As an official media partner, our team at poker.pro will be on-site at the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea at Regency Casino, Thessaloniki, covering every hand and highlight. Don’t miss a moment of the action as we bring you exclusive live updates from the €450 Mystery Bounty Monsterstack and the €600 Main Event.
Anastasios Vardalis, winner of the €600 Main Event during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 30:
200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries:
3/529
Prizes:
€280,370
After Alexey Shilov went out in fourth place, the three remaining players – Dimitrios Siantikos, Anastasios Vardalis, and Ippokratis Aslanoglou – decided to call it a night. They agreed to a deal; Siantikos and Aslanoglou shared the €5,000 that were still meant to be played for, while chipleader Vardalis was awarded with the trophy. All three players shook hands and seemed very pleased.
Not the ending we expected, but here we are. Such, Vardalis is crowned the champion of the €600 Main Event, and that concludes the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea.
The poker.pro team would like to thank all players who’ve been enjoying these seven days in poker paradise, Regency Casino Thessaloniki for providing excellent service, all tournament staff and dealer who’s been working day and night to create an absolutely sublime event, and last but not least, Pokerland for assisting with photos and input on the Greek live poker scene for the poker.pro live blog.
This also concludes the poker.pro live coverage. It’s been a fun ride. Tomorrow, a full recap of today’s action will be up. Thanks to everyone who’s been tuning in to the live blog.
Alexey Shilov during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 30:
200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries:
3/529
Prizes:
€280,370
A short-stacked Alexey Shilov got his 1,275,000 in the middle against Dimitrios Siantikos on a K♣2♣3♠ flop.
Alexey Shilov: 5♠3♦ Dimitrios Siantikos: A♠9♣
Shilov was already ahead, and he extended his lead with the 3♣ turn. However, the A♣ saw Siantikos improving to a flush. Such, Shilov was out in fourth place, cashing for €26,057 thanks to the deal made earlier.
Giannopoulos was chasing a flush, but didn’t get there as the board completed 9♠10♠. He was out in fifth, but after the deal, he had locked up €33,652, second to most after Anastasios Vardalis.
Nikolaos Giannopoulos during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 29:
150,000/300,000 (300,000)
Entries:
5/529
Prizes:
€280,370
Seated on the Button, Anastasios Vardalis opened to 650,000. Nikolaos Giannopoulos then moved all in for 5,600,000 from the Small Blind. After Ippokratis Aslanoglou folded his Big Blind, Vardalis quickly made the call.
Giannopoulos sighed heavily as he saw the 8♠J♥K♥ flop. When the 7♥ fell on the turn, he rose from his chair and started putting on his jacket. The old trick never fails; the 10♣ river saw him doubling up through Vardalis.
After a very intense period earlier, not much has happened during Level 29. Nikolaos Giannopoulos and Alexey Shilov are the two shortest stacks at this moment, but they still have some playability.
Don’t worry, folks; poker.pro is never sleeping and every major update from the final table will be documented.
Anastasios Vardalis opened to 550,000 UTG. Action folded all the way to Dimitrios Siantikos, who moved all in for 6,575,000 from the Big Blind. Vardalis utilized a timebank chip before making the fall.
The remaining five players have agreed to the following deal:
Dimitrios Siantikos has locked up €21,436.
Anastasios Vardalis has locked up €34,546.
Nikolaos Giannopoulos has locked up €33,652.
Ippokratis Aslanoglou has locked up €21,871.
Alexey Shilov has locked up €26,057.
The players will keep on playing for an additional €5,000 and the trophy. When play commenced after the deal was locked in, the chip counts looked like this:
Ioannis Diamantopoulos during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 28:
125,000/250,000 (250,000)
Entries:
5/529
Prizes:
€280,370
Action folded to small-stacked Ioannis Diamantopoulos, who moved all in for 595,000 from the Small Blind. Seated in the Small Blind, Ippokratis Aslanoglou made the call.
Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 10♥6♥ Ippokratis Aslanoglou: 8♠7♦
Diamantopoulos was on the course for a double-up, and the question was if Aslanoglou had caught “Too Many Outs”-syndrome on the 9♥6♠2♠9♠ board. The answer would turn out to be no; he hit his straight on the 5♣ river, and sent Diamantopoulos to the rail doing so. For his sixth-place finish, he received €9,448.
As Diamantopoulos left the tournament area, the remaining five players called over the floor to discuss an ICM-deal.
Ippokratis Aslanoglou: 10,500,000 Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 0
Aggelos Valilis during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 28:
125,000/250,000 (250,000)
Entries:
6/529
Prizes:
€280,370
The hand after Ioannis Diamantopoulos had become short, Aggelos Valilis opened to 400,000 from UTG. Seated right next to him, Nikolaos Giannopoulos put in a three-bet to 1,550,000. Action folded back to Valilis, who made the call.
There are more intriguing flops in poker than 7♦2♠7♥. Nevertheless, Valilis checked, Giannopoulos fired a 2,300,000 bet, and Valilis made the call. Valilis checked again on the 4♠ turn, prior to Giannopoulos moving all in. After some consideration, Valilis decided to fold, perhaps with ICM in mind, considering the 595,000 stack of Diamantopoulos.
A few hands later, Anastasios Vardalis opened to 550,000 from the Button. Aggelos Valilis moved all in from the Small Blind for roughly 2,500,000, and when action came back to Vardalis, he snap-called.
Aggelos Valilis: A♦Q♦ Anastasios Vardalis: A♥K♦
Valilis’ tournament life came to an end as the board spelled out A♣K♣7♠9♠Q♠. He left the featured table €7,766 richer.
Action folded to Itzhak Cohen on the Cut-off, who moved all in for 2,800,000. Dimitrios Siantikos made the call from the Big Blind, having 2,350,000 in chips.
Itzhak Cohen: A♦2♦ Dimitrios Siantikos: A♥Q♣
The K♥9♥8♣4♣5♦ board leaved Cohen crippled with only 450,000, while Siantikos, who had entered the final table as the smallest stack, kept on climbing the rankings.
Two hands later, Cohen went all in for his last two big blinds, seated in the Lo-jack. Anastasios Vardalis (Small Blind) and Aggelos Valilis (Big Blind) both made the call.
The two “blind players” checked the 3♦A♥K♠ flop, and the A♦ turn. Vardalis bet 300,000 on the 6♥ river, and Valilis mucked.
Itzhak Cohen: K♦2♠ Anastasios Vardalis: K♥10♣
With a superior kicker, Vardalis sent Cohen to the rail in eighth place. Before leaving the tournament area, Cohen collected his €6,420 payout.
Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 27:
100,000/200,000 (200,000)
Entries:
8/529
Prizes:
€280,370
Action folded to Aggelos Valilis, who opened to 400,000 from the Hi-jack. Right next to him, Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris clicked it to 800,000 from the Cut-off. When the decision came back to Valilis, he forced his opponent all in for roughly 3,000,000. Kapiris made the call.
The 5♥8♦3♠5♣10♣ saw Kapiris, perhaps one of the most experienced players left in the field, being the first casualty of the final table. For his achievements, he was awarded €5,327.
During one of the first hands on the final table, Alexey Shilov (Small Blind) forced Dimitrios Siantikos (Big Blind) all in for 1,500,000. Siantikos, who entered the final table as the smallest stack, made the call for his tournament life.
Alexey Shilov: Q♥10♥ Dimitrios Siantikos: K♣10♠
As the board ran out 9♠4♦K♥2♦9♦, Siantikos received the full double up.
Chipleader Anastasios Vardalis opened to 300,000 from the Button, before Alexey Shilov made it 675,000 from the Small Blind. Itzhak Cohen made the call from the Big Blind, and Vardalis also joined in on the fun.
Shilov bet 500,000 on the 4♣2♣2♦ flop, and Cohen wasted little time before raising to 1,200,000. Vardalis must’ve had a tough decision; he used one timebank chip before he threw his hand into the muck. Shilov, however, called for his tournament life.
Itzhak Cohen: 10♥10♣ Alexey Shilov: A♦A♣
For good measure, Shilov improved to a full house on the 8♠A♥ runout.
Anastasios Vardalis Opened to 250,000 from the Button. Seated in the Big Blind, Itzhak Cohen decided to make the call.
Cohen check-called a 250,000 bet from Vardalis on the 5♥9♥6♦ flop. Both players checked the 4♥ turn. It was Cohen who led out for 450,000 on the 8♦ river. After putting one timebank chip to use, Vardalis made the call.
1-5 showed A♦7♣ for a rivered straight. Vardalis couldn’t beat it, and Cohen won a decently sized pot against the chip leader.
It was “the Ketchup Effect”; not much happened when the final two tables began play, but after X went out in sixteenth place, things started to ramp up. Below is an updated list of eliminations from Day 3.
When action folded to Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris, he moved all in for 2,100,000 from the Button. Aggelos Valilis quickly gave up his Small Blind, but short-stack Marek Rous contemplated a decision. Eventually, he did make the call.
Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris: A♣9♥ Marek Rous: A♥7♣
Kapiris’ nine kicker came into play on the 10♦6♣A♠2♣J♠ board, and such, Rous was eliminated. For his thirteenth-place finish, he was awarded €3,617.
Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris: 3,550,000 Marek Rous: 0
Action folded all the way to Vasileios Poziadis in the Small Blind, who limped. Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris wouldn’t allow it and raised to 325,000 from the Big Blind. Poziadis pondered for a while, utilizing two timebank chips, before moving all in for 2,075,000 in total. Kapiris called in a split second.
Poziadis almost improved to a flush on the 5♠3♠4♦7♦10♠, but it wasn’t enough. He was the first one to go from the last two tables; it’s been a slow start.
During one of the first hands after the second break, Anastasios Vardalis opened to 250,000 from the Button. Andronikos Voliotis moved all in for 2,050,000 from the Small Blind, and after Dimitrios Anastasiadis folded in the Big Blind, Vardalis quickly called.
Another two levels have passed, and the remaining 17 players are on a 15-minute break. They are set to return to Level 24: 50,000/100,000, with a 100,000 Ante. Below are five of the biggest stacks.
Vasileios Poziadis opened to 160,000 from UTG+1. A short-stacked Christos-Dimokratis Athanasiadis moved all in for 290,000 from the Cut-off. Anastasios Vardalis called from the Small Blind, and Poziadis also joined the party.
Action went check-check on the K♥J♦10♠ flop. Vardalis bet 350,000 on the 5♣ turn, and Poziadis made the call. On the K♣ river, Vardalis fired 650,000. After some consideration, Poziadis made the call.
Ivan Popov won the 2025 Novibet Poker Championship. Photo: Pokerland
Level 22:
30,000/60,000 (60,000)
Entries:
21/529
Prizes:
€280,370
There will be no sunshine double for Ivan Popov. A couple of months ago, he won the 2025 Novibet Poker Championship for €46,361. That was the latest big poker event here at Regency Casino Thessaloniki. Today, Popov was the first person to go out when three tables remained.
Seated UTG+1, Ioannis Diamantopoulos opened to 125,000. Action folded to Apostolos Karathanasis in the Small Blind, who moved all in for 430,000. Then, Andronikos Voliotis re-shoved for 810,000 from the Big Blind. Diamantopoulos made the call as fast as humanly possible.
Apostolos Karathanasis: Q♥5♥ Andronikos Voliotis: A♣K♦ Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 10♥10♣
Voliotis took the lead on the K♣2♥4♥ flop, while Karathanasis picked up a flush draw. The 2♣3♠ runout resulted in Karathanasis going out in twenty-sixth place, while Voliotis doubled through Diamantopoulos.
Andronikos Voliotis: 2,650,000 Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 1,650,000 Apostolos Karathanasis: 0
Andronikos Voliotis opened to 120,000 UTG. Right next to him, Ioannis Souroukidis moved all in for 910,000. Things didn’t stop there, as Vasileios Poziadis re-shoved for 1,200,000 from the Cut-off. Action folded back to Voliotis, who used three timebank chips before finally folding.
Ioannis Souroukidis: J♠J♣ Vasileios Poziadis: K♦K♣
No nasty surprises for kings on the 8♥7♥2♥10♠K♥ runout, and Souroukidis was sent to the rail in twenty-eighth place for €1,906. As Poziadis stacked his newly won chips, Voliotis revealed he folded ace-king. Whether he had a heart or not wasn’t confirmed, however.
Vasileios Poziadis: 2,680,000 Ioannis Souroukidis: 0
28 players remain at the first break. They will soon return to Level 22: Blinds 30,000/60,000, and a 60,000 Ante. Below are the five biggest stacks in the room.
Apostolos Karathanasis decided to go for broke; he moved all in for 375,000 from UTG. Action folded all the way to Risto Raernat in the Big Blind, who made the call immediately after peaking at his hole cards.
Apostolos Karathanasis: Q♠J♣ Risto Raernat: A♥Q♥
Karathanasis wasn’t too thrilled to see the holdings of Raernat, but he took a solid lead on the 8♠4♠J♠ flop. Raernat wasn’t able to catch up on the 10♣8♥ runout, and Karathanasis received a full double-up.
Risto Raernat: 1,650,000 Apostolos Karathanasis: 825,000
Seated UTG, Artemios Fournaris opened to 110,000. Then, Anastasios Vardalis raised to 325,000. Right next to him, Sami Natri moved all in for 1,135,000. Fournaris folded rather quickly, but Vardalis put two timebank chips to use before deciding to make the call.
Sami Natri: K♦K♣ Anastasios Vardalis: A♦K♠
Natri had his opponent in rough shape, but he wasn’t too thrilled to see the A♥Q♦6♥ flop. The 7♥6♣ runout didn’t help him, and as he was eliminated in thirty-second position for €1,543, Vardalis’ stack grew to enormous proportions; there is a good chance he is the current chip leader.
Action folded to Georgios Mellidis in the Small Blind, who decided to just call. Ivan-Liubomirov Popov denied it, and raised to 125,000. Mellidis made the call.
Mellidis check-called an 80,000 bet from Popov on the 7♣7♥10♦ flop. Both players checked the 5♣ turn. Mellidis checked again on the A♣ river and then snap-called the 300,000 bet from Popov.
Below are all the players who’ve gone out from Day 3 so far. Remember, for the full results of the Main Event and other tournaments, click the “payouts & results” tab. The tables are being updated continuously, and soon enough, the results for all tournaments during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea will be posted.
Itzhak Cohen opened to 80,000 from the Hi-jack. Most players at the table decided to join, as Nikolaos Giannopoulos (Cut-off), Andreas Vlachos (Button), Dimitrios Giannakis (Small Blind), and Hristina Nikolova (Big Blind) all decided to call. In other words, almost a family pot.
Giannakis and Nikolova checked it over to Cohen on the 5♦3♥5♣ flop, who bet 60,000. Then, Giannopoulos raised to 280,000. Things would get even crazier; after using one timebank chip, Giannakis moved all in for 880,000. Action folded back to Giannopoulos, who made the call in a heartbeat.
It’s been an action-packed start to the final day; in just ten minutes, there’s been no fewer than four eliminations.
One of those who had to bid farewell at an early stage was Borislav Yosifov. UTG+1, he put in a 400,000 raise, leaving himself with 130,000 behind. Action folded to Ivan-Liubomirov Popov in the Big Blind, who forced his opponent all in. Yosifov utilized all five of his timebank chips, most likely stalling for a payjump, before making the call.
It’s soon time for the penultimate day of the €600 Main Event. What a fitting conclusion to the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea this will be, folks. It’s been an absolutely marvelous week for all poker enthusiasts, and today, everything will conclude with one lucky player claiming the Main Event title and the €56,340 first-place payout.
Ippokratis Aslanoglou may lead the field going into Day 3 (3,180,000), but with 47 players remaining, there still is a lot of poker to be played, and anything can happen. Nevertheless, it’s going to be an entertaining day around the poker tables here in Thessaloniki.
The poker.pro live coverage will commence at 14:00, just when the first hand is dealt. Ladies and gentlemen, today, a winner of the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea will be crowned, and a new chapter for the poker history books will be written.
A total of 47 players managed to survive Day 2. They will return to Day 3 tomorrow (Sunday, June 29) at 14:00.
Ippokratis Aslanoglou leads the field, as he managed to bag more than 3,000,000 in chips. It’s been a bumpy ride for many players today, especially on the bubble. Some players decided to hold on tight to their chips and secure the min-cash, while some decided to go for broke and attempt to double up their shorter stacks.
The full chip counts and all eliminations since reaching ITM can be seen below.
It’s common poker knowledge that the “Post Bubble Bustout Bonanza” is a real thing. Since the bubble burst, the following players have all gone out, earning themself a €1,206 min-cash.
