The EA Poker Tour (EAPT) found its way to the shores of Batumi, Georgia, for the first time in its eleven-year history and smashed guarantees all over the place in a spectacular series of poker that took place in the Eclipse Poker Club.
After four live starting flights and an online Day 1 that together totaled 741 entries, the second and final day of the $500 EAPT Main Event played out on Sunday, September 15, and after some shocking twists and turns, it was Armenia’s Hayk Manasyan who hoisted the trophy and claimed $53,880 for his win.
Manasyan defeated his compatriot Paruyr Mamikonyan in a short heads-up duel that saw the runner-up add $27,320. In addition, both finalists received a $4k Luxon Pay Grand Final package.
EAPT Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hayk Manasyan | Armenia | $53,880* |
| 2 | Paruyr Mamikonyan | Armenia | $27,320* |
| 3 | Timur Mukhamedaminov | Uzbekistan | $34,770* |
| 4 | Yesset Aimukhanov | Kazakhstan | $31,955* |
| 5 | Davit Khalatiani | Georgia | $14,930 |
| 6 | Kerem Turuskan | Turkey | $11,390 |
| 7 | Gevorg Khachatryan | Armenia | $9,035 |
| 8 | Ruben Hovsepyan | Armenia | $7,270 |
| 9 | Abat Nagimetov | Kazakhstan | $5,890 |
* denotes ICM deal
The Main Event’s prize pool reached $370,500, surpassing its guarantee by nearly three times. The overall guaranteed prize pool for the series was $350,000, but that was shattered as approximately $1,135,000 was paid out to players throughout the festival, reinforcing Georgia’s reputation as a premier destination for poker.
Winner’s Reaction
Speaking through an interpreter, Manasyan told PokerNews that he felt great following his victory.
“It’s my first time playing any EAPT events and first time I’ve won a trophy,” he said. “Batumi is only a forty-minute flight from Armenia and it feels amazing to be here with my friends. We always play poker as a group so it’s nice to have them here with me.
“I think my most important hand was yesterday [Day 1c], when we were hand-for-hand on the bubble the chip leader tried to bluff me,” Manasyan told PokerNews. “But I made a big call which allowed me to take a bigger stack into Day 2.”
With EAPT Rozvadov coming up in November and EAPT Bucharest in December, Mayasan was asked if he would be attending any of the upcoming series.
“I like Czech Republic, I will think about it because I used to live there and I want to defend this trophy.”
Final Day’s Action
A total of 107 players made their way through the four live flights and they were joined by three online qualifiers which meant there were 110 players to start Day 2. Eliminations were fast and furious with the likes of Reiji Kono (102nd), Denis Vlasov (73rd), Jack Sinclair (71st), Ehsan Ghaeli (36th), and Beka Magradze (16th) making their way into the cash but falling short of the final table.
As the final table approached, it was Magradze who felt hard done by as his stack dwindled after a huge blunder by Kerem Turuskan turned out in the Turkish player’s favor.
Turuskan then built on his momentum in fantastic style by eliminating two players in the same hand. It didn’t stop there for the Turk as he sent Zoran Marich to the sidelines along with Kakhaber Sabauri. As if that wasn’t enough, Turuskan picked aces to burst the final table bubble at the expense of Georgia’s Giorgi Tchkonia.
When the final table got underway, it was Turuskan who held an enormous lead with around forty percent of the chips in play, and almost three times more than his closest rival Yesset Aimukhanov.
The short stack was Abat Nagimetov whose seven big blinds didn’t last long. Ruben Hovsepyan soon soon joined him on the rail after he ran pocket queens into Timur Mukhamedaminov‘s pocket aces.
After the elimination of Gevorg Khachatryan in seventh, it was the chip leader who started to see his fortunes reverse as bit by bit his stack was eaten away at by the other finalists. First, Aimukhanov picked up ace-king and beat the ace-queen of Turuskan, then a few moments later a huge hand played out between the pair which left the Turkish player wondering where it all went wrong.
The situation went from bad to worse for Turuskan when his ace-eight couldn’t beat the king-ten of Davit Khalatiani. The final blow was delivered by Mukhamedaminov as he scooped a three-way all-in pot which left Turuskan on the rail in sixth.
Khalatiani then busted in fifth and the remaining four players agreed to flatten out the payouts with an ICM chop, which left them all with a guaranteed payout plus $14,795 on the table to play for. The final two players would also receive a $4k Luxon Pay Grand Final package.
After the deal was struck, Aimukhanov hit the rail in fourth after he lost a flip to the eventual champion. Mukhamedaminov soon followed when he incorrectly check-called three streets against Manasyan and ended up on the sidelines in third.
Heads-up was a short affair as Manasyan shoved with nine-eight suited and got called by the six-four suited of Mamikonyan. Neither player improved, which meant Mamikonyan had to settle for second, and Manasyan was the champion.