Akin Tuna Triumphs at EPT Prague €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em

Last Friday, the PokerStars EPT Prague kicked off at the Casino Atrium Prague in the Czech capital, with dozens of events scheduled to take place during its run until Dec. 18. One tournaments that is now in the bag is its €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em event, which lasted two days and was eventually won by Turkish player Akin Tuna for €125,330 ($142,365).

Turkey’s Akin Tuna

Tuna has now recorded 19 tournament cashes since 2013, around half of which are low five figure scores. In 2016, however, the player finished runner-up at the 2016 EPT Dublin €10,300 High Roller for €290,000 ($323,134), representing his biggest score to date.

Following his victory in Prague, Tuna now increases his career earnings to $867,059, placing him at number four on Turkey’s ‘All Time Money List’. The only other of his fellow compatriots to have earned more money than Tuna are Orpen Kisacikoglu ($2,662,931), Onur Unsal ($947,752), and Seref Dursun Anar ($904,345).

EPT Prague €10,300 Event

This year’s European Poker Tour Prague kicked off with its €10,300 No-Limit Hold’em event, with 38 entries helping to create a prize pool worth €268,600 ($305,109). The event attracted some of the game’s most talented players, which was reflected in the caliber of its final table, which included the likes of 3-times WSOP winner Davidi Kitai and fellow Belgium Thomas Boivin, Canada’s Daniel Dvoress, Bulgaria’s Ognyan Dimov, and the Turkish number one Orpen Kisacikoglu.

Final Table Recap

First to exit the final table in 6th was Thomas Boivin, who got his stack all in preflop holding pocket queens only to be picked off by Ognyan Dimov holding aces. The Bulgarian then doled out the same treatment to Orpen Kisacikoglu in a 10-10 versus 5-5 encounter, after which Kisacikoglu hit the rail in 5th.

Next, Akin Tuna (A-Q) bet out on a 6-Q-5 flop, before calling Daniel Dvoress’s (K-Q) all in shove, and retiring him in 4th following a J and 7 turn and river card. Finally, a short stacked Kitai pushed his remaining chips to the center of the table holding pocket threes, and after receiving a call from Tuna (A-9), bowed out in 3rd after the dealer laid out a 8-J-10-A-10 board.

Heads-Up

Akin Tuna started heads-up holding a 1.1 million to 800k chip advantage over Ognyan Dimov. The Bulgarian almost managed to even the score at one time, too, but in the end Tuna managed to maintain control all the way through to the end. In final hand, Dimov was down to just 340k when he was dealt Jd-6c and got all his chips in having made a straight on a 10d-As-Qc-Kc board. Tuna made the call holding Ac-4c, and following a Jc river made a flush to eliminate Dimov in a runner up position worth €86,620.

Congratulating this year’s champion after their heads-up encounter, Dimov embraced his opponent and said; “Good game. Nice playing with you.” Meanwhile, Dimov consolidates his number 3 position on Bulgaria ‘All Time Money List’, with his career winnings having now reached $2,474,205. Topping the list is Dimitar Danchevon on $4,365,030, followed by Simeon Naydenov on $2,651,612.

Final Table Results

1: Akin Tuna (Turkey) €125,330 ($142,720)
2: Ognyan Dimov (Bulgaria) ($98,675)
3: Davidi Kitai (Belgium) €55,290 ($62,985)
4: Daniel Dvoress (Canada) €42,390 ($48,289)
5: Orpen Kisacikoglu (Turkey) €33,170 ($37,786)
6: Thomas Boivin (Belgium) €25,800 ($29,390)

Upcoming EPT Prague Events

The €5,300 EPT Main Event is schedule to take place between December 12-18. In the meantime, the €1,100 EPT National got underway on the 8th, with its field having now been reduced from 2,486 players to just 373 hopefuls. The €50,000 EPT Super High Roller also got started earlier today, and has so far attracted 10 entries, with players such as Sam Greenwood, Steve O’Dwyer and Timothy Adams  expected to throw in their lot at some stage. Last year, the EPT Super High Roller drew a field of 34 runners and was eventually won by Timothy Adams for €555,000.