In one of the most dramatic hands of the tournament, Volodymyr Kokoulin narrowly escaped elimination to secure his first WSOP Europe bracelet, winning Event #2: €550 Pot-Limit Omaha. Held at King’s Resort in Rozvadov, the tournament attracted 642 entries, and Kokoulin emerged as the champion after a wild final table that saw him turn a desperate situation into a career-defining victory. The 34-year-old Ukrainian poker player claimed the top prize of €56,100, defeating Polish pro Tomasz Kozub in a tense heads-up match.
Event #2: €550 Pot-Limit Omaha Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Volodymyr Kokoulin | Ukraine | €56,100 |
| 2 |  Tomasz Kozub | Poland | €37,400 |
| 3 |  Hristiyan Banov | Bulgaria | €25,500 |
| 4 |  Claudio Di Giacomo | Italy | €17,800 |
| 5 | Ivan Nikolov | Bulgaria | €12,600 |
| 6 |  Stefan Kostner | Austria | €9,200 |
| 7 |  Andrei Shpak | Belarus | €6,800 |
| 8 |  Damjan Radanov | United States | €5,100 |
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Miracle Hand at the Final Table
The moment that would change everything for Kokoulin came during a four-handed battle. All-in with A♠3♣K♥3♦, he was up against Claudio Di Giacomo’s top set of kings, and things looked grim. However, the board ran out perfectly for Kokoulin, giving him a backdoor flush to stay alive and seize the chip lead. “I couldn’t believe it. I was almost gone, but then everything changed,” Kokoulin said. This massive double-up catapulted him into a dominant position at the table.
The Final Table Action
Damjan Radanov was the first player to exit the final table, falling in eighth place when his J♦J♥4♦4♥ couldn’t hold up against Di Giacomo’s A♥Q♣2♥2♦. Next, Di Giacomo eliminated Belarusian player Andrei Shpak in seventh place by hitting a straight on the turn.
A key hand came shortly after when Hristiyan Banov, holding A♥A♦J♥4♦, survived a three-way all-in against Stefan Kostner’s A♠K♦J♦5♥ and Kozub’s A♦2♦K♥7♥. Despite Kozub holding a flush draw, Banov found one of his outs on the river to triple up, while Kozub took the side pot, eliminating Kostner in sixth place.
After Ivan Nikolov departed in fifth place, missing his flush and straight draws, Kokoulin’s backdoor flush miracle occurred, which led to the elimination of Di Giacomo in fourth place when Kozub sent him to the rail.
Heads-Up Showdown
Kokoulin entered heads-up play with a commanding 11.66 million to Kozub’s 4.28 million. Kozub, who had already made a name for himself with over $1 million in live Omaha tournament earnings, briefly doubled up but couldn’t overcome Kokoulin’s momentum. In the final hand, Kozub’s J♣J♠8♣5♦ was up against Kokoulin’s Q♠Q♥7♦4♠. Kozub flopped a straight draw, but Kokoulin found a straight of his own on the river to close out the victory.
Future Plans
Despite the breakthrough bracelet win, Kokoulin remains focused on cash games, which he considers his specialty. “I’m mostly a cash player,” he said. “I’ll probably play the Main Event, but only if the cash games allow it.”
With this victory, Kokoulin adds his name to the list of Ukrainian WSOP champions, showing that no matter how desperate the situation, a poker tournament can turn around in an instant.
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* Images and hands courtesy of WSOP.
