Parahat Nurmuhammedov got his stack of roughly 300,000 in pteflop and was up against Lachezar Petkov, who had him covered.
Parahat Nurmuhammedov: J♥J♦
Lachezar Petkov: A♠K♥
Petkov flopped two pair on A♥3♥K♣. The 10♦ turn gave Nurmuhammedov some extra outs, but the 9♠ river was not one of them, spelling the end of his bullet.
Bulent Kose raised from middle position and John Duthie called in the hijack before Stanislav Sokruta squeezed to 85,000 from the cutoff. Both Kose and Duthie made the call.
The flop came 6♣2♥A♣ and when it checked to Sokruta, he made a continuation-bet of 75,000. Kose called and Duthie got out of the way to focus on the massage he's currently receiving.
On the 9♣ turn, both players tapped the the table to the J♦ river, where Kose threw out a bet of 100,000. Sokruta instantly folded, and Kose pulled in yet more chips.
There were around 100,000 chips in the pot on a flop of 2♥5♣2♠ when the big blind checked and Aleksandr Chernikov fired 55,000 from middle position. Paul Grummitt called on the button, and the big blind folded.
A K♥ hit the turn and Chernikov wasted no time in putting out a bet of 125,000. Grummitt took some time to think about it but eventually settled on a fold.
Chernikov then tabled Q♥7♥ for a bluff as he raked in the pot.
Espen Jorstad had gone all in for his final few blinds preflop from the small blind, being looked up by the big blind and Mihai Tabac in the hijack.
The big blind and Tabac had then built a side pot of around 175,000 when the Q♥5♥4♣9♠ turn was dealt. The big blind checked to Tabac, who made a bet of 160,000. This folded out the player in the big blind, leading to a showdown.
Espen Jorstad: K♣6♦
Mihai Tabac: A♠Q♦
Jorstad needed a king to survive on this bullet, but the river came the 2♦ instead as he had to try his luck on the next one.
John Duthie—best known as the founder of the European Poker Tour (EPT)—isn’t just a pioneer behind the scenes; he’s still battling it out on the felt.
Now playing Day 1c of the Main Event, Duthie just tangled with Nichan Khorchidian in a hand that reached showdown. Duthie opened to 40,000 from early position and Khorchidian defended his big blind.
The 7♦9♥3♥K♥2♥ board was checked all the way to the river, where Khorchidian flicked in a 20,000 chip bet. Duthie called but mucked when Khorchidian revealed K♣J♠ for top pair.
It’s been 25 years since Duthie won the Poker Million for $1.4 million. Now, he’s adding another chapter—this time, right here in Cyprus.
Ryhor Karapanau opened the hijack to 50,000 and Sergei Kim called in the cutoff before Alexandros Kolonias shoved the button for around 350,000. Karapanau quickly folded, but Kim snap-called.
Alexandros Kolonias: A♥A♦
Sergei Kim: A♠K♥
Kim wasn't impressed seeing the hand of Kolonias and couldn't find any help from the 5♦8♠7♥6♠6♦ runout, which meant Kolonias got a double-up in the last level of the night.
The player under the gun opened to 50,000, after which Mario Menicanin shoved all in from the cutoff for 570,000. Damir Gabdullin asked for a count on the button before making the call, folding out the initial raiser.
Mario Menicanin: A♠Q♦
Damir Gabdullin: 9♠9♣
Gabdullin did not find a pair on the 4♠7♠2♣4♦K♠ runout, sending him to the rail in the final level of Day 1c.
Day 1c of the $5,300 Main Event at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party has wrapped up inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, with another 339 entries added to the growing tally. That brings the total to 921 runners across the first three starting flights, with just two turbo Day 1s remaining before registration officially closes.
It was a day dominated by big stacks and big swings, and no one bagged more than Ryhor Karapanau, who closed the night with 3,395,000. During Level 3, Karapanau got an early Christmas present when Mustafa Yildizfive-bet shoved ace-queen for well over 200 big blinds. The Cowboys of Karapanau held up, which rocketed him to the top of the leaderboard, where he stayed throughout most of the day.
Karapanau was followed by Damir Gabdullin (2,860,000) and Halil Tasyurek (2,805,000), both of whom quietly built their stacks into serious contenders.
Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Ryhor Karapanau
Belarus
3,395,000
113
2
Damir Gabdullin
Russian Federation
2,860,000
95
3
Halil Tasyurek
Turkey
2,805,000
94
4
Mehmet Demirkol
Turkey
2,610,000
87
5
Mustafa Biz
Turkey
2,340,000
78
6
Toni Kaukua
Finland
2,240,000
75
7
Adrian State
Romania
2,115,000
71
8
George Tomescu
Romania
2,100,000
70
9
Samuel Dray
France
1,910,000
64
10
Sergiu Covrig
Romania
1,880,000
63
Halil Tasyurek
Also finishing strong were Toni Kaukua (2,240,000), Adrian State (2,115,000), and Nichan Khorchidian (1,425,000), while Niall Farrell advanced with a more modest 485,000 to his name.
The first turbo flight, Day 1d, is already underway this evening, while the final flight, Day 1e, will run tomorrow afternoon. All surviving players from the five opening flights will return for Day 2 on Sunday at 6:00 p.m., where the full field will finally merge. The official prize pool and payouts will be confirmed and published shortly after Day 2 begins.
Remaining Main Event Schedule
Day
Date
Time
Blind Levels
Day 1d
May 10
9:00 p.m.
20 minutes
Day 1e
May 11
12:00 p.m.
20 minutes
Day 2
May 11
6:00 p.m.
50 minutes
Day 3
May 12
12:00 p.m.
60 minutes
Final Day
May 13
12:00 p.m.
60 minutes
Stay locked in with PokerNews as we bring you live updates, chip counts, photos, and all the key hands straight from the floor when Day 2 gets underway.
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