EAPT Georgia — Series Winners and Records

The series kicked off with the $400 buy-in EAPT Cup. Across four starting flights, the tournament recorded 352 entries. All 53 players who advanced to Day 2 had already secured a min-cash of $700. 

The early stages of the final day saw rapid eliminations, while the average stack dropped to around 20 big blinds, leaving little room for maneuvering. As a result, the action unfolded quickly.

At the final five, players agreed to a deal: Vladislav Shishkov received $17,000, while the remaining players each took $12,490.

Running alongside the EAPT Cup was the $500 Luxon Pay Special Bounty knockout event. It featured four starting flights and 238 total entries. Of those, 48 players advanced to the final day, with the money starting at 34th place. The bubble burst a couple of hours into play. Interestingly, one player who didn’t show up for Day 2 — Giorgi Gorgasalidze — still managed to cash, as his stack lasted long enough.

The tournament then turned into an intense battle for bounties, each worth $1,000. Players reached the final table with an average stack of 29 big blinds. Temirlan Zhakenov entered as the chip leader, while David Khalatiani had the most bounties at that point with five.

Spain’s Daniel Herrada took down the event, earning $14,200 plus $6,000 in bounties, along with the trophy.

The two-day $500 Mini Main Event Progressive Bounty attracted 199 entries, with 31 players paid. Asset Aimukhanov entered the final table as chip leader, closely followed by Evgeniy Skvortsov and Andrey Antsiferov. The largest bounty of the event was $2,625 for eliminating Soso Eliava.

Georgiy Tchkonya won the tournament, collecting $10,500 in prize money and $6,225 in bounties.

The $750 Eclipse Cup Bounty drew 128 entries, with 20 players finishing in the money. Each knockout on the final day was worth $300. The most exciting stages of the event were broadcast live with hole cards exposed.

The final table was truly international, featuring players from Georgia, Israel, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, and Russia. Leonid Litvinov dominated in chips and also led in bounties with 11. However, the title went to Kazakhstan’s Yerkebulan Muratbek, who earned $14,000 plus $2,100 in bounties — securing his first-ever tournament victory and trophy.

This time, many events on the schedule were played in knockout format, including the Warm Up. The $600 buy-in event paid just 7% of the field, with each elimination adding $400 to a player’s winnings. There were 139 entries across two starting days. The money started at 10th place, just before the final table, guaranteeing $825.

Abain Zholgaliev and Semyon Kravets reached heads-up, with Abain holding nearly a 3-to-1 chip lead. Kravets managed to double up and briefly take the lead, but ultimately fell short. Abain Zholgaliev secured the trophy and $8,100 in prize money, plus $4,400 for 11 bounties.

One of the final events of the series was the $1,500 High Roller Progressive Bounty, which drew 124 entries over two days. Seventeen players made the money. At the final table, Semyon Kravets (runner-up of the Warm Up) led both in chips and bounties.

Players discussed a deal at six-handed play but couldn’t reach an agreement. Once five players remained, they agreed to an ICM chop, continuing to play for bounties and $7,005 for first place. Nail Oberkhaev won the event, earning $20,160 in prize money, $15,300 in bounties, and a $3,500 ticket to the Carmen Series Main Event.

The Main Event, featuring a $1,250 buy-in and five starting flights, attracted 569 entries. A total of 91 players made the money, with a min-cash of $2,300. The first-place prize set a new EAPT Georgia record at $127,000.

First trophy, first televised final table, first Main Event victory, first five-figure score, and a first ticket to the Carmen Series Main Event in Cyprus — the EAPT Georgia series became truly unforgettable for Moscow’s Pavel Tatarnikov.

As always, the Main Event drew significant attention. Across five starting flights, the tournament recorded 569 entries. Although the buy-in was $1,250, players had the opportunity throughout the series to qualify via $125 satellites.

It was an incredibly successful series for Pavel, who had already won his first trophy earlier in the $250 Progressive Bounty event ($8,575 including bounties). Now, he adds a Main Event title and his first five-figure score. Congratulations to Pavel on a phenomenal achievement!