Red-Hot Mikalai Vaskaboinikau Wins European Poker Tour Cyprus $50,000 High Roller

Three of Mikalai Vaskaboinikau’s top four recorded tournament scores have been recorded in 2024, including his $4.7 million windfall as the champion of the Triton Montenegro $125,000 buy-in main event this spring. The Belarusian businessman recorded his second-largest payday this week by taking down the 2024 European Poker Tour Cyprus $50,000 high roller, besting a field of 47 entries to earn $601,397.

Vaskaboinikau now has more than $9.3 million in career tournament earnings, with more than two-thirds ($6.2 million) of that being earned across seven in-the-money finishes this year.

This latest victory also came with 510 Card Player Player of the Year points for Vaskaboinikau. This was his second title and fifth final-table finish of the year. With 3,055 total points, he now sits just outside the top 50 in the 2024 POY race presented by Global Poker.

This tournament played out over the course of three days inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. The money bubble burst at the end of day 2, with Thomas Eychenne losing a classic race with pocket queens against the A-K of two-time bracelet winner Artur Martirosian. That ensured that the remaining contenders all locked up at least $159,600 in this event.

Four-time bracelet winner Adrian Mateos held the chip lead among the final six.

Jamil Wakil was extremely short when he got all-in with pocket deuces. He ended up losing to the flush of Alexander Zubov, who held 75. The Canadian earned $159,600 as the sixth-place finisher.

Despite scoring that knockout, Zubov was the next to fall. He was left short after losing a big all-in with A-J against the A-Q suited of Vaskaboinikau. He soon got all-in with J-4 facing the pocket fives of Mateos, which improved to a set by the turn. Zubov was awarded $205,200 for his fifth-place showing.

Roman Hrabec got all-in with his A-10 racing against the pocket eights of Vaskaboinikau. The Czech bracelet winner was unable to connect with a low double-paired board and was eliminated in fourth place ($262,200). The score grew Hrabec’s career earnings to nearly $10.6 million.

The final three players battled for a bit before deciding to hash out a deal, redistributing the remaining prize money a bit while leaving $59,277 to play for up top.

Mateos ended up sliding to the bottom of the leaderboard after shaking on the deal. His final hand saw him run A3 into the AK of Vaskaboinikau. Neither player improved and Mateos was eliminated in third place ($555,758). This was his 19th final-table finish of 2024, with three titles won and more than $10.4 million in POY-earnings accrued. With 9,404 total POY points, he now has a 1,104-point lead over second-ranked David Coleman in the POY race standings.

Heads-up play began with Vaskaboinikau holding 6,420,000 to Martirosian’s 5,330,000. In the decisive hand of the match, Martirosian got all-in with AA leading the A4 of Vaskaboinikau, but the board came down J7378 to give Vaskaboinikau the backdoor ace-high flush.

Martirosian was left short after that crushing blow, and was soon all-in with A2 against 44. The J3269 board kept the pocket pair ahead and Marirosian was knocked out in second place ($495,815). He now has nearly $18.3 million in lifetime scores to his name.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Photo credits: Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd. / Danny Maxwell.