Seat 5: Aleksandr Shevliakov, 37, from Saratov, Russia, resides in Ljubljana, Slovenia (7,250,000)
Aleksandr Shevliakov had previously been to two major EPT final tables – both in €10,000 high roller events. He came close to lifting the famous shard trophy at EPT Paris 2023, but left as the runner-up (with €505,800). Later that year, he took €142,300 for seventh place in the same tournament in Barcelona.
Shevliakov calls poker only his hobby – he works in IT – but the results indicate he’s a very experienced player. He splits time between online and live action; a €530 online satellite propelled him to an EPT ticket here, but he required a reentry for him to hit the ground running.
Born and raised in Saratov, the 37-year-old now lives in Ljubljana. “I play two or three EPTs every year,” Shevliakov said, mentioning Paris and Barcelona as his typical go-to destinations. He also confirmed he will be in Malta when the EPT returns to the island after a nine-year hiatus.
He will be aiming to become Russia’s eighth EPT champion and the first since Artur Martirosian in March 2021. “The trophy is important,” Shevliakov said, but added that the €1 million prize is an even stronger motivation for him to bring it home.
Final table bios courtesy of PokerStars
Tournament Progression
Day 1: 135,000 (1b, 39/259)
Day 2: 255,000 (56/149)
Day 3: 565,000 (31/52)
Day 4: 4,000,000 (1/18)
Day 5: 7,250,000 (2/6)
Career Statistics
Earnings: $1,096,806
Best EPT result: 116th, 2023 EPT Barcelona
EPT cashes: 1
Event Highlights
Shevliakov ended Day 4 as the chip leader after winning a massive three-way all in with two aces.
On Day 5, Shevliakov continued his climb by taking out two players on back-to-back hands. He first rivered a straight to crack Mateusz Moolhuizen's set of nines, then spiked a flush on the river to beat Diego De Martino's set of threes.