$2,200 Luxon Pay Grand Final Day 1a | 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party

05-05-2025 08:12 UTC+2

Chasing Glory in the $2M Guaranteed Luxon Pay Grand Final

Kai Cocklin

The 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party picks up steam today with the launch of Event #2: $2,200 Luxon Pay Grand Final at the stunning Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. Day 1a marks the first of four opening flights in this prestigious event, which boasts a $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Players begin with a 200,000-chip starting stack, giving them plenty of room to maneuver as they navigate fifteen levels of play. Each Day 1 flight follows a progressive clock format, with the first 10 levels lasting 30 minutes each before increasing to 40 minutes for the final five levels.

A shot clock is in effect from the very first hand. Players have 20 seconds to act pre-flop and 30 seconds post-flop, with five 30-second time bank cards issued at registration, at the start of each new day, and again at the final table.

Only a player's largest stack will carry forward to Day 2; multiple stacks are not permitted. Day 2 will feature 10 more levels—five at 40 minutes and five at 50 minutes. Day 3 will play down to a winner, with the final table using a reduced clock based on the number of players remaining.

$2,200 Luxon Pay Grand Final Schedule

Day	Date	Time	Blind Levels
Day 1a	May 5	12:00 p.m.	30 minutes (10 levels) + 40 minutes (5 levels)
Day 1b	May 6	12:00 p.m.	30 minutes (10 levels) + 40 minutes (5 levels)
Day 1c	May 7	12:00 p.m.	30 minutes (10 levels) + 40 minutes (5 levels)
Day 1d	May 7	8:00 p.m.	20 minutes
Day 2	May 8	12:00 p.m.	40 minutes (5 levels) + 50 minutes (5 levels)
Day 3	May 9	12:00 p.m.	50/45/40/35/30/30/25 minutes¹

¹Final table levels decrease as players are eliminated: 8 players = 50 min, 7 = 45 min, 6 = 40 min, 5 = 35 min, 4 = 30 min, 3 = 30 min, 2 = 25 min.

The Luxon Pay Grand Final is just one of many highlights on offer at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party, which brings together players from around the world for nearly three weeks of high-stakes action, luxury hospitality, and unforgettable moments. A feature table will be streamed every day of the Grand Final on the DTDPlayer YouTube channel, so fans can follow the action live from wherever they are.

Stay with PokerNews for all the key hands, bustouts, and chip counts as the Luxon Pay Grand Final gets underway.

05-05-2025 11:52 UTC+2

Merkulova Shoves on Dubanov

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Kai Cocklin

Level 2 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

With around 30,000 in the middle on a board of 3♥8♠9♠A♦, Sofia Merkulova fired out 10,000 from middle position and Vladislav Dubanov min-raised to 20,000 from the next seat. Merkulova called.

A 7♦ completed the runout and after Merkulova checked, Dubanov used some extra time before he bet 75,000. Merkulova waited for a few moments before she moved all in, and Dubanov asked for a count.

It was 152,000 total and with a huge sigh, Dubanov folded his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Sofia Merkulova	330,000 130,000	130,000
Vladislav Dubanov	80,000 80,000	80,000

Tags: Sofia Merkulova Vladislav Dubanov

05-05-2025 14:50 UTC+2

Menhardt Spikes the River to Bust Gabdullin

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Kai Cocklin

Level 7 : Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante

The action was caught on a flop of Q♦7♦8♥ with Damir Gabdullin committing the last of his 80,000-chip stack and Julian Menhardt putting him at risk.

Damir Gabdullin: A♠A♥ All in
Julian Menhardt: K♠Q♠

Gabdullin was well in the lead with his rockets and was one card closer to a double-up when the 2♣ hit the turn. However, a K♣ on the river changed everything as Menhardt made two pair, leaving Gabdullin on the sidelines.

Player	Chips	Progress
Julian Menhardt	240,000
Damir Gabdullin	Busted

Tags: Damir Gabdullin Julian Menhardt

05-05-2025 15:23 UTC+2

Jorstad Takes His Seat

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Kai Cocklin

Level 8 : Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

Espen Jorstad, the 2022 World Series of Poker Main Event champion, has just taken his seat in Day 1a of the $2,200 Luxon Pay Grand Final at the Mediterranean Poker Party. Jorstad made history by becoming the first Norwegian player to win the WSOP Main Event, earning a $10 million prize after topping a field of 8,663 players .

Since his landmark victory, Jorstad has continued to build on his impressive resume, amassing over $18 million in live tournament earnings, which places him at the top of Norway's all-time money list . His presence here in Cyprus adds a significant level of prestige to the event, and all eyes will be on him as he begins his campaign in the Grand Final.

Player	Chips	Progress
Espen Jorstad	200,000

Tags: Espen Jorstad

05-05-2025 17:34 UTC+2

Late Registration Closes with 345 Entries on Day 1a

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Kai Cocklin

Level 11 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

The numbers are in—345 total entries have been recorded in Day 1a of the $2,200 Luxon Pay Grand Final, making it a strong opener for one of the Mediterranean Poker Party’s flagship events. With 155 players still in the hunt as Level 11 begins, the pace is picking up as the field narrows toward the finish line.

Late registration is officially closed, and the remaining players will battle through five more 40-minute levels before bagging up for Day 2.

05-05-2025 19:03 UTC+2

Zainescu Continues to Build

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Kai Cocklin

Level 13 : Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Carmen Zainescu is continuing to grow her stack and has around 1,500,000 after just stacking an opponent.

