The World Poker Tour (WPT) stands as one of the most prestigious poker series globally, carving its place in history since its inception in 2002. WPT Main Tour events take place in luxurious casinos around the world, where winners are forever engraved on the legendary Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup.
This year’s WPT Cyprus, occurring from August 6 to 18, marked another significant stop on this map. The event was hosted at the Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino in Kyrenia, a renowned venue for grand poker events, offering players exceptional conditions. The Main Event, with a $3,500 buy-in and a $2 million guarantee, attracted 775 entries, generating an impressive prizepool of $2,402,500, significantly surpassing the guarantee.
A Dominant Path to Victory
Even before reaching the final table, it was evident that Ilia Kitsbabahvili came to Kyrenia with a clear goal. During the festival, he already triumphed in two side events: winning $40,300 from the $1,100 NLH Freezeout and adding $17,850 from the $1,100 PLO Bounty. The final table of the Main Event was just the culmination of a fantastic series for him.
The road to victory was anything but easy. In the final, he faced tough competitors, including Elena Litviniuk, who had a chance to become only the third woman in history to win a WPT Main Tour title. Despite her impressive performance, her journey ended in fourth place, when her A s A c was beaten by Chmura’s 2 h 2 c after he completed a set on the flop.
The greatest drama unfolded with three players left, when Kitsbabahvili’s 6 h 5 h went up against Rafal Chmura’s aces A h A c. After the flop of J h 7 s 4 s, Kitsbabahvili went all-in and Chmura tried to double his short stack, but the turn T h and river 2 h confirmed his elimination.
In the final heads-up against James Mahone, Ilia Kitsbabahvili showcased his dominance. Although Mahone managed to snag a few pots early in heads-up, the gap began to widen. In the decisive hand, Mahone went all-in with 5 d 5 c. Kitsbabahvili called with A s 7 s, and the board J d 7 c 6 c 2 h Q d sealed his triumph.
In addition to the financial reward, the winner also secured a $10,400 entry to the concluding WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas. This win marks Ilia Kitsbabahvili's biggest career achievement, and it will be intriguing to see if it's a one-off success or the beginning of even greater results for the Georgian player.
|
Position |
Player |
Prize |
|
1 |
Ilia Kitsbabahvili |
$401,100 |
|
2 |
James Mahone |
$255,000 |
|
3 |
Rafal Chmura |
$190,000 |
|
4 |
Elena Litviniuk |
$142,000 |
|
5 |
Nikolai Zhadanov |
$107,000 |
|
6 |
Iladzimir Zhyharau |
$82,000 |
Source: WPT, Life of Poker, YouTube
