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

10-14-2024 13:49 UTC+2

Kaukua Wins the Flip on the River, Ivanov Busts

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.

Player	Chips	Progress
Toni Kaukua	50,000 50,000	50,000
Nicolas Betbese	20,000 20,000	20,000
Zoran Marich	5,000 -25,000	-25,000
Alexander Ivanov	Busted

Tags: Alexander Ivanov Nicolas Betbese Toni Kaukua Zoran Marich

10-14-2024 13:41 UTC+2

Vrakas Doubles With Quads

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Matt Warburton

Level 3 : Blinds 100/300, 300 ante

Action was on the flop on a board of 2♦6♠9♦ and Georgios Vrakas checked. Kursat Bayrakci bet 10,000 and Vrakas check-raised all in for 27,800. Bayrakci was left scratching his head and after a moment he made the call.

Bayracki had 9♣8♣ for a pair of nines and Vrakas had 2♣2♠ for a set of deuces.

The turn came the 2♥ to give Vrakas quads and the river was the K♦. Vrakas won the pot and doubled up his stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Georgios Vrakas	62,000 20,000	20,000
Kursat Bayrakci	1,000

Tags: Georgios Vrakas

10-14-2024 13:39 UTC+2

Demirkol Cracks Chernikov

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Richard Hayes

Level 3 : Blinds 100/300, 300 ante

Around 14,000 was in the middle in a hand between Aleksandr Chernikov in the cutoff and Mehmet Demirkol in the big blind.

The flop read 10♦7♠3♥, and Demirkol checked. Chernikov moved all in for 20,700, and Demirkol went deep into the tank.

After around three minutes, the clock was called. With about ten seconds left, Demirkol flicked in a calling chip with the covering stack.

Aleksandr Chernikov: A♥K♥ All in
Mehmet Demirkol: J♣J♦

Demirkol was ahead with pocket jacks versus Chernikov's two overcards, and although Chernikov picked up extra outs on the 6♥ turn, the 7♣ river was a brick to send the pot to Demirkol.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mehmet Demirkol	120,000 32,000	32,000
Aleksandr Chernikov	Busted

Tags: Aleksandr Chernikov Mehmet Demirkol

10-14-2024 12:26 UTC+2

Zebarjad Rivers a King, Picks Off Marsh's Bluff

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Kai Cocklin

Level 2 : Blinds 100/200, 200 ante

Ali Zebarjad had opened the cutoff and Luke Marsh three-bet from the small blind before Zebarjad responded with a four-bet to 7,500. Marsh called.

The two went to a flop of 5♦9♦9♣ where Marsh check-called a bet of 2,500 from Zebarjad.

Both checked the J♦ turn to the K♦ river, where Marsh took a while before he announced a bet of 8,000. Zebarjad needed just two seconds before he put in the chips and called.

Marsh flipped a pair of tens with 10♠10♣, but Zebarjad had the winner with A♠K♣ with a rivered pair of kings.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ali Zebarjad	50,000 50,000	50,000
Luke Marsh	7,000 -15,000	-15,000

Tags: Ali Zebarjad Luke Marsh

10-14-2024 12:02 UTC+2

Okolovich Takes Four-Bet Pot

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Richard Hayes

Level 1 : Blinds 100/100, 100 ante

Aimar Gonzalez opened to 300 from early position, and Sergei Bortsov pumped it up to 1,100 from the button. Iurii Okolovich was in the small blind, and he produced a cold four-bet to 2,800. Gonzalez got out of the way, but Bortsov called.

On the A♦9♠4♠ flop, Okolovich continued with a bet of 1,700, which Bortsov called.

The 3♥ turn was checked through. On the 10♠ river, Okolovich fired out a bet of 3,700, and Bortsov went into the tank.

