Mikita Badziakouski Wins 2022 Super High Roller Series Europe $50,000 Short Deck Poker Tournament

Mikita Badziakouski is one of the most accomplished young players on the high-stakes tournament scene. The 30-year-old Belarusian added another big victory to his already stellar resume by taking down the 2022 Super High Roller Series Europe $50,000 buy-in short deck event, topping a field of 42 entries to take down the title and the top prize of $756,000.

Badzaiakouski now has more than $34.5 million in career tournament earnings to his name. With this latest victory, he surpassed Fedor Holz ($34,373,043) to move into 10th place on poker’s all-time money list.

This was just the second live tournament score of the year for Badziakouski, who finished third in a $50,000 turbo a few days prior during the Triton Poker Cyprus series at the same venue as this festival, the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel-Casino in North Cyprus. He earned 510 Card Player Player of the Year points for the win, enough to see him move into 125th place in the 2022 POY race. He also secured 453 PokerGO Tour points, and is now inside the top 20 in that points race.

The solid turnout for this event created a prize pool worth $2.1 million, which was ultimately paid out among the top six finishers. The second and final day of action began with Badziakouski well out in front, with more chips than the bottom four stacks combined. He extended that lead early by winning a big pot with quad sixes and then when his A-Q suited outran the A-K suited of Lee Wai Kiat. Badziakouski flopped aces and queens and dodged Kiat’s flush draw to send his opponent to the rail with $105,000 for his sixth-place showing.

Short stack Lun Loon was the next to fall. He shoved with A-7 offsuit and ran into the A-J suited of bracelet winner and three-time Triton champion Jason Koon. Loon was unable to come from behind and was eliminated in fifth place ($168,000).

With that, an incredibly stacked final four was set. Badziakouski was joined by three other players who all had more than $33 million in prior tournament earnings to their name in Koon, 2019 Card Player Player of the Year and bracelet winner Stephen Chidwick, and ten-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey. Chidwick’s run ended when his A-9 ran into the A-Q of Badziakouksi. Both players flopped a pair with their kicker, but Chidwick was unable to improve any further. He earned $231,000 for his fourth-place finish, increasing his lifetime earnings total to more than $39 million. He remains in sixth place on the all-time money list.

Jason Koon got the last of his stack in on a 1087 flop with J9 for a flopped straight. Badziakouski bet enough with his J8 to put Koon at risk. The Q on the turn gave Badzkiakouski a flush draw to go with his straight outs for a chop. The K on the end completed that draw to send the massive pot to Badziakouski. Koon finished third for $336,000, increasing his career total to nearly $36.2 million.

With that Badzikouski took more than a 2:1 lead into heads-up play with Ivey, who has been on a tear in Cyprus. The 45-year-old Poker Hall of Famer made three final tables during the previously mentioned Triton Poker Cyprus series, cashing for more than $1.7 million and winning a $75,000 buy-in short deck event along the way.

Badziakouski was able to extend his chip lead over Ivey even further before the final hand of the tournament arrived. Ivey shoved with 1010 and Badziakouski woke up with AA. The board ran out KKJJJ to lock up the pot and the title for Badziakouski. Ivey added another $504,000 to 2022 haul, bringing his year-to-date earnings to more than $2.2 million. As a result of his recent high0stakes spree, he now sits in 27th place in the POY standings and third on the PGT leaderboard.

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

Photo credit: Merit Poker.

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