"Ali G" opened in early position, and Danut Chisu shoved 385,000 next to act. The action folded back around to "Ali G", and he quickly made the call.
Danut Chisu: 10♣10♠ 
"Ali G": A♥Q♠
It was a race but the 10♦8♣6♠ flop put Chisu way out in front with a set of tens. The 7♥ turn, and 7♠ river improved him to a full house as he raked in the double.
Level: 14
Blinds: 20,000/40,000
Ante: 40,000
Krzysztof Spisak initiated the action with an open raise to 60,000 from early position. Mitchell Johnson, positioned in the cutoff, then three-bet to 180,000. Iurii Zuev seized the opportunity and pushed all in. Spisak folded, and Johnson, after requesting a count from the dealer, decided to call the 1,275,000 of Zuev.
Iurii Zuev: A♦K♠
Mitchell Johnson: J♦J♠
Zuev hit the ace right on the flop 6♣A♣10♠, and the turn and river 2♠Q♣ didn't alter the situation.
Anton Markov opened 75,000 in the hijack, and Kalle Parkkinen made the call from the small blind. Hala Karam was in the big blind, and went into the tank. Eventually, Karam looked pained as he pitched her cards into the muck.
The dealer spread a flop of Q♥10♣2♠, and Parkkinen check-called continuation bet of 75,000 from Markov.
When the 3♠ hit the the turn, Parkkinen checked once again, and Markov fired 200,000 across the line. That was enough to earn the pot, and Parkkinen pushed his cards toward the center.
There was a raise to 60,000 in early position, and Zorlu Er called next to act before Denis Vlasov in the cutoff, and Roman Stoika in the big blind made the call.
The dealer fanned a flop of K♠10♣2♣, and once checked to, Er fired 80,000 across the line. Only Vlasov stuck around with a call.
When the 6♠ hit the turn, Er continued for 105,000. Vlasov used his entire 30 second time bank before announcing all-in, and Er's cards instantly flung into the muck.
Mustafa Biz opened 65000 from the hijack, and Lars Romundstad defended the big blind.
Both players checked to the 10♠5♥4♥J♠ turn, and Romundstad check-called a bet of 55,000.
When the 7♠ completed the board on the river, both players tapped the table. Romundstad rolled over J♣9♣ for a pair of jacks, and Biz mucked his hand.
The cards are officially in the air as Day 2 begins.
Level: 13
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 30,000
A total of 342 players from a field of 1,260 entrants will return as the fields combine for Day 2 of the $5,300 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event, at the stunning Merit Royal Diamond Hotel in Northern Cyprus.
European Poker Tour Cyprus champion Mikhail Zavoloka bagged the overall chip lead, finishing Day 1b with 3,585,000. Zavoloka will be joined by only three others who bagged a Day 2 stack of over 100 big blinds, including "Ali G" (3,300,000), Mitchell Johnson (3,290,000), and World Series of Poker bracelet winner Ami Barer (3,060,000).
| Rank | Name | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russian Federation | 3,585,000 | 120 |
| 2 | "Ali G" | - | 3,300,000 | 110 |
| 3 | Mitchell Johnson | United Kingdom | 3,290,000 | 110 |
| 4 | Ami Barer | Canada | 3,060,000 | 102 |
| 5 | Stefan-Sebastian Ionita | Romania | 2,990,000 | 100 |
| 6 | Kalle Parkkinen | Finland | 2,870,000 | 96 |
| 7 | Dmitry Gromov | Russian Federation | 2,830,000 | 94 |
| 8 | Georgios Tsouloftas | Cyprus | 2,740,000 | 91 |
| 9 | Krzysztof Spisak | Poland | 2,730,000 | 91 |
| 10 | George Panagides | Cyprus | 2,700,000 | 90 |
Other notables still in contention include Bernard Larabi (2,670,000), Cooper Feltham (2,455,000), bracelet winners David Miscikowski (2,035,000),Alex Keating (2,030,000), and Stephen Song (1,480,000). WPT champions Dmitry Gromov (2,830,000), Dominik Nitsche (1,450,000), and Alessio Isaia (400,000).
The action begins at noon local time with the blinds at 15,000/30,000 and a 30,000 big blind ante. Play will continue for eight one-hour levels with a 15-minute break after every second level. As always, stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the day for live updates.
button in Safari
