EPT Malta 2025: Alex Theologis Wins €100k Super High Roller for Maiden Shard and €776,200

How It Started

Seven players progressed from Day 1, with Turkish-born, London-based billionaire entrepreneur Orpen Kisacikoglu sitting atop the counts as the cards hit the felt for the first time that day. The field was joined by three max late-reggers, in the forms of Juan Pardo, Enrico Camosci, and Alekejs Ponakovs. Adrian Mateos was the first casualty of the day’s play, as Kisacikoglu’s Big Slick cracked his kings in a pre-flop all-in situation. For Camosci, his tournament came to an end just 30 minutes after taking his seat. Camosci doubled off the bat with ace-king versus Kisacikoglu’s queens, but was eliminated in 9th when his pocket tens were outflopped by the ace-queen offsuit of Ben Heath.

Eliminations came at a rapid pace, with Ponakovs and Mullur being next up on the chopping block. Ponakovs had a turn with Big Slick, but he was drawing dead on the turn as Juan Pardo made the nut flush with ace-jack offsuit. Mullur ran into Pieter Aerts’s jacks, with the former three-bet shoving all in from under the gun versus Aerts in the small blind.

Aerts was then next to depart, and his stack was claimed by Heath, who made Broadway to beat Aerts’ two pair of aces and jacks. Mikita Badziakouski followed shortly after having three-bet jammed the flop of 8 [2] 9 with A Q versus Pardo, who had J 10 . The 7 gave Pardo a flush, but Badziakouski the nut-flush draw. The J secured the Belarusian’s fate, and he was not to add to his massive tally of $65,707,165 in live tournament earnings that day.

Play Slows As Bubble Looms

As the bubble loomed, the play slowed, as each chip became more valuable than the last. Theologis was making his count, and he scored a double up through Pardo with a superior full-house to the Spaniard. Theologis then took a decent pot from start of the day chip leader Kisacikoglu, who fired three streets with ace-king, to be called down by the king-queen offsuit of Theologis.

Pardo had a rollercoaster session, with his chips changing hands throughout the remaining players. Pardo doubled to 1,000,000 through Kisacikoglu with pocket eights versus pocket threes. He was then down to 595,000, having folded to a river raise from Heath, before making a straight versus Theologis and a pot from Heath to approach the 1,000,000 mark once again. Forty-minutes or so later, Pardo was down to 390,000, as he lost a flip with fives to Theologis with ace-queen offsuit.

Pardo then doubled again to stay in contention, with Ace-jack offsuit versus Kisackioglu with king-nine suited. Kisackioglu had a pair of nines and a backdoor flush draw, and Pardo a straight-draw, which he completed on the turn. The players chips found their way into the middle on the flop.

Every rollercoaster ride comes to an end eventually, and around 50 minutes later, Pardo fell short of the money. Kisacikoglu jammed king-five offsuit in the small blind, and Pardo called in the big blind with ace-jack offsuit. Kisacikoglu flopped two pair, and the turn and river only confirmed Pardo’s exit.

The Final Frames

Heath departed shortly after Pardo, claiming the first of three payout spots. Theologis opened the button before Heath moved almost all in, leaving 10,000 behind. Kisacikoglu then jammed from the big blind. Theologis folded, Heath called. Heath had eights versus king-queen suited, and was ahead until the queen river gave Kisacikoglu the winner. The heads-up battle was back-and-forth, but concluded after around forty minutes of play time. Theologis took the lead, and maintained it, eventually sealing the deal with A J . Kisacikoglu limp-called a raise from the small blind with K 3 to see the flopof 6 K 2 . Theologis bet 75,000 with the blinds at 25,000/50,000 50,000 big blind ante and Kisacikoglu called. Theologis then check-jammed on the 3 turn over a 200,000 wager from Kisacikoglu, who called. The 8 completed Theologis’s nut-flush draw, and secured him his first EPT Title.

€100,000 Super High Roller Payouts

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Alexandros Theologis	Greece	€776,200
2	Orpen Kisacikoglu	Turkey	€465,700
3	Ben Heath	United Kingdom	€310,420

Words From The Winner

What’s Next?

There is plenty more poker action to come across Europe, as the WSOPE Rozvadov Main Event nears its conclusion and the EPT Malta Main Event field starts to come together flight by flight. Stay tuned to pokerlistings.com for more poker content from across the continent and the globe.