Action folded to Ioannis Diamantopoulos, who raised to 60,000 from the Lo-jack. Action folded to Georgios Mylonas, who moved all in for 165,000 from the Small Blind. When it came back to Diamantopoulos, he made the call. The players had to wait a minute or two while action was going on at the other tables, before revealing their holdings.
Georgios Mylonas: A♦K♦ Ioannis Diamantopoulos: A♥2♦
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the floor started talking in the microphone. “We have an all in and a call at Table three. Short stacks holds A♦K♦, big stack has A♥2♦. Dealer, let’s see the flop.”
Mylonas looked good for a double-up on the 4♣9♠10♣ flop. Things were still bright on the 6♠ turn. Then, everyone was reminded why poker can be such a brutal game. The 2♠ shattered Mylonas’ Main Event dreams, and as everyone else started cheering over the fact that they were in the money, Mylonas, gracious in defeat, exited the stage.
While things might feel dull for Mylonas right now, it’s worth to remember he finished second in the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty earlier this week. Overall, he’s had a good time here at the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea.
Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 1,770,000 Georgios Mylonas: 0
Seated UTG, Dimitrios Giannakis opened to 65,000. Action folded all the way to Anastasios Vardalis, who decided to defend his Big Blind.
Vardalis check-called a 70,000 bet from Giannakis on the 2♥7♣10♦ flop. Action repeated itself on the 3♠ turn, the only difference being that Giannakis this time sized up to 100,000. Both players checked the 2♣ river.
Nikolay-Dimitrov Savov opened to 50,000 from UTG+1. Then, from UTG+2, Vasileios Zisis raised to 130,000. As if things weren’t already crazy enough, Marek Rous 4-bet to 285,000 from the Button.
Back to Savov, who now 5-bet shoved for 790,000. This sent Zisis deep, deep into the tank. Not one, not two, not three, but four time bank chips he used, before finally mucking his hand with a face displaying great discomfort. Rous then asked the dealer for a count. When the number was confirmed, he made the call.
Nikolay-Dimitrov Savov: A♦K♠ Marek Rous: Q♥Q♠
In the end, it was a flip, and Rous’ queens were good enough as the board ran out 3♦8♦8♦6♠9♥ flop. Before the flop was dealt, though, Zisis revealed his K♠K♥ holdings.
One can understand that Savov didn’t connect, considered two of his outs were gone, and as he hit the rail, Rous won a massive pot and broke the 2,000,000 barrier.
Marek Rous: 2,095,000 Vasileios Zisis: 1,650,000 Nikolay-Dimitrov Savov: 0
The remaining 71 players are raiding the complementary hamburger/hot dog buffet right outside the tournament area. While they are indulging for 30 minutes, the poker.pro live coverage team scouted the floor and identified five of the biggest stacks.
The players will return to Level 18: 15,000/25,000 (25,000). Nine more will go before the remaining 62 are in the money.
Chrysanthos Pappas opened to 40,000 from the Hi-jack. Seated in the Big Blind, Artemios Fournaris was the sole caller.
Fournaris check-called a 20,000 bet from Pappas on the K♥K♣3♠ flop. Both players checked the 5♦ turn.
When Fournaris bet 65,000, Pappas immediately threw two timebank chips in the middle. He scratched his head, trying to make sense of the situation. At last, though, he folded, revealing his Q♥Q♠ holdings.
Vasileios Karagiannis committed most of his stack when he opened to 65,000 from the Hi-jack. From the Button, Georgios Mylonas moved all in for 100,000. Action folded back to Karagiannis, who made the call, having Mylonas slightly covered.
Mylonas never looked back after hitting trips on the A♥A♠3♥ flop. The 2♣4♣ didn’t change the outcome, and the two small stacks switched places on the rankings.
Action folded to Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris, who opened to 30,000 from the Button. Then, Vasileios Poziadis raised to 120,000 from the Big Blind, after putting one timebank chip to use. Kapiris made the call.
Poziadis continued for 80,000 on the 9♦9♠10♣ flop. Kapiris called, and the dealer revealed the 3♥ on the turn. Poziadis bet again – this time 165,000 – and Kapiris made the call.
Action went check-check on the 7♥ river. Poziadis turned over K♠K♣ and seeing as Kapiris mucked his hand, he couldn’t beat it.
Hristina Nikolova during the Smart Poker Tour. Photo: Smart Poker Tour
Level 16:
10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries:
85/529
Prizes:
€280,370
The poker.pro live reporter visited Hristina Nikolova a few times during Day 1b, to which she had qualified to. She’s still in the Day 2 field and competing for top dollar.
The board read Q♠10♠10♣Q♥ with roughly 140,000 in the middle. Nikolova and Konstantinos Koufogiannidis both checked. Nikolova bet 100,000 on the A♥ river, and Koufogiannidis folded.
Dimitrios Siantikos opened to 35,000 UTG. Miroslav Rizov made the call from the Hi-jack, before Borislav Yosifov moved all in for 190,000. Siantikos folded, but Rizov made the call in a heartbeat.
Borislav Yosifov: Q♦Q♠ Miroslav Rizov: 3♥3♣
Just for good measure, Yosifov improved to a full house on the 7♠A♥7♦10♣Q♥ board. Rizov could afford the loss.
Miroslav Rizov: 1,170,000 Borislav Yosifov: 345,000
At the first break, 95 players remain. While they are gone, the poker.pro live coverage team did its best at identifying the biggest stacks in the room. The upcoming level is level 16: 10,000/15,000, with a 15,000 Ante.
Achilleas Kouros opened to 26,000 from UTG+1. Seated right next to him, Konstantinos Stroulis moved all in for 256,000. Action folded back to Kouros, who was faced with a tough decision. He utilized two timebank cards before making the call.
Vasilis Zisis, Achilleas Kouros, and Nikolay-Dimitrov Savov were the three chip leaders from the respective Day 1 flights. The poker.pro live reporter took a look at their current stacks to see how they’re holding up so far in Day 2.
Vasileos Zisis during the Battle of Malta 2024 – Spring Edition. Photo: Pokerland
Level 14:
5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries:
119/529
Prizes:
€280,370
Roughly one and a half hours into Day 2, and roughly 40 players have already gone out. There are still quite a few that will have to fall before the top 62 are in the money.
One of the players still in the mix is Vasileios Zisis. While the Greek is mostly a cash game player, he achieved tournament greatness in Malta last year; he conquered a field of 1,814 entries to win the 2024 Battle of Malta Spring Edition for €100,000. Then, six months later, he finished runner-up in the 2024 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition for €160,800, which had 5,799 entries.
Needless to say, Zisis knows how to navigate his way through large fields. Can he channel his Maltese tournament skills and convert them to a victory here in Thessaloniki?
Konstantinos Daskalou moved all in for 41,000 from the Hi-jack. Action folded to Stavros Kokotsakis in the Big Blind.
“31,000 more, huh,” Kokotsakis speculated, pondering whether he was priced in to make the call or not. Eventually, he did threw in the additional chips required.
Andronikos Voliotis opened to 16,000 from UTG+1. Action folded all the way to Nikolaos Tsinas, who called from the Big Blind.
Both players checked the 10♦4♠8♣ flop. Tsinas check-called a 20,000 bet from Voliotis on the 8♠ turn. Tsinas completed the check-trifecta on the 9♣ river, before Voliotis bet 47,000. Tsinas made the call.
Voliotis turned over 8♦7♦ for trip eights. Tsinas couldn’t beat it, and he mucked his hand.
Day 2 of the €600 Main Event will kick off at 18:00, and that’s when the poker.pro live coverage will commence as well. The total prize pool will be announced when Day 1c has concluded; the same goes for the payouts.
It was a Friday for the ages in Thessaloniki. Not only was it time for Day 1b of the €600 Main Event; the €150 PLO4/5 was also a part of the featured schedule, alongside with a player’s party in luxurious fashion. The Main Event was the cherry on top, though, and after roughly 10 hours of play, Achilleas Kouros bagged the chip lead amongst his fellow 65 Day 2 advancers.
A Star-Spangled Field
The expectations were high for Day 1b of the Main Event. Day 1a had been played on Thursday, the twenty-sixth, and 172 entries collected an impressive €91,160 to the prize pool. These numbers were always expected to be surpassed by the ones of Friday, and that would prove to be the case; Day 1b registered a whopping 247 entries, and another €130,910 was added to the total prize pool.
Georgos “Vladan” Theofanopoulos. Photo: Pokerland
Many familiar faces were expected to be in the mix during Friday’s action, and this would prove to be the case. Greek poker media virtuoso Georgios “Vladan” Theofanopoulos, old-school poker legend Andreas Vlachos, and €250 PKO winner Theodoros Ampelikiotis were all in the field. Another was Anass Chergui, who had a deep run in the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. His impressive poker skills were still on full display, and he managed to get a big stack going in the Main Event.
Anass Chergui. Photo: Pokerland
In fact, things were going so well for Chergui that he was actually the chip leader after the conclusion of Level 11. He had managed to do this despite sitting out for one hour; his phone had mysteriously broken the night between Thursday and Friday, and he had to go into town to fix it.
Late registration closed after the break. Ninety players then remained; those who’d be able to survive to more levels would all receive a plastic bag. Some players started to tighten it up, some tried to convert their short stacks to bigger ones, and when all was said and done, 66 players managed to secure their Day 2 seat. Vlachos was one of the players who managed to move on; even though he did not have the biggest stacks, he’ll be someone to be on the lookout for. That also goes for friend of poker.pro, Fotios Ntamaris, a very skillful player who secured a 469,000 stack.
Andreas Vlachos. Photo: Pokerland
It’s also well worth mentioning that one of the few women in the field, Hristina Nikolova, finished in the top ten of the Day 1b chip counts with 561,000. Nikolova secured her Main Event seat through Thursday’s €60 satellite, and she’s started walking on the path of success. Of course, though, the highest praise goes to Achilleas Kouros, who ended Day 1b as the chip leader, just shy of one million in chips. The full chip counts from Day1b can be seen here.
Party and PLO
While Day 1b of the Main Event was on its later levels, the side event on Friday, the €115 PLO, commenced. A total of 77 entries created a €7,700 prize pool, and all players competed for the €2,510 first-place payout. The nine players who reached the money all waved the Greek flag, and it was Ioannis Kritsotakis who came out on top.
Giannis Kritsotakis, winner of the €115 PLO. Photo: Pokerland
€115 PLO – Results
Place
Player
Country
Payout
1
Ioannis Kritsotakis
Greece
€2,510
2
Nikolaos Papadakis
Greece
€1,656
3
Stefanos Boukovalas
Greece
€1,193
4
Dimitrios Aggeletopoulos
Greece
€793
5
Ioannis Tsakiris
Greece
€524
6
Maria Galli
Greece
€339
7
Antonios Spyropoulos
Greece
€262
8
Labis Bachos
Greece
€223
9
Nikolaos Sakellariou
Greece
€200
If the Main Event and the PLO were the gold and the frankincense, the Players Party was the myrrh. The 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea is more than a bunch of poker tournaments; it’s all about having fun. That’s why a Players Party was arranged at the Hyatt Regency. Shuttles were going non-stop from the Regency Casino, and the party redefined the word “vibe”. Free food and drinks, banger after banger from the DJ, dance moves that’ll go down in history, and most importantly, poker players from all over the world coming together.
When ten minutes remained on the clock for Level 13, the floor paused the clock and announced that the last four hands would be played. All of these are now finished, and 67 players have bagged for Day 2.
That concludes the live coverage for today here at poker.pro. Tomorrow, a recap of today’s action will be posted. The chip counts from Day 1b, however, will be uploaded as soon as possible. Our live coverage will commence again tomorrow, June 28, at 18:00, when it’s time for Day 2.
Thanks to everyone who’s been tuning into the live blog today.
From UTG+2, Athanasios Lappas opened to 17,000. Alexey Shilov then made it 41,000 from the Hi-jack. Action then folded to Georgios Chrysis, who moved all in from the Big Blind. Lappas folded, but Shilov made the snap call, being the player at risk with 168,000.
Georgios Chrysis: 4♦4♣ Alexey Shilov: A♠A♦
Pocket aces were good as the board ran out 9♠10♥6♦Q♣8♠.
Action folded to Pawel-Kazimier Ziemann in the Hi-jack, who moved all in for 46,000. Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris re-shoved from the Small Blind, successfully isolating himself heads-up with Ziemann .
As Level 12 has started, late registration is now closed. Overall, Day 1b scored 247 entries, which means that €130,910 has been collected for the prize pool.
As a reminder, today’s play will finish when Level 13 is concluded.
While the players were on the final break of the day, the poker.pro live coverage team swept the floor for some big stacks. All players are set to return to Level 12: 3,000/6,000 (6,000).
Nikolaos Kritharis opened to 15,000 from the Hi-jack. Yordan-Ivanov Dichev called from the Big Blind.
Dichev check-called a 30,000 bet from Kritharis on the 7♥3♠5♣ flop. Then, Kritharis bet 40,000 on the 6♥ turn, under the impression that Dichev already had checked. Dichev then bet 300,000, effectively forcing Kritharis all in foe 163,000. Doing so, he gave Kritharis the legal opportunity to withdraw his 40,000.
There were some discussions back and forth, but the dealer was firm on his stand. It didn’t matter in the end, though, as Kritharis was happy to make the call for his tournament life.
Action folded to Charalombos Panagiotopoulos, who opened to 10,000 from the Button. Leonidas Vogiatzoglou called from the Small Blind, before Andreas Lundin moved all in for 56,000, seated in the Big Blind. Panagiotopoulos folded, but Vogiatzoglou immediately threw in the chips for a call.
Andreas Lundin: A♦A♣ Leonidas Vogiatzoglou: J♣J♥
Picking up aces on the Big Blind; there are few better feelings in poker. The 3♥3♠4♣4♥A♥ earned Lundin the full double up. Being a Swede, one could say Lundin channelled his inner ABBA to secure the pot. The winner takes it all!
Andreas Lundin: 107,000 Leonidas Vogiatzoglou: 81,000
Appolon Georgalas opened to 10,000 from the Cut-off. Seated in the Small Blind, Dzhem Yumer moved all in for 110,000. When it came back to Georgalas, he called as fast as humanly possible.
Appolon Georgalas: A♥A♠ Dzhem Yumer: K♠10♠
Georgalas was ahead, but Yumer flopped a straight as the first three cards were A♦Q♥J♠. Georgalas didn’t improve to a full house (or quads, for that matter) on the 4♣5♣ runout, and the larger chunk of his stack was awarded to Yumer.
It’s time for the third break of the day, which is a 30-minute dinner break. They are set to return to Level 9: Blinds 2,000/3,000, with a 3,000 Ante. Below are five of the biggest stacks in the room.
We interrupt this coverage of the Main Event with a very important announcement.
At 23:00, there is a big Players’ Party at the Hyatt Regency hotel. All players are welcome to join the party; ask your tournament dealer for the green wristband that will grant you (and a friend!) free access to the party. At the Hyatt Regency, free drinks and food will be available to everyone. Once again, the party starts at midnight and will continue as long as the fuzz is buzzing!
Edoardo Mancinelli opened to 5,000 UTG. From the Big Blind, Lars Bøgh Jensen was the sole caller.
Bøgh Jensen check-called a 5,000 bet from Mancinelli on the A♦9♦Q♠ flop. Both players checked the 8♦ turn.
Bøgh Jensen bet 4,000 on the 3♥ river. Mancinelli almost looked as he gave up, as he moved all in for 27,000. After sharing a look of confusion, Bøgh Jensen made the call.
Mancinelli turned over A♣J♦. Top pair seemed to be enough as Bøgh Jensen mucked his hand. Such, Mancinelli received a full double-up.
Lars Bøgh Jensen: 299,000 Edoardo Mancinelli: 72,000
This reporter took a stroll past Table 8 to get an update on the stack of Hristina Nikolova. Apeerently she’s been putting all her skills on full display; she’s up to 260,000.
At the next hand, she decided to limp from the Hi-jack. Ruizhong Chen called from the Button, before Artemios Fournaris moved all in for 11,000 from the Small Blind. Panagiotis Kaloterakis called from the Small Blind, Nikolova folded, and Chen also called.
Chen and Kaloterakis checked down every street on the 10♣Q♥Q♦J♣7♠ board.
With 195 entries so far, €103,350 has been collected for the prize pool from Day 1b. Combine this with the €91,160 from yesterday and you get €194,510. Considering late registration is open until the conclusion of Level 10, there’s no doubt the prize pool will grow to even greater proportions.
It’s time for the second break of the day. The upcoming Level 6 features Blinds 1,000/1,500, and a 1,500 Ante. Below are five of the biggest stacks in the room.
