$5,300 EPT Main Event Day 2 | 2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus

10-18-2023 17:14 UTC+2

"Back to Back Still Alive" As Wiciak Doubles

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David Salituro

Level 14 : Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante

Lucas Scafini raised to 6,000 in the hijack, then called when Simon Wiciak moved all in for 24,500 on the button.

Simon Wiciak: K♦K♠
Lucas Scafini: 8♣8♥

Wiciak aggressively turned his cards over and shot out of his seat as soon as Scafini called. The flop came 3♦K♣6♦ and Wiciak made top set to take a firm grip on the hand.

Scafini hit the 8♠ on the turn, but no other miracles arrived on the 3♠ river as Wiciak doubled up.

"Back to back still alive," Carl Shaw, who finished third to Wiciak at EPT Barcelona last month, said as he watched the action from another table.

Player	Chips	Progress
Simon Wiciak	55,000

Lucas Scafini	25,000 -139,000	-139,000

Tags: Lucas Scafini Simon Wiciak

10-18-2023 16:24 UTC+2

Break Time

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Calum Grant

Level 13 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

Another level has been completed in the EPT Cyprus Main Event, and 218 players remain. They've been sent on a 20-minute break with the bubble likely to burst in Level 14 as 199 players make the money.

Check out the highlights from Level 13:

10-18-2023 16:13 UTC+2

Rajkovic Doubles Off Buckley; Mokri Coolers Robinson

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David Salituro

Level 13 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

Mark Buckley raised to 5,000 under the gun and Alexandre Reard called in the small blind before big blind Adi Rajkovic three-bet to 16,500. Buckley then moved all in, Reard folded, but Rajkovic called for his last 48,000.

Adi Rajkovic: A♣K♣
Mark Buckley: A♦8♦

Buckley let out a loud groan as soon as Rajkovic called. He needed help on the board but none arrived as the dealer turned over 3♦2♦9♣5♣9♥, giving Rajkovic a double up.

A few hands earlier at this table, Kayhan Mokri and Lukas Robinson saw a flop of 5♦10♣7♥ when Mokri bet 14,000, Robinson raised to 45,000, Mokri moved all in, and Robinson called for around 100,000 more.

Lukas Robinson: 10♦7♦
Kayhan Mokri: 7♠5♠

Both players had flopped two pair, but Robinson was ahead and poised for a double up until the 5♥ fell on the turn and Mokri made a full house. The river was the 4♠ and Robinson was eliminated.

"I f**ked him over pretty good. And then he disappeared," Mokri said.

Player	Chips	Progress
Kayhan Mokri	450,000 132,000	132,000
Carl Shaw	280,000 50,000	50,000
Alexandre Reard	230,000 183,000	183,000
Adi Rajkovic	100,000 44,000	44,000
Mark Buckley	30,000 -138,000	-138,000
Lukas Robinson	Busted

Tags: Adi Rajkovic Alexandre Reard Kayhan Mokri Lukas Robinson Mark Buckley

10-18-2023 16:12 UTC+2

Carbo Collects the Pot When Parker Calls the Clock

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Frank Visser

Level 13 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

Chipleader Parker Talbot and Gerard Carbo had escalated a blind-on-blind battle to the point that there were 60,000 chips in the pot on a completed board of 5♣10♣8♣Q♣9♠, and Talbot put in another 53,000 from the small blind.

Carbo sat in the big blind and made a raise to 123,000. Parker went with his hands in his hair and thought it over for a minute or so before calling the clock on himself. He would not make the decision in time, resulting in his cards hitting the muck at the end of the 30-second mark, accidentally exposing his J♣ in the process.

Carbo then was kind enough to allow Talbot to pick one of his cards to show the table, and Parker picked the 10♥, leading to a loud expletive arising from the PokerStars Ambassador.

Player	Chips	Progress
Parker Talbot	640,000 -110,000	-110,000

Gerard Carbo	401,000 58,000	58,000

Tags: Gerard Carbo Parker Talbot

10-18-2023 15:55 UTC+2

Talbot an Unstoppable Force

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David Salituro

Level 13 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

"We can make a TV show out of this table, with all the bullshit going on," tablemate Mario Trattou said as Parker Talbot, already with a massive stack, got involved in another pot.

Mykhailo Demydenko raised to 5,500 in early position and Talbot called on the button, as did big blind Oleg Ustinovich. The flop came 10♣A♠8♣ and Demydenko continued for 7,500.

Talbot then raised to 19,500, Ustinovich got out of the way, but Demydenko shoved for his last 65,000. Talbot snap-called.

Mykhailo Demydenko: A♥9♥
Parker Talbot: A♦8♦

Talbot had flopped two pair to take the lead over Demydenko's pair of aces as the turn came A♣, improving Talbot to a full house. The river was the 6♣ and Talbot sent Demydenko to the rail.

