first place in the Venetian Deepstack Extravaganza $1k Event back in 2012.
Recently, he cashed in the PCA 2016 Main Event (93rd for $10,840). The 27-year-old from the small town Neratovice is still playing football. He's a midfielder for his hometown team which lies in the Czech fourth tier. Although seventh in chips, Kokoska can still hope to become the first Czech player to win the Eureka Main Event.