Battling with the Best
Another day in Cyprus meant another thrilling $25,000 buy-in no-limit hold ’em tournament as part of the prestigious PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) at Merit Hotel Casino & Spa. The fifth installment of this high-stakes event drew 21 elite poker players, all vying for a share of the $504,210 prize pool.
Aleksejs Ponakovs Emerges Victorious
In this intense showdown, Aleksejs Ponakovs stood tall at the end, securing not only a hefty $216,810 in prize money but also the coveted PokerStars trophy. His final opponent, Daniel Smiljkovic, put up a fierce fight and claimed a substantial $136,100 for his runner-up finish. Moreover, poker enthusiasts witnessed Juan Pardo, the $50,000 Super High Roller champion, and high-stakes sensation Leon Sturm making impressive cashes as they divided the remaining spoils.
Results Recap
Here’s a quick recap of the final results for the $25,000 NL Hold’em V event:
- Aleksejs Ponakovs (Latvia) – $216,810
- Daniel Smiljkovic (Germany) – $136,100
- Leon Sturm (Germany) – $90,800
- Juan Pardo (Spain) – $60,500
Action-Packed Day
Ponakovs made his presence felt from the very first hand, sharing the table with renowned names like Vicente Delgado, Adrian Mateos, Gha Iakobishvili, and Sam Greenwood. More high-stakes pros joined the action, and by the end of late registration, a total of 21 entries had been made by 15 unique players. Sadly, some poker greats, including Delgado, Mateos, and Greenwood, missed the final table, with Greenwood becoming the last player to exit before the final eight.
A Tough Road to Victory
Several prominent players, such as Kayhan Mokri, Mikita Badziakouski, Steve O’Dwyer, and the previous $25,000 tournament winner, Maher Nouira, fought valiantly throughout the day but fell short of reaching the final eight. Eventually, the bubble phase arrived, and it was Gha Iakobishvili who took the fall, losing a crucial preflop all-in to chip leader Leon Sturm. Bubble play lasted an hour, marked by frequent double-ups and shifts in chip leadership.
The Final Showdown
The bubble burst with an average stack of just fifteen big blinds, leading to numerous all-ins. Sturm, Pardo, and Artur Martirosian engaged in a dramatic three-way clash, with Sturm emerging victorious with trips, seizing the chip lead while bursting the bubble. Pardo secured a min-cash of $60,500, while Martirosian left empty-handed.
Once in the money, all-ins were rapid and frequent. Daniel Smiljkovic seized a critical preflop flip against Sturm, amassing the majority of the chips in play. In the heads-up battle, Ponakovs staged a remarkable comeback, winning the first preflop all-in. With roughly even stacks, he secured a substantial lead by making a strategic value bet with a rivered full house, leaving Smiljkovic with only nine big blinds. In the final hand, those nine big blinds went all-in, and Ponakovs’ ace-three triumphed over Smiljkovic’s ten-eight, sealing Ponakovs’ impressive victory.
Resilience Rewarded
Ponakovs had faced a challenging EPT Cyprus, entering multiple high-stakes tournaments, including three attempts at the $50,000 Super High Roller, with minimal success. However, he rebounded spectacularly, claiming the $216,810 top prize and the honor of winning one of the highly competitive $25,000 no-limit hold’em tournaments at EPT Cyprus.