2023 Merit Poker Western Series

$2,200 Warmup
Day: 1bc
Event Info

2023 Merit Poker Western Series

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
a5
Prize
$181,200
Event Info
Buy-in
$2,200
Prize Pool
$962,320
Entries
523
Level Info
Level
36
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Players Info - Day 1bc
Entries
201
Players Left
99

Smolka Gets Some Back From Prikhodko

Level 7 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Dawid Smolka
Dawid Smolka

Dawid Smolka, who had his kings racked by Stanislav Prikhodko earlier in the day, just got some measure of revenge by taking down a sizeable pot from his table nemesis.

Heads-up on a flop of {j-Hearts}{q-Diamonds}{k-Hearts}, Prikhodko bet 15,000 from the small blind and Smolka, from under the call called. The turn came the {3-Diamonds} and Smolka again called a bet, this time for 20,000.

Prikhodko slowed down and checked the {j-Diamonds} river and Smolka checked behind. Prikhodko opened up {2-}{2-} and quickly mucked them as Smolka took down the pot with {10-Spades}{10-Hearts}.

Player Chips Progress
Stanislav Prikhodko ru
Stanislav Prikhodko
180,000
-100,000
-100,000
Dawid Smolka pl
Dawid Smolka
155,000
80,000
80,000

Tags: Dawid SmolkaStanislav Prikhodko

Fryda Shoves Out Rotshtein

Level 7 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Four players, including Itzhak Rotshtein in the hijack and Victor Fryda in middle position, saw a flop of {q-Spades}{6-Hearts}{5-Hearts}. Action folded around to Rotshtein who bet 10,000, and only Fryda called.

The turn came the {9-Clubs} and Fryda checked over to Rotshtein, who continued for another 25,000. Fryda this time moved his entire stack in the middle, a bet of around 80,000.

Rotshtein, leaning over the table getting a massage, sat up and peered over at Fryda while he tanked for around a minute. He eventually slid his cards into the muck as Fryda took down the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Victor Fryda fr
Victor Fryda
130,000
Itzhak Rotshtein il
Itzhak Rotshtein
70,000
-55,000
-55,000

Tags: Itzhak RotshteinVictor Fryda

Krasilnikova Gets Unlucky, Then Spikes the River

Level 7 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Nina Krasilnikova
Nina Krasilnikova

A player in early position was all in for around 20,000 and up against Nina Krasilnikova on the button.

All-in Player: {5-Diamonds}{5-Clubs}
Nina Krasilnikova: {a-Diamonds}{a-Spades}

Krasilnikova was a big favorite to score the knockout as the flop came {9-Diamonds}{3-Clubs}{2-Clubs}. The turn came the {5-Spades}, giving her opponent a set of fives.

At risk of having her aces cracked, Krasilnikova got the {4-Hearts} on the river to make a straight and send her opponent to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Nina Krasilnikova ru
Nina Krasilnikova
80,000
80,000
80,000

Tags: Nina Krasilnikova

Livshitz Leads the River, Keeps Climbing

Level 7 : 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Big stack Gabi Livshitz was heads-up on a flop of {2-Spades}{9-Hearts}{9-Clubs} with Danill Shalaev. Livshitz, from under the gun, bet 4,000 before Shalaev raised to 11,000.

Livshitz buried his head in the side of his hoodie for a few moments before he tossed in the chips to call. Both players checked the {q-Spades} turn.

The river came the {k-Spades} and Livshitz this time threw out a bet of 31,000. Shalaev quickly mucked.

Player Chips Progress
Gabi Livshitz il
Gabi Livshitz
360,000
40,000
40,000
Danill Shalaev ru
Danill Shalaev
130,000

Tags: Danill ShalaevGabi Livshitz

Level: 7

Blinds: 1,000/2,000

Ante: 2,000

Pak Is Lucky

Level 6 : Blinds 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Ionel Anton was all in for around 20,000 from early position and was up against Valeriy Pak under the gun.

Ionel Anton: {9-Clubs}{9-Diamonds}
Valeriy Pak: {a-Hearts}{4-Hearts}

"Good luck," Pak said going to the flop.

"I don't need luck," Anton replied.

The {3-Spades}{a-Clubs}{2-Clubs} flop gave Pak a pair of aces and a straight draw. "You are lucky," Anton joked as he was now in danger of elimination. The board ran out {5-Hearts}{10-Clubs} and Pak earned the knockout.

"Too much," a tablemate said about Pak's growing stack.

Player Chips Progress
Valeriy Pak uz
Valeriy Pak
340,000
Day 2 Chip Leader
Ionel Anton ro
Ionel Anton
Busted

Tags: Ionel AntonValeriy Pak

Pankov Applies Pressure to Firsau

Level 6 : Blinds 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Vasili Firsau raised to 3,600 from the button before Vitalii Pankov three-bet from the small blind to 14,000. Firsau called as the flop came {6-Diamonds}{3-Clubs}{4-Clubs}.

Pankov tanked for a moment before betting another 7,000. Firsau quickly called to see the {10-Spades} on the turn.

Pankov this time tossed out a bet of 25,000 and Firsau quickly mucked.

Player Chips Progress
Vitalii Pankov ru
Vitalii Pankov
240,000
Vasili Firsau by
Vasili Firsau
230,000
-5,000
-5,000
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Vasili FirsauVitalii Pankov

Swieboda Triples Up With Quads, Then Suffers Bad Beat

Level 6 : Blinds 800/1,600, 1,600 ante

Bartlomiej Swieboda was all in for 21,000 and up against two opponents. Swieboda had {7-Clubs}{7-Diamonds}, an under-the-gun player had {a-Clubs}{q-Clubs}, and an opponent in middle position turned over {9-Clubs}{9-Spades}, having both players covered.

The flop came {7-Hearts}{8-Hearts}{10-Diamonds}, giving Swieboda a set of sevens and the lead. The board ran out {a-Hearts}{7-Spades} as Swieboda rivered quads to triple up, while the under-the-gun player doubled with a pair of aces.

Swieboda has still stacking his chips from the hand when he and Ben Hershkovich saw a flop of {j-Spades}{7-Hearts}{8-Spades}. Swieboda raised to 17,000, Hershkovich moved all in, and Swieboda called for his last 65,000.

Hershkovich had {j-Hearts}{8-Hearts} for two pair, but Swieboda had again hit a set with {8-Diamonds}{8-Clubs}. The {4-Hearts} turn gave Hershkovich a flush draw, which he hit on the {9-Hearts} river.

Hershkovich slammed his fist on the table in celebration and shot out of his seat while Swieboda was forced to hand over the stack he had won on the previous hand.

"That's an internet hand," a tablemate said.

Player Chips Progress
Ben Hershkovich il
Ben Hershkovich
160,000
Bartlomiej Swieboda pl
Bartlomiej Swieboda
Busted

Tags: Bartlomiej SwiebodaBen Hershkovich