In a whirlwind of high-stakes action at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel, Azamat Lamkov etched his name in poker history as the newest champion of the $5,300 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event. What makes Lamkov’s victory truly remarkable is not just the size of his win—$1 million—but the humble beginnings from which it sprang.
Lamkov’s ascent to the winner’s circle began with a mere $125 satellite ticket. However, a string of bad luck saw him head back to the qualifiers, where he then picked up another ticket before going the distance against a field of 1,260 entries and seizing the lion’s share of the $6,048,000 prize pool.
Entering the final table fifth in chips, Lamkov outmaneuvered opponents like Mihai Niste (6th, $170,000) and Leon Sturm (3rd, $440,000) on his path to victory. His final showdown saw him pitted against fellow Russian Kirill Shcherbakov, who collected the $680,000 runner’s up prize.
Lamkov’s first reaction after his victory was to shake Shcherbakov’s hand, point his fingers to the sky, and then join his wife and friends to celebrate. “It is very hard to explain my emotions now because I cannot realize how I’m feeling,” he explained in Russian during his first winner’s interview.
He was also wearing a Merit Poker badge the entire tournament, which was needed to win the last longer. By doing so, he has also earned an entry into the Main Event at Dolce Vita Series in July.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azamat Lamkov | Russian Federation | $1,000,000 |
| 2 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russian Federation | $680,000 |
| 3 | Leon Sturm | Germany | $440,000 |
| 4 | Iurii Suvorov | Russian Federation | $320,000 |
| 5 | Birger Larsen | Norway | $225,000 |
| 6 | Mihai Niste | Romania | $170,000 |
| 7 | Gamir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | $125,000 |
| 8 | Assyl Tleuzhanov | Kazakhstan | $100,000 |
| 9 | Yuhang Chen | China | $78,300 |
Final Table’s Action
The action kicked off with Yuhang Chen‘s valiant attempt to stage a comeback, but his hopes were dashed when his ace-queen fell short against Shcherbakov’s pocket fives, sending him out in ninth place for $78,300.
However, luck favored Damir Gabdullin as he doubled up with aces, while Leon Sturm surged ahead, securing the chip lead with a timely straight. Iurii Suvorov also managed to double through Assyl Tleuzhanov, leaving the latter short-stacked before his eventual elimination in eighth place for $100,000.
Gabdullin’s spin-up was halted by Sturm, who soon increased his chances of becoming the champion even further after seeing off Mihai Niste in sixth place. Birger Larsen ran into Shcherbakov’s kings and finished fifth for $225,000, and Lamkov ousted Suvorov to the bring the tournament to its final three players.
Sturm’s stack had eroded and was denied a double-up as Lamkov continued his ascent, outflopping the German prodigy’s pocket jacks to set up the heads-up showdown.
Lamkov was slightly ahead when the heads-up play began, and he managed to significantly extend his lead when he hit a straight and was called by ace-high.
From that point, Shcherbakov never came back and all the chips eventually when into the middle with Shcherbakov at risk with top pair against a flush draw. A third diamond came on the river to complete Lamkov’s flush, and he was crowned as the winner of the $5,300 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event.
Editor & Live Reporter
Calum has been a part of the PokerNews team since September 2021 after working in the UK energy sector. He played his first hand of poker in 2017 and immediately fell in love with the game. Calum’s proudest poker achievement is winning the only tournament he has ever played in Las Vegas, the prestigious $60 Flamingo evening event.