After three starting flights and four more days of play, Israel’s Uri Gilboa survived the action-packed 191,800₽ EPT Sochi Main Event final table at Casino Sochi to claim the 27,475,000₽ (~$419,000) first place prize, the trophy, and title of EPT Champion.

By the end of Day 4, the original field of 758 runners had been reduced to the final six thanks to the eliminations of final table participants Dmitry Yurasov (8th) and Francisco Benitez (7th).

Day 5 started with Israel’s Zakhar Babaev headed into the final table with an overwhelming chip lead. However, it was his fellow countryman, Gilboa that rose from the bottom half of the chip counts to eventually face off in a back-and-forth heads up match to end up with the victory.

It took over two hours for the first of the six finalists to fall. Serafim Kovalevsky moved all in from early position holding and was called by Babaev in the small blind holding . The flop was of no help to Kovalevsky. When the hit the turn he was drawing to just two outs. The river was the and on hand 60 of the final table Kovalevsky’s tournament came to an end in sixth place for 5,390,000₽ (~$83,000)

The five-handed battle continued for another nearly 40 hands when a big hand cost Vyacheslav Mizun his tournament life. Mizen opened in middle position with the . On the button, Babaev flat called holding . Maksim Pisarenko came along with the and Gilboa completed the call in the big blind with . The four players saw the flop of . Action checked to Mizun who placed a bet, but due to a string bet, it was only one part of the size he intended. This allowed Babaev and Gilboa to call and see another card for cheap. The turn was the bringing in the flush for Gilboa. Gilboa checked to Mizun who bet. Babaev folded top pair and Gilboa check-raised with his flush. Mizun shoved his set and Gilboa called. Looking for another club or for the board to pair on the river, the players saw the hit the river sending Mizun to the rail in fifth place for 7,091,000₽ (~$110,000).

Twenty minutes later another all-in clash resulted in another elimination. Gilboa raised holding and Ivan Ruban shipped over the top with . Babaev woke up with in the big blind and four-bet shipped his stack. Gilboa folded his pocket pair and Ruban and Babaev were in a classic race with Ruban at risk. The flop put Babaev in the lead with a pair of aces. The turn was the and when the hit the river, Ruban made his exit. Ruban finished in fourth place for 8,953,000₽ (~$139,000).

The three-handed battle continued for another 25 hands when Russia’s final player made his final stand. Babaev raised on the button only to be three-bet shoved on by the short stack of Pisarenko who had the . Gilboa flat called in the big blind holding . The flop gave Gilboa a set, but provided Pisarenko some straight outs. The turn was the and the river the . Pisarenko exited in third place for 11,865,000₽ (~$184,000).

After the departure of Pisarenko, the pair of Israeli players prepared for heads up play with Gilboa held a 2:1 chip lead over the former chip leader Babaev. However, after a double from Babaev the chip stacks evened out in what was an hour long, hard-fought heads up battle.

After some back and forth the players were very close in chips. Gilboa put in a raise on the button with the , Babaev three-bet shipped with the dominated and Gilboa snapped. The flop came giving Gilboa top pair and a lock on the hand. The turn effectively ended the hand and the shipped the massive hand to Gilboa and at the end of it, Babaev was left with fewer than five big blinds.

The tournament was over on the very next hand as Babaev put in his remaining stack with the and once again Gilboa had him dominated, calling with the . The hit the flop and the rest of the board ran out clean ending Babaev’s tournament as the runner-up for 16,737,000₽ (~259,000).

Uri Gilboa is the 2019 EPT Sochi Champion, the first ever from his country, taking home the 27,475,000₽ (~$419,000) first place prize.

2019 EPT Sochi Final Table Payouts

1. Uri Gilboa – ~$419,000
2. Zakhar Babaev – ~259,000
3. Maksim Pisarenko – ~$184,000
4. Ivan Ruban – ~$139,000
5. Vyacheslav Mizun – ~$110,000
6. Serafim Kovalevsky – ~$83,000
7. Francisco Benitez – ~$57,750
8. Dmitry Yurasov – ~$39,375