$3,300 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2023 Merit Poker Gangster Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2023 Merit Poker Gangster Series
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$1,562,160
Entries
566
Level
36
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
155
Players Left
68
Aleksei Petrov Dominates Day 1a of the Merit Poker Gangster Series $3,300 Main Event
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 25,000 ante
Play has reached a conclusion for Day 1a of the 2023 Merit Poker Gangster Series $3,300 Main Event here at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. A total of 155 player entered the first flight with 68 of them making it through to Day 2. After the dust had settled, Aleksei Petrov finished at the top of the counts, ending the night with 766,000 chips, worth 255 big blinds going into Day 2.
Petrov has just over $288,000 in career tournament earnings to his name, with his best score coming from a first-place finish in Sochi for $87,612.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksei Petrov | Russia | 766,000 | 255 |
| 2 | Adem Marjanovic | Austria | 525,000 | 175 |
| 3 | Christos Leantzis | Cyprus | 470,000 | 157 |
| 4 | Sinead Priestley | United Kingdom | 432,000 | 144 |
| 5 | Selahaddin Bedir | Turkey | 430,500 | 144 |
| 6 | Maximilian Wieser | Austria | 428,500 | 143 |
| 7 | Mantas Bagocius | Lithuania | 402,000 | 134 |
| 8 | Milen Bakardjiev | Bulgaria | 400,500 | 134 |
| 9 | Adi Rajkovic | Austria | 379,000 | 126 |
| 10 | Mehmet Dalkilic | Turkey | 376,000 | 125 |
Petrov is most closely followed by Austria's Adem Marjanovic (525,000), Cyprus' Christos Leantzis (470,000), and the United Kingdom's Sinead Priestley (432,000). Petrov was among the bigger stacks throughout the second half of the day while Leantzis was mostly under the radar, hovering around the middle of the pack until the penultimate level of the day when he made a hero call against Ankit Ahuja to surge up the counts.
Other notables to survive the nine 60-minute levels of today include Selahaddin Bedir (430,500), Victor Yugay (279,000), Yunsheng Sun (267,500) and Matthew Davenport (255,500), as well as Merit Poker regulars Anton Markov (170,000) and Koray Korkmaz (154,000).
Players who entered Day 1a but were unable to find a bag at the end of the night inlclude Bakhos Joumaa, Shuang Luo, Ahuja and Oleg Netaliev.
Three starting flights remain for this event, Day 1b starts at noon local time tomorrow, November 29. There are two starting flights the next day on November 30: Day 1c begins at noon local time, while a turbo Day 1d flight begins at 7 p.m. The fields will combine at noon on December 1. Late registration and reentries will remain open until the end of Level 14, midway through Day 2, and a winner will be crowned on the final day, taking place on December 3.
Stay tuned for more coverage as PokerNews brings you all the action from the remainder of the festival along the shores of the Mediterranean in North Cyprus.
End of Night Chip Counts (full)
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 25,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
766,000 | |
|
||
|
525,000 | |
|
470,000 | |
|
432,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
430,500 | |
|
428,500
428,500
|
428,500 |
|
||
|
402,000 | |
|
400,500
198,400
|
198,400 |
|
379,000
379,000
|
379,000 |
|
376,000
225,000
|
225,000 |
|
367,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
362,000
362,000
|
362,000 |
|
347,500 | |
|
332,500 | |
|
279,000 | |
|
274,500
274,500
|
274,500 |
|
269,000 | |
|
269,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
267,500
62,500
|
62,500 |
|
261,000
161,000
|
161,000 |
|
|
255,500
127,000
|
127,000 |
|
|
255,500
500
|
500 |
|
|
249,500
149,500
|
149,500 |
|
249,000
249,000
|
249,000 |
|
|
246,500
105,500
|
105,500 |
Assorted End of Night Counts
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 25,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
766,000
39,000
|
39,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
525,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
|
470,000
76,000
|
76,000 |
|
|
431,000
340,300
|
340,300 |
|
|
430,500
60,500
|
60,500 |
|
|
402,000
-63,000
|
-63,000 |
|
|
347,500
167,500
|
167,500 |
|
|
332,500
214,500
|
214,500 |
|
|
279,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
|
269,000
-216,000
|
-216,000 |
|
|
255,000
42,000
|
42,000 |
|
233,500
63,500
|
63,500 |
|
227,500
227,500
|
227,500 |
|
218,500
105,500
|
105,500 |
|
170,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
151,500
-500
|
-500 |
|
131,000
131,000
|
131,000 |
Play Concludes for Day 1a
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 25,000 ante
The action has come to a close on Day 1a of the $3,300 Main Event. A total of 155 entrants entered the field today, of which only 68 players advanced to Day 2.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action as well as complete chip counts that will follow shortly.
Petrov Shows Down Third Pair
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 25,000 ante
Aleksei Petrov opened to 6,000 from early position and Rashad Iskandarov defended from the big blind.
The flop came Q♥8♠10♣ and Petrov check-called a 5,000 bet from Iskandarov.
Both players checked the 2♠ turn and 4♣ river.
Petrov tabled 8♥5♦ for a pair of eights and Iskandarov mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
727,000
214,000
|
214,000 |
|
|
||
|
122,000
51,000
|
51,000 |
Final Four Hands
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 25,000 ante
The tournament staff have announced they will play four more hands before the end of the night.
Saleh Gets Some Value
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 25,000 ante
With three players seeing a board of K♣6♠2♠7♥2♣ and roughly 60,000 in the middle, Matthew Davenport checked in the small blind, Elias Saleh bet 17,000 from early position, Rashad Iskandarov called in the hijack and Davenport got out of the way.
Saleh tabled K♠Q♣ for two pair which was good enough to take the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
243,000 | |
|
|
213,000
-34,000
|
-34,000 |
|
|
71,000
71,000
|
71,000 |
Some Late Night Assorted Chip Counts
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 25,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
513,000
58,000
|
58,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
485,000
485,000
|
485,000 |
|
|
465,000
-60,000
|
-60,000 |
|
|
440,000
55,000
|
55,000 |
|
|
424,000
17,000
|
17,000 |
|
|
370,000
-4,000
|
-4,000 |
|
|
276,000
59,000
|
59,000 |
|
|
247,000
-11,000
|
-11,000 |
|
|
244,000
-38,000
|
-38,000 |
|
|
205,000
113,000
|
113,000 |
|
195,000
-55,000
|
-55,000 |
|
|
170,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
163,000
-29,000
|
-29,000 |
|
|
152,000
2,500
|
2,500 |
|
|
151,000
-62,000
|
-62,000 |
|
149,500
29,500
|
29,500 |
Level: 9
Blinds: 1,000/2,500
Ante: 25,000