Darko Svesko gained the record-smashing Advantage Retro Sequence Principal Occasion for $567,000. [Image: Shutterstock.com]
$3m assure shattered
A record-smashing area within the Advantage Poker Retro Principal Occasion has put down a marker forward of the extremely anticipated EPT in North Cyprus scheduled for October 11-22. For years, this poker venue has been the perfect saved secret, on the intersection of East, Center East, and West. Nicely, the cat is really out of the bag now after the Advantage Poker group led by President Songül Bekem simply defied all expectations, annihilating their bold $3m assure throughout what was a bumper competition on the Mediterranean island.
the Advantage Crystal Cove poker site was at capability all week
1,223 entrants stumped up the $3,300 buy-in to take part in a rare occasion that comes on the excellent time with PokerStars bringing its flagship tour to the Advantage Resort for the primary time. The Advantage Crystal Cove poker site was at capability all week for the Retro Sequence and plenty of imagine that the bigger poker site on the Advantage Diamond might be bursting on the seams when the EPT comes knocking.
The occasion was finally gained by Darko Svesko who defeated Oleg Netaliev heads-up on the finish of an engrossing closing desk that additionally featured Dominic Panka and David Hu. He took dwelling $567,000 for the win, the biggest first prize ever awarded in considered one of Advantage’s in-house festivals.
Khadra and Zhugralin win the Heat-Up and Excessive Curler
Final week, the $2,200 Heat-Up Occasion was gained by Hadi Khadra, who walked away with a career-best $264,600. He outlasted a area of 809 entrants, working effectively down the homestretch on a desk that included the aggressive Giorgii Shkulukhia and veteran Nicolas Chouity.
Then it was the flip of these with deeper pockets to impress because the $10,300 Excessive Curler occasion drew a area of 153. Unsurprisingly, it boiled all the way down to a closing desk stuffed with expertise and expertise with Advantage Carmen Principal Occasion winner Maxime Chilaud and Uri Reichenstein within the hunt for glory.
The YouTube viewers was handled to a masterclass by Reichenstein who was additionally blessed by form card distribution as he navigated his solution to heads-up with an enormous 5:1 chip-lead. One of many commentators (okay, it was me) proclaimed it a fait accompli, however he unwisely underestimated Reichenstein’s opponent Damir Zhugralin, who simply saved profitable the all-ins and finally overcame the harmful Israeli.
Debutant Svesko goes from brief stack to champion
At each poker competition, it’s the Principal Occasion that eclipses every thing round it, and it was no totally different because the Advantage Retro Principal Occasion obtained underway through the second week of proceedings. 1,223 gamers took their shot, however by Day 4, it was down to only 28, all vying for the largest piece of the $3.5m prize pool.
It was a considerably cagey affair, because it took over six hours to get all the way down to the ultimate 9. There have been a number of small skirmishes after which, within the blink of a watch, two gamers have been eradicated in the identical hand by the pocket Jacks of Nenad Dukic, who leapt into ballot place. Panka fell to Dukic in seventh. Ruskin Volkov took a savage beat with Aces towards Hu’s suited Ace-Queen.
a rollercoaster closing desk
A protracted interval of five-handed play noticed the chip lead handed round earlier than a short-stacked Hu busted in disgusting trend, his Ace-Ten rivered by the King-Deuce of Netaliev. Dukic was subsequent to go, adopted by Michel Atallah, each by the hands of a buoyant Netaliev, who had been 9 of 9 at one level. The one different participant with that distinction was his heads-up opponent, the comparatively inexperienced Serbian participant Svesko, who additionally had a rollercoaster closing desk.
For thus lengthy it appeared like Netaliev and Advantage Principal Occasion maiden Svesko have been hanging on grimly, card-dead and maximizing their respective conditions by reaching ladders. A late rush of playing cards for each resulted within the unlikeliest of heads-up contests, finally gained by Svesko, who pulled off an enormous bluff to get again into competition, took down some small pots to take the chip-lead, after which completed off his opponent with Kings versus Ace-Queen to safe a well-known victory.
EPT preview
An unlimited quantity of labor has gone into increase the model with Media & Promoting Supervisor Ashkan Baghaee assembling an skilled commentary quartet to work alongside the “finest within the enterprise” manufacturing crew ShareHand. Triton has visited twice and can absolutely be again once more in 2024, however the largest splash is more likely to be made when the PokerStars devoted descend upon the island in October for an EPT cease.
In an trade that may typically deal with its prospects like cattle, the pink carpet is all the time rolled out for gamers attending Advantage festivals and the EPT might be no totally different. Excessive-end buffets, decadent spa services, and all-inclusive bars await the gamers who resolve to spend the center of October on the gorgeous North Cypriot shoreline.
Advantage Retro Principal Occasion 2023 Ultimate Desk Payouts
- Darko Svesko – $567,000
- Oleg Netaliev – $417,900
- Michel Atallah – $257,900
- Nenad Dukic – $191,100
- David Hu – $142,400
- Ruslan Volkov – $115,100
- Dominik Panka – $95,900
- Thomas Eychenne – $76,300
- Ara Melkisetian – $56,700