Theodoros Ampelikiotis, winner of the €250 PKO during the 2025 Greece Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 5:
600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries:
145/186
Prizes:
TBA
The winner of Wednesday’s €250 PKO, Theodoros Ampelikiotis, has late-registered for Day 1b after not finding a bag during yesterday’s Day 1a. He’s off to a good start as he plays 225,000, slightly more than double the starting stack.
At the same table, Marios-Panagiotis Kapir opened to 2,500 from the Hi-jack. Andronikos Voliotis called from the Button before Aiguo Xu made it 10,000 from the Button. Kapiris and Voliotis both made the call.
Action was checked to Xu on the 6♥J♦7♥ flop, who fired an 8,000 continuation bet. Kapiris then completed a check-raise by pushing 26,000 over the line. Voliotis and Xu both folded.
More and more stars are entering the field, as the number of entries is getting close to exceeding that of Day 1a (172). At Table 16, Andreas Vlachos has been identified. The Greek poker legend is one of the old school players; he’s been playing since the early 2000s. With $651,854 in total live earnings, he’s twenty-seventh on the all-time money list for Greece.
After Athanasios Lappas opened to 2,500 from the Hi-jack, Vlachos made it 8,000 from the Big Blind. Lappas made the call, and the dealer revealed a K♠4♦5♣. Vlachos continued for 7,700, enough to get a fold out of Vlachos.
As the dealer pushed all the chips Vlachos’ way, the legend revealed his A♥A♦ holdings.
The players are now on the first 15-minute break of the day, and they’ll soon return to Level 4; Blinds 500/1,000, with a 1,000 Ante. Below are some big stacks at this current stage.
Andreas Paliogiannis, winner of the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. photo: Pokerland
Level 3:
400/800 (800)
Entries:
133/145
Prizes:
TBA
Annas Chergui may have had a good run in yesterday’s €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty, but Andreas Paliogiannis had an even better one. He won the tournament after defeating Georgios Mylonas heads-up and earned himself €14,407. According to his profile on The Hendon Mob, that’s almost double what he’d earned in total before.
Paliogiannis took his seat fairly recently in the tournament; he may be down to 75,000 from the 100,000 start stack, but with the skills he displayed yesterday, no doubt he will be able to recover. I also asked him if he’s excited to go to Malta; during yesterday’s tournament, he pulled the envelope that granted him a €600 Main Event buy-in for the 2025 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition, as well as a four-night hotel stay.
Naturally, Paliogiannis is very excited, but first, he’s going for back-to-back wins here in Thessaloniki during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea.
This reporter scrolled through the lists of entries in the tournament so far and recognized a fellow Swedish flag. I head over to Table 11 to greet Andreas Lundin. I had to wait, though, as there was a pot brewing at the table.
The flop read 6♦3♥10♦ with roughly 15,000 in the middle. Nikolaos Sapkas and Dzhem Yumer both checked, before Anass Chergui bet 4,500. Stavros Georgoulas and Sapkas made the call, before Yumer folded.
As this reporter took a stroll around the tables, he was tapped on the shoulder by someone. It was Lars Bøgh Jensen, whom I stumbled into during a fun little session on the Ultimate Hold ‘Em tables last night. “Nice to see you again”, Jensen said. I urged him to deliver some good content.
Said and done, Jensen defended his Big Blind after Ioannis Triantafyllakis had raised to 1,500 from UTG+2. The two players then checked down every street on the Q♣9♦9♣K♥10♥ board.
Jensen turned over 9♣3♥ and won the pot with trips. That surely was some content.
A few Greek poker legends are expected to be seen in the field today. One has already been identified. Georgios Theofanopoulos may be more known as “Vladan”. He’s been the media guru in Greek poker for years, even though he’s been busy with non-poker-related projects the last few years.
Georgios “Vladan” Theofanopoulos in full flare during the €600 Main Event.
During the late 2000s, Theofanopoulos was a TV commentator for poker that was broadcast on Greek television. He was also a writer for the old Greek poker forum “PokerCity”, which doesn’t exist anymore. He’s proven that he’s not only a writer but also a decent player; he occasionally streams poker on YouTube and Twitch, and he’s still a very familiar face in the Greek poker community.
Hristina Nikolova during the Smart Poker Tour. Photo: Smart Poker Tour
Level 1:
300/500 (500)
Entries:
96/97
Prizes:
TBA
Live poker is hot in Greece, and the Greek Poker Odyssea is the living proof of this. What is lacking in the Greek poker community, though, is women. There are not many female poker players in Greece, let alone in Day 1b of the €600 Main Event.
There are a few, however. Hristina Nikolova arrived in Thessaloniki a few days ago, and yesterday, she managed to win a Main Event ticket through the €115 Last Chance Hyper Satellite. Now she’s in Day 1b, and she’s here to win the trophy.
While Nikolova may lack a Greek flag on The Hendon Mob, she is a force to be reckoned with. She’s been cashing regularly in live events since 2022, and her second-place in the лв880 Main Event during the 2025 Palms Royale Poker Series for $25,560 stands out. When asked about her current table and her opponents’ skill level, Nikolova pondered for a few seconds before stating, “I’m not sure for now.”
It’ll be intriguing following Nikolova’s journey today and see if she’ll be able to make a deep run in the Main Event.
Today, June 27, Day 1b of the €600 Main Event will commence at 15:00. It’s party Friday in Thessaloniki, and the Regency Casino is the place to be.
Day 1a of the tournament was played yesterday. 39 players moved on from a total of 172 entries, and €91,160 was collected. Time will tell if today’s flight scores similar numbers. Vasileios Zisis bagged the chip lead with his 1,190,000 stack.
The poker.pro live reporting team will provide coverage of the tournament from the first hand until the conclusion of Level 13. Make sure to tune into the live blog frequently to get the latest chip counts, the biggest hand, and overall reports from the tournament area.
Day 1a of the €600 Main Event registered 172 entries. This means that €91,160 has been collected for the prize pool. Below are the stacks of the 39 players who secured a Day 2 seat.
Andreas Paliogiannis, winner of the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. photo: Pokerland
The fourth day of the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea didn’t disappoint. Not only was it time for Day 1a of the €600 Main Event, but also the conclusion of the thrilling €450 Mystery Bounty. There’s no doubt that Mystery Bounty is a spendid format for a live poker tournament; the thrill of pulling an envelope can’t be matched, especially is this case when there was a €10,000 paycheck in one of the 20 envelopes.
All expectations for Day 2 were exceeded; the action resembled a wild western movie, and players went to great lengths competing for top bounties. In the end, the one player who entered Day 2 as the chip leader would also prove to become the winner, while another warrior turned the most profit, as he turned the two biggest bounties.
Unparallelled Action
Again, mystery bounty is arguably one of the most underrated formats for live poker tournaments, and it is no surprise that the tournament recorded a whopping 169 entries. This created a €67,600 prize pool, €23,800 of which was dedicated to the bounty prize pool. The trophy and the €8,957 was, of course, on all the players mind, but also, the €10,000 top mystery bounty.
Andreas Paliogiannis (right). Photo: Pokerland
The Day 2 action started with 25 players returning after Day 1, which was played on Wednesday, June 25. Leading the field going into Day 2 was Andreas Paliogiannis; would he be able to convert his lead to a place at the podium?
It didn’t take long before the number of players was down to 26, and hand-by-hand play commenced on the bubble. Eventually, it would burst with two people going out on the same hand. Such, the remaining 19 players were in the money, and that’s really when play reached a new level of insanity.
Being aware that players would be tempted to re-shove to isolate themselves with short stacks and compete for bounties, Konstantinos Daskalou did a nice play when he only smooth-called with pocket kings pre-flop. This resulted in two eliminations and a monster stack for Daskalou.
Anass Chergui. Photo: Pokerland
Of course, ranges are expected to be loosened somewhat in a (mystery) bounty, and that would prove to be the case. Even though holding the worst hand pre-flop, Anass Chergui managed to knock out three players in the same hand, earning himself a handful of envelopes doing so. Chergui displayed aggressive poker skills throughout the tournament and even managed to snag himself the chip lead at one point.
Final Table Time
Eventually, Vasileios Gkogkos was eliminated in tenth place, and only nine players remained in the tournament. The big winner at this point was Mihail Hristov; he didn’t enter the final table with the biggest stack, but moments earlier, he had pulled the €5,000 mystery bounty, which was the second largest prize. Presumably, he was walking on clouds, beginning play at the final stage of the tournament.
Mihail Hristov. Photo: Pokerland
The final table kicked off with Georgios Mylonas eliminating Ioannis Mantonanakis and Stavros Melanitis in the same hand. Shortly thereafter, Kolev Ivelin came up short against Kristov, who had a superior kicker. Perhaps 10♥7♥ now is Kristov’s new favorite hand; as he sent Ivelin to the rail, he received the €10,000 envelope, meaning he had claimed the two biggest bounties of the tournament. Could he top it all off with a tournament win?
The most impressive play of the final table most likely belonged to Daskalou. He called a massive shove from Chergui with the second-to-bottom pair, and doing so, he sent Chergui to the rail in sixth place. Less than three hands later, he was all in against Paliogiannis, the latter being the player at risk. Queens held up against ace-king, though, and Paliogiannis climbed back to the top of the rankings where he had started the day.
The final table. Photo: Pokerland
Perhaps shaken by the big hand, Paliogiannis accidentally revealed his hole cards too early against Nikolaos Valtatzis in a hand that followed shortly thereafter. By some help from Lady Luck, though, he still managed to win the hand and knock out Valtatzis in the process. With four players left, Paliogiannis now had roughly 50 % of the chips in play.
He extended his lead even further when he terminated Daskalou in fourth place. He didn’t stop there, and moments later, he ended Hristov’s dream of topping his two big bounty wins off with the trophy. Thus, the table was set for a heads-up duel between Paliogiannis and Mylonas.
Andreas Paliogiannis celebrating the victory with his rail. Photo: Pokerland
Going into the heads-up, Paliogiannis had more than 80 % of the chips in play. Mylonas managed to double up at one point thanks to a rivered flush, but, in the end, he would fall to the mountain of chips that belonged to Paliogiannis. That settled it: the player who started Day 2 as the chip leader finished as the winner.
€450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty – Final Table Payouts
Place
Player
Country
Prize
Bounty
Total Payout
1
Andreas Paliogiannis
Greece
€8,957
€5,450
€14,407
2
Georgios Mylonas
Greece
€5,830
€600
€6,430
3
Mihail Hristov
Bulgaria
€4,310
€15,750
€20,060
4
Konstantinos Daskalou
Greece
€3,008
€2,800
€5,808
5
Nikolaos Valtatzis
Greece
€2,079
€1,750
€3,829
6
Anass Chergui
Netherlands
€1,284
€6,250
€7,534
7
Kolev Ivelin
Bulgaria
€1,065
N/A
€1,065
8
Stavros Melanitis
Greece
€896
N/A
€896
9
Ioannis Mantonanakis
Greece
€761
N/A
€761
Paliogiannis may have missed out on the two biggest bounties in terms of raw dough, but he did manage to snag the most special one. A €600 Main Event ticket for the 2025 Autumn Battle of Malta and a four-night hotel stay were added to the prize pool as a special bounty, which Paliogiannis claimed on the final table. He must now make sure he has a wardrobe fitting the tropical climate of Malta.
Before that, though, perhaps he’ll take his chances in the €600 Main Event here at Regency Casino Thessaloniki? Day 1a is being played on Thursday night, while Day 1b (June 27) and Day 1c (June 28) are still to come. The poker.pro live coverage team will catch all the action from Day 1a, before reloading for Day 2.
Andreas Paliogiannis, winner of the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. photo: Pokerland
Level 26:
200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries:
1/169
Prizes:
€67,600
After eliminating Georgios Mylonas heads-up, Andreas Paliogiannis is now crowned the winner of the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. Not only does he walk away with the €8,957 first-place payout; he also collected an impressive €5,450 in bounties. It gets even better, though, as he also pulled an extra bounty that was added to the prize pool: a €600 Main Event ticket for the 2025 Autumn Battle of Malta, and a four-night hotel stay.
While this concludes the poker.pro live coverage of today, a full recap of today’s action will be posted later tonight. The chip counts from Day 1a of the €600 Main Event will also be posted as soon as possible.
€450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty – Final Table Results
On the Button, Andreas Paliogiannis raised to 800,000. Georgios Mylonas moved all in for 5,700,000, and Paliogiannis made the call as fast as he possibly could.
Georgios Mylonas: K♥2♣ Andreas Paliogiannis: 9♣9♦
The 4♠6♠8♠7♥10♥ featured no king or any other help for Mylonas. Alongside the €5,830 he got for his runner-up finish, he also claimed an additional €600 in bounties.
Andreas Paliogiannis: 33,800,000 Georgios Mylonas: 0
Georgios Mylonas called the 300,000 Big Blind from the Button. Andreas Paliogiannis put in a 1,050,000 raise, and Mylonas made the call.
First to act on the 6♠K♠9♠ flop, Paliogiannis bet 600,000. Mylonas then went all in for 4,175,000. After receiving the count, Paliogiannis made the call.
Georgios Mylonas: K♥5♠ Andreas Paliogiannis: K♣Q♥
Paliogiannis was ahead, but Mylonas improved to a flush as the board completed with 5♥4♠. Mylonas won the biggest pot of the heads-up battle so far, but Paliogiannis is still in the lead.
Andreas Paliogiannis: 25,150,000 Georgios Mylonas: 8,650,000
From the Small Blind, Andreas Paliogiannis forced Mihail Hristov all in for 5,200,000. Hristov made the call.
Andreas Paliogiannis: K♦7♣ Mihail Hristov: A♠10♣
Things kept going Paliogiannis’ way; he knocked out Hristov as the board spelled out 3♠K♠10♦3♦9♥. Hristov went to collect his €4,310 third-place prize (not including the massive bounties he got earlier), and Paliogiannis has a commanding chip lead going into heads-up against Georgios Mylonas.
Andreas Paliogiannis: 27,600,000 Georgios Mylonas: 6,200,000 Mihail Hristov: 0
Andreas Paliogiannis raised to 300,000 from the Button. In the Small Blind, Nikolaos Valtatzis raised to 800,000. Action folded back to Paliogiannis, who thought the situation over for a minute or two before making the call, tabling his J♦9♥. He was under the impression that Valtatzis was all in, but that was not the case. The floor deemed that Paliogiannis’ call had to stand, and he had to play the rest of the hand heads-up.
Valtatzis proceeded moving all in on the 6♥4♥6♦ flop for his last 500,000, knowing what Paliogiannis’s holdings were. Paliogiannis decided to make the call nonetheless.
Nikolaos Valtatzis: A♣Q♥
Valtatzis was ahead, but Paliogiannis emerged victorious in the hand as the board completed with 6♠9♠. Valtatzis went out in fifth place as Paliogiannis extended his lead even further.
Andreas Paliogiannis: 16,350,000 Nikolaos Valtatzis: 0
Anass Chergui opened to 300,000 from the Hi-jack. Seated in the Big Blind, Konstantinos Daskalou was the sole caller.
Daskalou check-called a 300,000 bet from Chergui on the 4♠Q♥5♦ flop. Action repeated itself on the 10♠ turn, the only difference being Chergui now sized up to 1,000,000.
The river was the J♥. Daskalou checked for a third time, and Chergui now moved all in for 2,875,000. Daskalou utilized four time bank chips before making the call.
Anass Chergui: A♦2♣ Konstantinos Daskalou: K♥5♣
An impressive call from Daskalou sent Chergui to the rail. Chergui collected €1,284 for his fifth-place finish, but let’s not forget that he earned €6,400 in bounties.
Theodoros Ampelikiotis, winner of the €250 PKO during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Wednesday, June 25, was a hot one in Thessaloniki, not only speaking about the weather. The cards at the Regency Casino Thessaloniki were absolutely burning; the deck was on fire during Day 2 of the €250 PKO. The first multi-day event of the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea would see its conclusion, with all remaining players battling it out for the unique trophy and the €5,271 first-place payout, not counting the bounties. One particular card would prove to be crucial in the outcome of the tournament, but, in the end, victory belonged to one of the most experienced players in the mix.
Seven from Heaven
There’s really no surprise that one of the earlier events of the festival managed to score 190 entries; live bounty tournaments are crazy fun, allowing players to loosen up their game slightly when calling off an opponent’s shove.
Out of the 190 total entries, 33 players moved on from Day 1 (which was played June 24). This created a €41,800 prize pool, and €19,000 of that amount was up for grabs in the form of bounties. Needless to say, it was the wild west in Thessaloniki.
Nikolaos Valtatzis. Photo: Jason Glatzer
The 33 players took their seats at 14:00 on Wednesday, and ten more of them would have to be eliminated before the remaining competitors would be in the money, guaranteed a €263 min-cash. Nikolaos Valtatzis (2,465,000) entered the second day as a massive chip leader; in fact, he had more than double that of Ioannis Diamantopoulos and Konstantinos Daskalou, who tied in second place on the chip count with 1,130,000 each.
