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Evagoras Evagorou Poker Player Profile

Evagoras Evagorou is a Cypriot poker player and optician who made poker history in 2026 by becoming the first player from Cyprus to reach the World Series of Poker Main Event final table. Playing the $10,000 WSOP Main Event for the first time, Evagorou finished ninth from a field of 9,208 entries and earned $1,000,000, by far the largest tournament score of his career.

The result transformed a tournament résumé that had previously been built mostly around events in Cyprus and the Mediterranean. As of August 10, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Evagorou with more than $1.25 million in live tournament earnings and ranks him sixth on the Cyprus all-time money list.

Who Is Evagoras Evagorou?

Evagoras Evagorou is a poker player from Nicosia, Cyprus. He was 48 years old when he reached the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table.

Poker is not Evagorou's full-time profession. He works as an optician and has operated an optical business in Nicosia for more than two decades. He has described himself as a part-time player rather than a full-time tournament professional, although poker has been part of his life since the mid-2000s.

Evagorou began playing poker around 2004 after first becoming interested in online poker. When he returned to Cyprus, he became involved in home games and helped organize poker games and tournaments with other players.

He later told Poker.org that he played semi-professionally until around 2011 or 2012 and spent much of that period concentrating on cash games.

Evagoras Evagorou's Early Poker Career

Evagorou's first recorded live tournament cash dates to 2009, when he cashed in events on the Greek Poker Tour.

Much of his subsequent tournament activity took place in Cyprus, where major poker festivals at Merit properties gave him regular access to international tournament fields.

His first recorded live tournament victory came in Las Vegas in 2014. Evagorou won a $100 daily tournament at Caesars Palace for $1,324.

A more substantial result followed in March 2015 when he finished fourth in a €2,150 no-limit hold'em tournament during EPT Season XI and the Italian Poker Tour festival in Malta. The finish was worth the equivalent of $21,473.

Success at Merit Poker

Evagorou became a familiar player at Merit Poker events in Cyprus long before his WSOP Main Event breakthrough.

One of his most important results came during the 2022 Merit Summer Retro Series. He finished sixth in the $3,300 Main Event for $45,490, which remained the largest recorded live tournament cash of his career until the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

Other notable Merit results include a 13th-place finish in a $2,200 event during the 2022 Merit Mediterranean Poker Cup and two deep runs during the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series.

In the 2024 Gatsby Gala, Evagorou finished:

  • 19th in the $2,200 Warm Up for $8,005

  • 13th in the $3,300 Main Event for $19,140

His years playing in Cyprus gave Evagorou considerable experience in deep live tournaments even though his overall tournament volume remained modest compared with many full-time professionals.

Evagoras Evagorou at the 2026 World Series of Poker

The 2026 World Series of Poker became the defining tournament series of Evagorou's career.

He cashed in each of the four WSOP bracelet events he entered during the summer in Las Vegas.

His recorded results included:

  • 480th in the $1,000 Mystery Millions for $3,650

  • 374th in the $1,000 Mini Main Event for $4,650

  • 15th in the $600 Deepstack Championship for $13,848

  • 9th in the $10,000 WSOP Main Event for $1,000,000

The Deepstack Championship was itself an impressive run. Evagorou finished 15th from a field of more than 5,100 entries shortly before beginning his Main Event run.

Historic 2026 WSOP Main Event Run

Evagorou entered the WSOP Main Event for the first time in 2026.

The $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship attracted 9,208 entries and generated an $85,634,400 prize pool.

Evagorou began Day 1D with the standard 60,000-chip starting stack and finished the session with 83,000. His stack then increased steadily as the tournament progressed.

He finished Day 2D with 198,000, Day 3 with 546,000 and Day 4 with 1,565,000.

The biggest acceleration came late in the tournament. Evagorou entered Day 6 with 2,260,000 chips and finished with 7,475,000. He then surged to 38,200,000 on Day 7, putting him fourth in chips among the final 21 players.

Evagorou survived a difficult Day 8 and reached the unofficial final table as one of the shortest stacks. A crucial double-up through Malcolm Trayner helped keep his tournament alive before Trayner eventually finished tenth.

When the official nine-player final table was set, Evagorou had 22,500,000 chips, equivalent to 15 big blinds.

More importantly, he had already made history as the first player representing Cyprus to reach a WSOP Main Event final table.

Ninth Place in the 2026 WSOP Main Event

Evagorou entered the final table as the shortest stack and ultimately became the first player eliminated.

Nearly three hours into final-table play, he moved all in holding pocket jacks and was called by Jamie Shaevel with ace-queen. An ace on the flop gave Shaevel the lead, and Evagorou was eliminated in ninth place.

The finish earned Evagorou $1,000,000.

It was more than 20 times larger than his previous career-best tournament cash and immediately became the defining result of his live tournament career.

The final table was eventually won by Lucas Jumalon, who earned $10 million and the WSOP Main Event bracelet.

Why Evagoras Evagorou's Main Event Finish Was Historic

Evagorou's final-table appearance carried significance beyond the $1 million payout.

He became the first Cypriot player to reach the final table of poker's most famous tournament. Before Evagorou's run, PokerNews reported that Charis Anastasiou's 92nd-place finish in the 2007 Main Event was the only other top-100 Main Event finish by a player from Cyprus.

Evagorou also reached the final table in his first attempt at the WSOP Main Event, competing against a field of more than 9,000 entries.

His run brought considerably greater international attention to a player who had spent much of his poker career competing in Cyprus rather than regularly traveling the global high-stakes tournament circuit.

