Aleksandr Biriukov Obliterates the Field in Day 1a of EAPT Main Event
Day 1a of the EA Poker Tour (EAPT) $500 Main Event has closed its curtains with 32 players making it through the flight and into Sunday's Day 2. A total of 214 entries were recorded at the Eclipse Poker Club in Batumi, Georgia, with some of the poker elite showing up to test their skills.
At the top of the counts is Russia's Aleksandr Biriukov, who amassed a huge stack of 1,168,000. Biriukov flopped a full house in the opening level which earned him an early double-up and the chip lead, something he did not relinquish once during the entire day. The Russian player already has an EAPT title to his name after he took down a Win The Button event in 2022 at EAPT Altai, and has put himself in a great position to make a run for his second trophy come Sunday.
End of Day Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandr Biriukov | Russia | 1,168,000 |
| 2 | Rinat Ismagilov | Russia | 633,000 |
| 3 | Ruben Hovsepyan | Armenia | 562,000 |
| 4 | Kakhaber Sabauri | Georgia | 432,000 |
| 5 | Aleksandr Martov | Russia | 431,000 |
| 6 | Akaki Magradze | Georgia | 418,000 |
| 7 | Giga Kelaptrishvili | Georgia | 404,000 |
| 8 | Dmitrii Kan | Turkey | 380,000 |
| 9 | Valeriy Gasparyan | Russia | 324,000 |
| 10 | Armenak Abgaryan | Armenia | 305,000 |
Another Russian player, Rinat Ismagilov, occupies second place on the leaderboard with 633,000 and has made his first EAPT cash here in Batumi. Ismagilov was involved a lot during the later levels and even burst the bubble when his pocket kings were too good against the pocket sevens of Andrei Kaigorodtsev.
Rounding out the podium places is loca player Ruben Hovsepyan, who bagged 562,000 chips. Hovsepyan sits eighteenth on his nation's all-time money list and just secured his first EAPT cash by making it through Day 1a.
The UK's Jack Sinclair, who lives in Georgia, also made an appearance but fell short of making the money. Levon Arakelyan was the shortest stack to make it through with just 36,000 — around five big blinds — and will certainly have his work cut out when Day 2 gets underway.
Day 1b will get underway at 12 p.m. on Friday, September 13, and will offer 35-minute levels, as oppose to Day 1a's 40-minute levels.
Make sure to stay tuned to PokerNews we bring you all of the latest action from the EAPT Main Event at the Eclipse Poker Club.