Menikos Panagiotou could feel it all start to slowly come back.

The Cyprus native hadn’t played much poker in the last few years. He retired from being a professional poker player to open his own Mexican restaurant back home. Panagiotou only jumped back into the game in the last six months, with small No-Limit Hold’em tournaments in Cyprus.

He hadn’t played mixed games at all for four years.

But, as the hands went on in Event #48: $1,500 Eight Game Mix at the 2022 WSOP at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas, the levels came and went, and the days went by, Panagiotou started to remember everything he once knew.

Now he’s the first-ever bracelet winner from his island home country, prevailing over a starting field of 695 to win $180,783.

“It means a lot. Although we are a small country with a small population, we have a lot of poker players actually. So it means a lot,” Panagiotou said after defeating Nick Yunis heads-up. “I can’t wait to go back to see all my friends because they’ve already started sending me messages, congrats and everything. It’s amazing.”

While he’s not a poker pro anymore, Panagiotou does hope some good comes from his win back home. “I’m more glad if someone there wants to learn the games because they don’t play too much mixed games in Cyprus,” he said. “So now maybe it’s time to start.”

They have a perfect role model to follow.