Mikalai Vaskaboinikau claimed victory in the 2024 European Poker Tour Cyprus $50,000 no-limit hold’em high roller event, outlasting a field of 47 players to win $601,397 and secure his second major title of the year.
Earlier in May, Mikalai Vaskaboinikau won the Triton Montenegro $125,000 buy-in main event, earning an impressive $4.7 million. His total career earnings now exceed $9.3 million, with around $6.2 million of that amount coming in 2024 alone.
The three-day event, held at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, reached its money bubble at the end of day 2 when Thomas Eychenne busted out in seventh place. Eychenne lost a classic coin flip with pocket queens against the A-K of two-time bracelet winner Artur Martirosian, leaving him empty-handed.
Four-time bracelet winner Adrian Mateos held the chip lead going into day 3, while Mikalai Vaskaboinikau entered as one of the shorter stacks.
Canada’s Jamil Wakil was the first to fall on day 3, finishing sixth for $159,600. He was knocked out by Alexander Zubov, who later found himself in trouble after losing a big hand to Vaskaboinikau’s A-Q suited. Zubov was eliminated in fifth place, earning $205,200.
A preflop coin flip decided Roman Hrabec’s fate, as his A-10 was bested by Vaskaboinikau’s pocket eights. Hrabec, a bracelet winner, finished fourth, adding $10.6 million to his career earnings. Earlier in the year, he secured $4.3 million by winning a Triton main event in Jeju, South Korea, and currently ranks 28th in the POY standings.
The final three players negotiated a deal for the remaining prize money, leaving $59,277 up for grabs. Mateos eventually fell in third place after his A3 lost to Vaskaboinikau’s A. Mateos collected $555,758 for his performance, marking his 19th final table of 2024. His total cashes this year exceed $10.4 million, and he remains atop the POY leaderboard with 9,404 points.
In heads-up play, Mikalai Vaskaboinikau began with a slight lead over Martirosian, and the two exchanged the chip lead before the decisive hand. Martirosian’s pocket aces faced Vaskaboinikau’s A4, but running diamonds on the board gave Mikalai Vaskaboinikau an ace-high flush to take the lead.
Martirosian was eliminated shortly after, losing with A-2 against Vaskaboinikau’s pocket fours. His runner-up finish earned him $495,815, bringing his lifetime earnings to nearly $18.3 million.
2024 EPT Cyprus $50K Super High Roller Final Table results:
Place | Player | Country | Prize |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau | Belarus | $601,397* |
2 | Artur Martirosian | Russia | $495,815* |
3 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | $555,758* |
4 | Roman Hrabec | Czechia | $262,200 |
5 | Alexander Zubov | Russia | $205,200 |