After over ten years of battling on the World Series of Poker Circuit and 19 final tables along the way, restaurant owner Fikret ‘Fix’ Kovac finally broke through early Friday morning by topping a 489-entry field to win the WSOPC Cherokee $400 Double Stack Opener.
While Kovac came into the series opening event with a solid WSOP resume that showed almost $700,000 in earnings over 49 cashes, including six Main Event final tables (four at Cherokee), a title had still eluded him.
Never a doubt
‘I’ve been working for so many years," Kovac said after the win. "Especially in this place, you know, it was fighting, fighting, battling, so many final tables — finally.”
Asked if after all those near-misses whether it was happiness or relief to finally win a WSOP Circuit ring, Kovac was surprisingly cool about his response.
“Actually, happiness. I never had pressure about it. I’m trying to do my best, but if it happens, it happens. I’m not really ‘I have to win a ring, I have to win a ring’, you know, that pressure. No, I know it (was) going to come. After ten years, finally, it’s come. It’s a good feeling.”
Heads-up title rematch
The final table came down to an incredible rematch from this very event in August 2024. Then, it was Kovac and last night’s runner-up Russell Brooks battling in the final three, with Kovac finishing third and Brooks winning. On Friday morning, they were the last two standing with Kovac, this time toppling Brooks to win the ring.
Even before their final heads-up duel, the two clashed in the biggest pot of the tournament with three tables left. Kovac held the chip lead, but Brooks was very healthy as well. The duo got their stacks in preflop with Kovac holding aces to Brooks’ kings in what should have been a pot to extend Kovac’s already sizeable lead.
Instead, Brooks hit a king to score a huge double-up and take over the chip lead, which he held to the final table. Kovac would persevere and rebuild, leading to their eventual final clash for the ring, the $30,263 first prize, and the Tournament of Champions entry.
After getting the best of Brooks this time, Kovac was complimentary of his rival.
“I’ve known him for a long time. He’s very close to living where I live… he told me he lives very close to my restaurants and has visited (them). He’s an amazing guy… he’s a great player.”
Now that Kovac has finally won his first Circuit ring, he’s on to the next, as they say, and it’s the other variation of WSOP hardware that he now has his sights set on.
“I’m going for bracelets. I have this (pointing at his ring), I’ll have a bracelet, I’m fine.”
WSOPC Cherokee $400 Double Stack Opener final table results
| 1 | Fikret Kovac | $30,263 |
| 2 | Russell Brooks | $20,168 |
| 3 | Glenn Deering | $14,061 |
| 4 | Oliwer Sankiewicz | $9,991 |
| 5 | Corey Eyring | $7,237 |
| 6 | Antonio Cooley | $5,347 |
| 7 | Richard Key | $4,031 |
| 8 | Larry Serebryany | $3,101 |
| 9 | Robert Andrews | $2,437 |
| 10 | Tadrick Kite | $1,956 |
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