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Seat 7: Oshri Lahmani, 31, Jerusalem, Israel – 2,950,00
With more than $1.1 million in tournament winnings, Oshri Lahmani is a seasoned veteran on the live circuit. The 31-year-old from Jerusalem plays poker professionally and mixes live and online environments. “I play a lot of PLO,” he says.
Lahmani first came close to reaching an EPT Main Event final table three years ago in Barcelona, but that run was halted in 13th place. Now he has another chance to battle for the trophy which has been previously hoisted by two Israeli champs: Uri Gilboa and Matan Krakow.
“Some friends told me this is the second-best thing to win after a bracelet,” Lahmani says. “But I told them no. The EPT trophy is much bigger for me.”
But he isn’t letting the pressure affect him. “I’m relaxed,” he says. “Taking it easy.”
Lahmani says that there is an Israeli Poker Championship taking place right now in Bulgaria, so a lot of friends and compatriots are railing him from there, watching the stream. He’s also been receiving a ton of support through messages.
When he’s not at live tournaments, he spends his time mostly with his wife and kids, a three-year-old daughter and a one-and-a-half-year-old boy.
“But I will for sure be in Prague,” he says. “Maybe in Barcelona, too, I will see about that
Player bios courtesy of Jan Kores/Florenze Mazet/Howard Swains/PokerStars
Career statistics
The Hendon Mob Earnings: $1,142,535
EPT Main Event cashes: 4
Best result: 13th, 2023 EPT Barcelona (€88,200)
Tournament progression
Day 1: 105,000 (71/177, 1B)
Day 2: 562,000 (4/151)
Day 3: 495,000 (26/48)
Day 4: 1,225,000 (9/20)
Day 5: 2,950,000 (6/8)
Key hands
Midway through Day 5, Lahmani rivered two pair in a pot against Samuel Ju on a board that had three hearts. Lahmani was put at risk for his final eight big blinds, but he opted to fold and was eventually able to spin his short stack back up to make it among the final eight.