$3,000 Mystery Bounty
Day 2 Completed
2024 PokerStars EPT Cyprus
$3,000 Mystery Bounty
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
2024 PokerStars EPT Cyprus
Buy-in
$3,000
Prize Pool
$1,509,072
Entries
894
Level
36
Blinds
200,000 / 400,000
Ante
400,000
Entries
305
Players Left
15
Level 26
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
An action packed Day 2 of the $3,000 Mystery Bounty, running at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa as part of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Cyprus, has reached its conclusion, the field reduced from 305 players at the start of the day to the final 15.
A total of 128 players made the money after two players, Lukas Zaskodny and Fabian Schmidt, both bust on the bubble to split the min-cash.
By the end of Day 2, Uladzimir Zhyharau of Belarus is out in front in first place with 4,920,000 chips. Zhyharau started the day as chip leader and doubled with pocket tens to take most of Krum Polihronov's stack late on before getting his pocket eights in good against Aren Bezhanyen to further his lead.
It wasn't all smooth sailing, but it was about as close as it gets to a perfect run for Zhyharau, who will be well-positioned to make a deep run and secure his biggest-ever cash in live tournament poker.
His closest competitor is Ryhor Karapanau, who bagged up second place for 3,225,000 after busting several players towards the end of the day, including Konstantin Voronin in 23rd and Henok Tekle in 21st place.
Nicolae Paunescu is the only other player who bagged over 3,000,000, closing out in third position. Marius Kudzmanas bagged in fourth and Matthias Lipp, who has already had an excellent run when it comes to Mystery Bounty prizes, rounds out the top five.
End of Day 2 Chip Counts
| Position | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uladzimir Zhyharau | Belarus | 4,920,000 | 98 |
| 2 | Ryhor Karapanau | Latvia | 3,225,000 | 65 |
| 3 | Nicolae Paunescu | Romania | 3,020,000 | 60 |
| 4 | Marius Kudzmanas | Lithuania | 2,735,000 | 55 |
| 5 | Matthias Lipp | Austria | 2,325,000 | 47 |
| 6 | Valeriu Rosca | Romania | 1,340,000 | 27 |
| 7 | Stoyan Obreshkov | Bulgaria | 1,295,000 | 26 |
| 8 | Karen Nazarian | Russia | 1,300,000 | 26 |
| 9 | Guo Liang Wei | Hong Kong | 1,155,000 | 23 |
| 10 | Hadi Khordbin | Iran | 1,050,000 | 21 |
| 11 | Aziz Efe | Turkey | 1,005,000 | 20 |
| 12 | Boris Kolev | Bulgaria | 1,000,000 | 20 |
| 13 | Morten Klein | Norway | 965,000 | 19 |
| 14 | Anze Smajd | Slovenia | 905,000 | 18 |
| 15 | Maroun Jazzar | Lebanon | 490,000 | 10 |
Mystery Bounty Madness
Part of the appeal of playing Mystery Bounties is the opportunity the format presents to win prizes many times the buy-in simply by eliminating players. The bounty tokens came into play at Level 15, and three top prizes of $75,000 were announced, as well as the second-highest prizes of two $40,000 envelopes.
The first player to win one of the $75,000 prizes was Alik Zazian, who pulled his during the bubble. Zazian eventually finished in 116th place for a payout of $3,400, but he'll be more than happy with the result.
That was one top prize down, and still all to play for in terms of bustouts. But just as the tournament went on break for dinner, Matthias Lipp made his way to the bounty chest. Roars and cheers could be heard moments later as Lipp pulled out a $75,000 prize, much to the delight of both himself and his friends on the rail.
The fun didn't stop there. Incredibly, the next envelope Lipp pulled contained yet another $75,000 prize. This time, the cheers were of both celebration and disbelief. Lipp was holding two of the most valuable prizes in the tournament, and along with the $5,000 and $1,000 bounties he had pulled, he had already locked up more than the second-place payout.
Lipp is still in the runnings and sits fifth with 2,325,000 chips.
The $40,000 second prizes went to Stefan Uebber and Alessandro Pichierri. Alexey Losev, Hamza Nasir, Hadi Khordbin, Azamat Tulepbergenov, Omar Del Pino, Bernat Capdevilla Montes and Patrick Leonard were among those to claim one of the $25,000 envelopes.
