Dmitry Kataev Claims Chip Lead on Day 2 of $5,300 Main Event
Day 2 of the $5,300 Main Event at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party concluded with 96 players managing to bag up a stack for Day 3. The 1,196-strong field that turned up to play at the Merit Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa generated a total prize pool of $5,740,800, with the eventual champion taking home a staggering $1,000,000.
After six 50-minute levels of poker, Dmitry Kataev emerged at the top of the counts with a monstrous stack of 15,635,000. Kataev's closest rival is the start of Day 2 chip leader, Aren Bezhanyan with 10,665,000. Both Kataev and Bezhanyan finished at the top of their respective flights and began the day with the two largest stacks. However, a late surge from Kataev allowed him to overtake Bezhanyan, positioning him as the one to catch heading into the penultimate day of the Main Event.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dmitry Kataev | Russia | 15,635,000 | 130 |
| 2 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 10,665,000 | 89 |
| 3 | Moshe Ory Refaelowitz | Israel | 9,200,000 | 77 |
| 4 | Damir Gabdullin | Russia | 8,780,000 | 73 |
| 5 | Milad Oghabian Langar | Iran | 8,550,000 | 71 |
| 6 | Alexandros Kolonias | Greece | 7,880,000 | 66 |
| 7 | Daniel Heredi | Hungary | 7,060,000 | 59 |
| 8 | Timothy Chung | Hong Kong | 6,880,000 | 57 |
| 9 | Jakub Sterba | Czechia | 6,795,000 | 57 |
| 10 | Vedat Yilmaz | Turkey | 6,730,000 | 56 |
Also making it through to Day 3 is the United Kingdom’s Sam Trickett, who bagged 6,440,000. With over $21 million in career earnings and a $10 million score to his name, Trickett has been mostly absent from the tournament scene recently, having not recorded a live cash in more than five years. Today, he was at risk on the bubble holding pocket kings against Viktor Mukhin’s ace-rag, but a king-high flop secured the double and helped start to push Trickett's stack in the right direction.
The primary goal for most players returning on Day 2 was to outlast the money bubble and secure a spot among the final 175, locking up a cash of at least $8,500. Unfortunately for Arsen Grigoryan, he claimed the unwanted title of bubble boy. Forced all-in from the big blind in a three-way pot, Grigoryan tabled pocket jacks. However, Patrick Kallas had rivered two pair with ace-eight, sending Grigoryan to the rail as the last player to leave empty-handed.
A few more notables returning to the baize tomorrow include Damir Gabdullin (8,780,000), bracelet winner Alexandros Kolonias (7,880,000), and the defending champion Azamat Lamkov (1,360,000). Joining them will be Ehsan Amiri, Aliaksandr Hirs, Kirill Shcherbakov, and the Mystery Bounty winner Alex Goulder.
The remaining players will return to continue playing at noon local time tomorrow, with the blinds levels being increased to 60 minutes in length. Blinds will start at 60,000/120,000 with a big blind ante of 120,000, and the plan for tomorrow will be announced shortly after cards get in the air.
Main Event Remaining Payouts
Be sure to tune back in to PokerNews tomorrow from noon as we bring you all the big pots, crazy bluffs, and drama from the penultimate day of the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event.