On the second hand of the day, Philip Joyce raised to 100,000 on the button and called when big blind Boris Tabiyev moved all in for 250,000.
Boris Tabiyev: K♦7♠
Philip Joyce: J♣7♣
"Are we on dinner break?" Mikhail Shalamov joked as the table waited a few minutes for cameras to get in place and the board to be revealed. The K♣8♠3♣ flop had something for both players, as Tabiyev hit top pair and Joyce picked up a flush draw. The A♣ turn gave Joyce his flush and Tabiyev was left heading for the exit once the J♦ fell on the river.
Andrea Dato and Halil Tasyurek will try to write their names into the record books when Day 5 of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus Main Event begins at noon local time.
In the 20-year history of the EPT, hundreds of players have appeared at a final table. But only eight have managed to do what Dato and Tasyurek have a chance at today: make it back-to-back in the same event. Only Vladislav Naumov (2020-21, EPT Sochi) and Peter Jorgne (EPT Paris, 2023-24) have done it in the last decade.
Dato finished runner-up in the inaugural EPT Cyprus Main Event and enters the day in sixth chip position with 2,575,000 out of the 16 players still with a shot at the title. Tasyurek, who finished in fourth place last year, is further down the leaderboard and among the short stacks with 1,230,000.
Day 5 Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Georgios Tsouloftas
Cyprus
7,970,000
159
2
Oliver Weis
Germany
4,540,000
91
3
Andriy Lyubovetskiy
Ukraine
3,970,000
79
4
Damir Zhugralin
Kazakhstan
3,160,000
63
5
Mikhail Shalamov
Russia
2,600,000
52
6
Andrea Dato
Italy
2,575,000
52
7
Eleftherios Sinnos
Cyprus
2,295,000
46
8
Marta Miquel Munoz
Spain
2,235,000
45
9
Philip Joyce
United Kingdom
1,650,000
33
10
Anton Wigg
Sweden
1,550,000
31
11
Anton Kraous
Bulgaria
1,320,000
26
12
Halil Tasyurek
Turkey
1,230,000
25
13
Bobby James
United Kingdom
1,215,000
24
14
Arian Kashani
United Kingdom
1,185,000
24
15
Timo Kamphues
Germany
805,000
16
16
Boris Tabiyev
Kazakhstan
250,000
5
They and the rest of the field are looking way up at Georgios Tsouloftas, who tore through the late stages of play yesterday to build up a massive chip lead with 7,970,000. Oliver Weis, who won the EPT High Roller in Paris in February for more than €970,000, enters the day in second place with 4,540,000, while Andriy Lyubovetskiy (3,970,000), Damir Zhugralin (3,160,000), and Mikhail Shalamov (2,600,000) round out the top five.
Anton Wigg also has his own shot at history here at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. Wigg could become only the fourth player to win multiple EPT titles as the 2010 EPT Copenhagen champion takes 1,550,000 into Day 5. Marta Miquel Munoz (2,235,000) is trying to end a decade-plus drought for women on the EPT and become the first female champion since Victoria Coren Mitchell won in San Remo in 2014. Philip Joyce (1,650,000), Bobby James (1,215,000), and Arian Kashani (1,185,000) lead the British contingent, while Timo Kamphues (805,000) tries to battle back from a short stack at the start of the day.
Marta Miquel Munoz
The action on Day 5 picks up with 52 minutes remaining in Level 26 with blinds of 25,000-50,000 and a 50,000 big blind ante. The 16 remaining players have already locked up $42,280, with a spot at the final table worth $123,400. The eventual champion will earn $1,030,000 and the prestigious golden EPT trophy. The plan is to play down to the final six players today, with all the action streamed on PokerStars’ YouTube and Twitch channels. Updates from the final two tables will be provided on a 30-minute delay to match the stream.
A total of 1,284 players descended on this island paradise a few days ago chasing their poker dreams, but only 16 still have a shot at making that dream a reality. Stay tuned as PokerNews follows the journey down to the final table today.
