Avtandil Magradze Wins the EAPT Georgia Main Event for $94,500

While the Main Event was building toward its unforgettable finish, champions were crowned across the rest of the EAPT Georgia schedule.

The series’ richest event, the High Roller Progressive Bounty with a $1,500 buy-in, went to Georgia’s Nugzar Glonti. He earned $19,000 in prize money plus $17,650 in bounties — $36,650 in total. Russia’s Alyona Osipova finished second for $30,150 including bounties.

Alyona Osipova and Nugzar Glonti

Kazakhstan’s Zhanat Shortanbayev took down the Eclipse Cup Bounty ($750 buy-in). In heads-up he defeated Georgia’s Zaza Gachechiladze and earned $18,500 including knockouts.

Zhanat Shortanbayev

A true comeback story unfolded in the Mini Main Event Progressive Bounty ($500). Georgian player Alexander Apryan was down to just 2.5 big blinds in the top five — then spun it up and won the tournament for $17,650 including bounties. The entire podium was Georgian: Andrey Gegechkori finished second, Zurab Shengelia third.

Alexander Apryan

Kazakhstan’s Yesset Aimukhanov captured the Luxon Pay Special Bounty ($500) for $24,000, including $10,000 in knockouts. This is already his third EAPT trophy in Batumi: he won the Mini Main Event in September 2024, the Turbo Deep Stack in October 2025, and has now added a major title to his collection.

Yesset Aimukhanov (seated)

Moscow’s Andrey Apolonsky became champion of the EAPT Cup ($400 buy-in), which drew 439 entries. He reached the final stage as chip leader, held the advantage into heads-up, and struck an ICM deal with Viktor Utrobin. They decided the trophy with a single flip — which Andrey won. He took home $29,980 and his first EAPT trophy.

Andrey Apolonsky

The EAPT Georgia Main Event ($1,000 buy-in) attracted 615 entries. Ninety-nine players made the money, each guaranteed at least $2,000. A final-table berth was worth $10,500, while first place was originally set at $102,000.

Players had several starting flights. Flight 1A logged 189 entries, with Dmitry Dzhumachuk chip-leading the 30 who advanced. Flight 1B drew 67 entries and 11 qualifiers, topped by Shokhrukh Atadjanov. In 1C, 23 of 143 entries moved on, led by Arsen Avetisyan.

Eighteen players remained for the Main Event’s final day, headed by Georgia’s Luka Gogochuri. By the time the final table was set, however, Armenia’s Arsen Avetisyan had taken over the chip lead.

Nine players contested the final table for the title: four from Russia, three from Georgia, Arsen Avetisyan of Armenia, and Sakura Sugihara of Japan. The two biggest stacks belonged to Avetisyan and Gogochuri, while eventual champion Avtandil Magradze started fourth in chips.

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Rinat Ismagilov was first to leave the final table. His pocket kings fell to Sakura Sugihara’s A J  when an ace hit the flop and another arrived on the turn. He doubled soon after with A 9  against Dmitry Dzhumachuk’s kings, but the recovery was short-lived. Sugihara opened 8 8 ; Ismagilov shoved 6 6  from the big blind and got called. The board  Q 10 9 3 10  changed nothing. Ninth place paid $10,500.

Dmitry Dzhumachuk did not last long either. Down to 330,000, he shoved K Q  into Avtandil Magradze’s 3 3 . The board ran 2 4 J 10 5  — the threes held — and Dzhumachuk finished eighth for $12,100.

Ilya Poduremennykh exited in seventh. With just 500,000 at blinds of 100,000/200,000, he open-shoved nearly all-in with pocket threes. Arsen Avetisyan called with A J ; Luka Gogochuri called with J 7 . On a K 7 6  flop, Gogochuri bet 475,000; Poduremennykh called off his last 25,000 and Avetisyan folded. Luka’s sevens stayed ahead. Ilya collected $15,000.

Sakura Sugihara of Japan finished sixth. She shoved from the small blind with J 7 ; Ruslan Bayteryakov called with Q J . The board 10 3 Q J 2  gave Bayteryakov two pair. Sugihara earned $20,000.

Ruslan Bayteryakov was next to fall. He shoved from the button with A 7  into Luka Gogochuri’s A Q  in the big blind. The board no help. Fifth place paid $27,000.

Fourth-place elimination was far more dramatic. Arsen Avetisyan, who had started the final table as chip leader, was down to 1,800,000. Blind vs. blind, he shoved 8 8 ; Luka Gogochuri, sitting on a huge stack, called with J 3 .

The flop K 6 2 kept Avetisyan ahead, but the turn J  gave Luka top pair. The river 4  changed nothing. Arsen took $36,000 for fourth — and only Georgian players remained.

The next hand decided the bronze. Alexander Apryan, who had started the final table eighth in chips, shoved his last 775,000 with A 4 . Luka Gogochuri called with 7 6 ; Avtandil Magradze joined with K 4 .

The board 8 7 9 K 9  was checked down to the river. Magradze’s pair of kings was best. Apryan finished third for $50,000 — another deep run to go with his Mini Main Event win.

At the start of heads-up, Luka Gogochuri’s lead looked overwhelming: 22,075,000 to Avtandil Magradze’s 4,450,000. Nearly a five-to-one chip disadvantage left Magradze almost no room for error.

Avtandil gradually closed the gap. After winning a preflop all-in with K 9  against his opponent’s 4 4 , he took the lead: 14 million to 12 million.

The players then struck a deal: $77,500 guaranteed each, with the remaining $17,000 and the champion’s trophy still to play for.

The decisive hand came at blinds of 150,000/300,000 with a 300,000 big blind ante. Luka Gogochuri, with 8,300,000 left, moved all-in with K Q . Avtandil Magradze, holding 18 million, called with A 5 .

The flop 3 2 3  kept Magradze ahead, though Gogochuri still had outs to top pair or better. The turn 9  changed nothing; the river 8  sealed the tournament.

Luka Gogochuri finished runner-up for $77,500. Avtandil Magradze claimed the trophy and $94,500 in prize money.

For the new champion, the win carried special meaning. EAPT has staged its series in Batumi five times — and Magradze had cashed the Main Event every single time. His previous finishes were 65th, 21st, 55th, and 27th, but he had never reached a final table. This time Avtandil did more than break through: he became Main Event champion of EAPT Georgia.