EPT Winner Angle-Shooting?

A new EPT Main Event champion has been crowned in Monaco, with Russia’s Aleksandr Shevliakov taking home the €1 million prize.

Controversy. But the win didn’t come without drama. With six players left, Jamil Wakil opened to 270k from under the gun. Action folded to Shevliakov in the small blind, who paused before verbally declaring a raise to 360k with A♥️K♥️ - which was below the minimum raise, but a size that would be a 3x open.

Because of the announcement, he was forced into a minimum 3bet. Interpreting it as an error on Shevliakov’s part, Wakil shoved for 30 big blinds with Q♦️J♦️ and was instantly called by Shevliakov, who revealed his hand and said, “I really missed the action.”

Angle Shooting? One player claimed Shevliakov had done something similar earlier in the day. And notably, according to the commentators, this was the only time Shevliakov used a verbal raise size at the final table, raising eyebrows about his intent.

Response. Shevliakov denies any wrongdoing. On X, he explained that on Day 4 he misheard a 275k bet as 475k during a hand with Stoyan Obreshkov, citing language barriers and fatigue from five long days of play. That incident, he says, was the source of an earlier angle-shoot accusation.

As for the hand against Wakil, Shevliakov says he didn’t realize Wakil had already raised due to mental exhaustion. He also mentioned that he may have used verbal announcements earlier in the tournament without noticing, suggesting it could be an unconscious tell.

Who’s right? There’s no way to know for sure what Shevliakov’s intent was, but it’s not a great look for him. 

In The News

• WPT. The WPT has announced a $5k buy-in event at the Venetian with a $4 million guarantee, scheduled to run during the late stages of the WSOP Main Event, giving players who bust the Main a solid summer fallback.

• Matusow. Mike “The Mouth” Matusow’s documentary is now free to watch on YouTube. The film dives into his battles with drug addiction, sports betting, and his recovery from a serious back injury.

• Moneymaker. Chris Moneymaker just won the Moneymaker Tour Main Event in Palm Beach, Florida - yes, the event named after himself. He topped a 424-entry field to take home $83,042. 

Xuan Liu Becomes The First Woman To Win A Triton

Xuan Liu became the first woman to win a Triton Series title after defeating Daniel Dvoress heads-up to take down the $25k WPT Global Slam for $860,000.

First. Not only was it Liu’s first Triton victory - it was the first Triton event she’d ever played. The Canadian pro entered the final table in the middle of the pack with around 33 big blinds. By the time it got heads-up, she was facing a 4:1 chip deficit against one of Canada’s best, Daniel Dvoress.

But Liu didn’t back down. She chipped away, pot by pot, until a pivotal flip when her 5♦️5♥️ held against Dvoress’ A♣️Q♦️ and all but sealed the deal.

The win marks the biggest score of her career and brings her total live earnings to $3.2 million.

Triton. The Triton Montenegro stop is just getting started, but it’s already delivering fireworks. In the opening event, Alex Foxen captured his third Triton title and $755,000 in the $25k NLH event.

Did You Know?

The first woman to win a WSOP bracelet was Vera Richmond in 1982.

She won the $1,000 Limit A-5 Draw Lowball event for $38,500, making history as the first woman to claim a bracelet in an open (not ladies-only) event at the World Series of Poker.