After a week of sun, fun and WPT poker action in North Cyprus with the $1,000,000 guarantee Main Event up for grabs, it came down to a dramatic heads-up opener of the season between Albert Daher and Alexey Rybin.
Duplicating a feat not seen since Kevin Saul’s performance at the 2008 WPT Bellagio Cup, Rybin put together an incredible wire-to-wire run, finishing as chip leader each day from Day 1 all the way until the last hand was dealt.
For his victory, Rybin becomes the first player in Season XII to accept the honour of a named plaque on the WPT Champions Cup, and wins a cool $258,000, including a $25,500 WPT Championship seat. Below, he explains to Jesse May about the importance of winning this prestigious tournament, and how he skipped an important business meeting to make sure he was here to take down the title.
Andrei Nikonov, who at one point looked like he could claim the title, busted in third place, winning $103,700.For a full recap of the final table action, visit the WPT Live Updates page.
PartyPoker.com pro Marvin Rettenmaier continued his Cyprus success by winning the WPT High Roller event. After firing three bullets in the tournament, he takes home the glory and $182,505.
Payouts
- Alexey Rybin – $258,000, including a $25,500 WPT World Championship entry
- Albert Daher – $160,200
- Andrei Nikonov – $103,700
- Kayhan Tugrul – $75,600
- Sergey Rybachenk– $56,600
- Pierre Sayegh – $46,000