$5,300 EPT Main Event Day 1a | 2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus

10-16-2023 20:54 UTC+2

Three Barrels For Kulev

Maxime Taldir

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Alex Kulev on the button and Thomas Santerne in the big blind were on the flop 9♦3♠A♠ when Kulev bet 2,700. Santerne called, and check-called again a second barrel of 3,400 on the turn 2♠.

The river card was the 5♥, and Santerne checked again. Kulev bet 12,200, almost all his stack as he only had 1,000 left behind, but Santerne folded wisely.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dario Sammartino	250,000 40,000	40,000
Thomas Santerne	90,000 90,000	90,000
Gaelle Baumann	80,000 30,000	30,000
Alex Kulev	30,000 8,000	8,000

Tags: Alex Kulev Thomas Santerne

10-16-2023 20:55 UTC+2

Bezhanyan Gets Set in Against Pocket Kings

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Matt Warburton

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Andrei Konopelko raised to 2,400 from late position and Aren Bezhanyan called in the big blind.

The flop came 2♥5♠10♥. Bezhanyan checked and Konopelko bet 2,000. Bezhanyan then check-raised to 6,600 and Konopelko raised it up to 20,000. Bezhanyan shoved all in for 82,600 and Konopelko called with slightly more chips. Players turned their cards.

Aren Bezhanyan: 5♣5♥
Andrei Konopelko: K♣K♦

Konopelko had pocket kings and Bezhanyan had a set of fives. The turn came the 7♣ and the river was the 10♦. Bezhanyan held to double up his stack and Konopelko was left with just 5,000 behind.

Player	Chips	Progress
Aren Bezhanyan	170,000 95,000	95,000
Andrei Konopelko	5,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Andrei Konopelko Aren Bezhanyan

10-16-2023 20:57 UTC+2

Players Heading for 20-Minute Break

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Matt Warburton

Level 8 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Players in the EPT Main Event are heading for a 20-minute break. There are now 463 entries and 186 players remain. There are two more levels to be played in Day 1a.

Level: 9

Blinds: 600/1,200

Ante: 1,200

10-16-2023 21:18 UTC+2

Top Ten Chip Counts After Break

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Matt Warburton

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Dario Sammartino	290,000 40,000	40,000
Diogo Coelho	280,000 280,000	280,000
Parker Talbot	272,000 52,000	52,000

Lukas Robinson	254,000 149,000	149,000

Dimitar Danchev	206,100 66,100	66,100

Priit Parmasto	196,600 66,600	66,600
Aren Bezhanyan	194,500 24,500	24,500
Agharazi Babayev	194,500 100,500	100,500
Alex Peffly	180,000
Vadym Koriagin	165,000 21,500	21,500

10-16-2023 21:23 UTC+2

Mateos Leads Into Aygun; Lin Has a Plan For the Final Table

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David Salituro

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Aksel Aygun raised to 2,400 in middle position as action folded to Ren Lin in the small blind, who only had around 3,000 remaining.

"Ay, ay, ay, mamma mia. I don't want to go home. Fold until the final table," Lin said as he eventually tossed his cards away. Adrian Mateos, though, called in the big blind.

Both players checked the 5♥7♣9♣ flop before Mateos led out for 2,300 on the 4♥ turn. Aygun called, then faced another bet of 4,500 on the 2♣ river.

Aygun folded this time and Mateos folded.

"EPT no good for me. I'm going home," Lin added after the hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Aksel Aygun	90,000 20,000	20,000
Adrian Mateos	70,000 15,000	15,000

Ren Lin	3,000 27,000	27,000

Tags: Adrian Mateos Aksel Aygun Ren Lin

10-16-2023 21:28 UTC+2

Hadioglu Wins the Flip

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Maxime Taldir

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Paul Hofer opened to 2,500 from under the gun, and Florian Duta three-bet to 6,500 on the button. In the big blind, Nuri Hadioglu shoved for 27,100. Hofer folded, but Duta called.

Nuri Hadioglu: A♠K♦
Florian Duta: Q♦Q♥

On 7♦3♠A♦2♣7♠, Hadioglu won the flip to double up. Down to 2,200, Duta was eliminated a few hands later.

Player	Chips	Progress
Nuri Hadioglu	59,000 30,000	30,000
Hossein Ensan	53,000 23,000	23,000

Florian Duta	Busted

Tags: Florian Duta Nuri Hadioglu Paul Hofer

10-16-2023 21:34 UTC+2

Netaliev Shoves Into Kings

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David Salituro

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Sam Greenwood raised to 2,600 in the cutoff before Motokatsu Uhara three-bet to 7,500 in the small blind. Oleg Netaliev then moved all in from the big blind, Greenwood folded, but Uhara called for his last 13,000.

Motokatsu Uhara: K♣K♦
Oleg Netaliev: A♠Q♦

Uhara had picked up kings and was poised for a double up as the board came 10♥5♥8♣8♠5♠, securing him the pot and his survival at this table that also includes Karolis Sereika, Julien Sitbon, and Dylan DeStefano.

Player	Chips	Progress
Karolis Sereika	140,000
Julien Sitbon	100,000 20,000	20,000
Oleg Netaliev	60,000 14,000	14,000
Sam Greenwood	35,000 20,000	20,000

Dylan DeStefano	32,000 7,000	7,000
Motokatsu Uhara	30,000

Tags: Oleg Netaliev Motokatsu Uhara Sam Greenwood

10-16-2023 21:34 UTC+2

Ercan Makes Flush, Peffly Makes Full House

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Matt Warburton

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Alex Peffly open raised from late position and Mustafa Timur Ercan reshoved from the small blind for less than a starting stack. Peffly called and players flipped their cards, with Ercan at risk.

Mustafa Timur Ercan: 9♠7♠
Alex Peffly: Q♣Q♦

The board ran out A♠A♦10♠J♠Q♠. Ercan flopped a flush draw and completed his flush on the turn. Peffly then made a full house on the river to get back ahead and win the pot, sending Ercan to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alex Peffly	200,000 20,000	20,000
Mustafa Timur Ercan	Busted

Tags: Alex Peffly Mustafa Timur Ercan

10-16-2023 21:38 UTC+2

Sullivan Gets One Shove Through, But Not the Next

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David Salituro

Level 9 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Timur Vardanian had three-bet to 7,500 from the hijack and Vadym Koriagin called in the cutoff before Michael Sullivan put in a four-bet to 15,500 on the button.

Both opponents called to see the Q♠9♥K♠ flop, where Sullivan moved all in for 34,100. Vardanian and Koriagin both folded and Sullivan asked Koriagin to pick one of his cards, exposing the 6♥.

The next hand, however, Sullivan tangled with Simon Wiciak in a pot that saw Wiciak get his last 87,100 in from the big blind as Sullivan called on the button.

Simon Wiciak: J♥J♣
Michael Sullivan: 10♠10♥

"Ah, for f**ks sake," Sullivan cried out when he saw he was dominated by Wiciak's jacks. Both players stood up from their seats, Wiciak taking out his phone to film the action, as the dealer spread the 4♣6♠5♥Q♦7♣ board.

The stacks were counted down and Wiciak had Sullivan barely covered, sending him to the rail.