Ruslan Bogdanov Wins 2020 European Poker Tour Sochi Main Event

The European Poker Tour has awarded its first main event title since the COVID-19 outbreak began. The EPT Sochi 175,000 RUB no-limit hold’em main event attracted a total of 637 entries to Casino Sochi, and after six days of action it was Ruslan Bogdanov who emerged victorious. The Russian native was awarded 15,984,500 RUB ($212,914 USD) as the champion of this event.

“I am very happy. There were many key moments that worked out successfully,” Bogdanov said in a Russian-language video interview after coming out on top.

In addition to the title and the money, Bogdanov also earned 840 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win. This was his first POY-qualified score ever, but it alone was enough to see him climb into a 14-way tie for 93rd place in the standings for the 2020 POY race, which is sponsored by Global Poker.

Bogdanov became the fifth player from Russia to win an EPT main event title, joining the likes of Maxim Lykov, Vladimir Geshkenbein, Andrey Pateychuk, and Arseniy Karmatskiy.

The final day of this event began with Gleb Ershov leading the remaining eight players, while Bogdanov sat in fourth chip position. Ershov ultimately fell in third place ($110,723 USD), setting up a heads-up showdown between Bogdanov and Viktor Tkachenko. They ultimately struck a deal during heads-up play to redistribute the remaining prize pool, but played on to determine a champion.

In the final hand, Bogdanov called the all-in of Tkachenko with pocket sixes. He was up against two overcards in J-9, but was able to hold up through the river to secure the pot and the trophy. Tkachenko took home $193,007 USD as the runner-up finisher.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at the final table:

Photo credits: Oleg ParaMon / PokerStars.

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