After 5 demanding days on the Adriatic coast, the €1,650 Primary Occasion on the Advantage Poker Montenegro Championship has reached its conclusion contained in the Advantage Royal Splendid On line casino in Budva. When the ultimate card fell, Israel’s Timur Margolin had survived the swings of the final day to say the trophy and the €110,000 high prize.
The Primary Occasion drew a complete of 414 entries, making a €571,320 prize pool and organising a remaining desk that supplied little margin for error. Margolin started the ultimate day third in chips and rapidly discovered himself on the mistaken facet of a serious pot, a setback that briefly left his event hanging within the steadiness.
Slightly than unravel, Margolin regrouped and stayed within the second, permitting the three-time WSOP bracelet winner to reset after a day that examined his resolve. From there, he rebuilt steadily by a unstable remaining desk and carried that momentum right into a heads-up battle with Nikolay Fal, the place he lastly closed out a long-awaited Primary Occasion victory.
€1,650 Primary Occasion Closing Desk Outcomes
1Timur MargolinIsrael€110,000
2Nikolay FalRussian Federation€75,000
3Paul EsauGermany€51,500
4Jon KyteNorway€36,800
5Eric SandsSan Marino€28,000
6Yaser SakaryaTurkey€22,500
7Ufuk ErkmenTurkey€18,600
8Andrei DaniliukRussian Federation€14,800
9Oleksii ShchukinUkraine€11,020
Winner’s Response
Margolin admitted the win took a second to sink in, particularly given how lengthy it had been since his final Primary Occasion title. “I really feel nice,” he mentioned, smiling. “I used to be joking earlier as a result of somebody launched me as a veteran, and I used to be considering, am I actually that previous now? I received a Primary Occasion and acquired married twelve years in the past, so it’s been some time. To win a Primary Occasion once more like this feels superb.”
He additionally spoke warmly about his lengthy historical past with the Advantage model and the way particular this cease turned out to be. “I’ve excellent reminiscences from Advantage through the years. That is my first time right here in Montenegro, and to high it off like this with a win, it feels superb.”
Trying again on the ultimate day, Margolin described a real emotional swing, notably after a expensive hand earlier within the session. “It was an up-and-down day,” he mentioned. “I had one large hand towards Nikolay earlier the place I misplaced most of my chips, and I wasn’t too blissful about it. I even considered giving up for a second.”

Slightly than letting that derail him, Margolin reset and targeted on staying current. “I managed to remain targeted and simply attempt to play the subsequent hand as greatest as I may. All of us make errors typically, however I used to be blissful that I stayed current and saved executing.”
Away from the desk, Margolin mentioned his assist system was following each step from afar. “My household, my spouse, my children, my mother, they had been all following,” he mentioned. “My spouse truly flew to Dubai, however we had been texting in the course of the breaks. They had been actually excited.”
As for what comes subsequent, the plan is intentionally low-key. “I simply wish to relaxation. I missed my flight, so I’ve a fairly robust journey residence now with a connection. I’ll eat one thing, perhaps have a drink, and simply chill out. The adrenaline drops after a win like this.”
He closed by praising the Advantage Poker organisation and venue, which he has come to see as acquainted floor. “Advantage has been like a second residence to me through the years,” he mentioned. “The employees takes care of every thing, and you’ll simply deal with taking part in. This place didn’t disappoint in any respect.”
From Closing Desk to the End Line
The ultimate desk opened with heavy motion, together with an early double knockout that reshaped the leaderboard when Jon Kyte eradicated each Oleksii Shchukin and Andrei Daniliuk in a three-way all-in. Margolin gained momentum quickly after, successful a vital flip with pocket eights towards Kyte to remain alive, a pot that proved pivotal because the stacks started to shift.

Fal’s run was outlined by well-timed aggression and a willingness to face his floor in main pots. He briefly took management of the desk after snap-calling a shove with a flopped full home towards Margolin, swinging the chip lead and setting the tone for a unstable center part. Margolin absorbed the setback and continued to use stress with out forcing the difficulty.
Kyte, who started the day as chip chief, noticed his run come to an finish in fourth place after calling off with pocket fours and working straight into Fal’s pocket jacks, additional consolidating Fal’s place close to the highest of the counts.
With three gamers remaining, Paul Esau continued to battle however in the end fell in third place when Fal linked in a blind-on-blind confrontation, organising a heads-up duel between the 2 bracelet winners.

The heads-up contest featured a number of momentum swings. Fal discovered an early double to maintain the match alive, however Margolin responded with composure, reclaiming management with relentless stress.
Within the remaining hand, Fal moved all in with king-queen and Margolin made the decision with jack-ten. The flip accomplished Broadway for Margolin, and the river sealed the outcome, bringing a hard-fought remaining desk to an in depth.













