Day 1c of the $5,300 Main Event at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party has wrapped up inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, with another 339 entries added to the growing tally. That brings the total to 921 runners across the first three starting flights, with just two turbo Day 1s remaining before registration officially closes.
It was a day dominated by big stacks and big swings, and no one bagged more than Ryhor Karapanau, who closed the night with 3,395,000. During Level 3, Karapanau got an early Christmas present when Mustafa Yildiz five-bet shoved ace-queen for well over 200 big blinds. The Cowboys of Karapanau held up, which rocketed him to the top of the leaderboard, where he stayed throughout most of the day.
Karapanau was followed by Damir Gabdullin (2,860,000) and Halil Tasyurek (2,805,000), both of whom quietly built their stacks into serious contenders.
Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryhor Karapanau | Belarus | 3,395,000 | 113 |
| 2 | Damir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | 2,860,000 | 95 |
| 3 | Halil Tasyurek | Turkey | 2,805,000 | 94 |
| 4 | Mehmet Demirkol | Turkey | 2,610,000 | 87 |
| 5 | Mustafa Biz | Turkey | 2,340,000 | 78 |
| 6 | Toni Kaukua | Finland | 2,240,000 | 75 |
| 7 | Adrian State | Romania | 2,115,000 | 71 |
| 8 | George Tomescu | Romania | 2,100,000 | 70 |
| 9 | Samuel Dray | France | 1,910,000 | 64 |
| 10 | Sergiu Covrig | Romania | 1,880,000 | 63 |
Also finishing strong were Toni Kaukua (2,240,000), Adrian State (2,115,000), and Nichan Khorchidian (1,425,000), while Niall Farrell advanced with a more modest 485,000 to his name.
The first turbo flight, Day 1d, is already underway this evening, while the final flight, Day 1e, will run tomorrow afternoon. All surviving players from the five opening flights will return for Day 2 on Sunday at 6:00 p.m., where the full field will finally merge. The official prize pool and payouts will be confirmed and published shortly after Day 2 begins.
Remaining Main Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Blind 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 | 6:00 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| Day 3 | May 12 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Final Day | May 13 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
Stay locked in with PokerNews as we bring you live updates, chip counts, photos, and all the key hands straight from the floor when Day 2 gets underway.
