Make It Two: Yulian Bogdanov Gets His Second Title This Week in the PS Open Main Event
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A few days ago, right at the start of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague festival, Yulian Bogdanov began his series by taking down the €10,200 Mystery Bounty event. But the Bulgarian wasn’t satisfied with just that trophy, and he had his sights on an even bigger one not even a week later.
Bogdanov outlasted a massive field of 3,024 entries to take down the €1,650 PS Open Main Event, earning €398,135* after defeating Adrian Ziemichod heads-up when his jacks held against Ziemichod’s sevens.
“I’m so excited for this trophy. It’s amazing. I can’t believe that it’s true. I’m very happy,” Bogdanov said after his victory, his wife serving as translator. “I think I have good luck. I can’t win without luck.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yulian Bogdanov | Bulgaria | €398,135* |
| 2 | Adrian Ziemichod | Poland | €440,100* |
| 3 | Ivan Poroliev | Bulgaria | €368,755* |
| 4 | Simon Lofberg | Sweden | €200,000 |
| 5 | Matthias Auer | Austria | €154,000 |
| 6 | Ben Hurwitz | Israel | €118,380 |
| 7 | Lulei Hu | Italy | €91,000 |
| 8 | Amato Landi | Italy | €69,980 |
| 9 | Rama Prema | Czechia | €53,820 |
*Denotes three-way deal
Bogdanov had already compiled a career resume that included more than $3 million in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob, good for 10th place on the Bulgarian all-time money list. The only thing missing, though, was a major trophy, and he can cross that off the list now.
“This is my biggest trophy. I’m very thankful, because I’ve learned a lot. I play a lot, and that’s a gift for me,” he said.
Day 4 Action
The final day of the PS Open began with 12 players returning to the Hilton Hotel Prague to battle for the trophy. Matthias Auer held the chip lead with 15,400,000, while Bogdanov was in third place with 9,425,000.
Ziemichod began as the shortest stack, but found a quick double-up when his pocket nines rivered a flush against Bogdanov’s ace-queen. Ziemichod continued his ascent when he flopped trips to bust Jerome Besselievre in 12th place.
Lulei Hu made a full house against Amato Landi’s top pair of aces to earn a massive double, leaving his fellow Italian on a short stack of 500,000. Landi, though, who earned the award for having the loudest and most passionate rail today, doubled up three times, including cracking Simon Lofberg’s queens with ace-jack, to climb back up past 4,000,000.
Mahersh Selvakumaran fell in 11th place when Ben Hurwitz made a running straight to beat his top pair. Bogdanov then snapped off Vitezslav Cech with a full house to double up on the final table bubble, knocking Cech down to just 1,800,000. He was eliminated a few hands later, setting up the nine-handed final table.
Auer still held the chip lead with 15,850,000, followed by Hu with 12,375,000 and Bogdanov with 11,050,000. Rama Prema then got his last 7,400,000 in with two queens and was a favorite to double up against Hu’s ace-ten, but Hu rivered a flush to win the pot and bust Prema in ninth as he moved into the lead with 20,850,000.
Landi was again all-in with ace-jack against two queens, this time against Auer, and found an ace on the turn once more to double up. Just as players were going off on break, Lofberg opened to 800,000 in early position and picked up calls from Ziemichod in middle position and Landi in the big blind. Landi open-shoved for 6,400,000 on the flop, and Lofberg reshoved. Ziemichod couldn’t call fast enough, slamming in his last 7,300,000 with two aces, while both opponents held two eights. Ziemichod scooped the massive pot to vault all the way up to 23,000,000 and into the lead, while Landi’s comeback was halted in eighth place.
Lofberg came back from the break with just over two big blinds but doubled up multiple times, including hitting a flush on the river against Hu, as he went back over 10,000,000. Ivan Poroliev then doubled up off Hu with nines against fives, leaving Hu on a short stack. Hu had been whittled down to just one big blind when he got his last chips in against Ziemichod, who ended up hitting a set of nines to bust Hu in seventh.
Hurwitz then shoved for 4,800,000 on the flop with a straight draw, while Bogdanov called with two sevens. Hurwitz didn’t improve, and he fell in sixth place. Ziemichod flopped top two pair to bust Auer in fifth, while Lofberg’s run ended when he got in his last 4,000,000 with a pair and flush draw. Poroliev had the same flush draw, but he ended up with a running straight to bust Lofberg in fourth.
Ziemichod led 40,500,000 to Bogdanov’s 28,500,000 and Poroliev’s 21,700,000 when the three remaining players agreed to a deal. Ziemichod locked up €440,100, while Bogdanov took €398,135 and Poroliev €368,755.
Poroliev doubled up off Bogdanov with a turned pair of kings, but quickly gave back a chunk of those new chips when Ziemichod snap-called for 4,000,000 on the river with two pair.
Bogdanov then tangled with Ziemichod in a big pot going to the river, where Bogdanov shoved for 8,700,000. Ziemichod called, and Bogdanov showed a pair of aces to win the pot and double up into the chip lead with 36,000,000. Poroliev got in his last 16,100,000 with two fours and was racing against Bogdanov’s king-jack. Poroliev remained in the lead through the turn, but the river put two pair on the board to counterfeit his pocket pair as Bogdanov took the pot with his king-kicker to bust Poroliev in third place.
Bogdanov led 54,000,000 to 36,700,000 at the start of heads-up play. Ziemichod evened up the match when he shoved the river on an ace-high board, before Bogdanov check-raised to 13,000,000 on the turn a few hands later, and Ziemichod gave up his hand.
Ziemichod then four-bet shoved for 35,000,000 with two sevens, but Bogdanov snap-called with two jacks and held on to secure another trophy.
Bogdanov then took a seat at a spot that’s quickly becoming all too familiar to him, posing with the trophy along with his Bulgarian supporters. There is still plenty to come here in Prague over the coming days, but for Bogdanov, the festival is already one he won’t soon forget.
That concludes PokerNews coverage of the PS Open Main Event. Stay tuned for more live updates as the Main Event gets underway here in Prague.
