There was an open from the button to 65,000 and a three-bet from the small blind. Vasyl Laba was in the big blind and cold-called, and the button folded.
The flop came J♥4♣A♦ and a quick continuation-bet of 150,000 came in from the small blind, which Laba called just as fast.
A K♠ on the turn went check-check to the J♦ river, where again it went check-check.
The small blind revealed 9♠9♥, but Laba had the winner with A♥Q♥ to take down the pot with a pair of aces.
Nikolay Fal ground out over fourteen levels of play but couldn't make it through the last as he just got eliminated after getting his last 100,000 into the middle.
Nikolay Fal: A♠5♥
Opponent: 10♠10♦
A 4♠Q♦10♣ flop all but sealed it as Fal needed to find running cards to survive. A 3♣ did give him a shot with a wheel draw, but the 6♥ river bricked out, sending Fal home in the last level of the night.
Another flight is in the books at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party, as Day 1b of the $2,200 Luxon Pay Grand Final wrapped up with 65 players advancing from a flight that saw 383 entries. That brings the total field to 728 across the first two starting flights, with two more still to come at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa.
Bagging the biggest stack of the day was Lukas Pazma, who finished with a commanding 3,315,000 chips, putting him second in the overall counts. He was trailed by Nadar Kakhmazov (2,565,000), who spent much of the day near the top of the counts, and Aleksandr Kirichenko (2,395,000), who quietly built his stack into one of the biggest in the room.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Lukas Pazma
Slovakia
3,315,000
83
2
Nadar Kakhmazov
Russian Federation
2,565,000
64
3
Aleksandr Kirichenko
Russian Federation
2,395,000
60
4
Caner Gunes
Turkey
2,350,000
59
5
Raul Martinez Gallego
Spain
2,295,000
57
6
Viktor Ustimov
Russian Federation
2,140,000
54
7
Chris Dowling
Ireland
2,135,000
53
8
Damir Zhugralin
Kazakhstan
1,940,000
49
9
Milen Bakardjiev
Bulgaria
1,895,000
47
10
Mikhail Katykhin
Russian Federation
1,895,000
47
Also making the top ten were Caner Gunes, Raul Martinez Gallego, and Chris Dowling, all of whom crossed the 2-million mark, setting themselves up nicely for Day 2. With 65 more names added to the list of survivors, the pressure will mount tomorrow as Day 1c gets underway and the $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool continues to grow.
Some of the players that didn't survive the day include Espen Jorstad, Dmitry Gromov, Maxime Chilaud, Tobias Peters, and Alessio Isaia.
Espen Jorstad
Day 1c kicks off at 12:00 p.m. local time, followed by the turbo-format Day 1d at 8:00 p.m., which features 20-minute levels. Both flights will follow the same 15-level structure, and players are allowed one re-entry per flight, giving them additional chances to qualify for Day 2.
Survivors from all starting flights will return on May 8 to continue the chase for the title, as the blinds go up, the shot clock remains in play, and the prize pool looms ever larger.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates, chip counts, photos, and all the key action from the tournament floor as the Luxon Pay Grand Final continues in Northern Cyprus.
