It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 15 years since the World Poker Tour first visited Cyprus, but the WPT returns later this month to the Mediterranean island for a $1,000,000 GTD WPT Prime event as part of its Season XXII schedule.
This brand-new festival will run from Aug. 15-26 at the Chamada Prestige Hotel & Spa, which features 50 poker tables. Here we take a look at the long history of the WPT and Cyprus.
2009: Cyprus’ First Major International Poker Tournament
There were some big names in action as the first-ever WPT Merit Cyprus Classic took place back in 2009, but eventually it was France’s Thomas Bichon who was triumphant over a field of 181 players.
Bichon took home $579,165 for the largest cash of his poker career, in what was the first major international poker tournament held on Cypriot soil. Uri Keidar lost out heads-up, with Rep Porter making it to the final table, finishing fourth for $121,115.
| Place | Player | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Bichon | France | $579,165 |
| 2 | Uri Keidar | Israel | $380,645 |
| 3 | Steven Fung | United States | $216,275 |
| 4 | Rep Porter | United States | $121,115 |
| 5 | Janar Kiivramees | Estonia | $90,835 |
| 6 | Jazzar Moroun | N/A | $73,535 |
Poker Hall of Famers Huck Seed and Layne Flack both cashed in the event, finishing in seventh and tenth place respectively.
2012: Rettenmaier Goes Back-to-Back
Season X of the World Poker Tour had finished with Marvin Rettenmaier securing his first WPT title and $1,196,858 in the 2012 WPT World Championship .
Just three months later, Season XI kicked off in Cyprus, with Rettenmaier reaching the final table of the Main Event third in chips. However, he eliminated the five remaining opponents to win $287,784, becoming the first player ever to win back-to-back titles on the WPT.
| Place | Player | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marvin Rettenmaier | Germany | $287,784 |
| 2 | Artur Voskanyan | Russia | $184,020 |
| 3 | Ran Azor | Israel | $118,360 |
| 4 | Victor Paraschiv | United Kingdom | $87,610 |
| 5 | Joseph Khoury | Lebanon | $65,770 |
| 6 | Kiryl Radzivonau | Belarus | $52,590 |
2013: Wire-to-Wire Victory for Rybin
There was more history the following year as Alexey Rybin won the 2013 WPT Cyprus Merit Classic. The Russian businessman went wire-to-wire, finishing Day 1 as chip leader and holding on all the way to victory.
He even had to miss a business meeting to make the final table, but it paid off as he defeated Albert Daher heads-up to win $257,000.
| Place | Player | Country | Payout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexey Rybin | Russia | $258,000 |
| 2 | Albert Daher | Lebanon | $160,200 |
| 3 | Andrei Nikonov | Russia | $103,700 |
| 4 | Kayhan Tugrul | Turkey | $75,600 |
| 5 | Sergey Rybachenko | Russia | $56,600 |
| 6 | Pierre Sayegh | Lebanon | $46,000 |
Other notables who cashed in this event include Rainer Kemper, Erwann Pecheux, Tobias PEters and Manig Loeser.
2014: Lakhov at the Double
The last time the WPT visited Cyprus was in 2014, with Alexander Lakhov finishing a double of his own, adding the WPT Main Event title to the WPT National event he won the year previously.
Lakhov defeated compatriot Dmitry Gromov heads-up to win $310,000
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Lakhov | Russia | $310,000 |
| 2 | Dmitry Gromov | Russia | $215,000 |
| 3 | Nicolas Chouity | Lebanon | $140,000 |
| 4 | Toby Lewis | United Kingdom | $102,820 |
| 5 | Ori Miller | Israel | $77,000 |
| 6 | Igor Devkin | Russia | $62,000 |
Did You Know the World Poker Tour is Online?
The launch of WPT Global means that poker players around the world now have the chance to win their way to WPT events, win prizes and enjoy exciting games such as Poker Flips. As one of the world’s largest cash game poker networks, WPT Global is available in over 50 countries and territories around the world.
WPT Global offers a large deposit match bonus: 100% on deposits up to $1,200 (using any payment method). New players depositing a minimum of $20 automatically receive this match bonus which is unlocked in $5 increments (credited straight to the cashier) for every $20 of rake contribution.
Both tournaments and cash games count towards bonus unlocking; new players have 90 days from the date of first deposit to unlock and claim their full bonus amount.
*Photos courtesy World Poker Tour (WPT)
Managing Editor