Ivelin Kolev Wins the WPT® Prime Cyprus Championship

Ivelin Kolev is the new WPT® Prime Cyprus champion.

He won the $1,100 event at Chamada Prestige Hotel & Spa, near Kyrenia, Cyprus. He collected $171,600 and a seat at the WPT® World Championship in Las Vegas. He closed it out heads-up in style, turning a modest six-four into a seven-high straight on the final hand.

Here's the full final-table payouts, and how it ended.

Kolev topped a 953-entry field in the $1,100 buy-in Main Event, which ran October 15–19 and carried a $1,000,000 guarantee. His $171,600 first prize includes a $10,400 entry to the season-ending WPT® World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas (December 13–20). So he'll be going to Vegas this year to compete for the big prize. The biggest stage of the WPT® season.

The final hand was a quiet trap.

Heads-up, Kolev limped and Said Tahar checked his option in the big blind. They checked through to the turn on a board of ten-seven-five of clubs and the queen of hearts; Tahar then check-called a bet of 700,000. The river was the three of spades, Tahar checked, and Kolev moved all in. Tahar called off for 2,950,000 with queen-three for two pair, queens and threes. It's a hand that's good a lot of the time.

Not this time. Kolev turned over six-four for a seven-high straight, the one holding that got there, and the title was his. A small-looking hand to win a championship. And the runout that decided it.

Now for Tahar, the runner up. He had carried the chip lead into the final table and even found a double-up during the heads-up match before Kolev wrestled control back. Only to run into that straight at the end. It's a common phrase in tournament poker that the chip lead isn't the win. The last pot is the only one that counts. He leaves Cyprus with $100,000 for second after a great run.

For Kolev, the road now points to Las Vegas. His $10,400 ticket sends him to the WPT® World Championship at Wynn, December 13–20. It's the Season 24 finale. It's one of the richest tournaments on the calendar. A $1,100 investment in Cyprus becomes a shot at poker's biggest end-of-year title.

The tour barely pauses to catch its breath. WPT® Bay 101 Shooting Star is already underway. WPT® Seoul and the WPT® Venetian Fall Championship both landing in early November. All these building toward December at the Wynn.