Day 1b Kicks Off at the Luxurious EPT Cyprus Main Event
It's time for Day 1b of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus $5,300 Main Event, running at the opulent Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa.
Day 1a saw 474 players enter the fray, and 106 made it through to Day 2. Kirill Shcherbakov bagged the chip lead with 264,500, closely followed by Ren Lin (264,500), while 2024 EPT Barcelona champ Stephen Song rounded out the top three, sitting comfortably with 261,500 in chips.
Top Ten Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russia | 284,000 |
| 2 | Ren Lin | USA | 264,500 |
| 3 | Stephen Song | USA | 261,500 |
| 4 | Yevhen Pavlenko | Ukraine | 253,000 |
| 5 | Ahmed Abdellatif | Australia | 249,000 |
| 6 | Sergei Varnaev | Russia | 248,500 |
| 7 | Ivan Zabiiakin | Russia | 233,000 |
| 8 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 222,000 |
| 9 | Rongshan Li | China | 215,000 |
| 10 | Artsiom Lasouski | Belarus | 210,000 |
Some of the game's biggest names also advanced, including world's number one online player Niklas Astedt (186,000), Felix Schneiders (172,000), PokerStars ambassadors Sam Grafton (106,000), Barny Boatman (48,000), Kenny Hallaert (26,000), and Elias Gutierrez (23,000).
Day 1b is expected to draw even more players, with defending 2023 EPT Cyprus champ Gilles Simon likely to take another shot after falling short in yesterday’s flight.
The schedule for today includes ten one-hour levels, starting with blinds at 100/100 and a 100 ante. Players begin with 30,000 chips, and they’ll enjoy a 20-minute break every two levels, along with a 75-minute dinner break after Level 6. A single reentry is allowed across both starting flights, with late registration open until the beginning of Day 2.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates straight from the tournament floor throughout the day!