$3,300 Main Event
Day 1c Completed
2023 Merit Poker Retro Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1c
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1c
2023 Merit Poker Retro Series
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$3,375,480
Entries
1,223
Level
41
Blinds
600,000 / 1,200,000
Ante
1,200,000
Entries
225
Players Left
108
Day 1c: Michael Allen And Bart Lybaert Among Big Stacks
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
It's been a short but productive day for a little over one hundred players on Day 1c of the 2023 Merit Poker Retro Series $3,300 Main Event at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
Out of the total number of 225 entrants, 108 players filled their bags at the end of Level 9 and qualified for Day 2. Among all these players, Kanan Taherkhani ended the day as the chipleader with 825 000 chips. Just shy of 700,000 chips by two blinds (696,500), Michael Allen 696,500 chips finished second. "I put a few bullets in 1a, so I focused more on Day 1c", he said to justify his stack. Belgian player Bart Lybaert follows closely behind with 646,000 chips.
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT | BLINDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanan Taherkhani | Turkey | 825,000 | 275 |
| 2 | Michael Allen | Unite Kingdom | 696,500 | 232 |
| 3 | Jakub Koleckar | Czech Republic | 691,500 | 231 |
| 4 | Bart Lybaert | Belgium | 646,000 | 215 |
| 5 | Ergin Karacay | Turkey | 534,000 | 178 |
| 6 | Mihail Cuza | Romania | 528,000 | 176 |
| 7 | Mustafa Biz | Turkey | 503,500 | 168 |
| 8 | Georgios Theodorou | Cyprus | 490,500 | 164 |
| 9 | Nazari Farbod | 454 ,500 | 152 | |
| 10 | Endravuz Lahdo | Switzerland | 443,500 | 148 |
Already third of the $10,500 High Roller earlier in the week for $158,600, Mustafa Biz also bagged a sizable stack with a total of 503,500 chips. This is more than twice Ran Koller (267,000), Nicolas Chouity (265,000) and Toni Kaukua (230,500)'s stacks. The gap between Biz and Paul Newey is even larger, with Newey holding 161,000 chips.
The winner of the 2023 WSOP Colossus, Moshe Refaelowitz, hopes to recreate the same success he had in Las Vegas this summer. However, at the moment, things haven't started well for him as he ended Day 1c with just the starting stack (100,000).
If he gets eliminated early on Day 2, he'll also have the option to reenter the tournament, as late registrations will remain open until the end of Level 14. This will be the last opportunity for players to attempt to cash in on the $3,000,000 guaranteed Main Event.
But for those who want to qualify through a Day 1, Day 1d Turbo, with 25-minute levels, started at 7:00 p.m.
PokerNews will be back on Day 2 to closely follow the reunion of the four Day 1s.
Day 1c Chip Count (full)
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
825,000
825,000
|
825,000 |
|
||
|
696,500
-3,500
|
-3,500 |
|
691,500
691,500
|
691,500 |
|
646,000
247,000
|
247,000 |
|
534,000
534,000
|
534,000 |
|
528,000
528,000
|
528,000 |
|
503,500
403,500
|
403,500 |
|
490,500
316,500
|
316,500 |
|
|
454,500 | |
|
443,500
323,500
|
323,500 |
|
412,000 | |
|
410,000
410,000
|
410,000 |
|
|
402,000
402,000
|
402,000 |
|
|
394,500
394,500
|
394,500 |
|
|
385,000
385,000
|
385,000 |
|
379,500
379,500
|
379,500 |
|
369,000
332,000
|
332,000 |
|
349,000
289,000
|
289,000 |
|
320,000
320,000
|
320,000 |
|
318,500
318,500
|
318,500 |
|
314,500
314,500
|
314,500 |
|
307,500
307,500
|
307,500 |
|
305,000
305,000
|
305,000 |
|
|
290,000
290,000
|
290,000 |
|
290,000
290,000
|
290,000 |
End Of Day 1c
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Bags are on the tables. 108 players are going to fill them and are qualified for Day 2.
Aslan Eliminated Just Before The End
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
While some tables were waiting for their bags to end the day, Kemal Aslan found himself at risk with 147,000 chips against Konstantin Voronin.
Kemal Aslan: Q♠Q♣
Konstantin Voronin: A♦A♠
In a worst-case scenario for Aslan, he ran into pocket aces in the final moments of the day. The $10,500 High Roller semi-finalist (12th, $26,300) couldn't improve his hand on the board A♥6♦8♥7♣J♠, leading to his elimination.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
412,000
412,000
|
412,000 |
|
Busted |
Last Three Hands Of The Day
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
The clock has been stopped. Dealers will deal the last three hands of Day 1c.
700,000 For Allen
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Already the chipleader of one of the $2,200 Warmup's Day 1, Michael Allen once again found himself with a big stack in front of him. Not only did he win big pots, but he takes the smaller ones.
Just moments after eliminating a short stack, he defended his big blind against a player in a middle position. With a 6♦2♠9♥ flop on the table, he called a continuation bet of 5,000. Then, both players checked the turn 5♥ and the river A♣.
Maybe Allen should have bet on the river, since he had a pair with A♥8♠ on the river. Following this hand, Allen's chip stack grew to 700,000 chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
700,000 |
Last Level Of The Day
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Level 9 has just begun. It is the last level for today.
Level: 9
Blinds: 1,000/2,500
Ante: 2,500
No More Abdo
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Action was caught when Naji Abdo and his 93,500 chips were at risk from middle position against the small blind.
Naji Abdo: J♠J♣
Small blind: K♠K♦
The small blind didn't want to see a jack. That is what happened on the board 3♣Q♦5♣7♥A♠. While Abdo was leaving the area, the small blind danced for a few seconds to celebrate.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Busted |