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$5,300 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2025 Mediterranean Poker Party
$5,300 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
2025 Mediterranean Poker Party
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
Buy-in
$5,300
Prize Pool
$5,740,800
Total Entries
1,196
Level
34
Blinds
2,000,000 / 4,000,000
Ante
4,000,000
Entries
227
Players Left
55
Players Left 1 / 1,196
Filter
Level 12
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
The opening flight of the $5,300 Main Event during the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party has concluded inside the magnificent Merit Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. After nearly ten hours of poker, just 55 players from the 227 entries survived the day, all still in the hunt for their piece of the $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
After all the bags were counted, Armenia’s Aren Bezhanyan emerged as the clear front runner, with a stack of 4,245,000, and is the only player to surpass the four-million chip mark. Bezhanyan’s rise to the top began early in the day when he doubled up with two pair against Mark Fraser’s pocket kings. From that point on, his stack steadily grew, and he remained near the top of the counts throughout the day.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 4,245,000 | 142 |
| 2 | Ivan Govorov | Russia | 2,595,000 | 87 |
| 3 | Nikolay Ivanov | Bulgaria | 2,570,000 | 86 |
| 4 | Sarkis Akopyan | Russia | 2,300,000 | 77 |
| 5 | Antonio Alfaia | Portugal | 2,285,000 | 76 |
| 6 | Atanas Pavlov | Bulgaria | 2,260,000 | 75 |
| 7 | Seyed Fazeli | Iran | 2,065,000 | 69 |
| 8 | Aytekin Yayla | Turkey | 1,965,000 | 66 |
| 9 | Nikos Lampropoulos | Cyprus | 1,950,000 | 65 |
| 10 | Aliaksandr Hirs | Belarus | 1,885,000 | 63 |
The closest rival to Bezhanyan is Russia’s Ivan Govorov, who bagged 2,595,000 chips, while Nikolay Ivanov rounds out the top three with 2,570,000. Also advancing is the 2019 WSOP Main Event Champion Hossein Ensan with 1,020,000 chips. Ensan won a crucial pot in the penultimate level of the day after he barreled every street and then shoved the river in a blind-on-blind battle. This pot helped him end with an above average stack.
Other notables who survived today's proceedings include Christoph Hillinger, the Mystery Bounty runner-up David Vinayagamoorthy, France's Maxime Chilaud, Thierry Van den Berg, and Dumitru Pora of Romania.
Tomorrow at noon, Day 1b, the second of the five opening flights, will welcome a fresh batch of hopefuls aiming to bag a large stack. Days 1b and 1c will follow the same structure as today, while Days 1d and 1e will feature a turbo format with 20-minute blind levels. Survivors from all opening flights will return on Sunday, May 11, for Day 2.
Remaining $5,300 Main Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1b | May 9 | 12:00 p.m. | 40 minutes (10 levels) + 50 minutes (2 levels) |
| Day 1c | May 10 | 12:00 p.m. | 40 minutes (10 levels) + 50 minutes (2 levels) |
| Day 1d | May 10 | 9:00 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| Day 1e | May 11 | 12:00 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| Day 2 | May 11 | 5:00 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| Day 3 | May 12 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Final Day | May 13 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
¹Final table levels decrease as players are eliminated: 8 players = 60 min, 7 = 55 min, 6 = 50 min, 5 = 45 min, 4 = 40 min, 3 = 35 min, 2 = 30 min.
Join PokerNews tomorrow, direct from the tournament floor, as we bring all the big hands, action, and drama on Day 1b of the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event.
