$3,300 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$1,832,640
Entries
664
Level
37
Blinds
300,000 / 600,000
Ante
600,000
Entries
185
Players Left
83
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Play has reached a conclusion for the first of four starting flights in the Merit Poker Carmen Series $3,300 Main Event here at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. The first flight attracted 185 total entrants with 83 players advancing to Day 2 at the end of the night.
Dmitrii Kuzin bagged the biggest stack of the evening, finishing with 647,500 chips worth 259 big blinds going into Day 2. Kuzin is most closely followed by Fausto Tantillo (602,000) and Jovan Kenjic (547,500). Tantillo took a commanding chip lead midway through the day only to be overtaken by Kuzin in the last two levels of the night.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Dmitrii Kuzin | Russian Federation | 647,500 | 259 |
| 2 | Fausto Tantillo | Italy | 602,000 | 241 |
| 3 | Jovan Kenjic | Serbia | 547,500 | 219 |
| 4 | George Tomescu | Romania | 514,000 | 206 |
| 5 | Uladzimir Zhyharau | Belarus | 507,500 | 203 |
| 6 | Florian Guimond | France | 448,500 | 179 |
| 7 | Kacper Pyzara | Poland | 444,000 | 178 |
| 8 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 436,500 | 175 |
| 9 | Daniel Kyosev | Bulgaria | 417,000 | 167 |
| 10 | Maximilian Silz | Germany | 405,500 | 162 |
Kuzin has already made a few deep runs in Merit Poker tournaments here in Cyprus, including a fourth-place finish in the Merit Poker Retro Series $2,200 Warm Up in 2022 for a career-best score of $59,300. The Russian player will undoubtedly be looking to top that score with a another deep run in this event.
Some more notables to end the day with chips in a bag include Simone Andrian (436,500), Milos Skrbic (404,000), Vladimir Bozinovic (388,000), Andrea Dato (276,000), Felipe Ketzer (164,500) and Victor Yugay (125,000). Others who entered Day 1a but were not fortunate enough to advance include Fabio Peluso, Bart Lybaert, Anton Markov and Dawid Smolka.
Both Ketzer and Andrian had big scores at the Merit Poker Western Series this past January. Ketzer took third place in the $3,300 Main Event of that festival for $155,000 while Andrian won the $2,200 Warm Up for $165,000. Both players will be a force to be reckoned with going into Day 2 as they look to replicate the success they had from the last Merit Poker Series.
Stay tuned for more coverage as PokerNews brings you all the action from the remainder of the festival along the shores of the Mediterranean in North Cyprus.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
647,500 | |
|
||
|
602,000 | |
|
||
|
547,500 | |
|
514,000 | |
|
507,500
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
448,500
500
|
500 |
|
444,000 | |
|
436,500 | |
|
||
|
417,000
87,000
|
87,000 |
|
405,500 | |
|
404,000 | |
|
394,000
394,000
|
394,000 |
|
359,500 | |
|
|
358,500
358,500
|
358,500 |
|
345,500
345,500
|
345,500 |
|
345,000
-46,000
|
-46,000 |
|
340,000 | |
|
330,000
330,000
|
330,000 |
|
309,000
-79,000
|
-79,000 |
|
||
|
295,500
295,500
|
295,500 |
|
292,000
292,000
|
292,000 |
|
283,000
154,000
|
154,000 |
|
281,000 | |
|
280,000 | |
|
278,500
278,500
|
278,500 |
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
The action has come to a close for Day 1a of the Main Event. The first starting flight attracted 185 entrants of which 80 players advanced to Day 2.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the night's action.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
With two players seeing a board of 6♠10♣J♠6♥Q♠, Uladzimir Zhyharau checked from the big blind and Dmitrii Kuzin bet 23,500 from the button. Zhyharau thought for roughly 30 seconds before making the call.
Kuzin immediately mucked his hand without showing and Zhyharau took the pot without having to show the winning hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
620,000
-35,000
|
-35,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
385,000
125,000
|
125,000 |
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
The tournament staff have announced that four more hands will be played before players bag at the end of the night.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Fausto Tantillo opened to 8,500 from the small blind and was called by Ceyhan Tezcan in the big blind.
The flop came J♠10♣4♥. Tantillo fired a 7,000 continuation bet and Tezcan made the call.
Tantillo bet again for 33,000 on the 9♠ turn and this time it was enough to force a fold from Tezcan.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
645,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
|
||
|
145,000
-59,000
|
-59,000 |
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Mikhail Zavoloka opened to 5,000 from early position and received a call from a player in the cutoff before Maximilian Silz three-bet to 27,500 from the cutoff. Zavoloka then four-bet to 60,000, forcing the cutoff out of the hand while Silz made the call.
Both players checked the flop and turn leading to a final board of A♦7♦7♠4♦K♥. Silz bet 13,000 into the pot of roughly 130,000. Zavoloka thought for about 30 seconds before making the fold and Silz took down a nice pot without showdown.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
430,000
140,000
|
140,000 |
|
175,000
-107,000
|
-107,000 |
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
655,000
252,000
|
252,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
641,000
-12,000
|
-12,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
540,000
540,000
|
540,000 |
|
|
442,000
55,000
|
55,000 |
|
|
412,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
|
391,000
391,000
|
391,000 |
|
|
380,000
380,000
|
380,000 |
|
|
341,000
-190,000
|
-190,000 |
|
|
340,000 | |
|
|
338,000
338,000
|
338,000 |
|
|
330,000
330,000
|
330,000 |
|
|
290,000
-40,500
|
-40,500 |
|
261,000
73,000
|
73,000 |
|
|
||
|
184,000
-198,500
|
-198,500 |
|
128,000
30,500
|
30,500 |
|
||
Level: 9
Blinds: 1,000/2,500
Ante: 2,500