The field was packed with man skillful poker players, but two who stood out in terms of earlier results were Fotios Ntamaris and Theodoros Ampelikiotis. Ntamaris was the one of them two who entered Day 2 with the smallest stack. It wouldn’t take long, however, before he would double up Ioannis Atzaris. Ntamaris would go on having a few exchanges of chips with tablemate Glenn Brown; one of the very few players who didn’t wave the Greek flag.
Theodoros Ampelikiotis at the €250 PKO final table during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Jason Glatzer
Don’t get it twisted, though; it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Ntamaris. He had quite the rollercoaster of a tournament, and eventually, he was eliminated by Brown in tenth place. Such, the final table of nine players was set, and things were starting to get serious.
When only five players remained, though, crazy things started to happen. The most crucial hand of the night, arguably, went down between Brown and Ampelikiotis. The two warriors were all in pre-flop; Ampelikiotis was the player at risk against chip leader Brown, but he hit a two-outer on the river to stay alive.
Glenn Brown at the €250 PKO final table during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Jason Glatzer
From there on, Ampelikiotis put the pedal to the metal. He picked up pocket queens on the button to eliminate Grigorios Thanos in fourth, and shortly thereafter, his 7♦5♦cracked the pocket nines of Miltiadis Zografos. The three remaining players may have been somewhat shallow at this point, but nevertheless, Ampelikiotis was the chip leader.
After some pre-flop controversy, though, it was Brown who eliminated Stavros Kokotsakis in third place, and such, he evened out the stack sizes prior to the heads-up battle. It wouldn’t be too long of a duel, though, and when Brown shoved his two-pairs into the trip sevens of Ampelikiotis, it was game over for the Brit. He had to settle for second place, and such, Ampelikiotis was now the undisputed winner of the €250 PKO.
€250 – Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
Bounty Prize
Total Payout
1
Theodoros Ampelikiotis
Greece
€5,271
€4,000
€9,271
2
Glenn Brown
Great Britain
€4,305
€1,395
€5,700
3
Stavros Kokotsakis
Greece
€2,750
€1,065
€3,815
4
Miltiadis Zografos
Greece
€1,897
€745
€2,642
5
Grigorios Thanos
Greece
€1,338
€680
€2,018
6
Vasileios Karagiannis
Greece
€855
€1,395
€2250
7
Michail Mitkoudis
Greece
€715
€350
€1,065
8
Nikolaos Valtatzis
Greece
€615
€805
€1,420
9
Christos Mekras
Greece
€524
€300
€824
It’s no news that there are small margins in poker. When they were five-handed, Ampelikiotis hit one of the remaining two sevens on the river against Brown to stay alive in the tournament. Then, funny enough, he eliminated Brown heads-up to claim the title with trip sevens. Don’t get it twisted; Ampelikiotis didn’t get his hands on the trophy thanks to Lady Luck. As previously mentioned, he was one of the most experienced players in the field, scoring impressive results at events such as the EPT and the Kings of Tallinn. He is a worthy winner, no doubt about it.
On Thursday, June 26, poker.pro will report from day 2 of the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. At 14:00, the 25 remaining players will take their seats. The poker.pro live reporting team will follow the tournament from start to finish, and the action will surely be mesmerizing.
Theodoros Ampelikiotis at the €250 PKO final table during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Jason Glatzer
Level 28:
125,000/250,000 (250,000)
Entries:
1/190
Prizes:
€41,800 (€19,000 Bounties)
After eliminating Glenn Brown in the heads-up duel, Theodoros Ampelikiotis is now crowned the winner of the €250 PKO. For his achievements, he takes home €5,271, plus a whopping €4,000 in bounties.
Thanks to everyone who followed the live coverage at poker.pro during the day. A full recap of today’s action will be posted as soon as possible.
Glenn Brown at the €250 PKO final table during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Jason Glatzer
Level 28:
125,000/250,000 (250,000)
Entries:
1/190
Prizes:
€41,800 (€19,000 Bounties)
Theodoros Ampelikiotis raised to 500,000 from the Button. Glenn Brown called from the Big Blind.
First to act, Brown checked on the 7♥7♦4♥ flop. Ampelikiotis continued for 700,000, and Brown immediately went all in. Ampelikiotis made the call just as fast.
Glenn Brown: 5♥4♣ Theodoros Ampelikiotis: A♠7♠
Brown was in need of a runner-runner scenario. He didn’t get it as the board completed 2♦6♣. Such, he bid farewell in second place for €4,305.
Theodoros Ampelikiotis opened to 600,000 on the Button. Glenn Brown called from the Small Blind, before Stavros Kokotsakis moved all in for 900,000 from the Big Blind. Ampelikiotis tried to raise to 2,500,000, but the floor informed him that he wasn’t allowed to open the door. Such, he only called, and so did Brown.
Action went check-check on the 6♣6♠A♦ flop. On the Q♠ turn, Brown moved all in for perhaps 5,000,000. Ampelikiotis folded.
Stavros Kokotsakis: J♠8♣ Glenn Brown: Q♥9♠
“I’m drawing dead,” Kokotsakis said before he turned his hand over. The river bricked, and he was eliminated in third place for €2,750. The stage was set for a heads-up battle between Brown and Ampelikiotis.
Zografos was ahead, but Zografos has been running hot lately, and that wasn’t going to change. The only thing Zografos could do when he saw the board running out 6♥2♣7♠5♣J♠ was to laugh. He was sent to the rail in fourth place, and not counting bounties, he won €1,897.
Grigorios Thanos at the €250 PKO final table during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Jason Glatzer
Level 26:
75,000/150,000 (150,000)
Entries:
4/190
Prizes:
€41,800 (€19,000 Bounties)
Theodoros Ampelikiotis opened to 300,000 UTG. Seated in the Big Blind, Grigorios Thanos moved all in for 3,950,000. Ampelikiotis couldn’t have made the call any faster.
Theodoros Ampelikiotis at the €250 PKO final table during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Jason Glatzer
Level 26:
75,000/150,000 (150,000)
Entries:
5/190
Prizes:
€41,800 (€19,000 Bounties)
Theodoros Ampelikiotis got his 2,950,000 stack in the middle pre-flop against Glenn Brown.
Theodoros Ampelikiotis: 7♠7♥ Glenn Brown: 8♠8♣
Brown, who most likely already was the chip leader, was set to take a commanding lead on the final table. The Q♥10♣5♦ flop didn’t feature a scare. Neither did the 5♣ turn. “No seven, no seven, no seven,” Brown preached, before the dealer revealed the 7♦ on the river. Brown lost a big chunk of his stack to Ampelikiotis.
Grigorios Thanos at the €250 PKO final table during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Jason Glatzer
Level 25:
75,000/125,000 (125,000)
Entries:
6/190
Prizes:
€41,800 (€19,000 Bounties)
Grigorios Thanos opened to 250,000 from the Hi-jack. Theodoros Ampelikiotis defended from the Big Blind.
The flop came 9♦K♦Q♣. Ampelikiotis checked to Thanos, who continued for 175,000. Ampelikiotis called, and the 10♠ fell on the turn. Both players checked, and the dealer dealt the K♠ on the river.
Ampelikiotis checked again, and Thanos now sized up to 800,000. Ampelikiotis utilized two timebank chips before making the call.
Thanos turned over A♠A♣, and Ampelikiotis quickly threw his cards into the muck.
Michail Mitkoudis at the €250 PKO final table during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Jason Glatzer
Level 24:
50,000/100,000 (100,000)
Entries:
6/190
Prizes:
€41,800 (€19,000 Bounties)
With roughly 450,000 in the middle, the flop read A♥6♣9♦. Glenn Brown and Michail Mitkoudis clashed all in; Mitkoudis was the player at risk, playing 550,000.
Glenn Brown: 6♥6♦ Michail Mitkoudis: 9♥3♠
Brown was far, far ahead, and Mitkoudis didn’t catch up on the Q♣K♦ runout. He bid farewell in seventh place, cashing for €715.
Seated on the Button, Vasileios Karagiannis opened to 275,000. Then, Nikolaos Valtatzis moved all in for 1,400,000 from the Small Blind. Stavros Kokotsakis re-shoved his 2,200,000 stack from the Big Blind. Karagiannis contemplated a call for about a minute or two, but eventually, he folded.
Nikolaos Valtatzis: A♠9♥ Stavros Kokotsakis: A♣Q♦
The best hand held up on the 8♣7♠J♠K♠K♥ board. Valtatzis became the second victim on the final table for €805.
Karagiannis hit a pair of jacks on the 5♥8♠J♦6♦9♥ board. Doing so, Mekras became the first casualty of the final table, going out in ninth place for €524.
Just a few hands after doubling up against Glenn Brown, Fotios Ntamaris found himself all in with his 515,000 stack against the Brit once more.
Fotios Ntamaris: J♠9♠ Glenn Brown: A♣4♣
Brown’s ace high was good on the 2♣3♠8♦ flop. Ntamaris took the lead on the J♣ turn, but Brown put the nail in the coffin when the 5♣ fell on the river. Such, Ntamaris was eliminated in tenth place, which meant that the final table was set.
The poker.pro live coverage team will soon be back with the final table seat draw and chip counts.
Seated on the button, Fotios Ntamaris moved all in for 195,000. Glenn Brown re-shoved from the Small Blind, and after the remaining players seated at the table folded, he was heads-up against Ntamaris.
Fotios Ntamaris: J♥J♦ Glenn Brown: K♠10♣
Ntamaris lives to see another pot, as the 6♦4♠A♠4♣Q♦ awarded him a full double-up.
Seated UTG+1, Christos Karageorgiou moved all in for 490,000. Big-stacked Vasileios Karagiannis re-shoved from the Button, successfully getting the blinds to fold.
The 6♠10♦10♣ flop didn’t bring a threat to Karageorgiou’s eights. He was good on the 4♦ turn as well. The A♣ on the river, however, ended his tournament life. He went out in twelfth place, cashing for €376.
Jason Glatzer during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 20:
20,000/40,000 (40,000)
Entries:
13/190
Prizes:
€41,800 (€19,000 Bounties)
The poker.pro CEO Jason Glatzer shared numerous times one of the reasons he was excited to come to Greece was to visit his best Greek friend Fotios Ntmaris.
While Glatzer still plans to grab dinner with his friend, Ntmaris apologetically snagged his stack in a cooler of a hand.
Glatzer jammed from early position 615,000. The action folded to Fotios Ntamaris, who committed his 595,000 stack to make the call.
Jason Glatzer: A♥Q♣ Fotios Ntamaris: A♠A♣
It was far from the ideal scenario for Glatzer, and he didn’t manage to crack the Ntamaris aces on the 4♦J♦3♣10♣J♠ board.
Glatzer survived with 20,000; one Small Blind. Next hand he was UTG and threw in his four remaining 5,000 chips. Seated in the Cut-off, Miltiadis Zografos raised to 80,000. Nikolaos Valtatzis (Small Blind) and Glenn Brown (Big Blind) both made the call.
All three players checked on the Q♣4♥2♦ flop. Valtatzis bet 120,000 on the 5♣ turn. Brown and Zografos both folded; Valtatzis and Glatzer turned over their hole cards.
Jason Glatzer: Q♦10♥ Nikolaos Valtatzis: Q♥J♠
The board completed with 6♦. No Cinderella story for Jason Glatzer in 15th place.
Nikolaos Valtatzis: 2,390,000 Fotios Ntamaris: 1,300,000 Jason Glatzer: 0
While poker.pro are delivering continuous updates in English, Pokerland is also on-site, doing reporting in Greek. They’ve also been kind enough to share their photos with poker.pro.
No help for Kougioumtz as the board completed with J♦3♣. As he was eliminated in position 24, the remaining 23 players are all now in the money, guaranteed a €263 min-cash.
Glenn Brown during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 19:
15,000/30,000 (30,000)
Entries:
24/190
Prizes:
€41,800 (€19,000 Bounties)
The board read J♣5♦3♥ with roughly 150,000 in the middle. Glenn Brown checked to Fotios Ntamaris, who bet 25,000. Brown made the call. Brown checked again on the K♦ turn. Fotios now bet 115,000; once again, Brown made the call.
Brown completed the check trifecta as the river fell 3♦. Ntamaris now pulled the trigger; he forced Brown all in for 325,000. Brown looked troubled on the bubble, but eventually, he made the call.
Fotios Ntamaris: A♦7♥ Glenn Brown: A♣K♠
A sublime call from Brown on the bubble, who doubled up at a very crucial stage of the tournament.
Glenn Brown during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 18:
15,000/25,000 (25,000)
Entries:
25/190
Prizes:
€41,800 (€19,000 Bounties)
Glenn Brown entered Day 2 with 18 Big Blinds, and he’s been involved in some pots already.
First, he picked up A♣A♥ and was all in pre-flop against Anastasios Kougioumtz’s K♣5♦. The 6♥9♥3♣2♣J♣ granted Brown the win and the full double-up.
More recently, he limped from the Hi-jack and got called by Fotios Ntamaris (Small Blind) and Michail Mitkoudis (Big Blind). Action was checked to brown on the Q♠A♥2♥ flop, who continued for 50,000. Ntamaris made the call before Mitkoudis folded.
Ntamaris check-called another 50,000 bet from Brown on the 6♠ turn. Both players checked on the A♣ river.
Fotios Ntamaris: A♦4♦ Glenn Brown: K♥10♠
“Where’s my money card?” Brown joked with Ntamaris, referring to the absence of a queen on the board. Ntamaris shared a laugh with Brown as he collected the pot.
UTG, Yordan-Ivanov Dichev moved all in for 330,000. Konstantinos Daskalou re-shoved for about 1,000,000 from the Lo-jack, and everyone else got out of the way.
Action folded to Fotios Ntamaris on the Button, who raised to 40,000. From the Big Blind, Ioannis Atzaris forced his opponent all in for 405,000 in total. Ntamaris made the call as fast as humanly possible.
Ioannis Atzaris: Q♠Q♥ Fotios Ntamaris: A♣K♣
Atzaris sighed heavily as he was the K♥K♠7♠ flop. The J♣J♥ runout didn’t help him and as Ntamaris doubled up, Atzaris was left crippled.
Yourdan-Ivanov Dichev min-raised to 40,000 UTG. Nikolaos Valtatzis called from the Small Blind, and the two of them were heads-up to the flop.
First to act, Valtatzis bet 50,000 on the 9♣2♠6♠ flop, and Dichev made the call. Valtatzis didn’t slow down on the 7♠ and now bet 55,000. Again, Dichev decided to stick around.
On the Q♣ river, Valtatzis checked. Dichev now took over the aggression; he bet 75,000, enough to make Valtatzis fold.
It’s Wednesday, and it’s the first day of the poker.pro live coverage from the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. The atmosphere is electrifying at the Regency Casino Thessaloniki; it’s an amazing venue that fits like a glove to the superb poker event that the Greek Poker Odyssea is.
The poker.pro team will kick things off at 14:00, with Day 2 of the €250 PKO. There will be a thrilling conclusion to the tournament today, after an intense Day 1 yesterday. Yesterday, no fewer than 33 players (out of a total 190 entries) managed to bag their chips for today’s finale. This means that the prize pool is an impressive €41,800; that includes the €19,000 bounty prize pool.
Play will resume at Level 17: Blinds 10,000/20,000, with a 20000 ante. All the remaining warriors are competing for the win and the €5,271 first-place payout. The top 23 will be guaranteed a €263 min-cash.
€250 PKO – Chip Counts Day 2
Position
Player
Chips
Big Blinds
1
Nikolaos Valtatzis
2,465,000
125
2
Ioannis Diamantopoulos
1,130,000
57
3
Konstantinos Daskalou
1,130,000
57
4
Vasileios Karagiannis
1,125,000
56
5
Christos Mekras
925,000
46
6
Yordan-Ivanov Dichev
925,000
46
7
Fotios Chatzatoglou
810,000
41
8
Grigorios Thanos
790,000
40
9
Docevski Aleksandar
740,000
37
10
Stavros Kokotsakis
730,000
37
11
Michail Mitkoudis
675,000
34
12
Stavros Mavromichalis
640,000
32
13
Konstantinos Kesidis
575,000
29
14
Avgerinos Chalatis
570,000
29
15
Theodoros Ampelikiotis
560,000
28
16
Polykarpos Stryvakis
560,000
28
17
Miltiadis Zografos
475,000
24
18
Christos Kastanidis
460,000
23
19
Jason Glatzer
430,000
22
20
Fotnios Ntamaris
410,000
21
21
Glenn Brown
350,000
18
22
Ioannis Atzaris
345,000
17
23
Athanasios Xenodochidis
325,000
16
24
Anastasios Kougioumtzidis
315,000
16
25
Dimitros Mitroudis
310,000
15
26
Roos Koen
300,000
15
27
Athanasios Lappas
290,000
15
28
Christos Karageorgiou
285,000
14
29
Pawel Ziemann
280,000
14
30
Andreas Paliogiannis
280,000
14
31
Stamatis Mourelis
275,000
14
32
Nikolaos Liavas
230,000
12
33
Michail Tastanis
200,000
10
€250 PKO – Payouts
Position
Position
1
€5,271
2
€4,305
3
€2,750
4
€1,897
5
€1,338
6
€855
7
€715
8
€615
9
€524
10-11
€444
12-14
€376
15-17
€312
18-23
€263
The poker.pro coverage of today will not conclude until a winner is crowned. Tomorrow, Thursday, June 26, the focus will switch to Day 2 of the €450 Mystery Bounty Monsterstack. From June 27 and onwards, focus will be on the €600 Main Event. Results from all tournaments during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea will be posted under the “Payouts” tab.
