2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus

$50,000 EPT Super High Roller
Day: 2
Event Info

2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
aq
Prize
$769,860
Event Info
Buy-in
$50,000
Prize Pool
$2,231,460
Entries
46
Level Info
Level
20
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
80,000
Players Info - Day 2
Entries
25
Players Left
1

$50,000 EPT Super High Roller

Day 2 Completed

Juan Pardo Makes Short Work of the EPT Cyprus $50,000 Super High Roller, Claims Victory on Day 2

Level 20 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Juan Pardo
Juan Pardo

The $50,000 Super High Roller at the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Cyprus at Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa was scheduled to be a three-day affair. However, after an elongated Day 2, which saw 12 60-minute levels of play and ran deep into the night, it was Spain’s Juan Pardo who took home the trophy and the accompanying $688,560 a day early after a heads-up deal. Pardo beat fellow Spaniard Vicente Delgado after a relatively short heads up battle. Delgado had to console himself with the $583,400 he received for finishing in second place.

It was Pardo’s first EPT Super High Roller title, with his runner-up finish in the £50,000 Super High Roller at EPT London in 2022 being his previous best result. In order to accomplish this feat, he had to overcome a final table full of familiar faces, with Teun Mulder receiving the bronze medal, and high roller regulars like PokerStars’ Sam Grafton, Leon Sturm, and Quan Zhou also receiving a share of the $2,231,460 prize pool.

EPT Cyprus $50,000 Super High Roller Results

PlacePlayerCountryPrize
1Juan PardoSpain$688,560*
2Vicente DelgadoSpain$583,400*
3Teun MulderNetherlands$345,900
4Sam GraftonUnited Kingdom$256,600
5Leon SturmGermany$200,800
6Quan ZhouChina$156,200

*Denotes heads-up deal

The day started with 25 players still in contention, and seven of them were new entries, of which two fresh faces, Gregoire Auzoux and Biao Ding. Grafton and Mulder managed to make the final table while having started the day with a fresh stack of 250,000 but the likes of Sam Greenwood, Kayhan Mokri, and Pablo Silva would not be as lucky as they all fizzled out before the final nine. Ding did not manage to do much damage either, while Auzoux busted in ninth place, in a pot that saw Delgado claim the chip lead, to set up the official final table of eight.

Before that happened, poker superstars like Alex Kulev, Joao Vieira, Artur Martirosian, and Steve O’Dywer had long been eliminated in the first few levels of the day. Names such as Ognyan Dimov, Mikita Badziakouski, and Adrian Mateos made it a bit further into the tournament, but they all exited at the final two tables. The final table was then reached when Maher Nouira was eliminated in tenth place when he lost a flip to Mulder.

Maher Nouira
Maher Nouira

Final Table Play

After the aforementioned elimination of Auzoux, it took a while before the next player would be busted, with the players being mindful of the relatively large mincash that would be awarded for finishing in sixth place. However, after the start-of-day chipleader Paulius Plausinaitis, who spent much of the day short-stacked, could not survive his blind-on-blind encounter with then chipleader Delgado, it was Mikalai Vaskaboinikau who ultimately received the dubious honor of bubble boy. Vaskaboinikay was at one point set to burst the bubble himself when Pardo was at risk with ace-three versus his pocket kings. However, an ace on the flop spoiled Vaskaboinikay’s aspirations and he found himself eliminated mere moments later when his final twelve blinds went in preflop against Zhou and he failed to improve with the lesser hand.

The players then decided to keep on playing, but it would take a long time before the first player could go to the payout desk. After a couple of double-ups, it was Pardo once again who was at risk of being eliminated, but miraculously enough he managed to crack pocket kings twice in a row, this time with his sevens against Zhou. Zhou would get it in with the best hand once again sometime later, but his ace-queen would lose against Mulder’s ace-jack when the latter paired a jack on the flop, sending the Chinese player to the rail with a min-cash.

Next to go was Sturm, who maintained his short stack for a good while throughout the final table. However, he kept the theme of big hands being cracked running when his pocket aces lost against the king-eight of Pardo when the latter turned two pair. Grafton also fell victim to Pardo, despite doubling up twice beforehand. In a blind-on-blind encounter, Grafton’s king-four was up against the ace-queen of Pardo, and when neither player made a pair, Grafton took his leave from the tournament.

