Alexandros Theologis Gets Live High Roller Breakthrough in EPT Malta €100K
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The €100,000 EPT Super High Roller at Casino Malta, part of the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT), has crowned a new champion. Greece’s Alexandros Theologis emerged on top of a 16-entry field, taking one of the most prestigious titles of the series.
According to The Hendon Mob, this is Theologis’ second live tournament win. After finishing runner-up in the Super High Roller Warm-Up earlier this series, he finally lifted the trophy and pocketed €776,200.
“I’m very fortunate, what can I say? It feels very good, especially because I haven’t actually won any high-stakes live tournaments before, especially with a trophy,” Theologis said with a big smile.
The originally planned three-day tournament generated a total prize pool of €1,612,600, with payouts for the top three finishers. With only 16 entries, it became clear early on that the tournament would end on Day 2, making a third day unnecessary. Ben Heath earned €310,420 for third place, while Orpen Kisacikoglu collected €465,700 as the runner-up.
€100K EPT Super High Roller Final Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandros Theologis | Greece | €776,200 |
| 2 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | €465,700 |
| 3 | Ben Heath | England | €310,420 |
Winner’s Reaction
Theologis started the final day seventh in chips and remembered one hand that completely changed the momentum for him: “I think it was one hand against Ben Heath, where I bluffed him on the river and then managed to get the chip lead. So I would say that hand was the important changing point.”
When asked if he would play the EPT Main Event, Theologis already had his answer ready: “I am. Day 1b is the day.”
Day 2 Action
Three players joined the tournament at the very last minute, including Aleksejs Ponakovs and Enrico Camosci, currently second and third on the PokerStars Live Leaderboard.
This brought ten hopefuls to Day 2, all chasing the prize money and the coveted Super High Roller trophy.
Camosci doubled up early, but exited in ninth place just 30 minutes into play. The eliminations continued quickly until the last five players remained, when the pace slowed noticeably.
The bubble eventually burst with Juan Pardo’s exit. His stack fluctuated throughout the day, doubling in one hand, losing a chunk the next, before Kisacikoglu sent him to the rail in a blind-versus-blind battle holding king-five.
Kisacikoglu vs Theologis
Kisacikoglu experienced his own ups and downs. Starting as the chip leader, he maintained the lead for a long stretch but lost a big portion of his stack to Theologis. One crucial moment came when Theologis made a hero call against Ben Heath, saying, “I trust you,” before committing his chips.
“The reason I told Ben I trust him is because in the previous hand, Ben against Orpen, Ben folded the river after using time bank cards. I asked him if he folded top pair, and he said no, top pair I would always snap-call. And I know Ben is friends with Orpen, so if he’s his friend, he knows how he plays. He said he would always call top pair, so I had to trust him, right?” Theologis explained.
The call worked perfectly, costing Kisacikoglu a big chunk of his stack.
The tournament could have gone very differently if not for another key hand. Heath was almost all-in after Theologis opened, and Kisacikoglu shoved behind him, forcing Theologis to fold a strong ace. Heath’s pair didn’t hold against Kisacikoglu's two pair, and he was eliminated in third place.
Heads-Up and the Final Hand
After that, it was a back-and-forth battle between Theologis and Kisacikoglu. Theologis took the chip lead through several pots and eventually sealed the win with a lucky river flush, eliminating Kisacikoglu and claiming the trophy.
Despite the intensity, the final table remained friendly. “Always playing against very tough opponents is challenging, but also rewarding because we can improve." Theologis said. "It’s stimulating intellectually, and it’s also nice to have a friendly atmosphere and joke around a bit. It was a very pleasant experience.”
