Germany’s Metin Yalciner Bags Biggest Stack on Day 1c of WPT Cyprus Championship
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The World Poker Tour (WPT) $3,500 buy-in, $2 million GTD WPT Cyprus Championship continued on Friday with the third and final starting flights. Day 1c attracted 185 runners, which, along with 1b’s 173 and 1a’s 283, brought the total field up to 641 entries.
The current prize pool sits at $1,987,100, but late registration is open through the first break on Saturday’s Day 2, so it should easily cross the $2 million guarantee.
After eight one-hour levels of play, Metin Yalciner bagged the chip lead among the 93 survivors with 290,000, which is a ways behind both Day 1b chip leader Mustafa Simsek (385,000) and Day 1a chip leader Alexsandr Pak (379,000).
Top 5 Day 1c Chip Counts
| Player | Chips |
|---|---|
| Metin Yalciner | 290,000 |
| Recep Aydemir | 247,500 |
| Onur Unsal | 245,500 |
| Razvan Sabau | 237,500 |
| Arif Firat | 232,000 |
According to WPT Live Updates, Nguyen played a big hand near the end of the night. In Level 8 (600/1,200/1,200), there was 8,000 in the pot and a flop of J♥7♣5♣, and while the exact action was unknown, it was reported that Nguyen was all in on said flop for 55,000 and at risk against Zhen Xiaosheng.
Nguyen was ahead with her K♦J♣ for top pair, but Xiaosheng was drawing super strong with the 9♣8♣. The K♣ turn gave Xiaosheng a flush and left Nguyen looking to get lucky, and that’s just what she did when the K♥ spiked on the river to improve her to a winning full house.
Likewise, the polarizing Will Kassouf, who did an exclusive interview on the latest episode of the PokerNews Podcast, also scored a late double. It happened when he moved his short stack all in under the gun with the 6♠5♠ and was at risk against the A♣J♠ of Campbell Ashton. The board ran out K♥10♦5♣6♥10♣ and Kassouf made two pair to stay alive.
Of course, not everyone made it through. Among those to fall on Day 1c were Guy Gorelik, Rahul Sharma, Rabah Ait Abdelmalek, Ion Scobai, and Kamel Atoui.
The WPT Cyprus Championship, which runs through August 18, is the keystone event on the schedule for the $5 Million GTD Festival at the Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino. However, there are still several events upcoming.
Here’s a look at the remaining schedule:
2025 WPT Cyprus Remaining Schedule
| *Date | Time | Event | GTD | Details* | ||
| Sat 16 Aug | 12:00 pm | $3,200 + 300 WPT Championship Day 2 | $2,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | 60 min clock | ||
| Sat 16 - Mon 18 Aug | 5:00 pm | $1,000 + 100 No Limit Hold'em - Mystery Bounty Event | $100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | 20k stack, 20 min clock, 8 LVLS late reg | ||
| Sat 16 Aug | 11:00 pm | $1,000 + 100 Satellite to Chamada Super High Roller | 5 seats GTD | 15k stack, 15 min clock, 6 LVLS late reg | ||
| Sun 17 Aug | 12:00 pm | WPT Championship Day 3 | $2,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | 60 min clock | ||
| Sun 17 - Mon 18 Aug | 3:00 pm | $7,500 + 500 No Limit Hold'em - Chamada Super High Roller | $300,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | 100k stack, 30 min clock, 10 LVLS late reg | ||
| Sun 17 Aug | 8.00 pm | $2,000 + 200 No Limit Hold'em - Last Chance | $150,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | 30k stack, 30 min clock, 8 LVLS late reg | ||
| Mon 18 Aug | 12:00 pm | WPT Championship Final Table | $2,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | 60 min clock | ||
| Mon 18 Aug | 3.00 pm | $7,500 + 500 Chamada Super High Roller Final Day | $300,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | 30 min clock | ||
| Mon 18 Aug | 5:00 pm | $1,000 + 100 Mystery Final Table Only | $75,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool | 20k stack, 20 min clock, 8 LVLS late reg |
Day 1c will get underway at Noon local time on Friday. Late registrations will remain open until after the first break (~2:15 p.m. local time) on Saturday’s Day 2. Players will start with 50,000 stack, playing 60-minute levels. PokerNews is on-site to offer content, social media, and interviews, so be sure to check back frequently for all the latest from the WPT Cyprus!
Images courtesy of the World Poker Tour
In this Series
- 1 Kassouf & WPT Global Qualifiers Headline Start of the WPT Cyprus Championship
- 2 2025 WPT Cyprus Coming to Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino August 6-18
- 3 Alexsandr Pak Leads WPT Cyprus Day 1a, Tony Dunst & Romulo Dorea Find a Bag
- 4 Miracle River Gives Brazilian Vlogging Superstar Rare Triple KO at WPT Cyprus
- 5 WPT Prime Cyprus Bubble Boy Gets Revenge By Bagging Championship Chip Lead
- 6 Exclusive Interview w/ Will Kassouf, Self-Proclaimed ‘Donald Trump of Poker’ | PokerNews Podcast #912
- 7 Germany’s Metin Yalciner Bags Biggest Stack on Day 1c of WPT Cyprus Championship
- 8 Will Kassouf Discusses WSOP Controversy: “I Was Only Reacting to How I Was Being Treated”
- 9 Ludovic Geilich Wins WPT Cyprus Mystery Bounty; Ilia Kitsbabahvili Claims Two Side Event Titles
- 10 Bubble Bursts: Big Prize Awaits Winner 11 Years After Last WPT Main Event in Cyprus
- 11 After Six Final Tables Ray Qartomy’s Quest for a "Dream" Title Continues at WPT Cyprus
- 12 WPT Cyprus Final Table Set, Elena Litviniuk Seeks to Become 3rd Women to Win WPT Open Main Event
- 13 It’s a Hattrick! Ilia Kitsbabahvili Wins Two Side Events Plus WPT Cyprus Championship ($401,100)
- 14 Hands of the Week: Crushed Dreams at WPT Cyprus; Kassouf Left Saying “Not Good”
