bwin WPT Merit Cyprus Classic

Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info

bwin WPT Merit Cyprus Classic

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
a5
Prize
$258,000
Event Info
Buy-in
$4,000
Prize Pool
$1,000,000
Entries
262
Level Info
Level
28
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
10,000

Chip Counts Going Into Day 2 (full)

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Player Chips Progress
Bernard Samaha lb
Bernard Samaha
293,700
Albert Daher lb
Albert Daher
234,000
Alexey Rybin ru
Alexey Rybin
WPT 1X Winner
216,500
Asaf Avci
Asaf Avci
200,200
Tobias Peters nl
Tobias Peters
195,800
Maximilian Droege ca
Maximilian Droege
176,000
Artem Vezhnekov ru
Artem Vezhnekov
168,300
Olexander Gnatenko
Olexander Gnatenko
154,500 6,500
Mikhail Shevchuk
Mikhail Shevchuk
145,100
Ercan Olgun tr
Ercan Olgun
145,000
Rami Shouman
Rami Shouman
144,800
Kayhan Tugrul tr
Kayhan Tugrul
144,400
Jerfi Firatli tr
Jerfi Firatli
127,400 62,400
Sari Haddad lb
Sari Haddad
125,800
Seyed Homayun Ghavam
Seyed Homayun Ghavam
124,400
Marko Neumann de
Marko Neumann
116,900
Mihail Morozov
Mihail Morozov
116,200
İsmet Şahin
İsmet Şahin
107,700
Serhii Leonichev
Serhii Leonichev
107,600
Giacomo Fundaro it
Giacomo Fundaro
WPT 1X Winner
106,200
Jacoues Torbey
Jacoues Torbey
104,100
Jamila Von Perger de
Jamila Von Perger
102,900
Bartlomiej Bogdan Kowalowka
Bartlomiej Bogdan Kowalowka
96,500
Alexander Gofman
Alexander Gofman
96,100
Erwan Pecheux
Erwan Pecheux
93,100

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Bernard Samaha Leads WPT Going Into Day 2

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Bernard Samaha
Bernard Samaha

Day 1b of the 2013 bwin World Poker Tour Merit Cyprus Classic saw another 125 players turn up for the second of the two starting days in the hope of getting through to Day 2. There were numerous re-entries and the level of aggression seemed to have been ramped up by several degrees when compared to Day 1a. There were big battles and plenty of bluffs, with more people than ever willing to risk all their chips with marginal hands in the hopes of gambling up a stack.

At the end of the 10th level, just 46 players remained. Leading the way was Bernard Samaha, and he'll be the overall leader going into Day 2, amassing a huge stack 293,700 in chips. Samaha triumphs on Day 1b included flopping a boat towards the end of the day and getting paid in full.

Albert Daher finished second with 234,000. The youngster was not content with just playing live and was also grinding online tournaments at the same time for a period. Other big stacks to make it through included Asaf Avci who finished with 200,200 and Dutchman Tobias Peters who will return with 195,800.

Elsewhere, it was not a good day for the big names. Last year's champion, Marvin Rettenmaier, who busted right at the end of Day 1a, re-entered just before the dinner break on Day 1b, but was eliminated when his {J-Diamonds}{J-Hearts} was overtaken by Atahan Gukurova's {A-Spades}{J-Spades} after the latter turned a flush. All of the chips went in preflop.

In fact, it seemed that many of the players who chose to take a second shot at the WPT title in Cyprus were not having any luck. Former World Series of Poker November Niner Kelly Kim took a brutal beat, while Dominik Nitsche flopped top pair only to lose out to a player who chased a flush draw. Others to suffer the similar fate of elimination included Mateusz Moolhuizen, who flopped a set only for his opponent to turn a better set, and Martin Kabrhel, who was crippled early and couldn't recover when he flopped two pair only to be counterfeited.

Those who did make it through included Kara Scott, who grinded through a tough day where she had to rebuild her stack several times. She finished with 43,100. Russian pro Sergey Rybachenko fell in the very last hand yesterday to end-of-day chip leader Alexey Rybin, but he managed to survive on Day 1b with 79,400. “I'm happy,” said the Russian, “Usually in Cyprus I lose with something like aces versus kings!” Natalya Nikitina, WPT Regional winner in Paris, also managed the Day 1 hurdle. She finished with 88,000 in chips, which is just above average coming back for Sunday's Day 2.

