It was quite the eventful weekend in Cyprus as the World Poker Tour came to town. The 2026 WPT Cyprus would fail to draw enough players to crack its $2 million guarantee but, as it always has, the WPT stepped up and ate the difference. Perhaps what was more impressive was that the Day 1A chip leader, Farbod Nazari, was able to ride that advantage all the way to the championship, booking a $368,900 win and a trip to the WPT World Championship this December.
Eat It…Just Eat It
In 2025, the WPT Cyprus crushed its guaranteed $2 million prize pool when 775 entries were registered at the Chamada Prestige Hotel & Spa in Cyprus. Naturally, the WPT thought that this would be the case again with the return trip to the Mediterranean island for this year’s tournament. Alas, that was not the case.
Despite running three Day One flights, the 2026 WPT Cyprus could muster only 520 entries, falling far short of the $2 million guarantee. Instead of saying “too bad” to those who entered the tournament, the WPT did the right thing and stepped up to cover the overlay. As a result, the field played for the $2 million guarantee, with 65 players splitting the prize pool.
Ray Qartomy, who had a rollercoaster ride through the early reentry days, managed to get a little return on his investment. He would pick up a $9,000 payout for his 55th place finish, while others such as Peter Kotsiris, Anna Raluca, and WPT Champions’ Club member Thomas Bichon were able to play deeper into the tournament. By the time the six-handed WPT final table was determined, the Day 1A chip leader, Farbod Nazari, was in outstanding position to mix it up for the title.
Cutting Them Up Like a Surgeon
Nazari was in the middle of the pack (5.275 million) of the six-man table, but he was well within striking distance of the leader Mihai Trofim (6.225 million). Chadi Rizk (5.65 million) was between them, while Weiran Pu (3.8 million), Sami Ayyoub (3.65 million), and Sergiu Cornea (1.325 million) rounded out the final table.
The first half-dozen hands were a feeling-out process, but on Hand #8 Nazari struck gold. Up against Trofim, the board read A-7-4-3-Q, and roughly three million chips were up for grabs. Trofim would call a 900K bet from Nazari, who confidently turned up an A-10 to quash Trofim’s Q-10 and give Nazari the pot. In taking that hand, Nazari also took over the lead in the event, something that he would run on the remainder of the way.
Although Pu would take out Ayyoub in sixth place, Nazari would be the wrecking ball the rest of the way. He would reduce Trofim’s holdings to dust when they checked down a board of K-10-5-J-3 and Trofim held only 25K in the rear; Nazari’s K-J crushed the pocket deuces of Trofim. As he held court, Pu and Rizk would try to keep up, but Pu eventually would fall to Nazari to set up the heads-up battle.
Nazari held a sizeable lead over Rizk (16.35 million to 9.575 million), but Rizk would prove to be a formidable opponent. Rizk would take the first two hands of heads-up play to creep closer to Nazari, but he would never be able to punch through to take the lead. It was not for a lack of trying; on a couple of occasions, Rizk would draw within a couple million chips of Nazari, but Nazari would always find the cards on the next hand to reestablish the lead.
On the final hand, Nazari responded to a Rizk limp with a raise, and Rizk called. The 4-3-2 rainbow flop did not seem to help anyone, but Nazari would bet 500K into the growing pot. Rizk responded with an all-in move, and Nazari almost beat him to the pot with the call:
Rizk (small blind/button): K-5 (open-ended straight draw)
Nazari: 6-5 (flopped straight)
Nazari had flopped the world, and he only needed to dodge a six to keep from having to split the pot with Rizk. A trey on the turn and a King on the river were not what Rizk was looking for, as Nazari booked the championship of the 2026 WPT Cyprus and the glories that went with it.
1. Farbod Nazari, $368,900
2. Chadi Rizk, $238,000
3. Weiran Pu, $175,000
4. Mihai Trofim, $130,000
5. Sergiu Cornea, $97,000
6. Sam Ayyoub, $73,000
Up next for the WPT will be a trip to Jacksonville, FL, for the bestbet Jacksonville Scramble. Beginning on September 4, the $5,000 buy-in tournament will have a $1 million guarantee, which should draw a strong field to contest the title. The final table for that tournament will be on September 9, as the 2026 WPT Season 24 motors onward to Las Vegas for the WPT World Championship in December.
(Photo courtesy of World Poker Tour)
