Seat 6: Khossein Kokhestani, 43, from Kyiv, Ukraine, resides in Hamburg, Germany (3,860,000)
Khossein Kokhestani burst onto the live tournament scene with victory in the Eureka Hamburg event in July last year, besting a field of 645 entries to win more than €110,000. It was his first documented poker cash, but he told reporters at the time that it was the product of 10 years' hard work on his poker game.
"I've always been a hard worker—and to see it pay off is crazy," he told reporters in Hamburg. "I'm truly just happy."
Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, Kokhestani relocated to Hamburg, Germany, during the hostilities, so the Eureka event represented something of a hometown triumph. He is a dentist by trade and says that poker is still just a hobby, even though he is now well set for a second massive score within a year.
This tournament has been a lot of fun for him, he says, and the 43-year-old comes into the final day sixth in chips.
Final table bios courtesy of PokerStars
Tournament Progression
Day 1: 140,000 (1b, 29/259)
Day 2: 145,000 (94/149)
Day 3: 1,800,000 (2/52)
Day 4: 3,590,000 (3/18)
Day 5: 3,860,000 (6/6)
Career Statistics
Earnings: $125,172
Best EPT result: None
EPT cashes: None
Event Highlights
Kokhestani made a massive leap up the leaderboard on Day 3 when he called all in on the river for 592,000 with two pair, aces and sixes, while [Removed:533] could only show a bluff.
On Day 4, Kokhestani raised to 500,000 on the flop and Leon Zeaiter called. He bet another 200,000 on the turn and Zeaiter again called before both players checked down the river. Kokhestani showed a pair of fours, fourth pair on the board, and that was good enough to win the big pot.
Kokhestani then moved all in for 800,000 on the river and Zeaiter took a few minutes before calling with two pair, but Kokhestani had rivered the nut flush to double up.