button in SafariAnton Melnikau Takes Commanding Chip Lead at the Merit Poker Cup!
Day 1b of the $3500 Merit Poker Cup at the glorious Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino has concluded and the overwhelming chip leader is Belarus's Anton Melnikau with a gargantuan 3,070,000, which is nearly one million more chips than his nearest rival Alexander Sokolovsky, who wound up as chip leader on Day 1a.
The Belarusian dominated his opponents all day, and delivered the final knockout blow as he sent Nicolae Toma to the rail on the bubble. Another benefactor of bubble play was the seasoned German pro Manig Loeser, who scored a massive double up through Sondre Stormyr during hand for hand when his pocket aces beat the Norwegian's pocket jacks.
The 1,500,000 pot was enough to give Loeser 2nd place for the day, while Stormyr sits in 5th place on 1,445,000. Sandwiched between the two are Oguzhan Kasar in 3rd place with 1,485,000, and in 4th is Chinese pro Quan Qiu with 1,480,000.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anton Melnikau | Belarus | 3,070,000 | 154 |
| 2 | Manig Loeser | Germany | 1,500,000 | 75 |
| 3 | Oguzhan Kasar | Turkey | 1,485,000 | 74 |
| 4 | Quan Qiu | China | 1,480,000 | 74 |
| 5 | Sondre Stormyr | Norway | 1,445,000 | 72 |
| 6 | Miguel Prospero | Russian Federation | 1,315,000 | 66 |
| 7 | Andrei Mashinistov | Russian Federation | 1,175,000 | 59 |
| 8 | Mehmet Dalkilic | Turkey | 1,170,000 | 59 |
| 9 | Darko Svesko | Serbia | 1,150,000 | 58 |
| 10 | Emad Zarghami | Australia | 1,125,000 | 56 |
Other notable names to advance to Day 2 are Eugene Katchalov (110,000), GG Pro Yuxi Huang (220,000), and WSOP Bracelet winner Nikolay Fal (890,000).
The 37 players who advanced from Day1b will combine with the 26 players from Day 1a and play Day 2 on Wednesday, September 22nd at midday local time and will be playing to a winner.
Blind levels will increase every 40 minutes, and the floor will confirm which level we will be starting with at the start of play. Which one of the 63 will lift the prestigious Merit Poker Cup?
Stay tuned to PokerNews for updates on the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup live from the tournament floor.