After about two minutes, he open folded Q♣Q♦, and Okolovich flashed the A♥ as he raked in the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Iurii Okolovich	40,000 10,000	10,000
Sergei Bortsov	36,000 36,000	36,000
Aimar Gonzalez	32,000 32,000	32,000

Tags: Iurii Okolovich Sergei Bortsov

10-14-2024 12:01 UTC+2

Vaka Dispatches Quetelart in the Opening Level

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Kai Cocklin

Level 1 : Blinds 100/100, 100 ante

With around 7,000 chips in the pot on a board that read 3♠6♠2♦9♣, Monica Vaka had checked it over to Adrien Quetelart, who then made a bet of 6,000. Vaka put in the check-raise to 15,000, which left Quetelart with a decision for his remaining stack of just over 8,000. After a while in the tank, Quetelart elected to put himself at risk, and called.

Adrien Quetelart: Q♣Q♦ All in
Monica Vaka: 9♠9♦

It was a great turn card for Vaka as she improved to a set, which left Quetelart with just two outs to survive. The J♥ river was close, but not close enough for Quetelart as he became one of the first casualties of the day.

Player	Chips	Progress
Monica Vaka	52,000
Adrien Quetelart	Busted

Tags: Monica Vaka Adrien Quetelart

10-14-2024 11:34 UTC+2

Eltsov Doubles Up With Aces

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Matt Warburton

Level 1 : Blinds 100/100, 100 ante

Action was on the turn on a board of 5♣4♠9♦2♥ with around 7,000 in the pot. Bruno Sanzani led out for 5,500 and Oleg Eltsov moved all in for 25,700. Sanzani went into the tank before making the call.

Sanzani flipped over K♦K♠, but Eltsov was ahead with A♦A♣.

The river came the 2♠ and Eltsov held with his pocket aces to win the pot, scoring an early double up less than half and hour into the Main Event.

Player	Chips	Progress
Oleg Eltsov	58,500 25,500	25,500
Bruno Sanzani	5,500 5,500	5,500

Tags: Bruno Sanzani Oleg Eltsov

10-14-2024 09:43 UTC+2

Another Fairytale Champion in $5,300 EPT Cyprus Main Event?

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Richard Hayes

The PokerStars European Poker Tour Main Event has produced a number of fairytale winners since its inception in 2004, including the first female champion in 2006 with Victoria Coren-Mitchell at EPT London, Mike McDonald becoming the youngest victor at 18 years old in 2008 at EPT Dortmund, and British legend Barny Boatman taking the young guns to school at EPT Paris this year.

The first edition of the EPT Cyprus Main Event in 2023 also produced a story to rival those above, after inaugural PokerStars Dare to Stream winner, Dutchman Gilles Simon, took the title for a $1,042,000 payday after defeating Italian Andrea Dato heads-up.

Simon's victory confirmed that the ultimate poker dream was still possible, with Simon progressing from playing small stakes online to taking one of the most coveted trophies in live poker in a matter of a couple of years.

2023 EPT Cyprus Main Event Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Gilles Simon	Netherlands	$1,042,000
2	Andrea Dato	Italy	$652,200
3	Jose Gonzalez Sanchez	Spain	$465,425
4	Halil Tasyurek	Turkey	$358,075
5	Yannick Schumacher	Germany	$275,425
6	Nikita Kuznetsov	Russia	$211,850
7	Bjorn Kozenkai	Hungary	$162,925
8	Victor Yugay	Uzbekistan	$125,350
9	Priit Parmasto	Estonia	$96,425

The identity of the next EPT Main Event champion will be determined over the course of the next week, with Day 1a of the $5,300 EPT Cyprus Main Event at PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus due to get underway today, 14 October, at noon local time, at the stunning Merit Royal Diamond Hotel and Spa.

Players will sit down with a 30,000 starting stack at blind level 100/100, with a 100 big blind ante, and will have to navigate ten 60-minute levels in order to progress to Day 2.

Players are permitted a single reentry across the two starting flights, with Day 1b scheduled to kick off at noon local time on Tuesday, October 15. Late registration is open until the start of Day 2, which will begin on Wednesday, October 16 at noon.

Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of what is sure to be an exciting day of poker thrills and spills, featuring some of the finest players in the world.

Tags: Andrea Dato Barny Boatman Bjorn Kozenkai Gilles Simon Halil Tasyurek Jose Gonzalez Sanchez Mike McDonald Nikita Kuznetsov Priit Parmasto Victor Yugay Victoria Coren-Mitchell Yannick Schumacher