At noon every day from Thursday onwards, recaps will be posted of the previous day’s action.
Andreas Paliogiannis, winner of the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. photo: Pokerland
The fourth day of the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea didn’t disappoint. Not only was it time for Day 1a of the €600 Main Event, but also the conclusion of the thrilling €450 Mystery Bounty. There’s no doubt that Mystery Bounty is a spendid format for a live poker tournament; the thrill of pulling an envelope can’t be matched, especially is this case when there was a €10,000 paycheck in one of the 20 envelopes.
All expectations for Day 2 were exceeded; the action resembled a wild western movie, and players went to great lengths competing for top bounties. In the end, the one player who entered Day 2 as the chip leader would also prove to become the winner, while another warrior turned the most profit, as he turned the two biggest bounties.
Unparallelled Action
Again, mystery bounty is arguably one of the most underrated formats for live poker tournaments, and it is no surprise that the tournament recorded a whopping 169 entries. This created a €67,600 prize pool, €23,800 of which was dedicated to the bounty prize pool. The trophy and the €8,957 was, of course, on all the players mind, but also, the €10,000 top mystery bounty.
Andreas Paliogiannis (right). Photo: Pokerland
The Day 2 action started with 25 players returning after Day 1, which was played on Wednesday, June 25. Leading the field going into Day 2 was Andreas Paliogiannis; would he be able to convert his lead to a place at the podium?
It didn’t take long before the number of players was down to 26, and hand-by-hand play commenced on the bubble. Eventually, it would burst with two people going out on the same hand. Such, the remaining 19 players were in the money, and that’s really when play reached a new level of insanity.
Being aware that players would be tempted to re-shove to isolate themselves with short stacks and compete for bounties, Konstantinos Daskalou did a nice play when he only smooth-called with pocket kings pre-flop. This resulted in two eliminations and a monster stack for Daskalou.
Anass Chergui. Photo: Pokerland
Of course, ranges are expected to be loosened somewhat in a (mystery) bounty, and that would prove to be the case. Even though holding the worst hand pre-flop, Anass Chergui managed to knock out three players in the same hand, earning himself a handful of envelopes doing so. Chergui displayed aggressive poker skills throughout the tournament and even managed to snag himself the chip lead at one point.
Final Table Time
Eventually, Vasileios Gkogkos was eliminated in tenth place, and only nine players remained in the tournament. The big winner at this point was Mihail Hristov; he didn’t enter the final table with the biggest stack, but moments earlier, he had pulled the €5,000 mystery bounty, which was the second largest prize. Presumably, he was walking on clouds, beginning play at the final stage of the tournament.
Mihail Hristov. Photo: Pokerland
The final table kicked off with Georgios Mylonas eliminating Ioannis Mantonanakis and Stavros Melanitis in the same hand. Shortly thereafter, Kolev Ivelin came up short against Kristov, who had a superior kicker. Perhaps 10♥7♥ now is Kristov’s new favorite hand; as he sent Ivelin to the rail, he received the €10,000 envelope, meaning he had claimed the two biggest bounties of the tournament. Could he top it all off with a tournament win?
The most impressive play of the final table most likely belonged to Daskalou. He called a massive shove from Chergui with the second-to-bottom pair, and doing so, he sent Chergui to the rail in sixth place. Less than three hands later, he was all in against Paliogiannis, the latter being the player at risk. Queens held up against ace-king, though, and Paliogiannis climbed back to the top of the rankings where he had started the day.
The final table. Photo: Pokerland
Perhaps shaken by the big hand, Paliogiannis accidentally revealed his hole cards too early against Nikolaos Valtatzis in a hand that followed shortly thereafter. By some help from Lady Luck, though, he still managed to win the hand and knock out Valtatzis in the process. With four players left, Paliogiannis now had roughly 50 % of the chips in play.
He extended his lead even further when he terminated Daskalou in fourth place. He didn’t stop there, and moments later, he ended Hristov’s dream of topping his two big bounty wins off with the trophy. Thus, the table was set for a heads-up duel between Paliogiannis and Mylonas.
Andreas Paliogiannis celebrating the victory with his rail. Photo: Pokerland
Going into the heads-up, Paliogiannis had more than 80 % of the chips in play. Mylonas managed to double up at one point thanks to a rivered flush, but, in the end, he would fall to the mountain of chips that belonged to Paliogiannis. That settled it: the player who started Day 2 as the chip leader finished as the winner.
€450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty – Final Table Payouts
Place
Player
Country
Prize
Bounty
Total Payout
1
Andreas Paliogiannis
Greece
€8,957
€5,450
€14,407
2
Georgios Mylonas
Greece
€5,830
€600
€6,430
3
Mihail Hristov
Bulgaria
€4,310
€15,750
€20,060
4
Konstantinos Daskalou
Greece
€3,008
€2,800
€5,808
5
Nikolaos Valtatzis
Greece
€2,079
€1,750
€3,829
6
Anass Chergui
Netherlands
€1,284
€6,250
€7,534
7
Kolev Ivelin
Bulgaria
€1,065
N/A
€1,065
8
Stavros Melanitis
Greece
€896
N/A
€896
9
Ioannis Mantonanakis
Greece
€761
N/A
€761
Paliogiannis may have missed out on the two biggest bounties in terms of raw dough, but he did manage to snag the most special one. A €600 Main Event ticket for the 2025 Autumn Battle of Malta and a four-night hotel stay were added to the prize pool as a special bounty, which Paliogiannis claimed on the final table. He must now make sure he has a wardrobe fitting the tropical climate of Malta.
Before that, though, perhaps he’ll take his chances in the €600 Main Event here at Regency Casino Thessaloniki? Day 1a is being played on Thursday night, while Day 1b (June 27) and Day 1c (June 28) are still to come. The poker.pro live coverage team will catch all the action from Day 1a, before reloading for Day 2.
Andreas Paliogiannis, winner of the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. photo: Pokerland
Level 26:
200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries:
1/169
Prizes:
€67,600
After eliminating Georgios Mylonas heads-up, Andreas Paliogiannis is now crowned the winner of the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. Not only does he walk away with the €8,957 first-place payout; he also collected an impressive €5,450 in bounties. It gets even better, though, as he also pulled an extra bounty that was added to the prize pool: a €600 Main Event ticket for the 2025 Autumn Battle of Malta, and a four-night hotel stay.
While this concludes the poker.pro live coverage of today, a full recap of today’s action will be posted later tonight. The chip counts from Day 1a of the €600 Main Event will also be posted as soon as possible.
€450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty – Final Table Results
On the Button, Andreas Paliogiannis raised to 800,000. Georgios Mylonas moved all in for 5,700,000, and Paliogiannis made the call as fast as he possibly could.
Georgios Mylonas: K♥2♣ Andreas Paliogiannis: 9♣9♦
The 4♠6♠8♠7♥10♥ featured no king or any other help for Mylonas. Alongside the €5,830 he got for his runner-up finish, he also claimed an additional €600 in bounties.
Andreas Paliogiannis: 33,800,000 Georgios Mylonas: 0
Georgios Mylonas called the 300,000 Big Blind from the Button. Andreas Paliogiannis put in a 1,050,000 raise, and Mylonas made the call.
First to act on the 6♠K♠9♠ flop, Paliogiannis bet 600,000. Mylonas then went all in for 4,175,000. After receiving the count, Paliogiannis made the call.
Georgios Mylonas: K♥5♠ Andreas Paliogiannis: K♣Q♥
Paliogiannis was ahead, but Mylonas improved to a flush as the board completed with 5♥4♠. Mylonas won the biggest pot of the heads-up battle so far, but Paliogiannis is still in the lead.
Andreas Paliogiannis: 25,150,000 Georgios Mylonas: 8,650,000
From the Small Blind, Andreas Paliogiannis forced Mihail Hristov all in for 5,200,000. Hristov made the call.
Andreas Paliogiannis: K♦7♣ Mihail Hristov: A♠10♣
Things kept going Paliogiannis’ way; he knocked out Hristov as the board spelled out 3♠K♠10♦3♦9♥. Hristov went to collect his €4,310 third-place prize (not including the massive bounties he got earlier), and Paliogiannis has a commanding chip lead going into heads-up against Georgios Mylonas.
Andreas Paliogiannis: 27,600,000 Georgios Mylonas: 6,200,000 Mihail Hristov: 0
Andreas Paliogiannis raised to 300,000 from the Button. In the Small Blind, Nikolaos Valtatzis raised to 800,000. Action folded back to Paliogiannis, who thought the situation over for a minute or two before making the call, tabling his J♦9♥. He was under the impression that Valtatzis was all in, but that was not the case. The floor deemed that Paliogiannis’ call had to stand, and he had to play the rest of the hand heads-up.
Valtatzis proceeded moving all in on the 6♥4♥6♦ flop for his last 500,000, knowing what Paliogiannis’s holdings were. Paliogiannis decided to make the call nonetheless.
Nikolaos Valtatzis: A♣Q♥
Valtatzis was ahead, but Paliogiannis emerged victorious in the hand as the board completed with 6♠9♠. Valtatzis went out in fifth place as Paliogiannis extended his lead even further.
Andreas Paliogiannis: 16,350,000 Nikolaos Valtatzis: 0
Anass Chergui opened to 300,000 from the Hi-jack. Seated in the Big Blind, Konstantinos Daskalou was the sole caller.
Daskalou check-called a 300,000 bet from Chergui on the 4♠Q♥5♦ flop. Action repeated itself on the 10♠ turn, the only difference being Chergui now sized up to 1,000,000.
The river was the J♥. Daskalou checked for a third time, and Chergui now moved all in for 2,875,000. Daskalou utilized four time bank chips before making the call.
Anass Chergui: A♦2♣ Konstantinos Daskalou: K♥5♣
An impressive call from Daskalou sent Chergui to the rail. Chergui collected €1,284 for his fifth-place finish, but let’s not forget that he earned €6,400 in bounties.
Mihail Hristov is not having a bad day. Earlier, he claimed the €6,000 bounty, and after eliminating Kolev Ivelin and earning himself another draw from the mystery box, he claimed the top €10,000 bounty. On top of that, he has quite a healthy stack.
At the start of the final table, it was a three-way all in between Stavros Melanitis (UTG), Ioannis Mantonanakis (UTG+1), and Georgios Mylonas (Big Blind). Mylonas had his two opponents covered.
Stavros Melanitis: A♠Q♠ Ioannis Mantonanakis: A♦5♦ Georgios Mylonas: Q♣Q♦
Queens were good as the board ran out K♦4♥5♥8♥Q♥. Mylonas sent two players to the rail and improved his stack in fitting fashion.
Georgios Mylonas: 6,000,000 Stavros Melanitis: 0 Ioannis Mantonanakis: 0
Traianos-Alexandros Ntavoutis moved all in for 1,050,000 UTG. Seated in the Big Blind, Mihail Hristov twisted and turned, before he finally decided to make the call.
Traianos-Alexandros Ntavoutis: 7♣7♦ Mihail Hristov: J♥10♠
Ntavoutis looked good for a full double-up all the way up to the river. The 3♣3♥A♠9♠10♦ board sent him to the rail in twelfth place.
Mihail Hristov: 3,300,000 Traianos-Alexandros Ntavoutis: 0
Anass Chergui, Valeri Savov, Konstantinos Gennaios, and Christos Symeonidis all clashed all in pre-flop; only in mystery bounty, right? While we’re a little uncertain regarding the chip stacks, we know the holdings of each player, and that Chergui had the rest of his opponents covered.
Although having the worst hand pre-flop, Chergui pulled the longest straw on the 8♦4♠3♣7♥6♠. With his rivered straight, he knocked out three opponents and is now a massive chip leader with 12 players left.
Valeri Savov limped from UTG. Anass Chergui (UTG+1) and Konstantinos Daskalou did the same, before Ioannis Diamantopoulos went all in for 1,200,000. Then, Georgi Mektupchiyan re-shoved for 12,225,000. Savov and Chergui folded, before Daskalou also moved all in. Daskalou had both of his opponents covered.
Ioannis Diamantopoulos: A♥Q♠ Georgi Mektupchiyan: A♦Q♦ Konstantinos Daskalou: K♦K♠
A dream scenario for Daskalou, and ne wasn’t faced with any shenanigans on the 9♦J♠4♣8♦Q♥ runout. He eliminated two players and got a monster stack right before the players went on a quick break.
Konstantinos Daskalou: 3,550,000 Georgi Mektupchiyan: 0 Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 0
Seated in the Cut-off, Stavros Melanitis opened to 140,000. In a heartbeat, Valeri Savov moved all in for 490,000 from the Button. Then, current chip leader Anass Chergui jammed for 4,840,000, effectively forcing Melanitis to go all in for 2,850,000.
Melanitis looked visibly agonised as he contemplated the call. “I have better than ace-queen,” he told Chergui, trying to get a read on his opponent. Eventually, he folded.
Valeri Savov: K♥Q♦ Anass Chergui: Q♥9♥
Savov had Chergui dominated, and as the board ran out 7♠K♣3♣10♦9♠, he received a full double-up.
The bubble burst with two people being eliminated in the same hand, but on two different tables.
At Table 1, Jarkko Juhani got his 200,000 stack in against big-stack Andreas Paliogiannis.
Jarkko Juhani: 7♠5♠ Andreas Paliogiannis: 10♣7♦
Paliogiannis hit a straight on the 7♣4♦9♦8♣J♣ runout, and Juhani was eliminated. Then, at Table 2, Ioannis Azoidis was all in for 850,000 against Anass Chergui.
Ioannis Azoidis: 9♠9♦ Anass Chergui: A♠Q♦
The 7♣A♦3♣10♣4♣ board saw Chergui and his pair of aces sending Azoidis to the rail.
Since two players went out in the same hand, Juhani and Azoidis shared both the min-cash and a mystery envelope. They got €446 each.
Anass Chergui: 4,250,000 Andreas Paliogiannis: 3,600,000 Jarkko Juhani: 0 Ioannis Azoidis: 0
From UTG+1, Ivan-Liubomirov Popov moved all in for 615,000. Seated on the Button, Stavros Melanitis re-shoved for 1,150,000. The two of them were heads-up to the flop.
Paliogiannis opened to 90,000 UTG. Action folded to Jarkko Juhani in the Lo-jack, who made the call.
Paliogiannis continued for 80,000 on 5♥4♣K♠, and Juhani made the call. On the 2♣ turn, Paliogiannis sized up to 250,000. Again, Juhani called.
Paliogiannis pulled the trigger on the J♠ river; he forced Juhani all in for roughly 800,000. Juhani folded, and chip leader Paliogiannis extended his lead even further.
Andreas Paliogiannis: 4,300,000 Jarkko Juhani: 800,000
It’s Thursday and it’s time for Day 2 of the €450 MonsterStack Mystery Bounty. After a thrilling Day 1 which attracted 169 entries, 25 players found a bag for Day 2, which will commence at 14:00 today. Andreas Paliogiannis is leading the field; it’ll be interesting to see what he’ll be able to achieve with his stack.
Presumably, play will resume att Level 16: Blinds 20,000/40,000, with a 40,000 Ante. 20 players will get paid, meaning five more will have to go. When ITM, the mystery bounty envelopes will also be introduced.
€450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty – Day 2 Chip Counts
Day 2 of the €600 Main Event will kick off at 18:00, and that’s when the poker.pro live coverage will commence as well. The total prize pool will be announced when Day 1c has concluded; the same goes for the payouts.
It was a Friday for the ages in Thessaloniki. Not only was it time for Day 1b of the €600 Main Event; the €150 PLO4/5 was also a part of the featured schedule, alongside with a player’s party in luxurious fashion. The Main Event was the cherry on top, though, and after roughly 10 hours of play, Achilleas Kouros bagged the chip lead amongst his fellow 65 Day 2 advancers.
