Field Cut to 70 as Prize Pool Climbs Past $2.4M
The long-awaited return of the WPT Main Tour to Cyprus has lived up to the hype. The $3,500 Championship drew a total of 775 entries, generating a $2,402,500 prize pool that easily surpassed its $2M guarantee. With the bubble bursting late on Day 2, the final 70 players are all guaranteed a payout, but the real target is the $401,100 first prize and a seat in the season-ending world championship in Las Vegas.
The stakes are even higher than in 2014, the last time Cyprus hosted a WPT stop, when Alexander Lakhov took home $310,000. This year’s winner will leave with a significantly bigger payday and a spot on the Mike Sexton Champions Cup.
Zhyharau Sets the Pace
Belarus’ Uladzimir Zhyharau ended Day 2 at the top of the counts with 1.7 million. Hot on his heels are:
- Emil Wydra – 1,205,000
- Anton Herman – 1,195,000
- Rafal Chmura – 1,090,000
- Hulya Seckin – 1,060,000
- Nikolai Zhadanov – 1,060,000
- Ilia Kitsbabahvili – 1,040,000
- Tobias Garp – 1,010,000
- Miklos Zsuffa – 990,000
- Nicolae Jalba – 965,000
Also advancing with healthy stacks are Romulo Dorea (725K), Ray Qartomy (560K), and Day 1a chip leader Aleksandr Pak (445K).
Bubble Bursts in Level 17
The bubble finally burst when Yohan Rascar moved all in with A♣J♠ against Miklos Zsuffa’s A♥6♥. Rascar was ahead but couldn’t dodge a six on the turn and was eliminated as the last player to go home empty-handed.
From that point on, every survivor locked up at least $6,200. Notables who cashed include:
- Stefan Aerts – 94th ($6,200)
- Ioana Apostol – 84th ($6,200)
- Joseph El Khoury – 78th ($7,100)
- Sergeiu Cornea – 71st ($7,100)
Notable Eliminations
Day 2 proved costly for several big names. Among those to fall short were:
- Former champion Alexander Lakhov
- Season 17 Player of the Year Erkut Yilmaz
- WPTDeepStacks winners Laurent Polito, Tommy Vedes, Omar Lakhdari
- ClubWPT Gold Ambassador Patrick “Egption” Tardif
- WPT Prime champs Stephen Song and Fabian Gumz
- Well-known pros Ren Lin, Tony Dunst, and Will Kassouf
- Sinead Davenport, who ran pocket kings into pocket aces in a brutal cooler
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $401,100* |
| 2nd | $255,000 |
| 3rd | $190,000 |
| 4th | $142,000 |
| 5th | $107,000 |
| 6th | $82,000 |
| 7th | $63,000 |
| 8th | $49,000 |
\*Includes a $10,400 seat to the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas.
What’s Ahead
Play resumes at 12 p.m. on Sunday, August 17, with plans to complete ten more levels or play down to the final table. Each of the 70 players still in the hunt is guaranteed $7,100, but the focus is firmly on the six-figure payday and the chance to claim a long-awaited WPT title on Cypriot soil.70 players advance to Day 3 after the bubble bursts, all guaranteed a payout. The champion will claim $401,100 and a WPT Championship seat.
