$5,300 Main Event
Day 1b Started
2025 Mediterranean Poker Party
$5,300 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
2025 Mediterranean Poker Party
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
Buy-in
$5,300
Prize Pool
$5,740,800
Entries
1,196
Level
34
Blinds
2,000,000 / 4,000,000
Ante
4,000,000
Entries
355
Players Left
86
Players Left 1 / 1,196
Filter
(1)
The cards will be back in the air at noon local time for Day 1b of the $5,300 Main Event at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party, where another wave of hopefuls will take their shot at poker glory inside the dazzling Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa.
Following the same format as Day 1a, players will navigate 12 levels—the first ten lasting 40 minutes, followed by two longer 50-minute levels—as they try to survive and stack chips for Day 2.
With a $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool up for grabs, the pressure is on to build a bag and avoid the turbo flights still to come. Yesterday’s Day 1a saw 227 entries whittled down to 57 survivors, led by Russia’s Aren Bezhanyan, who set the early pace with a towering 4,245,000 chip stack.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 4,245,000 | 142 |
| 2 | Ivan Govorov | Russian Federation | 2,595,000 | 87 |
| 3 | Nikolay Ivanov | Bulgaria | 2,570,000 | 86 |
| 4 | Sarkis Akopyan | Russian Federation | 2,300,000 | 77 |
| 5 | Antonio Alfaia | Portugal | 2,285,000 | 76 |
| 6 | Atanas Pavlov | Bulgaria | 2,260,000 | 75 |
| 7 | Seyed Fazeli | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 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 |
Joining Bezhanyan at the top of the leaderboard are the likes of Ivan Govorov (2,595,000) and Nikolay Ivanov (2,570,000), both within striking distance should Bezhanyan falter. Bulgaria’s Atanas Pavlov (2,260,000), Portugal’s Antonio Alfaia (2,285,000), and Iran’s Seyed Fazeli (2,065,000) also made strong Day 1a impressions, putting themselves in prime position heading into Day 2.
Remaining 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.
Will anyone today be able to challenge Bezhanyan’s benchmark? Stick with PokerNews for full coverage from the floor, including chip counts, big pots, and key storylines as Day 1b gets underway.
There is a slightly delayed start as players take their seats.
Level: 1
Blinds: 1,000/1,500
Ante: 1,500
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Cards are in the air for Day 1b of the $5,300 Main Event.
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
There were around 50,000 chips in the middle on a flop of 5♠8♣7♣. Anton Vinkurov bet 17,000 from the small blind and Hadi Khordbin shoved for 275,000 out of the big blind. Vinkurov snap-called.
Hadi Khordbin: 7♠7♥ 
Anton Vinkurov: K♣K♥
Khordbin flopped a set of sevens on Vinkurov's Cowboys and was likely to double-up. The rest of the board came 9♦A♣ and Khordbin had started the day in a dream like fashion. Vinkurov's day on the other hand was the stuff of nightmares.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
600,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
25,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
There were already over 60,000 chips in the pot on a 4♥3♥3♣9♣ board when Aleksandr Isachenko fired out 30,000 from the small blind. Evgenii Olvinskii was in the big blind and took some time before he dropped in the call.
When the 7♠ dropped on the river, both players quickly checked to take a showdown.
Isachenko showed ace-high holding A♥Q♣, but Olvinskii had a better ace-high with A♠K♣ to scoop the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
360,000
360,000
|
360,000 |
|
|
240,000
240,000
|
240,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
||
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
300,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
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Level 1
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Raoul Kanme got off to a great start and has boosted his stack to around 500,000.
The full board read Q♥7♦2♣5♥J♦ and with around 150,000 in the pot, Kanme's opponent fired out 100,000. Kanme thought for a while before he eventually tossed in the call.
The opponent showed AxKx for ace-high, but Kanme's Q♦10♦ flopped a pair of queens to scoop the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
500,000 |
