Russian Poker Tour Rolls Into Occupied Cyprus

The latest stop on the Russian Poker Tour (RPT) was held in the Turkish occupied part of Cyprus, a self-declared state recognized only by Turkey since the 1974 invasion of the Mediterranean island. Nevertheless, it was poker and not politics which attracted players to the Noah’s Ark Deluxe Hotel & Spa in Famagusta and in particular the $550 RPT Main Event, which managed to draw a 365 player field and generate a prize pool worth $172,660.
Day 2 subsequently saw 27 players return to battle it out for the title, all of whom were now guaranteed a payout of at least $1,070. First to then leave the arena was Aleksandr Gukov in 27th, with other players following suit including Turkey’s Mustafa Biz (16th), Russia’s Alexander Kostylev (7th), Belarus’ Denis Stoma (4th), and Iran’s Abbas Moradi (3rd).
At the final table, Moldova’s Valeriu Coca would eventually make it all the way to the heads-up phase of the tournament where he subsequently beat Ukraine’s Shkliar Iaroslav to claim the championship, and walk away richer by $41,300 for his hard-fought efforts.
Final Table Results:
1 Coca Valeriu $41,300
2 Shkliar Iaroslav $29,350
3 Moradi Abbas $22,100
4th stoma Denis $17,000
5 Klimenko Kirill $12,685
6 Koshal Ihar $9,565
7 Kostylev Alexander $6,440
8 Mojaveruan Omid $4,945
9 Carinthian Lion $3,8250
The tournament series is part of the Cyprus Poker Open, which takes place between August 1st and 12th, and culminates in the $1,500 buy-in Main Event, which will run over four days. Commenting on the tournament series, Noah’s Ark Hotel General Manager, Suleyman Leventoglu, said:
“The CPO is be a great event for MTT fans, with all the tournaments offering guaranteed prizepools, as well as plenty of action for cash game players. All Noah’s Ark Hotel accommodation is 5 star and all the entertainments have been organized by Live Events International (LEI).”