Farbod Nazari is the most recent participant to have his identify engraved on the Mike Sexton WPT Champions Cup. The Iranian participant navigated his means by a area of 520 entries within the 2026 World Poker Tour Cyprus Championship $3,500 no-limit maintain’em occasion at Chamada Prestige Hotel to earn the title and the first-place prize of $368,900.
This was by far the most important stay poker event rating for Nazari, simply surpassing the $22,581 he took dwelling for a Thirty third-place end within the 2025 European Poker Tour Prague fundamental occasion. This breakthrough victory in Cyprus pushed his lifetime earnings over $415,000.
Nazari surged inside the highest 500 within the 2026 Card Player Player of the Year race standings introduced by CoinPoker because of the 1,260 factors he earned with this win.
The occasion assured a $2 million prize pool, awarding payouts to the highest 65 finishers. Among those that ran deep had been seven-time WPT fundamental occasion remaining tablist Ray Qartomy (fifty fifth), 2019 World Series of Poker fundamental occasion champion Hossein Ensan (forty second), WPT champion Thomas Bichon (seventeenth), 2009 WPT Championship runner-up Ran Azor (14th), and Niko Koop (thirteenth).
Closing Out The Win
Nazari was in the midst of the pack among the many six contenders who returned for the ultimate day of play. Sami Ayyoub (sixth – $73,000) misplaced a preflop race with Ok♠Q♠ in opposition to the 5♦5♣ of bracelet winner Weiran Pu. The flop introduced a set for Pu, who made a full home on the flip to lock up the pot and the knockout. Sergiu Cornea (fifth – $97,000) quickly adopted, along with his pocket sevens shedding to the pocket queens of Chadi Rizk.
Pu then eradicated Mihai Trofim (4th – $130,000), who had been floor down to simply over an enormous blind. The remaining three battled for about 90 minutes earlier than the subsequent knockout blow was dealt. Pu bought the final of his stack in on J♠J♦9♠3♥ board with 9♥4♠. He was up in opposition to J♣10♣ for Nazari, which meant he was drawing lifeless. The 7♥ accomplished the board, and Pu hit the rail in third place ($175,000). He now boasts over $4.4 million in profession cashes.
Nazari had roughly a 5:3 chip lead going into heads-up play in opposition to Rizk. Nazari pulled additional forward and almost closed out the win available no. 114 of the day with pocket tens in opposition to A-5, however Rizk rivered an ace-high straight to double again into competition. The very subsequent deal noticed the chips get in once more, this time after a flop of 4♦3♣2♠. Nazari guess a single large blind with 6♥5♥ for the flopped nut straight, and rapidly referred to as when Rizk shoved for round 16 large blinds whole. Rizk was drawing to a chop with Ok♥5♠. The 3♠ flip and Ok♠ river saved Nazari’s hand greatest, incomes him the pot and the title.
Rizk was awarded $238,000 because the runner-up. This was his first recorded rating in a significant occasion.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Farbod Nazari | $368,900 | 1,260 |
| 2 | Chadi Rizk | $238,000 | 1,050 |
| 3 | Weiran Pu | $175,000 | 840 |
| 4 | Mihai Trofim | $130,000 | 630 |
| 5 | Sergiu Cornea | $97,000 | 525 |
| 6 | Sami Ayyoub | $73,000 | 420 |
| 7 | Bernardo Neves | $56,500 | 315 |
| 8 | Rayan Jawhari | $44,000 | 210 |
| 9 | Nariman Yaghmai | $36,000 | 105 |
Photo credit score: WPT.