There were a few surprising no-shows. We expected Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi to take a second shot in the event after his Day 1a elimination, but he didn't show. Also Daniel "Jungleman" Cates was expected to be in action. He had been in Cyprus for the PartyPoker Big Game VII, but ended up not playing the event at all.

Speaking of the PartyPoker Big Game, PokerNews' own Laura Cornelius as able to grab a few quick tidbits from Scott about the game, and you can see that in the video below:

With the closing of registration on Day 1b, the prize pool was announced and it will be $250,000 for first place (including a seat at the WPT Championship at the Bellagio in May). The top 27 places will be paid, with $7,780 for a min-cash.

On Sunday, the tournament will recommence at 2 p.m. local time instead with just over 100 players returning. This start time is slightly delayed because of the legendary WPT Cyprus party that's going down on Saturday night. The party began around 9 p.m. and isn't expected to be finished until about 6 a.m. You'll be able to catch video of the party and all of the fun you missed right here on PokerNews on Sunday, so be sure to look out for that.

Unlike those partying away in beautiful Cyprus, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be getting some much-needed rest in order to be back on the floor for Day 2. We hope you'll join us to follow along then.

Photo courtesy of the World Poker Tour.

Tags: Alexey RybinBernard SamahaDaniel CatesDominik NitscheKara ScottKelly KimMartin KabrhelMarvin RettenmaierMateusz MoolhuizenMichael MizrachiNatalya NikitinaSergey RybachenkoTobias Peters

Select Chip Counts

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante
Player Chips Progress
Bernard Samaha lb
Bernard Samaha
293,700 133,700
Albert Daher lb
Albert Daher
234,000 104,000
Asaf Avci
Asaf Avci
200,200 -9,800
Tobias Peters nl
Tobias Peters
195,800 147,800
Maximilian Droege ca
Maximilian Droege
176,000 16,000
Mika Petteri
Mika Petteri
163,200
Seyed Ghavam ir
Seyed Ghavam
124,000 -5,000
Serhii Leonichev
Serhii Leonichev
107,600 -52,400
Natalya Nikitina ru
Natalya Nikitina
88,000 65,000
Sergey Rybachenko ru
Sergey Rybachenko
79,400 -11,600
Roger Hairabedian fr
Roger Hairabedian
45,600 600
Kara Scott ca
Kara Scott
41,300 4,300

A Late Limp for Avci

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

Asaf Avci limped in early position. Alexsander Shcherbinin was having none of it though and made it 3,000 to go. Vladimir Serdcev called from the small blind and Droege, enjoying a last level massage, folded his big blind. Avci wasn’t going to fold and put in the extra 2,000.

A flop of {a-Hearts}{7-Hearts}{3-Clubs} didn’t entice any of the players to bet so we saw the turn {a-Clubs}. Checked to Shcherbinin, he made it 4,200. Serdcev, lying in wait in the small blind bumped it up to 10,200. Avci folded and after a dignified amount of time, Shcherbinin too released his cards.

Ghavam Caught Again

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

Seyed Ghavam just got caught by Olexander Gnatenko on the river. Ghavam had led out for 11,000 into a 20,000 pot with the board reading {7-Diamonds}{7-Clubs}{4-Spades}{9-Clubs}{A-Clubs} but Gnatenko made the call with {A-Spades}{6-Clubs} and Ghavam quickly mucked.

Player Chips Progress
Olexander Gnatenko
Olexander Gnatenko
148,000 100,000
Seyed Ghavam ir
Seyed Ghavam
129,000 -21,000

Nice Flop

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 100 ante

On a flop of {4-Spades}{2-Diamonds}{4-Hearts} Serhil Leonichev bet 8,100 from the small blind, Alexandr Lakhov called as did Bernard Samaha. The turn was the {k-Clubs}. Leonichev and Lakhov checked and Samaha bet 18,000. Leonichev called and Lakhov folded so we went to the river with two players. The river brought the {10-Diamonds}. Leonichev checked and Samaha bet a hefty 25,000. Leonichev thought for a long time. He could afford it out of his stack, but did he want to pay the price. He did but quickly mucked when Samaha showed {2-Clubs}{2-Hearts} for the flopped boat. Must be nice.

Level: 10

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 100