EPT Stars Dominik Panka, Leo McClean: Diverging Paths of Two Poker Pros

In any given year the European Poker Tour with play the role of starmaker. A young, previously unknown player, makes a run and captures the attention of the viewers of EPT Live.

In 2013, it was the yellow hoodie clad Leo McClean as the underdog online qualifier who ran deep in his hometown during EPT London. In 2014, if you recall, it was Polish player Dominik Panka, winner of the 2014 PCA who followed that up with a victory in the EPT Deauville High Roller for a one month total of about $1.8M in earnings.

These two young players may have seemingly started down the same path with huge scores, but here at the end of 2014 we find the pair in very different places in their poker career.

First up, PokerNews talks with Dominik Panka and, apparently, he’s now on Team PokerStars. Additionally, unlike some people Panka enjoys the media attention so much, he’d actually like to join the poker media at some point.

Read: Dominik Panka Talks About Personal Ambitions and His Dream of a Quiet Life

Then, CalvinAyre grabs a few minutes with Leo McClean. After quitting his job Leo has hit the circuit and finds out that living out of a suitcase and busting tournaments for a living is hard work. While he doesn’t have a sponsorship just yet, he does still get backing to mitigate some losses while he learns the tough lessons of being a poker pro.

Read: Leo McClean: Learning About The Pro Poker Lifestyle The Hard Way

Both good reads for aspiring pros and poker fans alike.

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published 9 years, 3 months ago • by permalink

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