$5,300 EPT Main Event Day 1a | 2024 PokerStars EPT Cyprus

10-14-2024 17:22 UTC+2

Song Hits Trips to Bust Mandara

Matt Warburton

Level 6 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

Barny Boatman open-raised from late position and Stephen Song called on the button. Ryan Mandara then moved all in from the small blind for 17,100, Boatman folded, and Song quickly made the call. Players flipped their cards, with Mandara at risk.

Ryan Mandara: K♣J♥ All in
Stephen Song: A♣Q♥

The board ran out Q♦3♦Q♠8♠10♣ and Mandara had little hope left once the flop had been dealt. Song made trip queens and chipped up to around 180,000, putting him among the chip leaders, while Mandara was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
Stephen Song	180,000 90,000	90,000

Ryan Mandara	Busted

Tags: Barny Boatman Ryan Mandara Stephen Song

10-14-2024 17:11 UTC+2

Semaska Cracks Aces to Bust Chernak

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Richard Hayes

Level 6 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

Around 15,000 was in the middle on a completed board of Q♣4♣Q♠3♦K♦, in a hand between Aliaksei Chernak and Vytautas Semaska.

Chernak moved all in for around 11,000 and received a snap-call from Semaska.

Chernak tabled A♦A♥ for two pair, aces and queens, but it was no good as Semaska turned over A♣Q♥ for the flopped trip queens.

Player	Chips	Progress
Vytautas Semaska	95,000 65,000	65,000
Aliaksei Chernak	Busted

Tags: Aliaksei Chernak Vytautas Semaska

10-14-2024 16:51 UTC+2

Roiter Goes Runner-Runner to Stack Sediakin

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Kai Cocklin

Level 6 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

With around 25,000 chips already in the pot on a board of 9♥4♦10♦10♥A♠, Klemens Roiter checked it over to Andrei Sediakin, who shoved for around 20,000. Roiter needed less than a second to slam a chip down and call.

Sediakin then confidently tabled 9♠9♣ for a full house, but was stunned to see the A♥10♠ of Roiter, who had backdoored a bigger full house.

Player	Chips	Progress
Klemens Roiter	80,000 80,000	80,000
Kazi Bairamukov	50,000 50,000	50,000
Andrei Sediakin	Busted

Tags: Andrei Sediakin Klemens Roiter

10-14-2024 16:35 UTC+2

Talbot's Fortune Changes in the Space of Two Hands, Kaukua Surges Up the Leaderboard

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Kai Cocklin

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

After just winning a big pot, Parker Talbot is no longer in the Main Event!

Talbot was seen wishing his tablemates good luck with all of his chips going to Toni Kaukua on his right. The board read 8♠3♦A♥3♥9♠ and the chips had been piled into the middle by the time they got to showdown. Talbot showed AxKx, but he was beaten by the 8♥8♦ of Kaukua, who had flopped a set and turned a full house.

Talbot, who was sitting very comfortably with around 85,000 the hand prior, is now eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
Toni Kaukua	180,000 75,800	75,800
Parker Talbot	Busted

Tags: Parker Talbot Toni Kaukua

10-14-2024 16:31 UTC+2

Talbot Flushes Out Kravchenko’s Top Pair

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Sava Krink

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

Parker Talbot kicked off the action from middle position with a raise to 1,300, and Dmitrii Kravchenko, sitting on the button, responded with a three-bet to 4,000. Talbot called, setting up the showdown.

The flop came 2♣4♦Q♦, and Talbot checked, allowing Kravchenko to continue with a 3,000 bet. Talbot wasn’t backing down, though, and raised to 11,500. Kravchenko took a moment before deciding to shove all-in, and Talbot snap-called.

Dmitrii Kravchenko: A♠Q♠ All in
Parker Talbot: A♦J♦

Kravchenko was ahead with top pair, but Talbot had a flush draw with plenty of outs. The 7♦ on the turn completed Talbot’s flush, leaving Kravchenko drawing dead and eliminating him from the tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
Parker Talbot	85,000 41,500	41,500

Dmitrii Kravchenko	Busted

Tags: Dmitrii Kravchenko Parker Talbot

10-14-2024 16:24 UTC+2

Kings Crushed: Kilennikov Falls to Sheils' Set of Queens

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Sava Krink

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

Alexandr Kilennikov opened the action with a raise to 1,200 from the hijack, and Brandon Sheils, sitting on the button, bumped it up to 3,600. Kilennikov didn’t back down and fired back with a four-bet to 8,200. Without hesitation, Sheils slid in a stack of 5,000 chips, signaling an all-in. Kilennikov snap-called, bringing them to a showdown.

