A pot between Lander Lijo and Georgios Tsouloftas had already swelled to around 900,000 on a full board of 9♥Q♥9♠4♦8♣ when Lijo fired a huge bet of 775,000 on the river. Tsouloftas only had 575,000 behind and dumped all of his time-bank cards into the pot, which indicated he had a tough decision.
Surprisingly, Tsouloftas didn't actually need to use any of them as he shrugged his shoulders and quickly announced a call.
Lijo showed J♥5♥ for a missed flush draw, and Tsouloftas had trips with A♦9♣ to scoop the pot, which sent his stack toward the two-million mark.
Christopher Nguyen opened to 30,000 second to act before Boris Tabiyev three-bet to 80,000 from the button. Eleftherios Sinnos four-bet to 255,000 from the big blind and folded out both players.
On the next deal, Nguyen made it 30,000 once more, prompting Tabiyev to bump it to 80,000 for a consecutive hand. Guillermo Gordo cold-called from the big blind, and Nguyen stuck around.
Tabiyev continued for 85,000 on the J♥9♠6♠ flop and Nguyen was the only caller. The J♣ came in on the turn and Nguyen led out for 300,000. Tabiyev quickly raised to 850,000, leaving 70,000 behind, Nguyen jammed as the slightly bigger stack and Tabiyev snap-called.
Boris Tabiyev: 9♣9♦
Christopher Nguyen: K♣J♠
Nguyen turned trip jacks but remained behind as Tabiyev saw his set improve to a full house. The 7♣ river confirmed the checkmark for Tabiyev and he left Nguyen on fumes in the early goings.
Zhewen Hu moved all in for 145,000 in the small blind and Taago Tamm called in the big blind.
Zhewen Hu: K♣Q♦
Taago Tamm: 10♠9♠
Hu was ahead going to the flop, which came A♥K♥8♦ to give him a pair of kings and an even bigger lead. The turn was the 6♦ as Tamm picked up a straight draw, and he completed his straight on the 7♥ river.
"Wow," Hu said, taking the beat in stride as he made his way to the exit.
Action folded to Victoria Livschitz who moved all in for 300,000 in the small blind. Timo Kamphues turned around to look at the clock before calling in the big blind.
Victoria Livschitz: A♥5♦
Timo Kamphues: K♦10♦
The flop came 10♣8♠5♠ as Kamphues took the lead with a pair of tens. Livschitz needed to improve on her pair of fives but missed the 6♠ turn and 8♦ river as she was sent to the rail.
The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus is nearing its climax, with the $5,300 EPT Main Event now past its halfway point. Play resumes at 12 p.m. EEST as 45 contenders, from an initial 1,284 entries, return to the felt at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa.
Among the remaining players, one stands out—Anton Wigg, the last former EPT Main Event champion in the field. Wigg, who claimed his title at EPT Copenhagen in 2010, has come close to another final table but hasn't returned since. In 2012, he narrowly missed the final nine in Berlin, finishing 14th. Ironically, his next-best EPT finish came at this very venue, when he exited in 18th place at the inaugural EPT Cyprus after a crucial flip in the final level of Day 4.
Now, Wigg finds himself deep in contention again, starting Day 4 tenth in chips with 1,195,000 chips, ready for another run at the final table.
Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Bobby James
United Kingdom
2,605,000
174
2
Damir Zhugralin
Kazakhstan
2,410,000
161
3
Philip Joyce
United Kingdom
2,175,000
145
4
Daniel Jackson
United Kingdom
1,560,000
104
5
Lander Lijo
Spain
1,490,000
99
6
Roeland Peeks
Netherlands
1,350,000
90
7
Adrien Quetelart
France
1,275,000
85
8
Artsiom Lasouski
Belarus
1,240,000
83
9
Christopher Nguyen
Germany
1,200,000
80
10
Anton Wigg
Sweden
1,195,000
80
Also still in the mix are two players who reached the final table in the last edition: Andrea Dato and Halil Tasyurek. Dato finished as the runner-up to Simon Gilles, while Tasyurek narrowly missed the podium, placing fourth.
The duo will be hoping for a repeat performance this time around, having both finished in the top ten chip counts at the end of Day 4 in 2023, with Dato ending the day atop the leaderboard.
Bobby James
Currently leading the field is the United Kingdom's Bobby James (2,605,000), who has enjoyed a successful run on the Mediterranean coastline, with the potential for even greater rewards ahead.
Earlier in the festival, James achieved impressive finishes, placing 19th in the Eureka Main Event and 12th in the High Roller. He also captured a Spadie trophy by winning the $1,100 8-Game for $11,200.
Rounding out the top three are Damir Zhugralin from Kazakhstan with 2,410,000 and Philip Joyce, also from the United Kingdom, with 2,175,000..
Plan for Day 4
Play resumes at noon local time, starting at Level 21 with blinds of 10,000/15,000 and a 15,000 big blind ante, with the average stack holding close to 60 big blinds.
The expected plan is to play until 16 players remain or six levels, whichever comes first. Breaks will also take place after the completion of each level.
The remaining 45 players are each guaranteed at least $18,240 from the $6,227,400 prize pool. A seat at the final table will be worth a minimum of $123,400, while the champion will take home $1,030,000 along with the EPT trophy.
Alongside the PokerNews updates, cards-up coverage of the feature table will be available on PokerStars' live streaming channels. The broadcast will kick off at 12:30 p.m. EEST.
Remaining Payouts
Place
Prize
Place
Prize
1
$1,030,000
12-13
$60,900
2
$642,300
14-15
$50,760
3
$459,000
16-17
$42,280
4
$353,100
18-20
$36,740
5
$271,400
21-23
$31,940
6
$208,720
24-27
$27,780
7
$160,500
28-31
$24,160
8
$123,400
32-39
$20,980
9
$94,940
40-45
$18,240
10-11
$73,100
Be sure to stick with PokerNews to keep up with all the action from EPT Cyprus.