"I told you, too hot," Trattou added as Talbot stacked up more than 700,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Parker Talbot	750,000 377,000	377,000

Oleg Ustinovich	200,000 57,000	57,000
Mykhailo Demydenko	Busted

Tags: Mykhailo Demydenko Oleg Ustinovich Parker Talbot

10-18-2023 15:50 UTC+2

Big River For Bigot

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Josh Noy

Level 13 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

Three stacks were in the middle preflop, with Fabrice Bigot covering both Ignat Liviu and Robert Ashelm. A classic cooler was on tap for someone, with premium hands all around and both Liviu and Ashelm at risk.

Ignat Liviu: A♣A♦
Robert Ashelm: K♠K♦
Fabrice Bigot: Q♣Q♥

Liviu was in a great position to triple his stack and remained ahead after the 7♥10♥2♦ flop. The 9♠ turn changed nothing, but the table gasped as Bigot spiked a set on the Q♠ river to send both opponents to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Fabrice Bigot	216,000 122,500	122,500
Ignat Liviu	Busted
Robert Ashelm	Busted

Tags: Fabrice Bigot Ignat Liviu Robert Ashelm

10-18-2023 15:42 UTC+2

Lybaert Doubles with Sevens

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Frank Visser

Level 13 : Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante

Picking up the action on the turn, the board read 7♠10♠2♥K♥ and there were already 60,000 chips in the middle. Bart Lybaert checked from middle position before Martin Diaz fired 18,500 from the cutoff. Lybaert then shoved all in for 64,500 and Diaz was visibly agonized.

After getting a count, he eventually made a reluctant call to put the Belgian at risk.

Bart Lybaert: 7♥7♣
Martin Diaz: K♠Q♣

Diaz was already drawing dead as no river could save him. The meaningless 9♥ rolled off as he surrendered his chips to Lybaert, leaving him with less than 20 big blinds at the start of the next hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bart Lybaert	189,000 109,000	109,000
Martin Diaz	55,500 -63,500	-63,500

Tags: Bart Lybaert Martin Diaz

10-18-2023 14:32 UTC+2

Break Time

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Calum Grant

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

The 270 remaining players are on another 20-minute break. As always, take a look at the main talking points from the last 90-minutes of action.

The money bubble is almost in sight, as the top 199 players will finish inside the paid places.

10-18-2023 14:21 UTC+2

Yokosawa Yields, Kotelnikov Doubles

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Frank Visser

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

At one table, Andrey Kotelnikov jammed his final 20,000 chips in from early position and Marius Iftimia then rejammed from the next seat over, causing the rest of the table to fold.

Andrey Kotelnikov: A♥A♦
Marius Iftimia: K♥K♣

The ultimate cooler would remain just that when no kings appeared on the 2♣10♣8♦5♠9♣ board and Kotelnikov doubled up to a more healthy stack.

On an adjacent table, Ilia Pavlov raised to 4,000 from the button and Masato Yokosawa called with a short stack from the big blind. On the flop of 6♦10♣3♣, the rest of Yokosawa's chips went in the middle and Pavlov looked him up.

Masato Yokosawa: 5♠4♣
Ilia Pavlov: 10♠8♠

Yokosawa's straight draw came in on the 6♠7♠ runout, but the two spades meant that Pavlov had hit a backdoor flush to scoop to the pot anyway. The Japanese regular exited the tournament room while Pavlov added some more chips to his ever-growing stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ilia Pavlov	170,000 132,500	132,500
Marius Iftimia	90,000 -18,000	-18,000
Andrey Kotelnikov	45,000 -38,500	-38,500
Masato Yokosawa	Busted

Tags: Andrey Kotelnikov Ilia Pavlov Marius Iftimia Masato Yokosawa

10-18-2023 13:46 UTC+2

Talbot Back Among Top After Eliminating Wozniak

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Frank Visser

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Mario Trattou made a raise to 4,000 from middle position before Mateusz Wozniak jammed all in for 49,500 from the hijack. Parker Talbot occupied the seat in the cutoff and smooth-called. The action folded back to Trattou, who asked for a count but quickyl folded once the dealer told him, leaving the two other players to show down.

Mateusz Wozniak: A♣K♦
Parker Talbot: Q♠Q♣

The players shared a fistbump before the 2♦J♣8♥2♠7♥ board was dealt out. Unable to beat Talbot's queens, Wozniak went on his way, sending the big pot to the way of the PokerStars Ambassador.

Player	Chips	Progress
Parker Talbot	305,000 85,000	85,000

Mario Trattou	275,000 75,000	75,000
Mateusz Wozniak	Busted

Tags: Parker Talbot Mateusz Wozniak Mario Trattou