Evagoras Evagorou's Live Tournament Earnings

As of August 10, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Evagoras Evagorou with $1,253,488 in recorded live tournament earnings.

His largest recorded cash is the $1,000,000 he received for finishing ninth in the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

The result moved Evagorou to sixth place on The Hendon Mob's Cyprus all-time money list as of August 2026.

Tournament earnings databases are updated as players record additional results, so Evagorou's career total and ranking may change over time.

Evagoras Evagorou's WSOP Record

According to the official WSOP player database, Evagorou had recorded 17 WSOP cashes as of August 2026.

His WSOP record at that point included:

  • WSOP bracelets: 0

  • WSOP Circuit rings: 0

  • WSOP final tables: 1

  • WSOP cashes: 17

  • Best WSOP result: 9th in the 2026 Main Event for $1,000,000

The WSOP's earnings figure covers results tracked within its own tournament ecosystem and should not be confused with Evagorou's complete live tournament earnings as recorded by The Hendon Mob.

Evagoras Evagorou's Playing Style

Evagorou has not been widely categorized by poker publications with a specific playing-style label, making it inappropriate to describe him definitively as tight-aggressive, loose-aggressive or another standard archetype.

His background does provide some insight into his poker experience. Evagorou spent significant time playing cash games during his earlier years in poker and has said that he considers deep tournaments particularly suited to his game.

His 2026 WSOP performance supports his experience navigating long tournament structures. Before reaching the Main Event final table, he had already finished 15th from more than 5,100 entries in the $600 Deepstack Championship.

Evagoras Evagorou and Poker in Cyprus

Evagorou's connection to Cypriot poker extends beyond his tournament results.

He told Poker.org that after returning to Cyprus in 2004, he and other players helped find players, organize games and establish tournaments within the local poker community.

He was especially active during the period when he was playing semi-professionally and concentrating heavily on cash games.

Cyprus later developed into an important tournament destination, with venues in Northern Cyprus hosting major festivals associated with organizations including Merit Poker, the European Poker Tour, World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker Circuit.

Evagorou's 2026 Main Event final table gave that long involvement with Cypriot poker a new level of international visibility.

Evagoras Evagorou's Current Status

As of August 2026, Evagorou remains a part-time poker player rather than a full-time touring professional.

He continues to be associated with Nicosia, where he works as an optician. His poker résumé is centered largely on no-limit hold'em tournaments in Cyprus and the Mediterranean, supplemented by his breakthrough WSOP performance in Las Vegas.

There is no reliable indication that Evagorou has retired from poker or that he has converted to full-time professional tournament play following his Main Event result.

His ninth-place finish in the 2026 WSOP Main Event stands as both his largest career cash and the first Main Event final-table appearance by a Cypriot player.

Major Poker Accomplishments

  • First player from Cyprus to reach a WSOP Main Event final table

  • Ninth place in the 2026 WSOP Main Event for $1,000,000

  • More than $1.25 million in recorded live tournament earnings as of August 10, 2026

  • Sixth on the Cyprus all-time money list according to The Hendon Mob as of August 2026

  • 15th in the 2026 WSOP $600 Deepstack Championship for $13,848

  • Sixth in the 2022 Merit Summer Retro Series Main Event for $45,490

  • Fourth in a 2015 EPT/IPT Malta event for $21,473

  • First recorded live tournament victory at Caesars Palace in 2014

  • 17 WSOP cashes as of August 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Evagoras Evagorou?

Evagoras Evagorou is a Cypriot poker player and optician from Nicosia. He became internationally known after reaching the final table of the 2026 World Series of Poker Main Event.

How did Evagoras Evagorou finish in the 2026 WSOP Main Event?

Evagorou finished ninth in the 2026 WSOP Main Event and earned $1,000,000.

How much has Evagoras Evagorou won playing poker?

As of August 10, 2026, The Hendon Mob lists Evagorou with $1,253,488 in recorded live tournament earnings.

What is Evagoras Evagorou's biggest poker cash?

Evagorou's largest recorded live tournament cash is $1,000,000 for finishing ninth in the 2026 WSOP Main Event.

Has Evagoras Evagorou won a WSOP bracelet?

No. The official WSOP database lists Evagorou with zero WSOP bracelets as of August 2026.

Does Evagoras Evagorou have a WSOP Circuit ring?

No. The WSOP database lists Evagorou with zero WSOP Circuit rings as of August 2026.

Is Evagoras Evagorou a professional poker player?

Evagorou has described himself as not being a full-time professional. He works as an optician in Nicosia and plays poker part-time, although he previously spent several years playing cash games semi-professionally.

Where is Evagoras Evagorou from?

Evagoras Evagorou is from Nicosia, Cyprus.

How old is Evagoras Evagorou?

Evagorou was reported as 48 years old during the 2026 WSOP Main Event final table.

When did Evagoras Evagorou start playing poker?

Evagorou has said he began playing poker around 2004 after becoming interested in online poker. His first recorded live tournament cash dates to 2009.

What did Evagoras Evagorou do before his WSOP Main Event success?

Evagorou built most of his tournament résumé in Cyprus and the Mediterranean while working as an optician. His previous largest live cash was $45,490 for finishing sixth in a Merit Poker Main Event in 2022.

Why is Evagoras Evagorou important to Cypriot poker?

Evagorou became the first player from Cyprus to reach the WSOP Main Event final table. He also participated in Cyprus' poker community for many years and has said he helped organize games and tournaments during the early development of the local live poker scene.

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