$3,300 Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
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
166
Players Left
74
Alisa Sibgatova Dominates Day 1b of Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Day 1b of the 2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series $3,300 Main Event has come to a close here at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. Alisa Sibgatova finished the night with the largest stack across both of the first two starting flights, ending with 661,000. That stack will be worth just over 264 big blinds going into Day 2. She is most closely followed by Aleksandar Tot (559,000) and Mihai Tusnea (487,000). Sibgatova has just over $90,000 in career tournament earnings with her best cash of €23,210 ($26,078) coming from a deep run in the 2019 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
| 1 | Alisa Sibgatova | Russian Federation | 661,000 | 264 |
| 2 | Aleksandar Tot | Montenegro | 559,000 | 224 |
| 3 | Mihai Tusnea | Romania | 487,000 | 195 |
| 4 | Ruslan Bakhtiev | Russian Federation | 454,000 | 182 |
| 5 | Naji Tanuri | Lebanon | 440,500 | 176 |
| 6 | Edgard Raffoul | Lebanon | 438,000 | 175 |
| 7 | Sergey Bortsov | Israel | 429,500 | 172 |
| 8 | Umutcan Ipekoglu | Turkey | 425,000 | 170 |
| 9 | Jenya Gavrilovich | Belarus | 364,500 | 146 |
| 10 | Adrian State | Romania | 358,500 | 143 |
Day 1b Highlights
Day 1b attracted a total of 166 entrants to bring the total field size from the first two starting flights to 351. Of those 166 entrants, 74 players were able to find a bag at the end of the night and advance to Day 2 after nine hour-long levels of play. Despite the deep structure of this event, featuring 60-minute levels and a starting stack worth 200 big blinds, the action was fast and furious from the start. Tot set the pace in the first level of the day after being on the right side of a brutal cooler that saw pocket aces cracked by quad queens. Tot would experience many ups and downs from that point on but would ultimately finish the night with the second-largest stack in the room.
Can Miral found himself among the chip leaders midway through the day after getting the maximum with pocket aces, but his momentum would come to a crashing halt later in the night after Razvan Sabau cracked his set of eights.
Sibgatova was under the radar for most of the day before rapidly accumulating chips in the last two levels. In one of the final hands of the night she would river a full house to crack Sari Haddad's turned straight and by that point she easily had the largest chip stack in the room.
Other notables to advance to Day 2 include Andrey Pateychuk (304,000), Fabio Peluso (146,000), Halil Tasyurek (52,500) and Aylar Lie (32,500). Peluso in particular had a tough start to the day, finding himself short-stacked early on. Later he would make an admirable comeback, doubling up twice in the span of just a few hands to preserve his tournament life and ultimately advance to Day 2.
Notable players from today's Day 1b flight who were not fortunate enough to advance to Day 2 include Giorgiy Skhulukhiya and Dmitry Gromov.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for all your live coverage needs for this event until a winner is crowned on March 26.
End of Night Chip Counts (full)
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
661,000 | |
|
||
|
559,000 | |
|
487,000 | |
|
454,000 | |
|
440,500
440,500
|
440,500 |
|
438,000 | |
|
429,500 | |
|
425,000 | |
|
364,500
364,500
|
364,500 |
|
358,500 | |
|
|
349,000
-11,500
|
-11,500 |
|
348,500
137,200
|
137,200 |
|
345,500 | |
|
321,500
321,500
|
321,500 |
|
312,500
212,500
|
212,500 |
|
307,000
-33,000
|
-33,000 |
|
304,000 | |
|
||
|
300,000
211,000
|
211,000 |
|
291,000
291,000
|
291,000 |
|
286,500
286,500
|
286,500 |
|
276,000
-105,000
|
-105,000 |
|
|
270,000
270,000
|
270,000 |
|
268,500
-43,500
|
-43,500 |
|
265,000
-12,000
|
-12,000 |
|
250,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
End of the Night
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Play has reached a conclusion for Day 1b of the Main Event.
Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of the night's action.
Final Three Hands
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
The tournament staff have announced that three more hands will be played tonight before players bag their chips.
Sibgatova Spikes the River
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
With two players seeing a board of Q♣7♥3♣5♦ and 16,000 already in the middle, Sari Haddad bet 5,500 from the small blind and Alisa Sibgatova raised to 12,000 from middle position. Haddad moved all in for approximately 100,000 and Sibgatova snap-called with a covering stack.
Sari Haddad: 6♦4♦ 
Alisa Sibgatova: 7♦7♠
Both players had monsters. Sibgatova had flopped a set only for Haddad to take the lead with a straight on the turn. The Q♥ river improved Sibgatova to a full house and she collected another massive pot while Haddad made his exit from the tournament area.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
595,000
181,000
|
181,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Pateychuk Flushes Out Dinler
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
In a preflop confrontation Dogan Dinler was all in for 111,000 from the button and up against Andrey Pateychuk who had a covering stack in the small blind.
Dogan Dinler: Q♣Q♥
Andrey Pateychuk: K♣10♣
Dinler was ahead with the premium pocket pair but the 6♣2♠4♣ flop gave Pateychuk plenty of outs in the form of a flush draw and live king. The 3♦ turn brought some further outs to chop the pot and the 7♣ river brought the flush in for Pateychuk who took down a sizable pot while Dinler was sent to the rail late in the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
275,000
148,000
|
148,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Bortsov Gets All of It
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
With two players seeing a final board of 2♦K♥9♥4♣K♣ and roughly 150,000 already in the middle, Antoine Hasbani moved all in from early position for roughly 90,000 and was quickly called by Sergey Bortsov from the next seat over who had a covering stack.
Bortsov tabled K♠9♠ for kings full of nines to take down one of the biggest pots of the tournament so far while Hasbani made his exit from the tournament area.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
475,000
145,000
|
145,000 |
|
Busted |
Gabdullin and Baranski Play a Classic Flip
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
In a preflop confrontation Damir Gabdullin was all in from the small blind for 158,500 and was up against Sergey Baranski on the button who held a covering stack.
Damir Gabdullin: Q♦Q♣
Sergey Baranski: A♦K♦
Baranski took the lead with top pair on the K♥9♣3♠ flop leaving Gabdullin drawing to just two outs. The 6♦ turn changed nothing but the Q♥ river gave Gabdullin a set to score a massive double up at Baranski's expense.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
323,000
93,000
|
93,000 |
|
181,000
-247,000
|
-247,000 |
Assorted Chip Counts after Final Break
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
535,000 | |
|
|
414,000
12,000
|
12,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
410,000 | |
|
|
375,000
288,000
|
288,000 |
|
|
360,500
7,500
|
7,500 |
|
|
343,000
123,000
|
123,000 |
|
|
312,000
82,000
|
82,000 |
|
241,500
-203,500
|
-203,500 |
|
223,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
|
185,000
-190,000
|
-190,000 |
|
182,000
19,000
|
19,000 |
|
||
|
130,000
27,000
|
27,000 |
|
|
127,000
-123,000
|
-123,000 |
|
|
||
|
88,000
-126,000
|
-126,000 |
|
83,000
-22,000
|
-22,000 |
|
40,000
-45,000
|
-45,000 |