Alexandr Kilennikov: K♠K♦ All in
Brandon Sheils: Q♠Q♥

Kilennikov was in the lead with his kings, but the flop hit hard for Sheils, coming 5♣6♦Q♣ and giving him a set of queens. The turn 8♠ and river 5♦ didn’t change anything, sending Kilennikov to the rail as Sheils scooped the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Brandon Sheils	115,000 25,000	25,000
Alexandr Kilennikov	Busted

Tags: Alexandr Kilennikov Brandon Sheils

10-14-2024 16:06 UTC+2

Wiechers Makes Set to Bust Shvarev

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Matt Warburton

Level 5 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

Action folded around to Vasilii Shvarev, who moved all in for 11,100, a shove worth nearly 20 big blinds. Erwin Wiechers made the call on the button to put Shvarev at risk.

Vasilii Shvarev: A♣J♦ All in
Erwin Wiechers: 10♥10♠

The board ran out 6♥10♣A♥2♠K♥ and Shvarev did find a pair of aces on the flop, but it wasn't enough given that Wiechers made a set of tens. Wiechers held and Shvarev was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
Erwin Wiechers	58,000 -15,600	-15,600
Vasilii Shvarev	Busted

Tags: Erwin Wiechers Vasilii Shvarev

10-14-2024 14:58 UTC+2

Nasreddine Busts First Bullet

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Matt Warburton

Level 4 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

Rania Nasreddine has had quite the run at the EPT this year. Incredibly, she finished third in the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event for €442,900 and then fourth in the Barcelona Main Event a few months later for €518,600.

Nasreddine will be looking for another deep run here in Cyprus, but only has one more shot left after she was seen leaving the tournament area after busting her first bullet.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rania Nasreddine	Busted

Tags: Rania Nasreddine

10-14-2024 14:20 UTC+2

Sarkis Gets Instant Service, Stacks Sipavicius

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Kai Cocklin

Level 3 : Blinds 100/300, 300 ante

With around 15,000 chips in the pot on a board of Q♥7♠8♥, Aurelijus Sipavicius had fired a bet of 6,000, and Wael Sarkis raised to 13,000. Sipavicius then took his time before he put in a flop three-bet to 25,000, then Sarkis shoved for almost 40,000. Sipavicious only had around 10,000 behind, and didn't immediately call

"Come on, you only have that back and you are tanking," remarked Sarkis . Eventually Sipavicius did call off the remainder of his stack, which left him at risk.

Aurelijus Sipavicius: K♠K♣ All in
Wael Sarkis: A♥7♥

Sarkis had a pair plus the nut flush draw and needed to crack the pocket kings of Sipavicius with two cards to come. Fortunately for Sarkis , he only needed one card as the 4♥ turn gave him an unbeatable flush, which left Sipavicius drawing dead. The 4♦ river was just a formality, and Sarkis scooped in the pot as Sipavicius vacated his seat.

Player	Chips	Progress
Wael Sarkis	90,000
Evgenii Ushakov	37,000 -13,600	-13,600
Ryan Mandara	36,000 -14,100	-14,100
Stephen Song	35,000 5,000	5,000

Barny Boatman	33,000 5,000	5,000

Aurelijus Sipavicius	Busted

Tags: Aurelijus Sipavicius Wael Sarkis

10-14-2024 13:49 UTC+2

Kaukua Wins the Flip on the River, Ivanov Busts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 3 : Blinds 100/300, 300 ante

Zoran Marich made it 600 to go from early position and Nicolas Betbese called from the next seat. Alexander Ivanov then three-bet the hijack to 2,700, and Toni Kaukua cold four-bet on the button to 5,400. Marich folded with around 5,000 behind, Betbese got out of the way, and Ivanov shoved for around 12,000 total. Kaukua called.

Alexander Ivanov: Q♠Q♣ All in
Toni Kaukua: A♦K♥

It was an all-too-familiar coinflip and Ivanov was already standing up, either in preparation to leave or his usual ritual, but kept his advantage after the J♦3♠4♦ flop. However, Kaukua found a great card with the 2♦ turn as he picked up a plethora of outs in both straight and flush draws to go along with his overcards. One of those outs appeared on the river as the K♣ gave Kaukua a pair, sending Ivanov to the rail early on.