Alexey Rybin wins the Main Event and Marvin Rettenmaier triumphs in the High Roller
The 2013 World Poker Tour sponsored by bwin has recently finished its first stop on the circuit. After six days of poker action at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino on the Mediterranean island, several things stood out. The big tournament was of course the Main Event but the High Roller also attracted its fair share of poker players, amateurs and professionals alike, looking to claim the big prizes in Cyprus.
Alexey Rybin claims the title
Businessman Alexey Rybin from Russia had an incredible performance in the 2013 WPT Merit Cyprus Classic Main Event. He started pretty well and went on to dominate most of the tournament but there were also some bumps along the way. During the 26th level, Rybin went all-in for the first time since Day 1A due to some badly timed plays and the increasing blinds that forced him into a corner.
Fortunately for the Russian, he managed to double up through Kayhan Tugrul and got back in his position of dominance he was used throughout most of the tournament. As the final table continued to get thinner, it was all down to Rybin and Albert Daher, with the former having the chip lead.
A big hand then placed Daher in a very difficult position. He started with a three-bet with As-3d and Rybin called. The board then came Kh-Ad-Jh and Rybin quickly moved all-in after a 2d hit the table. Rybin showed Ah-Kd for top two pairs and Daher had no more outs to hope for. After that, there were only six blinds left in front of Daher and it did look like he might just pull it back in his favor after doubling up twice, but the third time wasn’t so lucky.
The final hand of the tournament saw Daher holding K-9 against Rybin’s A-5. An Ace on the flop was more than enough to give the Russian player the $258,000 first place prize, a seat for the WPT Championship next year and the prestigious spot on the WPT Trophy. Albert Daher won $160,200 for his great run in the Cyprus Classic Main Event.
[geocode id=1]Marvin Rettenmaier strikes again
Cyprus is certainly a destination that Marvin Rettenmaier enjoys after he won the WPT Cyprus Main Event in 2012 to give him back-to-back WPT victories with the Season X World Championship. The German came to the island this year as well and aside from taking in the sun, he took part in the High Roller event and managed to take it down for $180,000.
While the event went on smoothly for Rettenmaier, Roger Hairabedian certainly gave him a few problems as the heads-up matched lasted for quite a while. With another star now on his resume and another six-figure prize, the pro player has over $4.3 million in career earnings and well on his way of becoming a famous name in the industry.
However, looking at his name engraved on the WPT Trophy, it seems that he is not that famous just yet. During his stay in Cyprus, the German tweeted a photo of the plate representing his victory at the WPT Championship last year at the Bellagio with the name engraved incorrectly. The almost $1.2 million prize he got from the event will have to be compensation enough for the time being and it is expected that the mistake will be corrected as soon as possible.
Now that the opening event of a new WPT season is over, the attention will be focused to Florida where the first Alpha 8 Super High Roller event will take place at the Seminole Hard Rock Open. It will mark the beginning of a new series of poker tournaments with huge buy-ins meant to attract the best players in the game.