$5,300 Main Event
Day 2 Started
2025 Mediterranean Poker Party
$5,300 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info
2025 Mediterranean Poker Party
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
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
334
Players Left
96
Players Left 1 / 1,196
Filter
(1)
After four opening flights, the stage is nearly set for Day 2 of the $5,300 Main Event at the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party, taking place inside the luxurious Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa.
With Day 1e still ongoing, the current entry total sits at 1,016, spread across Day 1a through Day 1d. So far, 268 players have made it through to Day 2, with more set to join once the final turbo flight wraps up.
Day 2 kicks off at 6:00 p.m. local time, and it marks the first time all survivors will be under one roof. Players will return to deep stacks and 50-minute levels as the real race toward the money begins. The $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool has nearly been reached and is expected to be surpassed once the final numbers are in.
Top Ten Chip Counts From Day 1a-1d
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 4,245,000 | 142 |
| 2 | Dmitry Kataev | Russian Federation | 3,400,000 | 113 |
| 3 | Ryhor Karapanau | Belarus | 3,395,000 | 113 |
| 4 | Viktor Mukhin | Russian Federation | 3,060,000 | 102 |
| 5 | Iurii Okolovich | Russian Federation | 2,945,000 | 98 |
| 6 | Damir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | 2,860,000 | 95 |
| 7 | Aleksandr Blokhin | Russian Federation | 2,825,000 | 94 |
| 8 | Halil Tasyurek | Turkey | 2,805,000 | 94 |
| 9 | Anatoly Zlotnikov | Russian Federation | 2,785,000 | 93 |
| 10 | Artsiom Lasouski | Belarus | 2,780,000 | 93 |
At the top of the leaderboard is Aren Bezhanyan, who bagged a commanding 4,245,000 and leads the field heading into Day 2. Hot on his heels are Dmitry Kataev (3,400,000) and Ryhor Karapanau (3,395,000), followed closely by a wave of big stacks all above the 2.7 million mark.
Remarkably, six of the top ten stacks belong to Russian players, with Kataev, Viktor Mukhin, Iurii Okolovich, Damir Gabdullin, Aleksandr Blokhin, and Anatoly Zlotnikov all returning with deep stacks and momentum. Halil Tasyurek and Artsiom Lasouski round out a stacked top ten.
Remaining Main Event Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Day 2 is scheduled to play seven levels, each lasting 50 minutes, as the field begins its march toward the money. Day 3 will take place tomorrow (Monday, May 12), with the tournament set to crown a champion on the final day, Tuesday, May 13.
Stay tuned as PokerNews brings you full coverage throughout Day 2, including the official prize pool and payouts, which will be released shortly after cards go in the air.
There is a slight delay to the start of Day 2 while the players take their seats.
Level: 13
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 30,000
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
After a short delay, cards are in the air for Day 2 of the Main Event!
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Robert Heidorn opened to 60,000 from under the gun and Lachezar Petkov shoved from the next seat for 445,000. When it got back to Heidorn, he took a few seconds before he called with a slightly covering stack.
Lachezar Petkov: J♥J♣ 
Robert Heidorn: 10♠10♦
Petkov was in the lead with his jacks and found a great flop of 8♥7♥K♥, giving him a flush draw and removing one of Heidorn's outs. A 2♥ on the turn sealed it as Petkov made an unbeatable flush, and a meaningless A♠ hit the river.
Once the stacks were counted down, Heidorn learned he had around 45,000 behind and was in the big blind next hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
975,000
530,000
|
530,000 |
|
||
|
45,000
430,000
|
430,000 |
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Stoyan Madanzhiev min-raised from the cutoff and Espen Jorstad defended out of the big blind.
Jorstad check-called a bet of 95,000 from Madanzhiev on the 6♠8♥2♣ flop.
Both players checked the 3♣ turn to see the 7♣ roll off on the river. Jorstad checked, and Madanzhiev put out a bet of 180,000. After a bit of pondering, Jorstad called and then mucked after Madanzhiev turned over a flush with 10♣9♣.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,700,000
1,700,000
|
1,700,000 |
|
||
|
700,000
310,000
|
310,000 |
|
||
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Abdullah Alajmi had made a big open and Ege Guven three-bet from the next seat to 270,000. When it got back to Alajmi, he asked how much Guven had left and when he learned it was around 1,300,000, he shoved. Guven snap-called.
Ege Guven: K♠K♣
Abdullah Alajmi: 8♠8♦
Alajmi had thrown his Snowmen at Guven but encountered some Cowboys who were looking tough to beat. The runout of 5♦10♣4♦6♣Q♠ meant Guven's kings held up, and he doubled to nearly 3,000,000 while Alajmi's stack took a huge hit.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,700,000
1,190,000
|
1,190,000 |
|
1,000,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Ognyan Dimov checked from middle position on a flop of 10♥4♣J♠, and Dawid Smolka bet 75,000 from the button. Dimov called to see a turn.
The 9♦ turn went check-check, and the2♠ dropped on the river. Dimov checked, and Smolka put out a big bet of 310,000. Dimov burned through a time bank card before folding and forfeiting the pot to Smolka.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,850,000
350,000
|
350,000 |
|
900,000
220,000
|
220,000 |
|
||
Level 13
: Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante
Espen Oye had opened from early position and got a call from Dumitru Pora in the big blind to see a flop of 5♥4♥5♠, where Pora checked. Oye then fired out 40,000, only to be met with a check-raise to 110,000 from Pora. Oye used some extra time before he shoved, and Pora quickly called for his stack of 440,000.
Dumitru Pora: K♥7♥
Espen Oye: 9♦9♥
Pora had picked up a flush draw and just ran with it, which left him needing a king or a heart to stay alive. It was a case of 'instant service' for Pora as the 2♥ turn gave him a flush. The job wasn't done though as Oye still had outs to a full house, but the A♠ was no use, earning Pora a double-up.
Elsewhere, Oye's namesake and WSOP Main Event champion Espen Jorstad just walked past the PokerNews media desk and his seat has been occupied by somebody else, meaning he has busted.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,050,000
380,000
|
380,000 |
|
|
550,000
165,000
|
165,000 |
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
