button in SafariRunner-Runner Straight Flush Cracks Ren Lin's Pocket Aces
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The Triton One Cyprus festival has barely got underway, but there's already been a hand that will take some beating for the rest of the series.
WPT Global ambassador Ren Lin found himself on the wrong end of a particularly nasty runout in Event #1: $3,000 QQPK Genesis, watching his pocket aces get cracked by a runner-runner straight flush during the Day 1c flight.
The unlikely winner was Kazakhstan's Bakbergen Absadyk, who managed the great escape to keep his tournament hopes alive.
Fortunately for Lin, the damage was relatively minor, with the Chinese poker star still sitting on a healthy stack after the hand.
The opening event has since completed all four starting flights, attracting 912 entries and generating a $2,443,248 prize pool. A total of 146 players have advanced to Day 2, where everyone is guaranteed to finish in the money.
How Ren Lin's Aces Were Cracked
The hand came during the third starting flight of the $3,000 QQPK Genesis, which has attracted plenty of interest as the opening event of the Triton One Cyprus festival.
With the blinds at 10,000/25,000 and a 25,000 big blind ante, Lin opened the action to 60,000 holding A♠A♦. Absadyk defended his big blind with A♥3♥, leaving himself 155,000 behind.
The flop came 5♠J♦2♥, giving Absadyk a gutshot straight draw and a backdoor flush draw, while Lin remained comfortably ahead with his overpair.
Absadyk wasted little time getting the rest of his chips into the middle, moving all in for 155,000. Lin made the call, creating a pot worth 465,000.
The 4♥ on the turn gave Absadyk a straight, leaving Lin just drawing to a chop. A five did arrive to give Lin his straight but it was the 5♥ that completed the board, giving Absadyk the steel-wheel with A♥3♥ and the 2♥4♥5♥ on the table.
Lin still had plenty of chips to work with, sitting on 2.6 million after the hand. He eventually bagged 2,100,000, while Absadyk wasn't so fortunate, falling among the final handful of eliminations in the flight.
Derwiche Leads 146 Players Into Day 2
With all four starting flights now in the books, Imad Derwiche has emerged as the overall chip leader, bagging 6,425,000 during Day 1c.
Derwiche finished well clear of the rest of the field, with Alessio Isaia (5,315,000) his closest challenger. Aleksandr Kropotov (4,545,000), Ole Schemion (4,485,000) and Erik Eisen (4,305,000) complete the top five.
Schemion was the standout performer from final starting flight, Day 1d, which attracted 143 entries and saw 23 players progress. The poker legend finished ahead of Chen Peng (3,445,000) and Yiannis Liperis (3,300,000).
Day 1c, was busiest flight, and saw 61 players survive from 382 entries. Derwiche and Isaia occupied the top two positions, with Milos Petakovic also enjoying a productive session after bagging 4,175,000.
Day 1a attracted 239 entries, with 38 players advancing, while Day 1b saw another 148 entries and 24 punching their ticket. Play resumes at 12 p.m. local time on Saturday, November 7, with the survivors from all four flights coming together for the first time.
$3,000 QQPK Genesis Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Imad Derwiche | France | 6,425,000 |
| 2 | Alessio Isaia | Italy | 5,315,000 |
| 3 | Aleksandr Kropotov | Russia | 4,545,000 |
| 4 | Ole Schemion | Germany | 4,485,000 |
| 5 | Erik Eisen | Germany | 4,305,000 |
| 6 | Ruslan Zhmak | Russia | 4,255,000 |
| 7 | Mitchell Hynam | United Kingdom | 4,235,000 |
| 8 | Milos Petakovic | Serbia | 4,175,000 |
| 9 | Aliaksei Miliutkin | Belarus | 3,455,000 |
| 10 | Chen Peng | China | 3,445,000 |
There's plenty more action to come at Triton One Cyprus, with PokerNews providing live reporting coverage of two major events as the festival continues.
The $5,000 NLH 8-Handed Mystery Bounty gets underway on November 7, followed by the $8,000 Main Event on November 10.
PokerNews Live Reporting Schedule
| Dates | Event | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 7–9, 2026 | NLH 8-Handed Mystery Bounty | $5,000 |
| Nov 10–15, 2026 | Main Event | $8,000 |
Fans can also catch the action on the Triton Poker YouTube channel, while PokerNews will have live updates from both tournaments alongside its festival highlights blog.