A Star-Spangled Field
The expectations were high for Day 1b of the Main Event. Day 1a had been played on Thursday, the twenty-sixth, and 172 entries collected an impressive €91,160 to the prize pool. These numbers were always expected to be surpassed by the ones of Friday, and that would prove to be the case; Day 1b registered a whopping 247 entries, and another €130,910 was added to the total prize pool.
Georgos “Vladan” Theofanopoulos. Photo: Pokerland
Many familiar faces were expected to be in the mix during Friday’s action, and this would prove to be the case. Greek poker media virtuoso Georgios “Vladan” Theofanopoulos, old-school poker legend Andreas Vlachos, and €250 PKO winner Theodoros Ampelikiotis were all in the field. Another was Anass Chergui, who had a deep run in the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. His impressive poker skills were still on full display, and he managed to get a big stack going in the Main Event.
Anass Chergui. Photo: Pokerland
In fact, things were going so well for Chergui that he was actually the chip leader after the conclusion of Level 11. He had managed to do this despite sitting out for one hour; his phone had mysteriously broken the night between Thursday and Friday, and he had to go into town to fix it.
Late registration closed after the break. Ninety players then remained; those who’d be able to survive to more levels would all receive a plastic bag. Some players started to tighten it up, some tried to convert their short stacks to bigger ones, and when all was said and done, 66 players managed to secure their Day 2 seat. Vlachos was one of the players who managed to move on; even though he did not have the biggest stacks, he’ll be someone to be on the lookout for. That also goes for friend of poker.pro, Fotios Ntamaris, a very skillful player who secured a 469,000 stack.
Andreas Vlachos. Photo: Pokerland
It’s also well worth mentioning that one of the few women in the field, Hristina Nikolova, finished in the top ten of the Day 1b chip counts with 561,000. Nikolova secured her Main Event seat through Thursday’s €60 satellite, and she’s started walking on the path of success. Of course, though, the highest praise goes to Achilleas Kouros, who ended Day 1b as the chip leader, just shy of one million in chips. The full chip counts from Day1b can be seen here.
Party and PLO
While Day 1b of the Main Event was on its later levels, the side event on Friday, the €115 PLO, commenced. A total of 77 entries created a €7,700 prize pool, and all players competed for the €2,510 first-place payout. The nine players who reached the money all waved the Greek flag, and it was Ioannis Kritsotakis who came out on top.
Giannis Kritsotakis, winner of the €115 PLO. Photo: Pokerland
€115 PLO – Results
Place
Player
Country
Payout
1
Ioannis Kritsotakis
Greece
€2,510
2
Nikolaos Papadakis
Greece
€1,656
3
Stefanos Boukovalas
Greece
€1,193
4
Dimitrios Aggeletopoulos
Greece
€793
5
Ioannis Tsakiris
Greece
€524
6
Maria Galli
Greece
€339
7
Antonios Spyropoulos
Greece
€262
8
Labis Bachos
Greece
€223
9
Nikolaos Sakellariou
Greece
€200
If the Main Event and the PLO were the gold and the frankincense, the Players Party was the myrrh. The 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea is more than a bunch of poker tournaments; it’s all about having fun. That’s why a Players Party was arranged at the Hyatt Regency. Shuttles were going non-stop from the Regency Casino, and the party redefined the word “vibe”. Free food and drinks, banger after banger from the DJ, dance moves that’ll go down in history, and most importantly, poker players from all over the world coming together.
When ten minutes remained on the clock for Level 13, the floor paused the clock and announced that the last four hands would be played. All of these are now finished, and 67 players have bagged for Day 2.
That concludes the live coverage for today here at poker.pro. Tomorrow, a recap of today’s action will be posted. The chip counts from Day 1b, however, will be uploaded as soon as possible. Our live coverage will commence again tomorrow, June 28, at 18:00, when it’s time for Day 2.
Thanks to everyone who’s been tuning into the live blog today.
From UTG+2, Athanasios Lappas opened to 17,000. Alexey Shilov then made it 41,000 from the Hi-jack. Action then folded to Georgios Chrysis, who moved all in from the Big Blind. Lappas folded, but Shilov made the snap call, being the player at risk with 168,000.
Georgios Chrysis: 4♦4♣ Alexey Shilov: A♠A♦
Pocket aces were good as the board ran out 9♠10♥6♦Q♣8♠.
Action folded to Pawel-Kazimier Ziemann in the Hi-jack, who moved all in for 46,000. Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris re-shoved from the Small Blind, successfully isolating himself heads-up with Ziemann .
As Level 12 has started, late registration is now closed. Overall, Day 1b scored 247 entries, which means that €130,910 has been collected for the prize pool.
As a reminder, today’s play will finish when Level 13 is concluded.
While the players were on the final break of the day, the poker.pro live coverage team swept the floor for some big stacks. All players are set to return to Level 12: 3,000/6,000 (6,000).
Nikolaos Kritharis opened to 15,000 from the Hi-jack. Yordan-Ivanov Dichev called from the Big Blind.
Dichev check-called a 30,000 bet from Kritharis on the 7♥3♠5♣ flop. Then, Kritharis bet 40,000 on the 6♥ turn, under the impression that Dichev already had checked. Dichev then bet 300,000, effectively forcing Kritharis all in foe 163,000. Doing so, he gave Kritharis the legal opportunity to withdraw his 40,000.
There were some discussions back and forth, but the dealer was firm on his stand. It didn’t matter in the end, though, as Kritharis was happy to make the call for his tournament life.
Action folded to Charalombos Panagiotopoulos, who opened to 10,000 from the Button. Leonidas Vogiatzoglou called from the Small Blind, before Andreas Lundin moved all in for 56,000, seated in the Big Blind. Panagiotopoulos folded, but Vogiatzoglou immediately threw in the chips for a call.
Andreas Lundin: A♦A♣ Leonidas Vogiatzoglou: J♣J♥
Picking up aces on the Big Blind; there are few better feelings in poker. The 3♥3♠4♣4♥A♥ earned Lundin the full double up. Being a Swede, one could say Lundin channelled his inner ABBA to secure the pot. The winner takes it all!
Andreas Lundin: 107,000 Leonidas Vogiatzoglou: 81,000
Appolon Georgalas opened to 10,000 from the Cut-off. Seated in the Small Blind, Dzhem Yumer moved all in for 110,000. When it came back to Georgalas, he called as fast as humanly possible.
Appolon Georgalas: A♥A♠ Dzhem Yumer: K♠10♠
Georgalas was ahead, but Yumer flopped a straight as the first three cards were A♦Q♥J♠. Georgalas didn’t improve to a full house (or quads, for that matter) on the 4♣5♣ runout, and the larger chunk of his stack was awarded to Yumer.
It’s time for the third break of the day, which is a 30-minute dinner break. They are set to return to Level 9: Blinds 2,000/3,000, with a 3,000 Ante. Below are five of the biggest stacks in the room.
We interrupt this coverage of the Main Event with a very important announcement.
At 23:00, there is a big Players’ Party at the Hyatt Regency hotel. All players are welcome to join the party; ask your tournament dealer for the green wristband that will grant you (and a friend!) free access to the party. At the Hyatt Regency, free drinks and food will be available to everyone. Once again, the party starts at midnight and will continue as long as the fuzz is buzzing!
Edoardo Mancinelli opened to 5,000 UTG. From the Big Blind, Lars Bøgh Jensen was the sole caller.
Bøgh Jensen check-called a 5,000 bet from Mancinelli on the A♦9♦Q♠ flop. Both players checked the 8♦ turn.
Bøgh Jensen bet 4,000 on the 3♥ river. Mancinelli almost looked as he gave up, as he moved all in for 27,000. After sharing a look of confusion, Bøgh Jensen made the call.
Mancinelli turned over A♣J♦. Top pair seemed to be enough as Bøgh Jensen mucked his hand. Such, Mancinelli received a full double-up.
Lars Bøgh Jensen: 299,000 Edoardo Mancinelli: 72,000
This reporter took a stroll past Table 8 to get an update on the stack of Hristina Nikolova. Apeerently she’s been putting all her skills on full display; she’s up to 260,000.
At the next hand, she decided to limp from the Hi-jack. Ruizhong Chen called from the Button, before Artemios Fournaris moved all in for 11,000 from the Small Blind. Panagiotis Kaloterakis called from the Small Blind, Nikolova folded, and Chen also called.
Chen and Kaloterakis checked down every street on the 10♣Q♥Q♦J♣7♠ board.
With 195 entries so far, €103,350 has been collected for the prize pool from Day 1b. Combine this with the €91,160 from yesterday and you get €194,510. Considering late registration is open until the conclusion of Level 10, there’s no doubt the prize pool will grow to even greater proportions.
It’s time for the second break of the day. The upcoming Level 6 features Blinds 1,000/1,500, and a 1,500 Ante. Below are five of the biggest stacks in the room.
Theodoros Ampelikiotis, winner of the €250 PKO during the 2025 Greece Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 5:
600/1,200 (1,200)
Entries:
145/186
Prizes:
TBA
The winner of Wednesday’s €250 PKO, Theodoros Ampelikiotis, has late-registered for Day 1b after not finding a bag during yesterday’s Day 1a. He’s off to a good start as he plays 225,000, slightly more than double the starting stack.
At the same table, Marios-Panagiotis Kapir opened to 2,500 from the Hi-jack. Andronikos Voliotis called from the Button before Aiguo Xu made it 10,000 from the Button. Kapiris and Voliotis both made the call.
Action was checked to Xu on the 6♥J♦7♥ flop, who fired an 8,000 continuation bet. Kapiris then completed a check-raise by pushing 26,000 over the line. Voliotis and Xu both folded.
More and more stars are entering the field, as the number of entries is getting close to exceeding that of Day 1a (172). At Table 16, Andreas Vlachos has been identified. The Greek poker legend is one of the old school players; he’s been playing since the early 2000s. With $651,854 in total live earnings, he’s twenty-seventh on the all-time money list for Greece.
After Athanasios Lappas opened to 2,500 from the Hi-jack, Vlachos made it 8,000 from the Big Blind. Lappas made the call, and the dealer revealed a K♠4♦5♣. Vlachos continued for 7,700, enough to get a fold out of Vlachos.
As the dealer pushed all the chips Vlachos’ way, the legend revealed his A♥A♦ holdings.
The players are now on the first 15-minute break of the day, and they’ll soon return to Level 4; Blinds 500/1,000, with a 1,000 Ante. Below are some big stacks at this current stage.
Andreas Paliogiannis, winner of the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty. photo: Pokerland
Level 3:
400/800 (800)
Entries:
133/145
Prizes:
TBA
Annas Chergui may have had a good run in yesterday’s €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty, but Andreas Paliogiannis had an even better one. He won the tournament after defeating Georgios Mylonas heads-up and earned himself €14,407. According to his profile on The Hendon Mob, that’s almost double what he’d earned in total before.
Paliogiannis took his seat fairly recently in the tournament; he may be down to 75,000 from the 100,000 start stack, but with the skills he displayed yesterday, no doubt he will be able to recover. I also asked him if he’s excited to go to Malta; during yesterday’s tournament, he pulled the envelope that granted him a €600 Main Event buy-in for the 2025 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition, as well as a four-night hotel stay.
Naturally, Paliogiannis is very excited, but first, he’s going for back-to-back wins here in Thessaloniki during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea.
This reporter scrolled through the lists of entries in the tournament so far and recognized a fellow Swedish flag. I head over to Table 11 to greet Andreas Lundin. I had to wait, though, as there was a pot brewing at the table.
The flop read 6♦3♥10♦ with roughly 15,000 in the middle. Nikolaos Sapkas and Dzhem Yumer both checked, before Anass Chergui bet 4,500. Stavros Georgoulas and Sapkas made the call, before Yumer folded.
As this reporter took a stroll around the tables, he was tapped on the shoulder by someone. It was Lars Bøgh Jensen, whom I stumbled into during a fun little session on the Ultimate Hold ‘Em tables last night. “Nice to see you again”, Jensen said. I urged him to deliver some good content.
Said and done, Jensen defended his Big Blind after Ioannis Triantafyllakis had raised to 1,500 from UTG+2. The two players then checked down every street on the Q♣9♦9♣K♥10♥ board.
Jensen turned over 9♣3♥ and won the pot with trips. That surely was some content.
A few Greek poker legends are expected to be seen in the field today. One has already been identified. Georgios Theofanopoulos may be more known as “Vladan”. He’s been the media guru in Greek poker for years, even though he’s been busy with non-poker-related projects the last few years.
Georgios “Vladan” Theofanopoulos in full flare during the €600 Main Event.
During the late 2000s, Theofanopoulos was a TV commentator for poker that was broadcast on Greek television. He was also a writer for the old Greek poker forum “PokerCity”, which doesn’t exist anymore. He’s proven that he’s not only a writer but also a decent player; he occasionally streams poker on YouTube and Twitch, and he’s still a very familiar face in the Greek poker community.
Hristina Nikolova during the Smart Poker Tour. Photo: Smart Poker Tour
Level 1:
300/500 (500)
Entries:
96/97
Prizes:
TBA
Live poker is hot in Greece, and the Greek Poker Odyssea is the living proof of this. What is lacking in the Greek poker community, though, is women. There are not many female poker players in Greece, let alone in Day 1b of the €600 Main Event.
There are a few, however. Hristina Nikolova arrived in Thessaloniki a few days ago, and yesterday, she managed to win a Main Event ticket through the €115 Last Chance Hyper Satellite. Now she’s in Day 1b, and she’s here to win the trophy.
While Nikolova may lack a Greek flag on The Hendon Mob, she is a force to be reckoned with. She’s been cashing regularly in live events since 2022, and her second-place in the лв880 Main Event during the 2025 Palms Royale Poker Series for $25,560 stands out. When asked about her current table and her opponents’ skill level, Nikolova pondered for a few seconds before stating, “I’m not sure for now.”
It’ll be intriguing following Nikolova’s journey today and see if she’ll be able to make a deep run in the Main Event.
Today, June 27, Day 1b of the €600 Main Event will commence at 15:00. It’s party Friday in Thessaloniki, and the Regency Casino is the place to be.
Day 1a of the tournament was played yesterday. 39 players moved on from a total of 172 entries, and €91,160 was collected. Time will tell if today’s flight scores similar numbers. Vasileios Zisis bagged the chip lead with his 1,190,000 stack.
The poker.pro live reporting team will provide coverage of the tournament from the first hand until the conclusion of Level 13. Make sure to tune into the live blog frequently to get the latest chip counts, the biggest hand, and overall reports from the tournament area.
Day 1a of the €600 Main Event registered 172 entries. This means that €91,160 has been collected for the prize pool. Below are the stacks of the 39 players who secured a Day 2 seat.
A total of 47 players managed to survive Day 2. They will return to Day 3 tomorrow (Sunday, June 29) at 14:00.
Ippokratis Aslanoglou leads the field, as he managed to bag more than 3,000,000 in chips. It’s been a bumpy ride for many players today, especially on the bubble. Some players decided to hold on tight to their chips and secure the min-cash, while some decided to go for broke and attempt to double up their shorter stacks.
The full chip counts and all eliminations since reaching ITM can be seen below.
It’s common poker knowledge that the “Post Bubble Bustout Bonanza” is a real thing. Since the bubble burst, the following players have all gone out, earning themself a €1,206 min-cash.
Action folded to Ioannis Diamantopoulos, who raised to 60,000 from the Lo-jack. Action folded to Georgios Mylonas, who moved all in for 165,000 from the Small Blind. When it came back to Diamantopoulos, he made the call. The players had to wait a minute or two while action was going on at the other tables, before revealing their holdings.
Georgios Mylonas: A♦K♦ Ioannis Diamantopoulos: A♥2♦
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the floor started talking in the microphone. “We have an all in and a call at Table three. Short stacks holds A♦K♦, big stack has A♥2♦. Dealer, let’s see the flop.”
Mylonas looked good for a double-up on the 4♣9♠10♣ flop. Things were still bright on the 6♠ turn. Then, everyone was reminded why poker can be such a brutal game. The 2♠ shattered Mylonas’ Main Event dreams, and as everyone else started cheering over the fact that they were in the money, Mylonas, gracious in defeat, exited the stage.
While things might feel dull for Mylonas right now, it’s worth to remember he finished second in the €450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty earlier this week. Overall, he’s had a good time here at the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea.
Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 1,770,000 Georgios Mylonas: 0
Seated UTG, Dimitrios Giannakis opened to 65,000. Action folded all the way to Anastasios Vardalis, who decided to defend his Big Blind.
Vardalis check-called a 70,000 bet from Giannakis on the 2♥7♣10♦ flop. Action repeated itself on the 3♠ turn, the only difference being that Giannakis this time sized up to 100,000. Both players checked the 2♣ river.
