Evgeniy Kim wins the EAPT Georgia Main Event ($68,000)

The October stage of the EAPT in Batumi was the third one this year. The series first arrived at the Eclipse Casino in September 2024, immediately causing a sensation. Twenty-five gaming tables were set up for the event, which seemed more than enough for Georgia's first poker tournament in seven years. However, from the first day of the series, all tables were fully occupied.

In April, the EAPT came to Georgia for the second time, and it was also a sold-out event. Therefore, the success of the September series was not in doubt: the absence of rake and other commissions in tournaments, budget buy-ins with substantial guarantees, and inexpensive accommodations ($50-$70 per day) were spiced up this time with a hundred or so players who had qualified for the EAPT online at PokerOK.

The result was one of the largest poker festivals in the history of the post-Soviet space: There were 749 unique players from 33 countries and $1,900,000 in total prize money, which was more than twice the stated guarantee of $800,000. Poker enthusiasts from Brazil to Venezuela, the UK to Canada, the US to Russia, Spain to the Netherlands, and even Kuwait and Turkmenistan—exotic destinations by poker standards—found themselves at the tables at EAPT Georgia.

These initial figures made it clear that the $300,000 guarantee for the main event would not last long. The more than 130 people who won tickets to the PokerOK tournament greatly boosted the claim that this would be the most popular tournament of the year. After six starting days, this title was finally confirmed.

The EAPT Georgia Main Event, which had a $600 buy-in, attracted 1,074 registrations. With zero rake on the series, 100% of the buy-in went to the total prize pool, which amounted to $644,280. These are record figures not only for EAPT main events in Georgia but also for the entire twelve-year history of the series (excluding the 2024 Grand Final due to the difference in buy-ins).

Everyone who made it to the top 15% of the field in each of the six starting flights automatically advanced to Day 2 and became a prize winner in the main event. There were 159 such players, who faced the challenge of reducing the number of players to two tables on the second day. Nineteen players advanced to the final day, guaranteeing themselves a minimum payout of $4,900. A spot at the final table was worth $10,000, and the winner would receive an impressive payout of $100,000.

You could watch the final day of the EAPT Georgia main tournament on PokerOK's Twitch and Kick channels with commentary by Dmitry Shakhov, as well as on the Eclipse Casino YouTube channel.

• A brief summary of the final table:

Ivan Isadze was the first to leave, losing with K J  against Alena Osipova's Q 8 . Ruslan Bayteryakov was the next to go, also losing his last three blinds to Alena Osipova: J 8  vs. A 2 

Soso Pachkoria finished in seventh place after finding himself in an automatic all-in situation on the big blind with Q 5 . Evgeny Kim and David Khalatiani entered the pot and checked the board—2 7 8 7 9  — until the end. Evgeny took all the chips, completing his outs with K 9 . In another all-in situation, Evgeny Ivanenko found himself with an ace and an eight. Kim and Khalatiani played another small pot on the board K 8 2 7 5 , with Khalatiani coming out on top again with K 9 .

With only five players remaining, they made a deal. Afterwards, the pressure of large payouts subsided and the game picked up pace. Alexander Geguchadze took fifth place, trying to beat David Khalatiani's 9 8  with 7 6 , but the strongest preflop hand prevailed. However, the chips from the two eliminated players were not enough to help Khalatiani achieve great things, and he was eliminated in fourth place after sending his last chips to Evgeny Kim: K 6  < A 5 .

By this point, the blinds had reached a record level of 500,000/1,000,000, leaving the three remaining players with just over 40 blinds. Alena Osipova became the first of the three virtual medalists to be eliminated. The last woman in the tournament failed to win a coin flip with an ace-queen against Andrey Antsiferov's jack-jack and finished in third place, earning $53,870.

Evgeny Kim and Andrey Antsiferov then faced off in a heads-up match for the EAPT Georgia title. Andrey started with a 2.5-to-1 chip lead, holding 30 million to Evgeny's 12 million. However, Kim quickly doubled up with A K  against A 2 , won several small pots, and ended the main event with a coin flip win with Q J  against 9 9  on a board of Q A J 5 2 .

Andrey Antsiferov took second place in the main event and received $52,410 in prize money. This is Antsiferov's second consecutive second place finish in a major tournament. At the end of August, he lost the heads-up for the Russian Poker Festival title in Sochi to Gia Shkulukhi. However, two times in a month and a half to update the best career result in tournaments for a cash game specialist is an excellent result.

Evgeny Kim became the champion of the third EA Poker Tour Georgia. Fighting for victory in the leaderboard of the daily inexpensive tournaments “Best Club Player” in Sochi, Evgeny does not forget about large tournament festivals. In the spring, he became the best in the main event of the Russian Poker Cup in Sochi for ~ $500, and in the fall, he updated his best cash, receiving $68,340 for his victory in Batumi.

By the end of the year, EAPT participants will compete in tournaments for at least another million dollars. From November 24 to December 8, the festival will return to Milan with a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000. In December, the series will come to Armenia for the first time. The EAPT stage in Armenia will run from December 5 to 14, guaranteeing players at least $600,000 in prize money.

Given the success of the event in Georgia, the stage in Armenia is expected to be equally popular and well-attended