Level 12
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,245,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
||
|
2,595,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
2,570,000 | |
|
2,300,000
2,300,000
|
2,300,000 |
|
2,285,000
985,000
|
985,000 |
|
2,260,000
360,000
|
360,000 |
|
2,065,000
2,065,000
|
2,065,000 |
|
1,965,000
1,515,000
|
1,515,000 |
|
1,950,000
1,950,000
|
1,950,000 |
|
1,885,000
1,885,000
|
1,885,000 |
|
1,855,000
1,005,000
|
1,005,000 |
|
1,685,000
910,000
|
910,000 |
|
1,640,000
1,640,000
|
1,640,000 |
|
1,630,000
1,630,000
|
1,630,000 |
|
1,530,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
1,515,000
1,515,000
|
1,515,000 |
|
1,500,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
1,465,000
515,000
|
515,000 |
|
1,455,000
855,000
|
855,000 |
|
1,405,000
1,405,000
|
1,405,000 |
|
1,385,000
485,000
|
485,000 |
|
1,355,000
455,000
|
455,000 |
|
1,325,000
325,000
|
325,000 |
|
1,230,000
1,230,000
|
1,230,000 |
|
1,150,000
1,150,000
|
1,150,000 |
Level 12
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
The remaining 57 players have bagged up their chips for the night. Stay tuned for full chip counts, and a recap of the day's action.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,250,000
3,350,000
|
3,350,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
2,535,000
1,235,000
|
1,235,000 |
|
|
2,520,000
2,520,000
|
2,520,000 |
Level 12
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
The floor have announced that there will be four more hands before play concludes for Day 1a of the Main Event
Level 12
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Hossein Ensan called from the small blind and Daniil Zamourskii checked his option in the big blind.
Ensan led out for 40,000 on the J♥2♥3♣ flop. Zamourskii called.
The turn came the 4♦ and Ensan bet again, this time for 120,000. Zamourskii thought for a few moments, and then made the call.
The river was the 7♦ and Ensan shoved for roughly 500,000. Zamourskii had approximately the same amount as Ensan, and after pondering for quite some time, Zamourskii tossed his cards into the muck,
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,000,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
||
|
|
500,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
Level 12
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
In the 890th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Mike Holtz, and Kyna England talk about admitted poker cheat Ali Imsirovic being DQ'ed mid-tournament from an event in Florida. Was it the right thing to do?
It was a highly debated development, and the crew dove headfirst into the drama by discussing a poker black list, what bestbet Jacksonville could've done differently, and if poker pariahs could even be welcomed back to the game.
They then give an update on Tom Dwan, whose recent social media posts really concerned the poker community, and then Connor Richards headed to PokerGO Studio to chat with the controversial Haliey “Hawk Tuah Girl” Welch and others at the Celebrity Poker Tour (CPT) Game Night VI.
From there, it's highlights from the Hustler Casino Live (HCL) Million Dollar Game III, such as old-school player Erick Lindgren satelliting his way in, Texas Mike's wild ride, and an interview with Steve! Oh, and we'd be remiss if we didn't talk about that epic hand between Alan Keating and Peter.
Mike then talks about making a final table at the Venetian and playing with Batman at a recent Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) event, Brad Gafford and John Juanda both win tournaments, and poker media veteran Paul Oresteen talks about his new Substack, which you can subscribe to here.
Finally, PokerStars North America has introduced a dozen new "Throwables" and the PokerNews Podcast crew not only shares their favorites, but they also offer fans of the show an opportunity to win some just by either listening to or watching the podcast.
Level 12
: Blinds 15,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Artsiom Lasouski made it 50,000 from early position with Atilla Saracoglu calling from the next seat, and the big blind player making the call.
The flop came down J♠4♠8♠, prompting the big blind to check. Lasouski bet 65,000, and only Saracoglu called.
Upon seeing the 8♦ on the turn, Lasouski shoved all in for around 270,000. Saracoglu snap-called and the cards were turned over.
Artsiom Lasouski: A♦J♦ 
Atilla Saracoglu: A♠7♠
Lasouski's top pair was drawing dead to the flopped nut flush of Saracoglu. An irrelevant 3♣ hit the river and Lasouski headed for the exit.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
900,000
900,000
|
900,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 12
Blinds: 15,000/25,000
Ante: 25,000
Level 11
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Seyed Mortazavi aised to 40,000 from middle position and only Max Broens defended out of the big blind.
Both players checked the 4♠4♥10♣ flop to see the 5♦ land on the turn. Broens led out for 40,000 and Mortazavi called.
The 10♦ landed on the river and Broens bet again, this time for 60,000. After using one of his time bank cards Mortazavi made the call.
Broens announced five and showed Q♥5♠. Mortazavi couldn't beat it, and the pot was sent to Broens.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,000,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
400,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
