From Shortstack to a $1,000,000 Triumph
The Main Event, featuring a $5,400 buy-in, attracted a total of 972 entries. Thanks to the high turnout, the prizepool nearly reached the guaranteed $5,000,000, with 145 players cashing out.
Daniil Kiselev's journey to becoming the new champion was filled with twists and turns. On Day 1d, he found himself dwindling down to just 3 big blinds and was on the brink of elimination. Nevertheless, he fought his way into the final day among the last 15 players and dominated the final table.
Reigning 2025 champion Daniel Thaller from Austria was a major point of interest, as he was close to achieving back-to-back victories. However, his journey ended in the final four when Kiselev's A d 6 d beat Thaller's K c Q c, thanks to an ace on the river.
In the final heads-up, Kiselev faced Turkish player Mehmet Biskin. The match was decided when Kiselev went all-in with an unconventional 9 c 3 c and Biskin called with K h Q d. Kiselev paired his three on the board 7 h 3 d J s A d A h, sealing his career-defining victory worth his first seven-figure prize.
Final Table Results of the $5,400 MPP Main Event:
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1. |
Daniil Kiselev |
Russia |
$1,000,000 |
|
2. |
Mehmet Biskin |
Turkey |
$621,000 |
|
3. |
Jordan Woodall |
Germany |
$420,000 |
|
4. |
Daniel Thaller |
Austria |
$290,000 |
|
5. |
Timo Vogt |
Austria |
$210,000 |
|
6. |
Naji Tannoury |
Lebanon |
$150,000 |
|
7. |
Kirill Solovev |
Russia |
$110,000 |
|
8. |
Ivan Bryksin |
Russia |
$80,000 |
|
9. |
Raphael Schreiner |
Austria |
$60,000 |
Aleksandr Razinkov Claims His Title
The $3,300 Paradise Mystery Bounty also delivered extraordinary excitement, drawing 290 entries. By the second day, 44 players advanced, each guaranteed a minimum payout of $3,000.
The action on Day 2 was fast and aggressive as players aimed to grab as many chips as possible for the Mystery Bounty envelopes. Chengxu Hu from China was the undisputed bounties king, eliminating five opponents in just two hours. He pulled the highest possible envelope worth $100,000 and racked up a total of $143,500 in bounties. Hu also made it to the final table, where he finished 4th with a prize of $27,300.
However, the tournament champion was Aleksandr Razinkov, an entrepreneur and avid paragliding enthusiast, who compared his poker patience to waiting for the perfect wind. In the decisive heads-up hand, he called with T c 5 s against Aleksei Istomin's all-in with K c 3 s. The board T h 7 d 2 d J h Q h secured him the trophy and an $85,000 prize.
Final Table Results of the $3,300 Paradise Mystery Bounty:
|
Position |
Player |
Country |
Prize |
|
1. |
Aleksandr Razinkov |
Russia |
$85,000 |
|
2. |
Aleksei Istomin |
Russia |
$55,000 |
|
3. |
Leonid Orman |
Russia |
$38,000 |
|
4. |
Chengxu Hu |
China |
$27,300 |
|
5. |
Congya Zhang |
China |
$20,200 |
|
6. |
Vasileios Panagiotidis |
Greece |
$15,550 |
|
7. |
Yiannis Liperis |
Cyprus |
$12,700 |
|
8. |
Mengdian Peng |
China |
$10,600 |
|
9. |
Pavel Frolov |
Ukraine |
$9,000 |
Sources: Merit Poker, Flickr
