$3,300 Main Event
Day 2 Completed
2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
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
257
Players Left
172
Fausto Tantillo Goes Runner-Runner to Snag the Chip Lead on Day 2 of the Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
A miraculous double knockout helped catapult Fausto Tantillo to the top of the chip counts on Day 2 and put him in a position for a repeat run at the 2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event.
The Italian pro, who made the final table of this event last year, went runner-runner for a full house to crack Tony Aziz's flopped set of kings in a three-way all in that helped him finish with 1,158,000 to end the day. He’s joined near the top by Kacper Pyzara (1,024,000), Denis Vlasov (950,000), Uladzimir Zhyharau (839,000), and Kemal Aslan (833,000), who rivered quads in a massive pot earlier in the day.
Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fausto Tantillo | Italy | 1,158,000 | 193 |
| 2 | Adria Diaz | Spain | 1,102,000 | 184 |
| 3 | Kacper Pyzara | Poland | 1,024,000 | 171 |
| 4 | Adrian State | Romania | 935,000 | 156 |
| 5 | Alisa Sibgatova | Russia | 898,000 | 150 |
| 6 | Razvan Sabau | Romania | 845,000 | 141 |
| 7 | Uladzimir Zhyharau | Belarus | 839,000 | 140 |
| 8 | Kemal Aslan | Turkey | 833,000 | 139 |
| 9 | Rashad Iskandarov | Azerbaijan | 815,000 | 136 |
| 10 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | 807,000 | 135 |
Alisa Sibgatova, the start-of-day chip leader, kept up her good run and ended Day 2 with 898,000. Other notable big stacks include Andrey Pateychuk (802,000), Boris Kolev (462,000), Felipe Ketzer (462,000), and Bart Lybaert (359,000), while Mikalai Vaskaboinikau (247,000), Andrea Dato (182,000), and Benjamin Hamnett (112,000) are further down the leaderboard.
Among the players who failed to survive the day include defending champion Maxime Chilaud and Dmitrii Kuzin, the Day 1a chip leader who began Day 2 in second place on the leaderboard.
Day 2 began with 241 players from the 502 who entered the four opening flights returning to play at noon local time. They were joined by 162 new arrivals until late registration closed, creating a total field of 664 and building a prize pool of $1,832,640. Just 172 remain and will begin Day 3 at noon to play down to the money bubble. Just 80 players will guarantee themselves a payday, with the champion earning $338,500.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the action leading up to the money and past the bubble tomorrow as the field continues to whittle down toward the final table and the eventual crowning of a new champion.
End-of-Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,158,000 | 58,000 |
|
1,102,000 | 152,000 |
|
1,024,000 | 74,000 |
|
935,000 | 585,000 |
|
898,000 | 232,500 |
|
845,000 | -55,000 |
|
839,000 | -81,000 |
|
833,000 | 213,000 |
|
815,000 | 768,500 |
|
807,000 | 62,000 |
|
802,000 | 498,000 |
|
796,000 | 26,000 |
|
765,000 | 348,000 |
|
759,000 | 625,000 |
|
755,000 | -95,000 |
|
748,000 | 98,000 |
|
746,000 | 666,000 |
|
743,000 | 436,000 |
|
704,000 | -36,000 |
|
687,000 | -63,000 |
|
671,000 | 91,000 |
|
666,000 | 96,000 |
|
657,000 | 177,000 |
|
653,000 | 388,000 |
|
646,000 | 446,000 |
Play Concludes
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Day 2 has ended with approximately 174 players remaining.
Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Four More Hands
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Tournament officials announced that players will see four more hands before bagging up for the night.
Shakiba Spikes the River on Kuzin
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Dmitrii Kuzin raised to 10,000 in early position before Miad Shakiba three-bet to 29,000 in middle position. Kuzin then moved all in for 112,000 and Shakiba called.
Dmitrii Kuzin: 8♥8♠ 
Miad Shakiba: A♦Q♦
Kuzin began filming the action as he was flipping for his tournament life. He remained in the lead through the turn on a board of 9♥2♣10♠K♦, but Shakiba hit the Q♠ on the river and Kuzin, who began the day second in chips, was sent to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
500,000 | 373,500 |
|
Busted |
Zhu Gets Value on the River
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
With around 100,000 in the pot on a board of Q♠2♠6♣7♦, Nan Zhu bet 60,000 from the button and an opponent in middle position called.
The river was the 7♣ and Zhu bet another 50,000. His opponent tanked for more than a minute before flicking in a chip to signify a call.
Zhu then turned over A♦Q♣ for two pair and his opponent mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
580,000 | 360,000 |
Some Big Stacks Near the End
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,100,000 | -20,000 |
|
|
950,000 | 250,000 |
|
|
950,000 | 671,500 |
|
|
920,000 | 412,500 |
|
|
900,000 | 631,500 |
|
|
860,000 | 540,000 |
|
800,000 | 120,000 |
|
|
740,000 | -110,000 |
|
|
650,000 | 250,000 |
|
520,000 | 300,000 |
Akyun Flops a Boat, Lukovic Makes a Big Fold
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Three players saw a flop of 8♦5♥5♦ when Dogan Dinler moved all in for around 150,000 from early position. Nemanja Lukovic called in the big blind, but Ahmet Akyun then reshoved for around 450,000. Lukovic open-folded J♣5♣.
Dogan Dinler: A♦A♣
Ahmet Akyun: 8♣8♥
Lukovic found out he made the right fold as Akyun showed a flopped full house against Dinler's pocket aces. The board ran out 9♠4♥ and Akyun took the big pot to send Dinler to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
770,000 | 543,000 |
|
220,000 | -90,000 |
|
Busted |
Prize Pool Confirmed
Level 16
: Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
With late registration closed, tournament officials have announced the prize pool for this event.
There were a total of 664 entries, generating a prize pool of $1,832,640. The top 80 players will make the money, with the champion earning $338,500.
Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $338,500 |
| 2 | $249,200 |
| 3 | $153,000 |
| 4 | $113,100 |
| 5 | $84,700 |
| 6 | $68,400 |
| 7 | $56,600 |
| 8 | $45,100 |
| 9 | $33,900 |
| 10-12 | $24,930 |
| 13-15 | $20,160 |
| 16-18 | $17,410 |
| 19-21 | $15,205 |
| 22-24 | $13,560 |
| 25-26 | $11,905 |
| 27-35 | $10,445 |
| 36-44 | $8,980 |
| 45-53 | $7,695 |
| 54-62 | $6,415 |
| 63-71 | $5,500 |
| 72-80 | $4,580 |