2025 Players Cup Match Videos

Miami Open Players Cup BMAB: Subtropical Backgammon at Its Finest

The  Miami Open Players Cup BMAB delivered a thrilling day of backgammon  action, with 38 players—many of them surprise walk-ins—gathering for the  second-to-last Players Cup event of the year. The tournament began with  four rounds of random draw, followed by a final round of Swiss  pairings.

After three rounds,  five players stood undefeated with a 3-0 record: Melissa Shin, Steve  Waller, Joe Urso, Turker Eflanli, and Bob Azari. However, only three  would remain with a chance at an Iron Star after the fourth round, as  Shin and Azari fell short. Urso, Waller, and Eflanli continued winning  and advanced to the final round with hopes of securing an Iron Star.

In  the final round, Eflanli was paired against Urso, while Waller faced  Malcolm Hutson, who held a 3-1 record. With three undefeated players  still in the mix, there was a 50% chance that someone would walk away  with a full Iron Star.       If Waller had won his match, there would have  been two players sharing the 5-0 record, and each would receive half  Iron Star credit. 

The match  between Joe Urso and Turker Eflanli was a hard-fought battle, with  Eflanli ultimately coming out on top. All attention then turned to the  Waller-Hutson matchup. Waller won the opening point, but Hutson  responded with a 4-cube to take a 4-1 lead. Hutson extended his  advantage to 6-1, but Waller mounted a comeback, narrowing the score to  6-5. Despite Waller's valiant  effort,  Hutson held on to win, securing a  share of the second-place prize.

Congrats to Turker for this lifetime acheivement in acheiving Iron Star #006.

With  Hutson’s victory, it was confirmed that Turker Eflanli had earned Iron  Legacy Star #006 and the cash prize as the sole winner of the large  field. Eight players with 4-1 records tied for second place, each  claiming   a portion of the prize pool.

Alfredo  Unes became the second Brazilian of the year to win the Unlucky Dice  award, with a negative luck of -13.20. Alfredo took home a consolation  prize of $150 for his misfortune.

Notable Performances and Stats:

• Iron Star #006: Turker Eflanli (FL) 5-0

• Prize Pool: Joe Urso, Steve Waller, Dennis Culpepper, Bob Azari, Alec  Izzo, Irina Litzenberger, Malcolm Hutson and Ron Szlaifer (4-1)

• Best PR: Dennis Culpepper (VA) with an impressive 4.35.

• Master 1-Level Play:: Karen Davis (FL) 4.54., Joe Urso (NY) 4.57,  Tomy Levy (Argentina) (4.70)

•Unlucky Dice Award: Alfredo Unes (-13.20)