Zainescu held A♠10♠ and backdoored the nut flush to send her opponent packing just before the final break of the night.

Player	Chips	Progress
Carmen Zainescu	1,500,000 200,000	200,000

Tags: Carmen Zainescu

05-05-2025 20:04 UTC+2

Troyanovsky Left Short by Bako

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Kai Cocklin

Level 14 : Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

Mazalahedwa Bako opened to 50,000 from under the gun and was three-bet by a player in middle position to 125,000. Vladimir Troyanovsky then shoved his stack of around 650,000 in from the hijack, and when it got back to Bako, he called off his stack of 415,000. The other player folded.

Mazalahedwa Bako: K♣K♦ All in
Vladimir Troyanovsky: A♣K♠

Bako was in the lead with his Cowboys and remained ahead after the 3♦3♥9♠ flop. A 9♥ on the turn put him one step closer to scooping the pot, which was confirmed when Bako improved to a boat on the K♥ river.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mazalahedwa Bako	1,000,000 1,000,000	1,000,000
Vladimir Troyanovsky	230,000 230,000	230,000

Tags: Mazalahedwa Bako Vladimir Troyanovsky

05-05-2025 20:24 UTC+2

Troyanovsky Back on Track

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Kai Cocklin

Level 15 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante

After losing a bunch of chips earlier, Vladimir Troyanovsky got back on track with a triple-up!

Troyanovsky had shoved 230,000 into the middle and a player to his left shoved. John Duggan also shoved, leaving the three to contest the pot.

Vladimir Troyanovsky: 5♥5♠ All in
John Duggan: A♦K♣ All in
Opponent: K♦K♠

Troyanovsky looked destined to the the rail just shy of Day 2, but found a miracle flop as he made a set on Q♦4♣5♣. A 10♦ on the turn gave Duggan a chance to survive, but the 4♦ river was a brick. Troyanovsky tripled up, and Duggan was sent to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Vladimir Troyanovsky	700,000 470,000	470,000
John Duggan	Busted

Tags: John Duggan Vladimir Troyanovsky

05-05-2025 21:06 UTC+2

Konstantin Voronin Bags Top Spot on Day 1a of $2,200 Luxon Pay Grand Final

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Kai Cocklin

Level 15 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante

Day 1a of the $2,200 Luxon Pay Grand Final has officially wrapped up at the luxurious Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, with 53 players advancing from a field of 345 entries. It was a long and action-packed day in at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party in Cyprus, filled with aggressive plays, deep runs, and bustouts as players chased their piece of the $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Bagging the biggest stack of the night was Konstantin Voronin, who surged late to finish with a commanding 3,415,000 chips—setting the bar high for the remaining Day 1 flights still to come. With a progressive clock and shot clock in play from the start, the pace was relentless throughout all 15 levels of Day 1a.

Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Konstantin Voronin	Russian Federation	3,415,000	85
2	Lars Kamphues	Germany	3,145,000	79
3	Dmitry Kukhtarev	Serbia	3,125,000	78
4	Gabriel Georgia	Romania	2,640,000	66
5	Banksy	United Kingdom	2,500,000	63
6	Steven Radloff	South Africa	2,495,000	62
7	Danil Umrikhin	Russian Federation	2,335,000	58
8	Alvaro Gonza	Spain	2,230,000	56
9	Robert Fluereci	Romania	2,050,000	51
10	Almas Umarov	Kazakhstan	2,000,000	50

South Africa’s Steven Radloff enjoyed a standout performance on Day 1a, positioning himself for what could be his first recorded cash outside of the African continent. Of his 17 career results, 15 have come in his home country, with the other two from neighboring Tanzania. Now sitting on a healthy 2,495,000 chips, Radloff will return for Day 2 with a serious shot at making a deep run on international soil.

Another player who found a bag was Serbia’s Nenad Dukic, who patiently navigated the short stack grind before shifting gears late in the day to finish with 1,350,000. Dukic is coming off a career-best live score in March, where he took down the Carmen Series Main Event for a massive $401,000 payday, and he’ll be hoping to carry that momentum into another deep run here in Northern Cyprus.

$2,200 Luxon Pay Grand Final Remaining Schedule

Day	Date	Time	Blind Levels
Day 1b	May 6	12:00 p.m.	30 minutes (10 levels) + 40 minutes (5 levels)
Day 1c	May 7	12:00 p.m.	30 minutes (10 levels) + 40 minutes (5 levels)
Day 1d	May 7	8:00 p.m.	20 minutes
Day 2	May 8	12:00 p.m.	40 minutes (5 levels) + 50 minutes (5 levels)
Day 3	May 9	12:00 p.m.	50/45/40/35/30/30/25 minutes¹

¹Final table levels decrease as players are eliminated: 8 players = 50 min, 7 = 45 min, 6 = 40 min, 5 = 35 min, 4 = 30 min, 3 = 30 min, 2 = 25 min.

Day 1b gets underway tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. local time, offering players another shot at building a stack in the $2,200 Grand Final. Just like today, the structure will feature 15 levels using a progressive clock—30 minutes for the first 10 levels and 40 minutes for the final five. Players will receive a 200,000 starting stack, with a shot clock in effect from the start and five time bank cards issued at registration.

PokerNews will be on the floor for full coverage of Day 1b, bringing you chip counts, photos, key hands, and feature stories from start to finish. Don’t miss a moment of the action as the race to Day 2 continues at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party.

Tags: Konstantin Voronin Nenad Dukic Steven Radloff