EPT Snowfest: Russian Players Make Their Mark

The third day of EPT Snowfest began with five Russians in the mix: Maxim Lykov, Evgeny Zaitsev, Dmitry Vitykind (all JokerTeam), Alexander Kravchenko (PokerStars Pro, AK Team), and Vladislav Shuravin. Additionally, Vadim Markushevsky (PokerStars Pro) and Nadia Gundorina (partner of Maxim "Lucking" Shutya) were also participating.

Nadia Gundorina, who had a small stack, waited for the payzone before exiting the tournament. Evgeny Zaitsev assisted her by going all-in with 3x 3x against Ax Ax. Alexander Kravchenko faced a tough loss, first hitting a flush against a higher flush held by Lex Feldhus, and then going all-in with Ax 9x against Kx Kx, finishing in 65th place. Vlad "DiverKrd" Shuravin's Qx Qx lost to Ax Ax of Nasr El Nasr, ending his tournament run.

At the lunch break, 43 players remained, including Maxim Lykov, Evgeny Zaitsev, and Dmitry Vitykind. Dmitry Vitykind lost a coin flip with Ax Kx against 9x 9x, finishing in 40th place. Evgeny Zaitsev drove Johannes Strassman to frustration with 8x 9x against Qx Qx but eventually lost, finishing in 37th place. Vadim Markushevsky reached 28th place before losing with a 4-bet all-in with 3x 3x against 7x 7x. Maxim Lykov maintained a strong position throughout the day, leading the chip count until a late setback. Allan Baekke led with 2.687 million chips, followed by Brent Wheeler with 1.361 million chips.