Vyacheslav Stoyanov has won the 2019 Card Player Poker Tour Bicycle Hotel & Casino $1,100 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event. The 32-year-old Moldovan poker pro outlasted a field of 507 total entries to secure the title and a payout of $108,480 after striking a deal heads-up with World Series of Poker bracelet winner Chris Klodnicki. Stoyanov earned his first six-figure live tournament payday as the champion of this event, but the cash game specialist nearly didn’t enter the event.

“I came from Las Vegas to the Bike for this trip to play cash games. I didn’t plan to play any tournaments, but my friend wanted me to play so badly. We went to the poker room and the manager told us about a $330 satellite.” said Stoyanov, who turned that $330 into a $1,100 seat in this event, and then cashed for the largest score of his career. “it was a very good experience. I really enjoyed this time here.”

Stoyanov was one of 478 entries made in this event’s three starting flights. He made it to day 2 as one of the shorter stacks in the room with 52,000. The 117 starting flight survivors were joined by 29 day 2 direct entry players, each of whom took advantage of this event’s Quantum Tournament structure and bought in for $4,300 and received 120,000 in chips. These late additions helped see the $500,000 guarantee for this event easily surpassed, with a final total of $594,000 eventually doled out to the 63 top finishers in this event.

Stoyanov managed to chip up to fourth place by the time day 2 came to a close. Joining him in the final 12 players were a number of accomplished poker professionals, including 2017 WSOP $1,500 no-limit hold’em bracelet winner Chris Klodnicki, two-time World Poker Tour main event winner Marvin Rettenmaier, Los Angeles regular local Peter Hengsakul and chip leader Jim Collopy.

Rettenmaier was ultimately eliminated on the final table bubble when his pocket sevens ran into the pocket aces of Nicky Komphouvong. The German was unable to come from behind and was sent to the rail in tenth place ($7,720).

Jim Collopy took the chip lead into the final table. Peter Hengsukal scored the first knockout when Zaher Samaan got his last chips in with A4 against Hengsukal’s AK. Samaan never caught up and was eliminated in ninth place, taking home $11,285 for his efforts.

Daniel Shea’s run in this event came to an end when he lost a battle of the blinds with 87 against the K10 of Stoyanov. King high proved to be enough to take down the pot by the river, and Shea was busted in eighth place ($15,565).

While Nicky Komphouvong had picked up aces against a smaller pair earlier, he had the tables turned on him during seven-handed action. Komphouvong got his last chips in with JJ and was called by the AA of Chris Klodnicki. The aces held and Komphouvong was knocked out in seventh place ($20,315).

Tarun Ravi also fell at the hands of Klodnicki. He shoved for less than 6 big blinds from the small blind with A7 and Klodnicki called from the big blind with Q4. Klodnicki paired his four on the turn and that was enough to lock up the pot. Ravi finished sixth for $25,840.

Jim Collopy finished fifth in this event in 2018. He made it back to the final table and seemed poised to improve on that showing in 2019, but his run came to a close when he shoved A9 from the small blind and got snap-called by the AK of Peter Hengsakul. The board gave Hengsakul kings full of deuces by the end, and Collopy earned his second consecutive fifth-place finish in this event. The $32,195 he earned brought his career live tournament earnings to $2,445,161.

Brendon Williams won his way into this event on Global Poker, alongside 29 other qualifiers. While nine of these players made it to day 2, and several made the money, only Williams moved on to the final day of action. The Canadian from Lake Cowichan made it all the way down to the final four, but ended up getting all-in with 97 on a 887 flop, only to run into the Q8 of Chris Klodnicki. Williams was drawing dead by the turn. He cashed for $39,680 as the fourth-place finisher, after having earned his seat for just SC$240 on Global Poker.

Not long after Williams hit the rail, Vyacheslav Stoyanov four-bet shoved over the top of Chris Klodnicki with K2. Klodnicki had three-bet with AQ and made a quick call. The board ran out J4265 and Stoyanov made a pair of deuces to win the massive pot and surge into the lead.

“[Klodnicki] is a really great player. He put pressure on me a lot,” said Stoyanov after the event was all over. “That was probably an emotional all-in with K-2. I was just tired of this pressure he was putting on me, and I tried something new. He had A-Q and I just got lucky.”

Action really picked up during three-handed play. Peter Hengsukal ended up getting all-in as the shortest stack with 1010. Klodnicki woke up with AA again and made the call. The aces held up and Hengsukal was knocked out in third place, earning $51,085.

With that Klodnicki chipped up to 9,100,000 while Stoyanov held 8,675,000. The two went into discussions regarding making a deal directly after they got down to heads up. The went over a number of options before deciding to do a chop of the remaining prize money based on the Independent Chip Model (ICM). Klodnicki would lock up $109,780, while Stoyanov would take home $108,480. The two agreed to flip for the title. Klodnicki got dealt a better than average hand in K9, but Stoyanov picked up a monster in KK. The kings held up on a 1084AA runout and Stoyanov secured the title and the CPPT trophy.

Stoyanov earned 840 Card Player Player of the Year points as the champion. This was his first POY-qualified score of the year. Klodnicki earned 700 points as the runner up. With five final-table finishes and a title won earlier this year right here at the Bike, Klodnicki now sits in 40th place in the POY race standings, which are sponsored by Global Poker.

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

Here are the chip counts at the start of heads-up play:

Chris Klodnicki – 9,100,000
Vyacheslav Stoyanov – 8,675,000

Peter Hengsakul moved all in on the button for 1,155,000 and was called by Chris Klodnicki in the small blind. Vyacheslav Stoyanov called as well out of the big blind.

Action was checked to the river as the board ran out K63910c. Hengsakul turned over 109 and his two pair was good enough to triple up against Klodnicki’s 4-4 and Stoyanov’s Q-8.

Pete Hengsakul – 3,355,000
Chris Klodnicki – 5,455,000
Vyacheslav Stoyanov – 8,320,000

Pete Hengsakul completed the small blind and Chris Klodnicki checked his option in the big blind. The flop was A22 and Hengsakul checked.

Klodnicki bet 200,000 and Hengsakul check-raised to 600,000 and Klodnicki called. The turn was the 2 and Hengsakul checked. Klodnicki bet 200,000 and Hengsakul quickly check-raised all in for Klodnicki’s remaining 2,100,000.

Klodnicki thought for a couple minutes before calling. Hengsakul showed 104 and was in bad shape against Klodnicki’s K4.

The river was the A, however, and both players end up playing the board with a full house. They chop the pot.

Pete Hengsakul – 5,305,000
Chris Klodnicki – 3,280,000

Vyacheslav Stoyanov raised to 300,000 on the button and Chris Klodnicki three-bet to 1,000,000 out of the big blind. Stoyanov moved all in for 3,600,000 and Klodnicki quickly called.

Klodnicki was in the lead with AQ against Stoyanov’s K2.

The flop was J42, giving Stoyanov the best hand with bottom pair. The turn was the 6 and the river was the 5. Stoyanov won the pot with a pair of deuces and doubled up into the chip lead.

Vyacheslav Stoyanov – 7,275,000
Chris Klodnicki – 6,050,000