Nikolay-Dimitrov Savov opened to 50,000 from UTG+1. Then, from UTG+2, Vasileios Zisis raised to 130,000. As if things weren’t already crazy enough, Marek Rous 4-bet to 285,000 from the Button.
Back to Savov, who now 5-bet shoved for 790,000. This sent Zisis deep, deep into the tank. Not one, not two, not three, but four time bank chips he used, before finally mucking his hand with a face displaying great discomfort. Rous then asked the dealer for a count. When the number was confirmed, he made the call.
Nikolay-Dimitrov Savov: A♦K♠ Marek Rous: Q♥Q♠
In the end, it was a flip, and Rous’ queens were good enough as the board ran out 3♦8♦8♦6♠9♥ flop. Before the flop was dealt, though, Zisis revealed his K♠K♥ holdings.
One can understand that Savov didn’t connect, considered two of his outs were gone, and as he hit the rail, Rous won a massive pot and broke the 2,000,000 barrier.
Marek Rous: 2,095,000 Vasileios Zisis: 1,650,000 Nikolay-Dimitrov Savov: 0
The remaining 71 players are raiding the complementary hamburger/hot dog buffet right outside the tournament area. While they are indulging for 30 minutes, the poker.pro live coverage team scouted the floor and identified five of the biggest stacks.
The players will return to Level 18: 15,000/25,000 (25,000). Nine more will go before the remaining 62 are in the money.
Chrysanthos Pappas opened to 40,000 from the Hi-jack. Seated in the Big Blind, Artemios Fournaris was the sole caller.
Fournaris check-called a 20,000 bet from Pappas on the K♥K♣3♠ flop. Both players checked the 5♦ turn.
When Fournaris bet 65,000, Pappas immediately threw two timebank chips in the middle. He scratched his head, trying to make sense of the situation. At last, though, he folded, revealing his Q♥Q♠ holdings.
Vasileios Karagiannis committed most of his stack when he opened to 65,000 from the Hi-jack. From the Button, Georgios Mylonas moved all in for 100,000. Action folded back to Karagiannis, who made the call, having Mylonas slightly covered.
Mylonas never looked back after hitting trips on the A♥A♠3♥ flop. The 2♣4♣ didn’t change the outcome, and the two small stacks switched places on the rankings.
Action folded to Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris, who opened to 30,000 from the Button. Then, Vasileios Poziadis raised to 120,000 from the Big Blind, after putting one timebank chip to use. Kapiris made the call.
Poziadis continued for 80,000 on the 9♦9♠10♣ flop. Kapiris called, and the dealer revealed the 3♥ on the turn. Poziadis bet again – this time 165,000 – and Kapiris made the call.
Action went check-check on the 7♥ river. Poziadis turned over K♠K♣ and seeing as Kapiris mucked his hand, he couldn’t beat it.
Hristina Nikolova during the Smart Poker Tour. Photo: Smart Poker Tour
Level 16:
10,000/15,000 (15,000)
Entries:
85/529
Prizes:
€280,370
The poker.pro live reporter visited Hristina Nikolova a few times during Day 1b, to which she had qualified to. She’s still in the Day 2 field and competing for top dollar.
The board read Q♠10♠10♣Q♥ with roughly 140,000 in the middle. Nikolova and Konstantinos Koufogiannidis both checked. Nikolova bet 100,000 on the A♥ river, and Koufogiannidis folded.
Dimitrios Siantikos opened to 35,000 UTG. Miroslav Rizov made the call from the Hi-jack, before Borislav Yosifov moved all in for 190,000. Siantikos folded, but Rizov made the call in a heartbeat.
Borislav Yosifov: Q♦Q♠ Miroslav Rizov: 3♥3♣
Just for good measure, Yosifov improved to a full house on the 7♠A♥7♦10♣Q♥ board. Rizov could afford the loss.
Miroslav Rizov: 1,170,000 Borislav Yosifov: 345,000
At the first break, 95 players remain. While they are gone, the poker.pro live coverage team did its best at identifying the biggest stacks in the room. The upcoming level is level 16: 10,000/15,000, with a 15,000 Ante.
Achilleas Kouros opened to 26,000 from UTG+1. Seated right next to him, Konstantinos Stroulis moved all in for 256,000. Action folded back to Kouros, who was faced with a tough decision. He utilized two timebank cards before making the call.
Vasilis Zisis, Achilleas Kouros, and Nikolay-Dimitrov Savov were the three chip leaders from the respective Day 1 flights. The poker.pro live reporter took a look at their current stacks to see how they’re holding up so far in Day 2.
Vasileos Zisis during the Battle of Malta 2024 – Spring Edition. Photo: Pokerland
Level 14:
5,000/10,000 (10,000)
Entries:
119/529
Prizes:
€280,370
Roughly one and a half hours into Day 2, and roughly 40 players have already gone out. There are still quite a few that will have to fall before the top 62 are in the money.
One of the players still in the mix is Vasileios Zisis. While the Greek is mostly a cash game player, he achieved tournament greatness in Malta last year; he conquered a field of 1,814 entries to win the 2024 Battle of Malta Spring Edition for €100,000. Then, six months later, he finished runner-up in the 2024 Battle of Malta Autumn Edition for €160,800, which had 5,799 entries.
Needless to say, Zisis knows how to navigate his way through large fields. Can he channel his Maltese tournament skills and convert them to a victory here in Thessaloniki?
Konstantinos Daskalou moved all in for 41,000 from the Hi-jack. Action folded to Stavros Kokotsakis in the Big Blind.
“31,000 more, huh,” Kokotsakis speculated, pondering whether he was priced in to make the call or not. Eventually, he did threw in the additional chips required.
Andronikos Voliotis opened to 16,000 from UTG+1. Action folded all the way to Nikolaos Tsinas, who called from the Big Blind.
Both players checked the 10♦4♠8♣ flop. Tsinas check-called a 20,000 bet from Voliotis on the 8♠ turn. Tsinas completed the check-trifecta on the 9♣ river, before Voliotis bet 47,000. Tsinas made the call.
Voliotis turned over 8♦7♦ for trip eights. Tsinas couldn’t beat it, and he mucked his hand.
Day 2 of the €600 Main Event will kick off at 18:00, and that’s when the poker.pro live coverage will commence as well. The total prize pool will be announced when Day 1c has concluded; the same goes for the payouts.
Anastasios Vardalis, winner of the €600 Main Event during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 30:
200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries:
3/529
Prizes:
€280,370
After Alexey Shilov went out in fourth place, the three remaining players – Dimitrios Siantikos, Anastasios Vardalis, and Ippokratis Aslanoglou – decided to call it a night. They agreed to a deal; Siantikos and Aslanoglou shared the €5,000 that were still meant to be played for, while chipleader Vardalis was awarded with the trophy. All three players shook hands and seemed very pleased.
Not the ending we expected, but here we are. Such, Vardalis is crowned the champion of the €600 Main Event, and that concludes the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea.
The poker.pro team would like to thank all players who’ve been enjoying these seven days in poker paradise, Regency Casino Thessaloniki for providing excellent service, all tournament staff and dealer who’s been working day and night to create an absolutely sublime event, and last but not least, Pokerland for assisting with photos and input on the Greek live poker scene for the poker.pro live blog.
This also concludes the poker.pro live coverage. It’s been a fun ride. Tomorrow, a full recap of today’s action will be up. Thanks to everyone who’s been tuning in to the live blog.
Alexey Shilov during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 30:
200,000/400,000 (400,000)
Entries:
3/529
Prizes:
€280,370
A short-stacked Alexey Shilov got his 1,275,000 in the middle against Dimitrios Siantikos on a K♣2♣3♠ flop.
Alexey Shilov: 5♠3♦ Dimitrios Siantikos: A♠9♣
Shilov was already ahead, and he extended his lead with the 3♣ turn. However, the A♣ saw Siantikos improving to a flush. Such, Shilov was out in fourth place, cashing for €26,057 thanks to the deal made earlier.
Giannopoulos was chasing a flush, but didn’t get there as the board completed 9♠10♠. He was out in fifth, but after the deal, he had locked up €33,652, second to most after Anastasios Vardalis.
Nikolaos Giannopoulos during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 29:
150,000/300,000 (300,000)
Entries:
5/529
Prizes:
€280,370
Seated on the Button, Anastasios Vardalis opened to 650,000. Nikolaos Giannopoulos then moved all in for 5,600,000 from the Small Blind. After Ippokratis Aslanoglou folded his Big Blind, Vardalis quickly made the call.
Giannopoulos sighed heavily as he saw the 8♠J♥K♥ flop. When the 7♥ fell on the turn, he rose from his chair and started putting on his jacket. The old trick never fails; the 10♣ river saw him doubling up through Vardalis.
After a very intense period earlier, not much has happened during Level 29. Nikolaos Giannopoulos and Alexey Shilov are the two shortest stacks at this moment, but they still have some playability.
Don’t worry, folks; poker.pro is never sleeping and every major update from the final table will be documented.
Anastasios Vardalis opened to 550,000 UTG. Action folded all the way to Dimitrios Siantikos, who moved all in for 6,575,000 from the Big Blind. Vardalis utilized a timebank chip before making the fall.
The remaining five players have agreed to the following deal:
Dimitrios Siantikos has locked up €21,436.
Anastasios Vardalis has locked up €34,546.
Nikolaos Giannopoulos has locked up €33,652.
Ippokratis Aslanoglou has locked up €21,871.
Alexey Shilov has locked up €26,057.
The players will keep on playing for an additional €5,000 and the trophy. When play commenced after the deal was locked in, the chip counts looked like this:
Ioannis Diamantopoulos during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 28:
125,000/250,000 (250,000)
Entries:
5/529
Prizes:
€280,370
Action folded to small-stacked Ioannis Diamantopoulos, who moved all in for 595,000 from the Small Blind. Seated in the Small Blind, Ippokratis Aslanoglou made the call.
Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 10♥6♥ Ippokratis Aslanoglou: 8♠7♦
Diamantopoulos was on the course for a double-up, and the question was if Aslanoglou had caught “Too Many Outs”-syndrome on the 9♥6♠2♠9♠ board. The answer would turn out to be no; he hit his straight on the 5♣ river, and sent Diamantopoulos to the rail doing so. For his sixth-place finish, he received €9,448.
As Diamantopoulos left the tournament area, the remaining five players called over the floor to discuss an ICM-deal.
Ippokratis Aslanoglou: 10,500,000 Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 0
Aggelos Valilis during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 28:
125,000/250,000 (250,000)
Entries:
6/529
Prizes:
€280,370
The hand after Ioannis Diamantopoulos had become short, Aggelos Valilis opened to 400,000 from UTG. Seated right next to him, Nikolaos Giannopoulos put in a three-bet to 1,550,000. Action folded back to Valilis, who made the call.
There are more intriguing flops in poker than 7♦2♠7♥. Nevertheless, Valilis checked, Giannopoulos fired a 2,300,000 bet, and Valilis made the call. Valilis checked again on the 4♠ turn, prior to Giannopoulos moving all in. After some consideration, Valilis decided to fold, perhaps with ICM in mind, considering the 595,000 stack of Diamantopoulos.
A few hands later, Anastasios Vardalis opened to 550,000 from the Button. Aggelos Valilis moved all in from the Small Blind for roughly 2,500,000, and when action came back to Vardalis, he snap-called.
Aggelos Valilis: A♦Q♦ Anastasios Vardalis: A♥K♦
Valilis’ tournament life came to an end as the board spelled out A♣K♣7♠9♠Q♠. He left the featured table €7,766 richer.
Action folded to Itzhak Cohen on the Cut-off, who moved all in for 2,800,000. Dimitrios Siantikos made the call from the Big Blind, having 2,350,000 in chips.
Itzhak Cohen: A♦2♦ Dimitrios Siantikos: A♥Q♣
The K♥9♥8♣4♣5♦ board leaved Cohen crippled with only 450,000, while Siantikos, who had entered the final table as the smallest stack, kept on climbing the rankings.
Two hands later, Cohen went all in for his last two big blinds, seated in the Lo-jack. Anastasios Vardalis (Small Blind) and Aggelos Valilis (Big Blind) both made the call.
The two “blind players” checked the 3♦A♥K♠ flop, and the A♦ turn. Vardalis bet 300,000 on the 6♥ river, and Valilis mucked.
Itzhak Cohen: K♦2♠ Anastasios Vardalis: K♥10♣
With a superior kicker, Vardalis sent Cohen to the rail in eighth place. Before leaving the tournament area, Cohen collected his €6,420 payout.
Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea. Photo: Pokerland
Level 27:
100,000/200,000 (200,000)
Entries:
8/529
Prizes:
€280,370
Action folded to Aggelos Valilis, who opened to 400,000 from the Hi-jack. Right next to him, Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris clicked it to 800,000 from the Cut-off. When the decision came back to Valilis, he forced his opponent all in for roughly 3,000,000. Kapiris made the call.
The 5♥8♦3♠5♣10♣ saw Kapiris, perhaps one of the most experienced players left in the field, being the first casualty of the final table. For his achievements, he was awarded €5,327.
During one of the first hands on the final table, Alexey Shilov (Small Blind) forced Dimitrios Siantikos (Big Blind) all in for 1,500,000. Siantikos, who entered the final table as the smallest stack, made the call for his tournament life.
Alexey Shilov: Q♥10♥ Dimitrios Siantikos: K♣10♠
As the board ran out 9♠4♦K♥2♦9♦, Siantikos received the full double up.
Chipleader Anastasios Vardalis opened to 300,000 from the Button, before Alexey Shilov made it 675,000 from the Small Blind. Itzhak Cohen made the call from the Big Blind, and Vardalis also joined in on the fun.
Shilov bet 500,000 on the 4♣2♣2♦ flop, and Cohen wasted little time before raising to 1,200,000. Vardalis must’ve had a tough decision; he used one timebank chip before he threw his hand into the muck. Shilov, however, called for his tournament life.
Itzhak Cohen: 10♥10♣ Alexey Shilov: A♦A♣
For good measure, Shilov improved to a full house on the 8♠A♥ runout.
Anastasios Vardalis Opened to 250,000 from the Button. Seated in the Big Blind, Itzhak Cohen decided to make the call.
Cohen check-called a 250,000 bet from Vardalis on the 5♥9♥6♦ flop. Both players checked the 4♥ turn. It was Cohen who led out for 450,000 on the 8♦ river. After putting one timebank chip to use, Vardalis made the call.
1-5 showed A♦7♣ for a rivered straight. Vardalis couldn’t beat it, and Cohen won a decently sized pot against the chip leader.
It was “the Ketchup Effect”; not much happened when the final two tables began play, but after X went out in sixteenth place, things started to ramp up. Below is an updated list of eliminations from Day 3.
When action folded to Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris, he moved all in for 2,100,000 from the Button. Aggelos Valilis quickly gave up his Small Blind, but short-stack Marek Rous contemplated a decision. Eventually, he did make the call.
Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris: A♣9♥ Marek Rous: A♥7♣
Kapiris’ nine kicker came into play on the 10♦6♣A♠2♣J♠ board, and such, Rous was eliminated. For his thirteenth-place finish, he was awarded €3,617.
Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris: 3,550,000 Marek Rous: 0
Action folded all the way to Vasileios Poziadis in the Small Blind, who limped. Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris wouldn’t allow it and raised to 325,000 from the Big Blind. Poziadis pondered for a while, utilizing two timebank chips, before moving all in for 2,075,000 in total. Kapiris called in a split second.
Poziadis almost improved to a flush on the 5♠3♠4♦7♦10♠, but it wasn’t enough. He was the first one to go from the last two tables; it’s been a slow start.
During one of the first hands after the second break, Anastasios Vardalis opened to 250,000 from the Button. Andronikos Voliotis moved all in for 2,050,000 from the Small Blind, and after Dimitrios Anastasiadis folded in the Big Blind, Vardalis quickly called.
Another two levels have passed, and the remaining 17 players are on a 15-minute break. They are set to return to Level 24: 50,000/100,000, with a 100,000 Ante. Below are five of the biggest stacks.
Vasileios Poziadis opened to 160,000 from UTG+1. A short-stacked Christos-Dimokratis Athanasiadis moved all in for 290,000 from the Cut-off. Anastasios Vardalis called from the Small Blind, and Poziadis also joined the party.
Action went check-check on the K♥J♦10♠ flop. Vardalis bet 350,000 on the 5♣ turn, and Poziadis made the call. On the K♣ river, Vardalis fired 650,000. After some consideration, Poziadis made the call.