When action resumes for Day 3, the highest bounty still in play is a single $5,000 prize, along with several $1,000s.
Remaining Payouts
Given that the significant Mystery Bounty prizes are already out of the chest, the event is expected to play more like a freezeout when action resumes for Day 3. Still, two-thirds of the prize pool, $1,509,072 went to payouts and most of that money is up for grabs on the final table.
Here are the remaining payouts.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $265,972 | 8 | $31,990 |
| 2 | $166,330 | 9 | $24,610 |
| 3 | $118,810 | 10 – 11 | $19,800 |
| 4 | $91,390 | 12 – 13 | $16,490 |
| 5 | $70,310 | 14 – 15 | $13,750 |
| 6 | $54,090 | 16 | $11,950 |
| 7 | $41,590 |
Day 3 will resume at midday local time, with blinds on 25,000/50,000 and a 50,000 big blind ante. There will be a 15-minute break every three levels, but no dinner break is scheduled.
It could be a rapid affair, with players returning to average stacks of over 30 big blinds and many of those chips sitting with the current leaders.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates straight from the tournament floor as the event plays down to a winner on Day 3.
Level 26
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,920,000
780,000
|
780,000 |
|
||
|
3,225,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
3,020,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
2,735,000
165,000
|
165,000 |
|
2,325,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
1,340,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
1,300,000
900,000
|
900,000 |
|
1,295,000
555,000
|
555,000 |
|
||
|
1,155,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
1,050,000
230,000
|
230,000 |
|
1,005,000
520,000
|
520,000 |
|
1,000,000
220,000
|
220,000 |
|
965,000
535,000
|
535,000 |
|
905,000
515,000
|
515,000 |
|
490,000
365,000
|
365,000 |
Level 26
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Play has finished for the day. Stay tuned to PokerNews for the recap of today's action.
Level 26
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Valeriu Rosca raised to 500,000 from under the gun, which was most of his stack. Alessandro Pichierri moved all in from the big blind and Rosca called for his remaining few chips. Players turned their cards, with Pichierri at risk.
Alessandro Pichierri: A?K? 
Valeriu Rosca: K?K?
The board ran out 3?2?7?2?8? and Rosca held with his pocket kings. Pichierri was eliminated from the tournament in 16th place for $11,950.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,400,000
510,000
|
510,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 26
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Arthur Thiriart raised to 80,000 from the cutoff, Nicolae Paunescu three-bet jammed for Thiriart's effective stack of 675,000 and Thiriart called.
Arthur Thiriart: A?J?
Nicolae Paunescu: A?4?
Thiriart had Paunescu dominated and the 3?K?6? flop was a safe one. However, the 4? turn propelled Paunescu in the lead. The 5? river saw Paunescu best and Thiriart was sent to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
3,100,000
1,350,000
|
1,350,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 26
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Andras Nemeth open-shoved for 570,000. Morten Klein went deep into the tank for almost three minutes before folding. Matthias Lipp snap-called.
Andras Nemeth: K?J?
Matthias Lipp: 6?6?
Klein shook his hand as the 2?4?10? flop hit and claimed to have folded tens. Nemeth seemed surprised at his decision, as did Lipp. Lipp's pair made two pir on the 2?, a turn which caused more anguish for Klein. The 8? river confirmed Nemeth's exit from the tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,175,000
475,000
|
475,000 |
|
|
1,500,000
1,500,000
|
1,500,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 26
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
The floor have announced three more hands will be played this evening.
Level 26
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Action was on the flop on a board of 2?3?6? and Akin Guven checked from the big blind. Marius Kudzmanas bet 110,000 and then Guven check-raised all in. Kudzmanas quickly made the call.
Guven had A?2? for a pair of deuces and Kudzmanas flipped over A?6? for a pair of sixes.
The turn came the J? and river the Q?, so Kudzmanas held to win the pot. Guven was eliminated from the tournament in 19th place for $10,400.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,900,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 26
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Patrick Leonard raised to 580,000 from the hijack. Guoliang Wei moved all in for 595,000, from the small blind, and the hand went to a showdown.
Patrick Leonard: Q?9?
Guoliang Wei: K?Q?
The board ran out 3?4?10?8?5?; Leonard was dominated from start to finish, ensuring his departure.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,255,000
495,000
|
495,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
