The PokerStars European Poker Tour Main Event has produced a number of fairytale winners since its inception in 2004, including the first female champion in 2006 with Victoria Coren-Mitchell at EPT London, Mike McDonald becoming the youngest victor at 18 years old in 2008 at EPT Dortmund, and British legend Barny Boatman taking the young guns to school at EPT Paris this year.
The first edition of the EPT Cyprus Main Event in 2023 also produced a story to rival those above, after inaugural PokerStars Dare to Stream winner, Dutchman Gilles Simon, took the title for a $1,042,000 payday after defeating Italian Andrea Dato heads-up.
Simon's victory confirmed that the ultimate poker dream was still possible, with Simon progressing from playing small stakes online to taking one of the most coveted trophies in live poker in a matter of a couple of years.
2023 EPT Cyprus Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | Gilles Simon | Netherlands | $1,042,000 |
| 2 | Andrea Dato | Italy | $652,200 |
| 3 | Jose Gonzalez Sanchez | Spain | $465,425 |
| 4 | Halil Tasyurek | Turkey | $358,075 |
| 5 | Yannick Schumacher | Germany | $275,425 |
| 6 | Nikita Kuznetsov | Russia | $211,850 |
| 7 | Bjorn Kozenkai | Hungary | $162,925 |
| 8 | Victor Yugay | Uzbekistan | $125,350 |
| 9 | Priit Parmasto | Estonia | $96,425 |
The identity of the next EPT Main Event champion will be determined over the course of the next week, with Day 1a of the $5,300 EPT Cyprus Main Event at PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus due to get underway today, 14 October, at noon local time, at the stunning Merit Royal Diamond Hotel and Spa.
Players will sit down with a 30,000 starting stack at blind level 100/100, with a 100 big blind ante, and will have to navigate ten 60-minute levels in order to progress to Day 2.
Players are permitted a single reentry across the two starting flights, with Day 1b scheduled to kick off at noon local time on Tuesday, October 15. Late registration is open until the start of Day 2, which will begin on Wednesday, October 16 at noon.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of what is sure to be an exciting day of poker thrills and spills, featuring some of the finest players in the world.
Tags:
Andrea DatoBarny BoatmanBjorn KozenkaiGilles SimonHalil TasyurekJose Gonzalez SanchezMike McDonaldNikita KuznetsovPriit ParmastoVictor YugayVictoria Coren-MitchellYannick Schumacher
