Prior to this month, Ilia Kitsbabashvili had never had a live tournament cash as high as $8,000. Then he rattled off wins in an a pair of $1,100 prelim events at the WPT Cyprus festival for well over $50,000 in total.
But the best was yet to come. After battling through four days of poker at Chamada Prestige Hotel & Casino, Kitsbabashvili became newest member of the World Poker Tour Champions Club.
Kitsbabashvili bested a field of 775 entrants at WPT Cyprus, taking home a first-place prize of $401,100. He’ll also have a permanent spot on the WPT Mike Sexton Champions Cup. The $3,500 buy-in tournament beat its $2 million guarantee, with the prize pool eclipsing $2.4 million.
For his victory, Kitsbabashvili earned 1,368 points in the Card Player Player of the Year race, presented by CoinPoker.
“It’s a huge amount of money and it will change my life,” said Kitsbabashvili, following his victory. “I was calm and very prepared, and I knew that I was going to win.”
When the final day of the tournament began, Kitsbabashvili had a tall hill to climb. Among the final seven players who reached day 4, Kitsbabashvili was the second-shortest stack to start play.
Kitsbabashvili fell into seventh when Elena Litviniuk doubled up. But in a matter of two hands, Kitsbabashvili picked up a significant amount of chips without showdown, and then doubled himself. Kitsbabashvili’s K♥Q♦ beat Ignacio Sole’s pocket eights, as the board ran out K♠K♣Q♣A♠Q♠ for a full house.
Sole went out in seventh in an unfortunate spot. His A♦K♦ was ahead of James Mahone’s A♠J♥, and Litviniuk folded A♣J♠, further reducing Mahone’s outs. But a J♦6♣3♦5♣A♥ runout paired Mahone’s jack, and that was it for Sole.
A Wild Start To The Final Table
Through the first 30 hands of the official WPT final table, there were three double-ups, a five-bet shove and a folded set on a non-flush board with only one possible straight.
what’s crazier — the all in or the fold? 🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/k70Hdc3rbZ
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) August 18, 2025
At the first break, Mahone held the chip lead and Kitsbabashvili and Rafal Chmura were virtually tied just behind him in second and third. Mahone’s lead grew when he eliminated Uladzimir Zhyharau in sixth. Zhyharau’s A♥K♦ could not connect with the board to overcome Mahone’s 10♣10♥, as it ran out Q♠5♥4♠3♠7♠.
Mahone’s run of success continued when he took out the severely short-stacked Nikolai Zhadanov in fifth. Zhadanov got his last few chips in with 9♦9♣ and Mahone called with Q♠10♣. The A♣10♠7♣6♣J♥ runout paired Mahone on the flop, and that was it.
Kitsbabashvili’s stack slipped when Litviniuk doubled through him. Kitsbabashvili was ahead with A♥Q♠ to Litviniuk’s A♣10♣, but Litviniuk turned a club flush.
The luck would soon run out for Litviniuk, in the most brutal of hands. Litviniuk opened for a min-raise in the cutoff with A♠A♣, and Chmura three-bet all-in from the big blind for 27 big blinds effective with 2♥2♣. She called, and then the 8♦4♦2♠ flop gave Chmura the ultimate reprieve with a set of deuces. There was no re-suckout on the 4♥ turn or 7♥ river, and Litviniuk went from a chance to chip lead to out in fourth.
ACES CRACKED 😳
Elena Litviniuk opens aces and gets JAMMED ON from the big blind with just four remaining at the $3,500 @WPT Cyprus Championship Final Table with $401,000 going to 1st 👇 pic.twitter.com/mblYYgTxRJ
— World Poker Tour (@WPT) August 18, 2025
A Battle To The Finish
From hand 55, when Litviniuk went out, there were no all-in and calls until hand 127. Kitsbabashvili had been pulling away, until Mahone chipped back. Mahone’s A♥7♥ held off Kitsbabashvili’s K♥Q♠, and three stacks pulled even once again.
The tournament swung in a massive way when, on a board of 10♣6♠4♠3♣, Mahone shoved all-in. It would take the bulk of Chmura’s stack to call, and he found it with 6♥5♥. He was right, as Mahone tabled A♠4♦, but the cruel A♣ landed on the river, crippling Chmura’s stack.
After doubling back once, pocket aces once again spelled a player’s end in an absolutely brutal pot. On a J♥7♠4♠ flop, Kitsbabashvili put Chmura all-in, and Chmura called with his A♥A♣. Kitsbabashvili had 6♥5♥ for an open-ended straight draw, but the 10♥ and 2♥ river completed a runner-runner heart flush.
Kitsbabashvili started heads-up play with the chip lead, and never relinquished it. On the final hand, Mahone had 5♦5♣ and Kitsbabashvili tabled A♠7♠.
The J♦7♣6♣ flop paired Kitsbabashvili’s seven, and neither the 2♥ turn nor the Q♦ river could save Mahone.
Vegas Bound
By virtue of this win, Kitsbabashvili multiplied his career live earnings many times over. Additionally, as part of Kitsbabashvili’s prize as champion, he received a $10,400 seat to the WPT World Championship at Wynn Las Vegas in December.
For the newly minted champ from the country of Georgia, it’s another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It is my dream to play poker in Vegas,” Kitsbabashvili said, following his victory. “I’ve never been there. My dream will come true in December.”
Kitsbabashvili is the fifth player to win a WPT main tour title in Cyprus, joining Marvin Rettenmaier, Thomas Bichon, Alexander Lakhov and Alexey Rybin.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Payout | POY Points |
| 1 | Ilia Kitsbabashvili | $401,100 | 1,368 |
| 2 | James Mahone | $255,000 | 1,140 |
| 3 | Rafal Chmura | $190,000 | 912 |
| 4 | Elena Litviniuk | $142,000 | 684 |
| 5 | Nikolay Zhadanov | $107,000 | 570 |
| 6 | Uladzimir Zhyharau | $82,000 | 456 |
Photo credit: World Poker Tour
