Viktor Ustimov Leads Day 2 Field in $5,300 EPT Cyprus Main Event
After two action-packed starting flights of the PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus $5,300 Main Event, a total of 405 players from 1,230 entries have navigated their way through ten levels of play to return for Day 2 at noon today, 16 October, at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel and Spa.
Those figures generated a current prize pool of $5,994,600, but with late registration open until the start of Day 2, those numbers are certain to increase further. Prize pool and payout information will be confirmed when registration is closed and they are finalised.
Russian Viktor Ustimov (379,000) sits atop the standings at the start of play, after bluff catching towards the end of Day 1b to amass a monstrous stack, and he is closely followed by Italian Salvatore Camarda (325,000) and Iraqi Ali Al-Kubasi (301,000).
Ustimov, who sits in the top 50 in the Russian all-time money list, boasts recorded winnings of over $2,000,000, and will be looking to beat his previous best EPT score, a second place finish in Event 1 at EPT Sochi in 2018 for $82,000.
Camarda's biggest score within his recorded earnings of just under $359,000 is a $45,000 payday for finishing 12th in a $1,100 buy-in event at the Barcelona PokerStars Championship in 2011.
Al-Kubasi is a relatively new name on the scene, his first recorded cash being in 2021, but he already has a six-figure score to his name after finishing second in a $5,000 buy-in high roller event at the Merit Poker Series in 2022 for $129,100.
Two big names also lurk in the top ten - Stephen Song (261,500), seeking an unprecedented consecutive EPT Main Event triumph after taking the title in Barcelona at the last stop, and Ren Lin, currently ranked as the fifth best tournament player in the world having accumulated almost $12,000,000 in live earnings.
$5,300 Main Event Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viktor Ustimov | Russia | 379,000 | 253 |
| 2 | Salvatore Camarda | Italy | 325,000 | 217 |
| 3 | Ali Al-Kubasi | Iraq | 301,000 | 201 |
| 4 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russia | 284,000 | 189 |
| 5 | Darius Gadeikis | Lithuania | 266,000 | 177 |
| 6 | Ren Lin | China | 264,500 | 176 |
| 7 | Stephen Song | USA | 261,500 | 174 |
| 8 | James Crawley | United Kingdom | 261,000 | 174 |
| 9 | Yevhen Pavlenko | Ukraine | 253,000 | 168 |
| 10 | Ahmed Abdellatif | Australia | 249,000 | 166 |
PokerStars Ambassadors Simon Wiciak, Barny Boatman, Fintan Hand, Kenny Hallaert and Elias Gutierrez all found a bag for Day 2, but with none of them above 50,000, they have plenty of work to do to progress to Day 3.
A number of players will be seeking to capture their second EPT Main Event title, including Wiciak, Lucien Cohen (138,000), Artur Martirosian (95,000) and Hossein Ensan (16,500).
Defending champion Gilles Simon will not be in the running to defend his title after busting twice, and the same applies to Julien Sitbon and Jon Vallinas.
The players will return to 90-minute levels at Level 11, with blinds of 1,000/1,500, with a 1,500 big blind ante, with players having to navigate at least five levels to progress to Day 3. A 20-minute break will take place after every level and a 65-minute dinner break after Level 14.
Late registration is open until the start of Day 2 for any player who has yet to enter twice.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of what is sure to be a thrilling day of poker.