Sam Grafton
Sam Grafton

Pardo Finishes the Job

The prior two eliminations left Pardo with a huge chip lead, having nearly ten million of the 11,500,000 chips in play in his possession. However, both of his short-stacked opponents doubled up several times to prolong the three-handed battle for the Super High Roller title late into the night.

Finally, it was Mulder who bowed out before the heads up as Pardo dealt out yet another bad beat when his ace-nine beat Mulder’s ace-ten when the Spaniard rivered a flush. Pardo started the heads-up with his fellow countryman Delgado, spectated by ten or so other attendees from Spain, with twice as many chips, and he soon increased that lead by a fair margin. However, Delgado doubled during the first preflop all-in and earned himself a chance for a comeback. Ultimately though, it would not come to fruition, as not much later the players went all in preflop for a second time. This time, Pardo’s ace-queen held against the ace-ten of Delgado, awarding him his first-ever EPT Super High Roller title, the beautiful trophy, and the not-so-shabby sum of $688,560.

This unexpected ending of the $50,000 EPT Cyprus Super High Roller concludes the PokerNews coverage of the tournament, but be sure to check out the live reporting of all other events at EPT Cyprus, including the prestigious Main Event, over at the hub page.

Juan Pardo
Juan Pardo
Juan Pardo
Juan Pardo

Tags: Adrian MateosAlex KulevArtur MartirosianBiao DingGregoire AuzouxJoao VieiraJuan PardoKayhan MokriLeon SturmMaher NouiraMikalai VaskaboinikauMikita BadziakouskiOgnyan DimovPablo SilvaPaulius PlausinaitisQuan ZhouSam GraftonSam GreenwoodSteve O’DywerTeun MulderVicente Delgado

Vicente Delgado Eliminated in 2nd Place ($502,100)

Level 20 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Vicente Delgado
Vicente Delgado

Juan Pardo raised to 180,000 from the button and Vicente Delgado moved all in from the big blind. Pardo snap-called to put Delgado at risk.

Vicente Delgado: A10
Juan Pardo: AQ

Pardo was well ahead with a bigger ace on the J96 flop. The 8 turn gave Delgado a few more outs in the form of a gutshot straight draw but the 8 river was a brick and Pardo won the final pot of the tournament while Delgado had to settle for second place.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Juan Pardo es
Juan Pardo
11,500,000
3,500,000
3,500,000
Profile photo of Vicente Delgado es
Vicente Delgado
Busted

Tags: Juan PardoVicente Delgado

Delgado Doubles Up to Stay Alive

Level 20 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Vicente Delgado
Vicente Delgado

Juan Pardo limped his button before Vicente Delgado jammed all in from the big blind. After a count, the amount totaled 1,710,000. Parod thought it over for a few more seconds before putting in a calling chip.

Vicente Delgado: K5
Juan Pardo: QJ

Both players flopped a pair on K7J, but the 5 turn saw Delgado extend his lead by upgrading to two pair. No jack appeared on the 9 river and Delgado doubled up to keep the heads-up battle for the Super High Roller title going.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Juan Pardo es
Juan Pardo
8,000,000
-1,970,000
-1,970,000
Profile photo of Vicente Delgado es
Vicente Delgado
3,500,000
1,970,000
1,970,000

Tags: Juan PardoVicente Delgado

Pardo Extends Lead over Delgado

Level 20 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Juan Pardo limped in from the button and Vicente Delgado checked in the big blind.

The flop came 926 and Delgado check-called an 80,000 bet from Pardo.

Both players checked the J turn leading to the Q river. Delgado bet 135,000 only for Pardo to raise to 600,000. Delgado made the call.

Pardo showed down AQ for a rivered top pair and Delgado's hand hit the muck.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Juan Pardo es
Juan Pardo
9,970,000
1,170,000
1,170,000
Profile photo of Vicente Delgado es
Vicente Delgado
1,530,000
-1,170,000
-1,170,000

Tags: Juan PardoVicente Delgado

Pardo Wins First Big Pot of Heads-Up Play

Level 20 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Vicente Delgado limped his button and Juan Pardo checked the big blind. On the 7K9 flop, Pardo checked and Delgado bet the minimum of 80,000. Pardo called and the 8 turn fell.

