Mukhtor Nasiradinov Bags Chip Lead for an Unscheduled Day 3 of €2,200 Eureka High Roller
After a grueling day of poker lasting twenty 40-minute levels, Day 2 of the $2,200 Eureka High Roller at the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus has come to its conclusion. Leading the final four into Day 3 is Mukhtor Nasiradinov of Russia with 12,425,000.
Nasiradinov came into the final table as the chip leader and held onto that lead when an unscheduled Day 3 was announced due to the venue’s time constraints. With this cash, he’s already guaranteed to more than double his total live tournament earnings. His only other EPT cash came just a few days ago in the Eureka Main Event. Now, sitting with the chip lead, he’s definitely got his eyes on the top prize and the trophy when play reconvenes.
Sitting second in chips, just under a big blind behind Nasiradinov, is Italy’s Michele Guerrini with 12,025,000. Diogo Coelho rounds out the top three with 10,625,000, while Ibrahim Ghassan sits at the bottom of the counts in fourth with 6,225,000.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mukhtor Nasiradinov | Russian Federation | 12,425,000 | 25 |
| 2 | Michele Guerrini | Italy | 12,025,000 | 24 |
| 3 | Diogo Coelho | Portugal | 10,625,000 | 21 |
| 4 | Ibrahim Ghassan | Lebanon | 6,225,000 | 12 |
Day 2 Action
A total of 206 players came back to the tables at the start of the day, with Romania's Mircea Flutur holding the biggest stack after the two opening flights. Everyone had already locked up a min-cash of $3,260, but the real focus was on the top prize waiting for the last player standing.
With such a big field, plenty of big names made it to Day 2. PokerStars Ambassadors Kenny Hallaert and Ramon Colillas were knocked out within the first few hours, while 2013 EPT Barcelona champion Tom Middleton fought his way into the next pay bracket but came up short of reaching another big EPT final table.
Fintan Hand kicked off the day with one of the biggest stacks in the room and was the last PokerStars Ambassador standing for most of the day. Things were going smoothly as he kept building his stack and stayed near the top of the counts all the way down to the final two tables. But in the end, he bowed out in sixteenth place after four-bet jamming ace-three right into Guerrini’s pocket kings.
After almost twelve hours, the player to claim the much-unwanted title as final table bubble boy for this event was Santiago Nadal after he was unable to win a flip holding a pair against Coelho's two overcards. With Nadal's elimination, the final nine was set, and it was Nasiradinov leading the way with the chip lead going into the final table, while Leonid Logunov was nestled at the bottom of the counts.
Kostadin Kostadinov was the first to leave the final table after a brutal cooler that saw his aces fall to Guerrini’s backdoor straight with pocket kings. Both Logunov and Gediminas Uselis followed soon after, finishing in eighth and seventh place, respectively, as they were unable to spin up their shot stacks to make a push for a podium finish.
Next to fall in sixth place was Roman Timergazin after Guerrini's jacks cracked his queens. The last five players were all set for six-figure payouts, but it was Ali Emre Ozcan who was first to the cashier to collect his. Ozcan shoved all-in four ways with ace-queen, but he ended up second-best to Nasiradinov's bottom pair.
The final four reached a stalemate, and the idea of an ICM deal was quickly shot down by Coelho, who wanted to play it out to a winner. After some back and forth, the floor announced that play had to stop for the evening due to the time, and the remaining players agreed to return today, October 15, at 1 p.m. local time to continue the battle for the title.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $423,250 | ||
| 2 | $262,390 | ||
| 3 | $187,410 | ||
| 4 | $144,160 | ||
| 5 | Ali Emre Ozcan | Turkey | $110,900 |
| 6 | Roman Timergazin | Russian Federation | $85,310 |
| 7 | Gediminas Uselis | Lithuania | $65,630 |
| 8 | Leonid Logunov | Russian Federation | $50,490 |
| 9 | Kostadin Kostadinov | Bulgaria | $38,820 |
The four players have locked up at least $144,160 for their efforts and will return to play out for the $423,250 top prize and coveted EPT trophy. The blinds start at 250,000/500,0000 and a big blind ante of 500,000 and will begin on a 40-minute clock that may be reduced when play gets down to three-handd.
That wraps up PokerNews’ live reporting for Day 2 of the $2,200 Eureka High Roller, but be sure to stay tuned as coverage of the final day gets underway at 1 p.m. local time today at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel and Spa.