$1,100 Eureka Main Event Dia 1a | 2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus

Jogador	Fichas	Progresso
Alexandr Dusco	696,000 16,000	16,000

Milen Stefanov	676,000 26,000	26,000
Karen Nazarian	575,000 55,000	55,000
Vladas Tamasauskas	546,000 -44,000	-44,000
Jason Wheeler	527,000 107,000	107,000
Ian Hamilton	461,000 201,000	201,000

Federico Macori	446,000 201,000	201,000
Gerard Carbo	425,000 425,000	425,000
Dietrich Fast	401,000 271,000	271,000
Viktor Iarilov	389,000 238,000	238,000
Andreas Tomazou	374,000 154,000	154,000
Roman Ialovega	358,000 98,000	98,000
Can Miral	353,000 33,000	33,000
Florian Guimond	349,000 19,000	19,000
Oleg Netaliev	347,000 127,000	127,000
Bogdan-Andrei Munteanu	347,000 347,000	347,000
Rui Bouquet	346,000 66,000	66,000
Quan Zhou	330,000 10,000	10,000
Ehsan Amiri	329,000 -12,000	-12,000
Damir Gabdullin	301,000 81,000	81,000
Ivan Zhechev	300,000 50,000	50,000
Valerii Kalynych	298,000 -37,000	-37,000
Aurélien Russo	298,000 216,000	216,000
Bogdan Berinde	283,000 283,000	283,000
Gilles Simon	278,000 -2,000	-2,000

Jogador

Fichas

Progresso

Alexandr Dusco

696,000

16,000

Milen Stefanov

676,000

26,000

Karen Nazarian

575,000

55,000

Vladas Tamasauskas

546,000

-44,000

Jason Wheeler

527,000

107,000

Ian Hamilton

461,000

201,000

Federico Macori

446,000

201,000

Gerard Carbo

425,000

Dietrich Fast

401,000

271,000

Viktor Iarilov

389,000

238,000

Andreas Tomazou

374,000

154,000

Roman Ialovega

358,000

98,000

Can Miral

353,000

33,000

Florian Guimond

349,000

19,000

Oleg Netaliev

347,000

127,000

Bogdan-Andrei Munteanu

347,000

Rui Bouquet

346,000

66,000

Quan Zhou

330,000

10,000

Ehsan Amiri

329,000

-12,000

Damir Gabdullin

301,000

81,000

Ivan Zhechev

300,000

50,000

Valerii Kalynych

298,000

-37,000

Aurélien Russo

298,000

216,000

Bogdan Berinde

283,000

Gilles Simon

278,000

-2,000

The first of four flights in the $1,100 buy-in Eureka Main Event has wrapped up after over 12 hours of play as a kickoff of the first-ever PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Cyprus in the sunny and balmy Mediterranean. Moldova's Alexandr Dusco bagged the chip lead over fellow big stacks Milen Stefanov (676,000), Karen Nazarian (575,000) and Vladas Tamasauskas (546,000), who is fresh off a tear at the Poker Masters in Las Vegas where he won two high roller events.

Day 1a of the Eureka Main Event drew 717 runners with 108 players making the money and advancing to Day 2. The day ended with a rapid-fire of eliminations, including of high-stakes crusher Biao Ding, who jammed with ace-eight only to be looked up by the ace-jack of Andrei Bocharnikov, as well as Evgenii Sboev, who stone bubbled in a hand against Milen Stefanov that got underway before hand-for-hand play could begin.

Other big stacks at the end of Day 1a include Jason Wheeler, Federico Macori and 2022 EPT London champion Ian Hamilton.

Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Alexandr Dusco	Moldova	696,000	116
2	Milen Stefanov	Bulgaria	676,000	113
3	Karen Nazarian	Russia	575,000	96
4	Vladas Tamasauskas	Lithuania	546,000	91
5	Jason Wheeler	United States	527,000	88
6	Ian Hamilton	United Kingdom	461,000	77
7	Federico Macori	Italy	446,000	74
8	Gerard Carbo	Spain	425,000	71
9	Dietrich Fast	Germany	401,000	67
10	Viktor Iarilov	Russia	389,000	65

Day 1a Action

It was an exciting first day of action in the Eureka Main Event as both flights 1a and 1b got underway. There was no shortage of big names in the field early as hundreds of players took their sides inside the massive tournament ballroom, including EPT champions Tom Middleton and Dominik Panka and PokerStars Ambassadors Alejandro Lococo and Benjamin Spragg.

Alejandro -Papo MC- Lococo — Alejandro Lococo

Lucien Cohen, who recently conquered the biggest live field in PokerStars history as he took down the €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event at EPT Barcelona for €676,230, wasted no time building a stack as the "Ratman" cracked the queens of Azamat Tulepbergenov with a set of jacks to send the Kyrgyzstanian to the rail in just the first level of play.

In another early highlight, Ukraine's Andrii Zaika scored a double knockout of Raffael Zarbo and Nicolaou Sakis as his Cowboys held up against pocket queens and Big Slick. Eliyahu Elyashiv was less lucky with kings as he had them cracked by the jacks of Pablo Brito Silva in a three-way all in that saw the Israeli hitting the rail as Mehmet Dalkilic was left with crumbs.

There are still two more flights to play in the Eureka Main Event before the Day 1a survivors return for Day 2 on Oct. 14. Day 1c and 1d will take place on Oct. 13 and will follow similar structures as the previous two flights.

Stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team is on-site here in North Cyprus will provide updates throughout the remaining tournament and the rest of the inaugural EPT Cyprus stop.

Tags: Alejandro Lococo Alexandr Dusco Andrei Bocharnikov Andrii Zaika Azamat Tulepbergenov Dominik Panka Eliyahu Elyashiv Evgenii Sboev Federico Macori Ian Hamilton Jason Wheeler Karen Nazarian Lucien Cohen Mehmet Dalkilic Milen Stefanov Nicolaou Sakis Tom Middleton Viktor Iarilov Vladas Tamasauskas

2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus

2023 PokerStars EPT Cyprus

End-of-Day Chip Counts (Completo)

Wheeler, Hamilton & Tamasauskas All Bag Big On Day 1a Of Eureka Main Event

Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts

Day 1a Action