The 2025 WPT Prime Tour is in full swing, making its second stop of the season in Cyprus, after kicking things off in Cambodia, where Canadian Alexander Puchalski took down the first event for a massive $233,680 payday.
Following last year’s successful debut, the popular WPT Prime returned to Cyprus for another edition, featuring its signature $1,100 Championship Event. From March 13 to 15, five starting flights attracted a huge crowd of 1,391 entries, surpassing the prize pool of the 2024 edition and creating a total prize pool of $1,349,270.
After several days of marathon action, Omar Lakhdari raised the trophy and collected the first-place prize of $190,430, and a $10,400 ticket for the 2025 WPT World Championship. Lakhdari beat Atilla Saracoglu in the heads-up, who finished in second place for $125,000.
Omar Lakhdari had $3,243,654 in total live earnings before this win, and his most significant score of $224,330 still remained at the top, but it was a close call. His most significant score came after he won €1,100 No Limit Hold’em BPC Main Event for $224,330 in 2023.
WPT Prime Cyprus Championship Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Omar Lakhdari | Algeria | $190,430 |
| 2 |  Atilla Saracoglu | Turkey | $125,000 |
| 3 |  Joseph Haddad | Lebanon | $93,000 |
| 4 |  Fabian Rolli | Switzerland | $70,000 |
| 5 |  Edgars Hauks | Latvia | $53,000 |
| 6 |  Andras Balogh | Hungary | $40,000 |
| 7 | Sencer Ozturk | Turkey | $31,000 |
| 8 | Baris Topuz | Turkey | $24,000 |
| 9 |  Ilan Verdnikov | Israel | $18,800 |
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All Starting Flights Are Closed!
After all Day 1 flights were finished, Kyprianos Kyprianou from Day 1A was chip-leading with a stack of 1,286,000, ahead of second-placed Samer Sadaka from Day 1C, who collected 1,036,000 chips. Going into Day 2, there were 177 survivors who all secured the minimum cash of $1,940 and were keeping their eyes on the main prize of $190,430 for the first.
Day 2, Final 24 Players
Deep into Day 2, with only 24 players remaining, Kyprianos Kyprianou continued on pace and was eliminating players left and right. Emad Ghadamian was his victim and was eliminated in 24th place for $8,200 after he ran his top pair of tens on the flop holding J♦10♦ into Kyprianou’s Q♦Q♥.
He also eliminated Johann Prokop in 17th place for $11,500 after Kyprianou opened from CO and Prokop shoved from SB. Kyprianou called with A♥8♥ and was against Q♣J♣. The board ran 9♣9♦5♠A♣8♠, and Prokop was out.
After eliminating a couple of players, Kyprianos Kyprianou ran out of luck and lost a few pots; the last one was against Omar Lahdari, who opened, Kyprianou shoved, and Lahdari called after the count. Kyprianou had A♠J♣ against Lahdari’s 2♦2♣, and the board ran K♠7♦2♠3♥9♠ sending Kyprianou to the rail in 12th place for $16,000. Three more eliminations followed, and that was the end of Day 2 with nine players remaining to battle it out in the final table.
The Final Table
After a long Day 2, which lasted 15 hours, Atilla Saracoglu took the chip lead going into the final day with 13,025,000 chips (86 bb). Ilan Verdnikov was the only other player who had more than 10 million chips, with his stack of 10,750,000 (71 bb).
The first elimination came after two and a half hours of play. It was Ilan Verdnikov who was eliminated by Atilla Saracoglu in ninth place for $18,800 after all the chips went in on the flop. The board was 10♦7♣7♠, Verdnikov with A♥A♠ was far ahead leaving Saracoglu with just two outs, showing 10♠8♠. The turn was 5♦, and the river was a shocking 10♥, giving Saracoglu the full house and cracking the aces of Verdnikov.
Saracoglu continued sending players home, and Baris Topuz was next after he shoved from BTN against Saracoglu’s CO open. Saracoglu took a few moments to think and called with 6♣3♠. Topuz was ahead with A♣Q♣ but far from safe. The board ran 8♠8♦3♣J♣3♥, Saracoglu hit the full house by the river, and Topus was out in eighth place for $24,000.
The murderer’s row continued, and Saracoglu found a new victim; he opened from HJ with 10♦7♦, Sencer Ozturk shoved from SB with K♣9♣, and Saracoglu called. The board ran 5♠Q♥7♣J♦5♦, eliminating Ozturk as Saracoglu hit his ten, and Ozturk’s king-high wasn’t enough. Ozturk was out in seventh place for $31,000.
The next elimination was Andras Balogh, who shoved from BTN, and Saracoglu called in BB. Balogh had 2♣2♥ vs. Saracoglu’s 7♣4♣. The flop came K♣4♠4♥, and Balogh was drawing to two outs. The turn was 3♥, and the river was K♦. Balogh was out in sixth place for $40,000.
Joseph Haddad opened from HJ, Edgars Hauks 3-bet from BTN, Joseph Haddad shoved, and Hauks called. Hauks was in a really bad spot as he ran his A♣K♦ into Haddad’s A♥A♦, and the board ran A♠Q♥3♣4♥4♦, eliminating Hauks on fifth place for $53,000.
With four players left in the game, Lakhdari was shoved from SB, and Fabian Rolli called in BB. Lakhdari had Q♠10♣ vs Rolli’s K♠J♣, and the board ran 4♥J♦5♦9♦Q♦ and queen on the river was deadly for Rolli who was eliminated in fourth place for $70,000.
Joseph Haddad shoved from BTN with K♣J♠ and got snap-called by Lakhdari, who had A♥Q♦. The board ran Q♣Q♥6♦3♦10♦, and it was game over for Joseph Haddad, who was out in third place for $93,000.
The Heads-Up
Entering the heads-up, Omar Lakhdari had a significant chip lead over Atilla Saracoglu of around 3.5:1, but nothing was done yet, and there were still cards to be dealt in the battle for the title.
After an hour and 20 minutes of action, Lakhdari slowly reduced the stack of Saracoglu before the final hand came. Lakhdari opened from BTN, and Saracoglu called. The flop was J♦10♦5♦; Saracoglu checked, Lakhdari bet big, putting Saracoglu close to an all-in, and Saracoglu shoved and got snap-called.
Saracoglu was behind with just 19 percent of equity holding K♥Q♥ against Lakhdari’s A♦K♠. The turn was 3♣, and the river was 8♥, marking the end of the road for Saracoglu, who was out in second place for $125,000. Lakhdari was crowned the new champion!
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* Images and hands courtesy of WPT
