Oleksii Khoroshenin Makes EPT History

Oleksii Khoroshenin Makes EPT History

Monday, 31 March 2014

After a week of grinding in the grand surroundings of Vienna's Hofburg Palace, Oleksii Khoroshenin has become the Ukraine's first ever European Poker Tour (EPT) main event winner.

In total, 910 players anted up for the main event at this year's Vienna stop of the EPT but it was Khoroshenin who eventually scooped the €578,392 top prize after beating Anthony Ghamrawi heads-up on Saturday night.

The final session started with the average stack being an impressive 85 big blinds, which meant any chance of an early finish was fanciful thinking at best. Indeed, it took 13 hours to crown a champion and the road to a conclusion began with the demise of Rumen Nanev in eighth place. After moving all-in with Ac Kh, Nanev found himself in a classic race against Khoroshenin's pocket queens but was unable to catch a break as the board ran out.

That hand saw Nanev sent to the cashiers' desk to collect his €77,000 consolation prize before Frei Dilling, Simeon Naydenov, Timo Pfuzenreuter and Pablo Gordillo followed suit.

At this point just three players remained with the surviving trio agreeing to a deal after some wrangling over the remaining prizepool that gave Germany's Marko Neumann the largest cut. Having banked €638,127, it was Neumann who was the next player to fall, leaving Anthony Ghamrawi and Khoroshenin to fight for the title, a SLYDE watch and €50,000.

Unlike the prolonged preceding action, the final fight was relatively swift thanks to Khoroshenin maintaining his advantage from start to finish. The final hand saw Khoroshenin make an unbeatable flush with Ks 3s to oust Ghamrawi's lowly pair of sevens. With this, the Vienna stop of the EPT was brought to a close while Khoroshenin was left to bask in the limelight of his first major poker title.

EPT Vienna Main Event Final Standings:

1. Oleksii Khoroshenin (Ukraine) - €578,392

2. Anthony Ghamrawi (Austria) - €446,481

3. Marko Neumann (Germany) - €638,127

4. Pablo Gordillo (Spain) - €262,150

5. Timo Pfuzenreuter (Germany) - €203,900

6. Simeon Naydenov (Bulgaria) - €151,000

7. Frei Dilling (Germany) - €108,100

8. Rumen Nanev (Bulgaria) - €77,000



Tags: European Poker Tour, EPT, Vienna, Oleksii Khoroshenin, Anthony Ghamrawi, Marko Neumann, Pablo Gordillo, Timo Pfuzenreuter, Simeon Naydenov, Frei Dilling, Rumen Nanev