After four days of play, Azamat Lamkov has become the newest $5,300 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event champion as he defeated a massive field of 1,260 entries here at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel.
Fifth in chips at the beginning of the final table, Lamkov made his way to the first place, surpassing players like Mihai Niste (6th, $170,000) and Leon Sturm (3rd, $440,000). Ultimately, Lamkov claimed victory over Kirill Shcherbakov, who finished in second place for $680,000. Thanks to this win, Lamkov is not only the proud owner of a trophy, but he's also a millionaire with the $1,000,000 first-place prize.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azamat Lamkov | Russian Federation | $1,000,000 |
| 2 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russian Federation | $680,000 |
| 3 | Leon Sturm | Germany | $440,000 |
| 4 | Iurii Suvorov | Russian Federation | $320,000 |
| 5 | Birger Larsen | Norway | $225,000 |
| 6 | Mihai Niste | Romania | $170,000 |
| 7 | Gamir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | $125,000 |
| 8 | Assyl Tleuzhanov | Kazakhstan | $100,000 |
Lamkov's first reaction after his victory was to shake Shcherbakov's hand, point his fingers to the sky, and then join his wife and friends to celebrate. "It is very hard to explain my emotions now because I cannot realize how I’m feeling," he explained in Russian during his first winner's interview.
It was a dream come true as Lamkov has earned his largest live-time cash of an incredible $1,000,000 after winning a satellite seat to gain his entry. For the long story, he won a travel package for $125 from GGPoker. Despite facing an early exit from the initial event, he clinched a spot in the $5,300 Main Event through a successful performance in a live satellite hosted at the Merit Diamond Hotel.
He was also wearing a Merit Poker badge the entire tournament, which was needed to win the last longer. By doing so, he has also earned an entry into the Main Event at Dolce Vita Series in July
Final Table's Action
Nine players out of a field of 1,260 entrants came back today for the final table of the $5,300 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event to play for $1,000,000. Yuhang Chen was second to last in chips, so he had to double up quickly to have a chance to win. And after a few hands, he found a good spot to do so with ace-queen. But he lost the flip against the chip leader Kirill Shcherbakov’s fives, and he became the first player to hit the rail (9th, $78,300). Damir Gabdullin had better luck as he doubled up with aces, and Leon Sturm ran good as well before the first break, hitting a straight on the river to take the chip lead.
Shortly after the restart, Iurii Suvorov doubled through Assyl Tleuzhanov, leaving the Kazakh player on fumes. Tleuzhanov was eventually eliminated a few minutes later by Sturm and won $100,000 for his 8th place. Moments before Tleuzhanov left the table, Shcherbakov four-bet with king-six offsuit. However, he had to give up his bluff when Lamkov moved all-in on the turn with a set. Because of this action, Shcherbakov lost a big part of his stack, and he lost some more chips later when Birger Larsen then Suvorov doubled up against him.
Gabdullin wanted to double his stack as well, but with ace-seven, he couldn’t do much against Sturm’s ace-nice and left in 7th place for $125,000. He was followed at the payout desk by Mihai Niste, who lost a big flip then was forced to go all-in from the big blind. With ten-five offsuit, the Romanian player couldn’t win against Sturm’s jack-nine and was eliminated in 6th place for $170,000.
After a new break, Larsen shoved with seven blinds. And as he ran into Shcherbakov’s kings and finished 5th for $225,000, Suvorov managed to double up with jacks. However, it wasn’t enough to survive for Suvorov as he eventually hit the rail in 4th place for $320,000, beaten by Lamkov’s ace-ten.
Second in chips at the beginning of the final table, Sturm had now the shortest stack. He tried to come back, moving all-in with jacks. But Lamkov had ace-six and flopped top pair to send Sturm to the payout desk in third place for $440,000.
Thanks to this pot, Lamkov was slightly ahead when the heads-up play began, and he managed to significantly extend his lead when he hit a straight and was called by ace-high. From this point, Shcherbakov never came back and all the chips eventually when into the middle with Shcherbakov at risk with top pair against a flush draw. A third diamond came on the river to complete Lamkov’s flush, and he was crowned as the winner of the $5,300 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event.
This concludes the $5,300 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event coverage. Stay tuned to PokerNews for more Merit Poker Action, and especially the last day of the $1,100 EAPT Cyprus.
