144 Players Chase Glory on Day 3 of EPT Cyprus Main Event
The PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus has reached its halfway point in the $5,300 EPT Main Event, with the action set to resume today at 12 p.m. EEST.
From an initial field of 1,284 players, only 144 remain in contention at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. Two frontrunners have emerged, leading the pack into Day 3. Bulgaria’s Fahredin Mustafov sits atop the leaderboard with a hefty stack of 920,000 chips, just ahead of Russia’s Ivan Zabiiakin, who holds 915,000. Germany’s Oliver Weis rounds out the top three with 715,000.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 920,000 | 184 |
| 2 | Ivan Zabiiakin | Russia | 915,000 | 183 |
| 3 | Oliver Weis | Germany | 715,000 | 143 |
| 4 | Damir Zhugralin | Kazakhstan | 705,000 | 141 |
| 5 | Shankui Li | China | 693,000 | 139 |
| 6 | Chakib Mhiri | Tunisia | 648,000 | 130 |
| 7 | Georgios Tsouloftas | Cyprus | 620,000 | 124 |
| 8 | Radoslav Stoyanov | Bulgaria | 575,000 | 115 |
| 9 | Boris Kuzmanovic | Croatia | 573,000 | 115 |
| 10 | Mohamad El Rais | Switzerland | 563,000 | 113 |
The event attracted 1,284 entries, and now, the remaining players will battle for their share of a $6,227,400 prize pool. The eventual champion will walk away with $1,030,000, the prestigious PokerStars trophy, and the title of EPT champion. Every player still in the field is guaranteed at least $9,100, with a pay jump just one elimination away, bumping the next payout to $10,460.
Day 3 will start at noon, local time, with blinds of 2,500/5,000 and a 5,000 big blind ante. The plan is to play five more levels as the field shrinks further toward the final table. Today also marks the start of the shot clock, with players having 15 seconds for their first decision and 30 seconds for subsequent moves. Each participant begins with six time-bank cards, giving them extra seconds to think in high-pressure situations.
As always, keep it locked in with PokerNews to keep up with all the action from EPT Cyprus.