Ivan Popov won the 2025 Novibet Poker Championship. Photo: Pokerland
Level 22:
30,000/60,000 (60,000)
Entries:
21/529
Prizes:
€280,370
There will be no sunshine double for Ivan Popov. A couple of months ago, he won the 2025 Novibet Poker Championship for €46,361. That was the latest big poker event here at Regency Casino Thessaloniki. Today, Popov was the first person to go out when three tables remained.
Seated UTG+1, Ioannis Diamantopoulos opened to 125,000. Action folded to Apostolos Karathanasis in the Small Blind, who moved all in for 430,000. Then, Andronikos Voliotis re-shoved for 810,000 from the Big Blind. Diamantopoulos made the call as fast as humanly possible.
Apostolos Karathanasis: Q♥5♥ Andronikos Voliotis: A♣K♦ Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 10♥10♣
Voliotis took the lead on the K♣2♥4♥ flop, while Karathanasis picked up a flush draw. The 2♣3♠ runout resulted in Karathanasis going out in twenty-sixth place, while Voliotis doubled through Diamantopoulos.
Andronikos Voliotis: 2,650,000 Ioannis Diamantopoulos: 1,650,000 Apostolos Karathanasis: 0
Andronikos Voliotis opened to 120,000 UTG. Right next to him, Ioannis Souroukidis moved all in for 910,000. Things didn’t stop there, as Vasileios Poziadis re-shoved for 1,200,000 from the Cut-off. Action folded back to Voliotis, who used three timebank chips before finally folding.
Ioannis Souroukidis: J♠J♣ Vasileios Poziadis: K♦K♣
No nasty surprises for kings on the 8♥7♥2♥10♠K♥ runout, and Souroukidis was sent to the rail in twenty-eighth place for €1,906. As Poziadis stacked his newly won chips, Voliotis revealed he folded ace-king. Whether he had a heart or not wasn’t confirmed, however.
Vasileios Poziadis: 2,680,000 Ioannis Souroukidis: 0
28 players remain at the first break. They will soon return to Level 22: Blinds 30,000/60,000, and a 60,000 Ante. Below are the five biggest stacks in the room.
Apostolos Karathanasis decided to go for broke; he moved all in for 375,000 from UTG. Action folded all the way to Risto Raernat in the Big Blind, who made the call immediately after peaking at his hole cards.
Apostolos Karathanasis: Q♠J♣ Risto Raernat: A♥Q♥
Karathanasis wasn’t too thrilled to see the holdings of Raernat, but he took a solid lead on the 8♠4♠J♠ flop. Raernat wasn’t able to catch up on the 10♣8♥ runout, and Karathanasis received a full double-up.
Risto Raernat: 1,650,000 Apostolos Karathanasis: 825,000
Seated UTG, Artemios Fournaris opened to 110,000. Then, Anastasios Vardalis raised to 325,000. Right next to him, Sami Natri moved all in for 1,135,000. Fournaris folded rather quickly, but Vardalis put two timebank chips to use before deciding to make the call.
Sami Natri: K♦K♣ Anastasios Vardalis: A♦K♠
Natri had his opponent in rough shape, but he wasn’t too thrilled to see the A♥Q♦6♥ flop. The 7♥6♣ runout didn’t help him, and as he was eliminated in thirty-second position for €1,543, Vardalis’ stack grew to enormous proportions; there is a good chance he is the current chip leader.
Action folded to Georgios Mellidis in the Small Blind, who decided to just call. Ivan-Liubomirov Popov denied it, and raised to 125,000. Mellidis made the call.
Mellidis check-called an 80,000 bet from Popov on the 7♣7♥10♦ flop. Both players checked the 5♣ turn. Mellidis checked again on the A♣ river and then snap-called the 300,000 bet from Popov.
Below are all the players who’ve gone out from Day 3 so far. Remember, for the full results of the Main Event and other tournaments, click the “payouts & results” tab. The tables are being updated continuously, and soon enough, the results for all tournaments during the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea will be posted.
Itzhak Cohen opened to 80,000 from the Hi-jack. Most players at the table decided to join, as Nikolaos Giannopoulos (Cut-off), Andreas Vlachos (Button), Dimitrios Giannakis (Small Blind), and Hristina Nikolova (Big Blind) all decided to call. In other words, almost a family pot.
Giannakis and Nikolova checked it over to Cohen on the 5♦3♥5♣ flop, who bet 60,000. Then, Giannopoulos raised to 280,000. Things would get even crazier; after using one timebank chip, Giannakis moved all in for 880,000. Action folded back to Giannopoulos, who made the call in a heartbeat.
It’s been an action-packed start to the final day; in just ten minutes, there’s been no fewer than four eliminations.
One of those who had to bid farewell at an early stage was Borislav Yosifov. UTG+1, he put in a 400,000 raise, leaving himself with 130,000 behind. Action folded to Ivan-Liubomirov Popov in the Big Blind, who forced his opponent all in. Yosifov utilized all five of his timebank chips, most likely stalling for a payjump, before making the call.
It’s soon time for the penultimate day of the €600 Main Event. What a fitting conclusion to the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea this will be, folks. It’s been an absolutely marvelous week for all poker enthusiasts, and today, everything will conclude with one lucky player claiming the Main Event title and the €56,340 first-place payout.
Ippokratis Aslanoglou may lead the field going into Day 3 (3,180,000), but with 47 players remaining, there still is a lot of poker to be played, and anything can happen. Nevertheless, it’s going to be an entertaining day around the poker tables here in Thessaloniki.
The poker.pro live coverage will commence at 14:00, just when the first hand is dealt. Ladies and gentlemen, today, a winner of the 2025 Greek Poker Odyssea will be crowned, and a new chapter for the poker history books will be written.
A total of 47 players managed to survive Day 2. They will return to Day 3 tomorrow (Sunday, June 29) at 14:00.
Ippokratis Aslanoglou leads the field, as he managed to bag more than 3,000,000 in chips. It’s been a bumpy ride for many players today, especially on the bubble. Some players decided to hold on tight to their chips and secure the min-cash, while some decided to go for broke and attempt to double up their shorter stacks.
The full chip counts and all eliminations since reaching ITM can be seen below.
€600 Main Event – Results
Place
Player
Prize
48
Vasileios Papadaniil
€1,206
49
Koen Roos
€1,206
50
Michail Mitkoudis
€1,206
51
Fotios Ntamaris
€1,206
52
Nikolaos Vouldis
€1,206
53
Pantelis Pavlis
€1,206
54
Johannes De Hond
€1,206
55
Nikolaos Dalakis
€1,206
56
Saimar Bixheku
€1,206
57
Martin Tsvetanov
€1,206
58
Marek Svacha
€1,206
59
Yordan-Ivanov Dichev
€1,206
60
Miroslav Rizov
€1,206
61
Kirill Panyushin
€1,206
62
Stavros Stavropoulos
€1,206
€600 Main Event – Day 2 Chip Counts
Position
Player
Chips
1
Ippokratis Aslanoglou
3,180,000
2
Christos-Dimokratis Athanasiadis
2,700,000
3
Marek Rous
2,590,000
4
Athanasios Lappas
2,315,000
5
Anastasios Vardalis
2,125,000
6
Vasileios Poziadis
2,000,000
7
Eleftherios Papaggelis
2,000,000
8
Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris
1,970,000
9
Ivan-Liubomirov Popov
1,790,000
10
Vasil Vasilev
1,750,000
11
Alexey Shilov
1,685,000
12
Nikolaos Giannipoulos
1,390,000
13
Risto Raernat
1,360,000
14
Sami Natri
1,290,000
15
Dimitrios Giannakis
1,290,000
16
Artemios Fournaris
1,210,000
17
Itzhak Cohen
1,165,000
18
Sotir Gochev
1,155,000
19
Andronikos Voliotis
1,090,000
20
Vasileios Zisis
1,080,000
21
Athanasios Xenodochidis
1,075,000
22
Paschalis Papadopoulos
1,060,000
23
Lars Bøgh Jensen
940,000
24
Apostolos Karathanasis
900,000
25
Georgios Mellidis
815,000
26
Christos Symeonidis
795,000
27
Ioannis Diamantopoulos
770,000
28
Achilleas Kouros
770,000
29
Andreas Vlachos
750,000
30
Dimitrios Mitroudis
745,000
31
Nikolaos Tsinas
735,000
32
Dimitrios Asastasiadis
725,000
33
Asterios Spontis
725,000
34
Hristina Nikolova
690,000
35
Dimitrios Siantikos
680,000
36
Aggelos Valilis
655,000
37
Dimitrios Diannakis
635,000
38
Ioannis Souroukidis
630,000
39
Dmitri Dudakov
590,000
40
Borislav Yosifov
525,000
41
Panagiotis Marizas
485,000
42
Chasan Koula
470,000
43
Stefanos Michailidis
460,000
44
Panagiotis Chronopoulos
450,000
45
Nikolaos Papaioannou
370,000
46
Vahid Karimkhanezand
300,000
47
Kolev Ivelin
75,000
Main Event Structure
Level
Small Blind
Big Blind
Ante
Duration
1
300
500
500
40 min
2
300
600
600
40 min
3
400
800
800
40 min
BREAK
15 min
4
500
1000
1000
40 min
5
600
1200
1200
40 min
BREAK
15 min
Chip up 100
6
1000
1500
1500
40 min
7
1000
2000
2000
40 min
8
1500
2500
2500
40 min
DINNER BREAK
30 min
Chip up 500
9
2000
3000
3000
40 min
10
2000
4000
4000
40 min
11
3000
5000
5000
40 min
BREAK
20 min
12
3000
6000
6000
40 min
13
4000
8000
8000
40 min
END OF DAY 1
14
5000
10000
10000
50 min
15
6000
12000
12000
50 min
BREAK
20 min
Chip up 1000
16
10000
15000
15000
50 min
17
10000
20000
20000
50 min
18
15000
25000
25000
50 min
DINNER BREAK
30 min
19
15000
30000
30000
50 min
20
20000
40000
40000
50 min
END OF DAY 2
21
25000
50000
50000
60 min
22
30000
60000
60000
60 min
BREAK
15 min
23
40000
80000
80000
60 min
24
50000
100000
100000
60 min
BREAK
15 min
Chip up 5000
25
75000
125000
125000
60 min
26
75000
150000
150000
60 min
DINNER BREAK
40 min
27
100000
200000
200000
60 min
28
125000
250000
250000
60 min
BREAK
15 min
29
150000
300000
300000
60 min
30
200000
400000
400000
60 min
Mystery Bounty Monsterstack Structure
Level
Small Blind
Big Blind
Ante
Duration
1
500
1000
1000
30 min
2
1000
1500
1500
30 min
3
1000
2000
2000
30 min
4
1500
2500
2500
30 min
BREAK
20 min
Chip up 500
5
2000
3000
3000
30 min
6
2000
4000
4000
30 min
7
3000
5000
5000
30 min
8
3000
6000
6000
30 min
BREAK
20 min
9
4000
8000
8000
30 min
10
5000
10000
10000
30 min
End of Registration
11
6000
12000
12000
30 min
BREAK
20 min
Chip up 1000
12
10000
15000
15000
30 min
13
10000
20000
20000
30 min
14
15000
25000
25000
30 min
15
15000
30000
30000
30 min
16
20000
40000
40000
30 min
End of Day 1
17
25000
50000
50000
40 min
18
30000
60000
60000
40 min
19
40000
80000
80000
40 min
BREAK
20 min
Chip up 5000
20
50000
100000
100000
40 min
21
75000
125000
125000
40 min
22
75000
150000
150000
40 min
BREAK
20 min
23
100000
200000
200000
40 min
24
125000
250000
250000
40 min
25
150000
300000
300000
40 min
26
200000
400000
400000
40 min
27
250000
500000
500000
40 min
€230 Tag Team
Place
Player
Prize
1
Team Ioannis Lazaridis/Antonis Mpavas
€3,344
2
Konstantinos Attitis
€2,218
3
Michail Zenebisis
€1,531
4
Georgios Mylobas
€986
5
Team Fotios Ntamaris/Dionysis Galtsidis
€721
€250 PKO
Place
Player
Prize
1
Theodoros Ampelikiotis
€5,271
2
Glenn Brown
€4,305
3
Stavros Kokotsakis
€2,750
4
Miltiadis Zografos
€1,897
5
Grigorios Thanos
€1,338
6
Vasileios Karagiannis
€855
7
Michail Mitkoudis
€715
8
Nikolaos Valtatzis
€615
9
Christos Mekras
€524
10
Fotios Ntamaris
€444
11
Konstantinos Daskalou
€444
12
Christos Kastanidis
€376
13
Ioannis Diamantopoulos
€376
14
Michail Tastanis
€376
15
Jason Glatzer
€312
16
Anonymous
€312
17
Yordan-Ivanov Dichev
€312
18
Fotios Chatzatoglou
€263
19
Stamatis Mourelis
€263
20
Christos Karageorgiou
€263
21
Andreas Paliogiannis
€263
22
Dimitrios Mitroudis
€263
23
Nikolaos L
€263
€450 Monsterstack Mystery Bounty
Place
Player
Payout
Bounty
1
Andreas Paliogiannis
€8,957
€5,450
2
Georgios Mylonas
€5,830
€600
3
Mihail Hristov
€4,310
€15,750
4
Konstantinos Daskalou
€3,008
€2,800
5
Nikolaos Valtatzis
€2,079
€1,750
6
Anass Chergui
€1,284
€6,250
7
Kolev Ivelin
€1,065
8
Stavros Melanitis
€896
9
Ioannis Mantonanakis
€761
10
Vasileios Gkogkos
€642
11
Athanasios Xenodochidis
€642
12
Traianos-Alexandros Ntavoutis
€524
13
Valeri Savov
€524
14
Konstantinos Gennaios
€524
15
Christos Symeonidis
€524
16
Panagiotis-George Mylonas
€446
17
Ioannis Diamantopoulos
€446
18
Georgi Mektupchiyan
€446
19
Ioannis Azoidis
€446
20
Jarkko Juhani
€446
€600 Main Event
Place
Player
Prize
1
€56,340
2
€37,485
3
€27,196
4
€18,504
5
€13,037
6
Ioannis Diamantopoulos
€9,448
7
Aggelos Valilis
€7,766
8
Itzhak Cohen
€6,420
9
Marios-Panagiotis Kapiris
€5,327
10
Georgios Mellidis
€4,402
11
Nikolaos Papaioannou
€4,402
12
Dimitrios Anastasiadis
€3,617
13
Marek Rous
€3,617
14
Athanasios Xenodochidis
€2,916
15
Achilleas Kouros
€2,916
16
Vasileios Poziadis
€2,916
17
Andronikos Voliotis
€2,916
18
Vasil Vasilev
€2,355
19
Christos-Dimokratis Athanasiadis
€2,355
20
Dmitri Dudakov
€2,355
21
Artemios Fournaris
€2,355
22
Dimitrios Giannakis
€2,355
23
Risto Raernat
€2,355
24
Ivan Popov
€1,906
25
Sotir Gochev
€1,906
26
Apostolos Karathanasis
€1,906
27
Nikolaos Tsinas
€1,906
28
Ioannis Souroukidis
€1,906
29
Athanasios Lappas
€1,906
30
Asterios Spontis
€1,906
31
Panagiotis Chronopoulos
€1,906
32
Samir Natri
€1,543
33
Stefanos Michailidis
€1,543
34
Dimitrios Mitroudis
€1,543
35
Christos Symeonidis
€1,543
36
Paschalis Papadopoulos
€1,543
37
Andreas Vlachos
€1,543
38
Chasan Koula
€1,543
39
Vasileios Zisis
€1,543
40
Eleftherios Papaggelis
€1,543
41
Hristina Nikolova
€1,543
42
Lars Bøgh Jensen
€1,543
43
Dimitrios Giannakis
€1,543
44
Vahid Reza Karimkhanezand
€1,543
45
Borislav Yosifov
€1,206
46
Panagiotis Marizas
€1,206
47
Kolev Ivelin
€1,206
48
Vasileios Papadaniil
€1,206
49
Koen Roos
€1,206
50
Michail Mitkoudis
€1,206
51
Fotios Ntamaris
€1,206
52
Nikolaos Vouldis
€1,206
53
Pantelis Pavlis
€1,206
54
Johannes De Hond
€1,206
55
Nikolaos Dalakis
€1,206
56
Saimar Bixheku
€1,206
57
Martin Tsvetanov
€1,206
58
Marek Svacha
€1,206
59
Yordan-Ivanov Dichev
€1,206
60
Miroslav Rizov
€1,206
61
Kirill Panyushin
€1,206
62
Stavros Stavropoulos
€1,206
The Greek Poker Odyssea will be played June 23-29 at the Regency Casino, Thessaloniki.
Anastasios Vardalis
Alexey Shilov
Itzhak Cohen
Mihail Hristov
Anass Chergui
Glenn Brown
