Martin Staszko

Martin Staszko (born 22 June 1976 in Třinec) is a Czech poker player, best known as the runner-up of the Main Event at the 2011 World Series of Poker, where he finished second to Pius Heinz.

Life and career Staszko lives in the city of Třinec. His parents are Rudolf, who works in Třinec Iron and Steel Works, and Žofie, who works as a pharmacist.

As a child, Staszko was an athlete, becoming 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 CZK400,000 (€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.