Pardo checked again and Delgado now opted for a big bet of 300,000 chips. It did not deter Pardo from calling, however, as he did just so.

Pardo checked a final time on the 4 river, and Delgado piled in a pile of chips worth 800,000. Pardo made a swift call and Delgado could show nothing but J2 for a failed bluff with jack-high. Meanwhile, Pardo was sitting on top pair with K3 and raked in the first significant pot of the heads-up battle.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Juan Pardo es
Juan Pardo
8,800,000
1,160,000
1,160,000
Profile photo of Vicente Delgado es
Vicente Delgado
2,700,000
-1,160,000
-1,160,000

Tags: Juan PardoVicente Delgado

Teun Mulder Eliminated in 3rd Place ($345,900)

Level 20 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Teun Mulder
Teun Mulder

Teun Mulder limped in from the small blind and Juan Pardo raised to 240,000 from the big blind. Mulder moved all in for approximately 1,600,000 and Pardo called with a covering stack.

Teun Mulder: A10
Juan Pardo: A9

Both players connected with the 1089 flop. Mulder was ahead with top pair but Pardo was live with a flush draw. The 8 turn was a brick but the flush came in on the J river to secure the pot for Pardo, who reclaimed some of the chips he had last earlier this level while Mulder's deep run came to an end in third place.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Juan Pardo es
Juan Pardo
7,640,000
1,470,000
1,470,000
Profile photo of Vicente Delgado es
Vicente Delgado
3,860,000
260,000
260,000
Profile photo of Teun Mulder nl
Teun Mulder
Busted

Tags: Juan PardoTeun Mulder

Delgado Goes for Value

Level 20 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Vicente Delgado raised to 160,000 and Juan Pardo made the call from the big blind once Teun Mulder folded the small blind. The flop of 7K5 saw Pardo check before Delgado put in 130,000 chips for a bet. Pardo called and the two Spanish players checked through the subsequent 5 turn.

The 6 river then fell and Pardo checked once more. Delgado picked up the aggression again and put out a bet of 400,000. Pardo mulled it over for a bit but eventually made the call. Delgado showed QQ for two pair, queens and fives, and Pardo added his cards to the muck pile.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Juan Pardo es
Juan Pardo
6,170,000
55,000
55,000
Profile photo of Vicente Delgado es
Vicente Delgado
3,600,000
795,000
795,000
Profile photo of Teun Mulder nl
Teun Mulder
1,730,000
-850,000
-850,000

Tags: Juan PardoTeun MulderVicente Delgado

Mulder Strikes Back

Level 20 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante
Teun Mulder
Teun Mulder

Vicente Delgado raised to 160,000 from the button before Teun Mulder shipped in his 1,210,000 stack from the small blind. Juan Pardo folded the big blind and Delgado put in the extra chips required for a call.

Teun Mulder: AK
Vicente Delgado: A7

It was a sweaty flop for Mulder when 8910 was put in the middle of the table. However, the Q river removed some outs for Delgado and the 3 river was a pure brick, securing the double-up for Mulder, who about evened his stack with that of Delgado.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Juan Pardo es
Juan Pardo
6,115,000
-185,000
-185,000
Profile photo of Vicente Delgado es
Vicente Delgado
2,805,000
-945,000
-945,000
Profile photo of Teun Mulder nl
Teun Mulder
2,580,000
1,130,000
1,130,000

Tags: Juan PardoTeun MulderVicente Delgado

Delgado Doubles Again

Level 20 : Blinds 40,000/80,000, 80,000 ante

Vicente Delgado opened to 160,000 from the button and Juan Pardo three-bet to 480,000 from the big blind. Delgado made the call.

Pardo bet 175,000 on the K108 flop and Delgado moved all in for 1,360,000. Prado called to put Delgado at risk.

Vicente Delgado: KQ
Juan Pardo: K2

Delgado was ahead with a bigger king and remained so on the 4J runout to score another full double up at Pardo's expense.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Juan Pardo es
Juan Pardo
6,300,000
-3,000,000
-3,000,000
Profile photo of Vicente Delgado es
Vicente Delgado
3,750,000
2,150,000
2,150,000
Profile photo of Teun Mulder nl
Teun Mulder
1,450,000

Tags: Juan PradoVicente Delgado