The €165 King of Balkan has crowned its champion at Apollonia Hotel & Casino, with Greek player “F4n4t1k” taking down the title after a heads-up deal with Nikola Trajanov.
The event proved to be another successful tournament of the festival, attracting 285 total registrations and comfortably smashing its €30,000 guarantee. By the time registration had closed, the prize pool had climbed to €42,750, with 37 players reaching the money.
F4n4t1k and Trajanov Reach a Heads-Up Deal
After a long Final Day, the tournament eventually came down to F4n4t1k and Nikola Trajanov, who agreed to a deal once play reached heads-up.
Under the agreement, Trajanov secured €7,467, while F4n4t1k locked up €7,107, with the additional prizes reserved for the eventual champion still to be decided on the table.
The two players then played one final hand with their cards face up to determine who would officially be crowned the King of Balkan.
F4n4t1k held Q-J against Trajanov’s A-3, and the Greek player immediately took control after flopping two pair, sealing the victory and the King of Balkan title.
Along with his €7,107 payout, F4n4t1k earned a €2,500 package for EPT Prague as well as a Main Event ticket for the next Balkan Poker Championship festival at Apollonia in November.
Trajanov finished runner-up with €7,467, while Diamantis Anagnostou completed the podium in third place for €4,000.
King of Balkan – Final Results
- “F4n4t1k” – €7,107* + €2,500 EPT Prague package + BPC Main Event ticket
- Nikola Trajanov – €7,467*
- Diamantis Anagnostou – €4,000
- Stefan Shtrkov – €2,935
- Giorgos Kotsiras – €2,175
- Rafail Neofytou – €1,645
- Gerasimos Arabatzis – €1,300
- Vasilis Liagkas – €1,055
- Giorgos Dallas – €870
- Petar Saveski – €605
- Makis Kadoglou – €605
- Christos Chytoudis – €605
- Vasilis Zisis – €480
- Petros Baxevanidis – €480
- Pantelis Patralis – €480
- Stavros Georgoulas – €395
- Giannis Lazaridis – €395
- Apostolos Vlachos – €395
- Manolis Chalkiotis – €310
- Kostas Meliopoulos – €310
- Iro Kasidiari – €310
- Petros Lymperopoulos – €310
- Manolis Zacharakis – €310
- Mark Van Elsaecker – €310
- Dimitris Amplianitis – €310
- Ermogenis Asprogenous – €310
- S.T. – €310
- Kostas Siamitras – €250
- Charis “Alopas” Perogamvrakis – €250
- N.S. – €250
- Spyros Giamouzis – €250
- Sasho Lekoski – €250
- Ilias Tsenopoulos – €250
- Anestis Kostakidis – €250
- Todor Ivkovikj – €250
- Andreas Vlachos – €250
- Jean Philippe Goncalves – €250
*Payouts following the heads-up deal.
With 285 registrations, a €42,750 prize pool and the €30,000 guarantee well surpassed, the King of Balkan delivered a strong turnout and a dramatic finish at Apollonia.
For F4n4t1k, the victory brings not only the title and the top prize, but also a ticket to the next BPC Main Event and a €2,500 EPT Prague package, adding an international destination to his King of Balkan triumph.
