Star-Studded Field in Day 2 of EPT High Roller Led by Parahat Nurmuhammedov
The penultimate day of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus kicks off today with Day 2 of the $10,300 EPT High Roller taking place at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa.
A total of 405 entries were recorded on Day 1, and that number will surely rise as registration is still open until the start of play at 12:30 p.m. local time. The 164 survivors from Day 1 will all be looking to grind their way through twelve 50-minute levels, and the person in the best position to do so is Parahat Nurmuhammedov, who bagged up an impressive 524,000 chips at the end of play yesterday.
Ray Qartomy bagged a respectable 378,000 chips at the conclusion of Day 1. With nearly two decades of live tournament cashes under his belt, the American is still chasing his first cash outside his native United States, according to TheHendonMob. He’ll be hoping Cyprus is where he finally adds an international flag to his record. Joining him in the top ten are Simeon Spasov (324,000), Boris Kuzmanovic (286,000), and Xiaosheng Zheng (276,000).
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parahat Nurmuhammedov | Turkmenistan | 524,000 | 349 |
| 2 | Berthold Winz | Germany | 391,000 | 261 |
| 3 | Ray Qartomy | United States | 378,000 | 252 |
| 4 | Simeon Spasov | Bulgaria | 324,000 | 216 |
| 5 | Umberto Ruggeri | Italy | 314,500 | 210 |
| 6 | Aleksei Gortikov | Russia | 310,500 | 207 |
| 7 | Nichan Khorchidian | Lebanon | 306,000 | 204 |
| 8 | Boris Kuzmanovic | Croatia | 286,000 | 191 |
| 9 | Xiaosheng Zheng | China | 276,000 | 184 |
| 10 | Belarmino De Souza | Brazil | 268,000 | 179 |
The EPT has consistently drawn poker talent from every corner of the globe, and this tournament field is no exception. In a remarkable display of the tour's international appeal, the top twelve chip leaders hail from twelve different nations, showcasing the truly global nature of the competition.
Sergi Reixach finished fourth in this event last year and pulled through Day 1 with 164,000 chips. Two more of last year's finalists survived Day 1 as Markkos Ladev, who finished eighth in 2023, bagged up a short stack of 34,500 and Nariman Yaghmai, who finished ninth last year, came through with 148,500.
A number of notables remain in the star-studded field including Roberto Romanello (231,500), Steve O'Dwyer (198,500), Tom Middleton (191,500), Stephen Song (156,000), Hossein Ensan (133,000), and Elias Gutierrez (102,500), who has already won two titles this series.
Once the total number of entries is confirmed, the prize pool and payouts will be revealed, and the real chase for a place in the money will begin.
The action gets underway back up at Level 11 with blinds at 1,000/1,500 and a 1,500 big blind ante. Starting from today, levels will be shortened to 50 minutes each. The plan for Day 2 is to play until the money is reached and continue through to the end of Level 22. The surviving players will return for the final day tomorrow, October 20, and play down until a winner is crowned.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we provide continued coverage of the $10,300 EPT High Roller directly from the felt.