In a thrilling spectacle at the inaugural PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Cyprus, history was made as the eagerly anticipated $5,300 Main Event took center stage. After a grueling week of intense grind, the spotlight shone brightly on Netherlands’ 24-year-old Gilles Simon who etched his name in poker history by becoming the first-ever Main Event champion of EPT Cyprus. Notably, he secured a Main Event seat through a unique Dare to Stream promotion on PokerStars and cashed in the opportunity, clinching the coveted main event trophy and a whopping cash prize of $1.04 Million!
Italian poker pro Andrea Dato showcased his extraordinary skills, finishing in a strong second place with a prize of $652,200. The dramatic showdown in the heads-up saw Dato (26.65 Million) holding the chip lead against the eventual champion Gilles Simon (12 Million). However, in a stunning turn of events, Simon staged a remarkable comeback, seizing the chip lead and, eventually, the title.
The climactic final hand saw Dato holding Ah Jc and Simon with Kh 8s. As the board unfolded with 8h 7c 2d 3c 6c, it was Simon who claimed the pot and the coveted title, in this historic moment.
Final Table Payouts (USD)
- Gilles Simon – $1,042,000
- Andrea Dato – $652,200
- Jose Gonzalez Sanchez – $465,425
- Halil Tasyurek – $358,075
- Yannick Schumacher – $275,425
- Nikita Kuznetsov – $211,850
- Bjorn Kozenkai – $162,925
- Victor Yugay – $125,350
- Priit Parmasto – $96,425
With its $5,500 entry fee, the Main Event drew in 1,320 contenders over its two starting days on its inaugural run, creating a prize pool of $6,402,000, which was finally shared by the top 199 finishers.