$3,300 Main Event
Day 1cd Completed
2023 Merit Poker Western Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1cd
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1cd
2023 Merit Poker Western Series
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$2,089,320
Entries
757
Level
38
Blinds
500,000 / 1,000,000
Ante
1,000,000
Entries
155
Players Left
85
Matan Krakow, Nuri Hadioglu Pace the Field on Day 1c of the Main Event
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
It was a fast and furious day of action on Day 1c of the Merit Poker Western Series $3,300 Main Event as a further 155 entries swelled the field up to 570 through three starting flights.
Israel’s Matan Krakow finished in contention for the chip lead after bagging up 464,000 to take into tomorrow’s Day 2. Krakow was involved in a massive three-way all in against Ghassan Yared and Yonatan Koko, and although Yared made a flush to beat Krakow’s kings, Krakow still took out Koko to win the bigger side pot.
Behind Krakow on the leaderboard of the 85 remaining players is a man who’s no stranger to success here at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in North Cyprus. Nuri Hadioglu has 20 career cashes in Merit Poker events, including eight final table appearances. He’s poised for another deep run in this event after finishing today with 418,000. Sergei Efimov of Russia joined Krakow and Hadioglu in the 400,000-chip club.
Day 1c Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matan Krakow | Israel | 464,000 | 186 |
| 2 | Nuri Hadioglu | Turkey | 418,000 | 167 |
| 3 | Sergei Efimov | Russia | 400,000 | 160 |
| 4 | Gaurav Law | India | 392,000 | 157 |
| 5 | Andreas Tomazou | Cyprus | 378,500 | 151 |
| 6 | Mehmet Dalkilic | Turkey | 361,000 | 144 |
| 7 | Georges Hanna | Lebanon | 325,000 | 130 |
| 8 | Gurcan Gungoren | Turkey | 322,500 | 129 |
| 9 | Azizjon Rakhimov | n/a | 322,000 | 129 |
| 10 | Amjad Nader | Syria | 305,000 | 122 |
Andreas Tomazou doubled up with a straight on the river later in the day and continued that momentum to bag a big stack of 378,500, while Mehmet Dalkilic finished with 367,000. Recep Aydemir and “John Doe” had a reunion of sorts on Day 1c, as they spent most of the day playing at adjacent tables and continuing the banter they started during the Warm Up final table two nights ago. Both survived the day, Doe with 227,500 and Aydemir with 140,000. Further down the leaderboard are Dominik Panka (192,500) and Jack Sinclair (96,000)
A total of 283 players have currently confirmed their spot in the field for Day 2 starting tomorrow at noon local time. With another turbo Day 1d flight taking place at 7 p.m. tonight, and late registration open for the first four levels of Day 2, the field should far exceed the $1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
PokerNews will be back providing all the action on Day 2 and through the rest of the tournament until a new champion is crowned here along the shores of the Mediterranean.
End-of-Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
464,000 | 14,000 |
|
418,000 | 3,000 |
|
400,000 | 400,000 |
|
392,000 | |
|
378,500 | 158,500 |
|
361,000 | -99,000 |
|
325,000 | |
|
322,500 | |
|
322,000 | |
|
305,000 | 85,000 |
|
|
304,500 | 174,500 |
|
|
298,000 | 98,000 |
|
|
289,000 | |
|
278,500 | -41,500 |
|
275,000 | 95,000 |
|
272,000 | 152,000 |
|
|
265,500 | |
|
|
256,500 | |
|
256,500 | |
|
250,000 | 95,000 |
|
248,000 | |
|
|
247,000 | 67,000 |
|
241,000 | |
|
227,500 | -42,500 |
|
|
227,000 |
Three More Hands
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Tournament officials have announced that players will see three more hands before bagging up their chips for Day 2.
Sinclair Loses a Race to Rebeiz
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Rafic Rebeiz was all in for 63,000 and up against Jack Sinclair.
Rafic Rebeiz: 
Jack Sinclair: 
Sinclair picked up a straight draw on the 
flop, but the 
on the turn was no help. It was Rebeiz who improved to a straight as the river came the 
as he doubled up off Sinclair.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
130,000 | |
|
90,000 | -110,000 |
Van Boxtel Shows the Set
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
There was already nearly 100,000 in the pot as Raul Van Boxtel and an opponent went to the turn on a board of 
. Van Boxtel bet 28,000 and sent his opponent deep into the tank.
His opponent began talking to Van Boxtel, who simply shook his head and didn't reply. He eventually forced a fold to win the pot.
"I'll give you 5,000 if you show," a tablemate said, offering a purple chip to Van Boxtel.
"I'll send you a picture," Van Boxtel replied, taking out his phone to snap a photo of his hand. He eventually turned over 
for a set.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
260,000 | 155,000 |
Some Big Stacks Near the End
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
460,000 | 330,000 |
|
|
450,000 | 40,000 |
|
|
415,000 | 315,000 |
|
|
320,000 | 320,000 |
Firsau Survives on the Last Level
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Vasili Firsau moved all in for his last 45,000 and was called by Amir Hatefi.
Vasili Firsau: 
Amir Hatefi: 
Firsau was flipping for his tournament life as the board ran out 
. Hatefi didn't improve and Firsau doubled up on the last level of the night with his pair of eights.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
110,000 | -20,000 |
|
95,000 | -10,000 |
Level: 9
Blinds: 1,000/2,500
Ante: 2,500
Stankov Moves In, Nearly Doubles
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Ivan Stankov raised to 4,000 from early position before Damir Zhugralin made it 20,000 from the cutoff. The small blind then four-bet to 45,000 as action folded back around to Stankov, who moved all in for 105,000.
Zhugralin quickly folded, but the small blind tanked for several minutes. "You're happy now," he told Stankov before he eventually folded.
"Put that he folded queens. Queen-seven," a tablemate said.
"You doubled up," another told Stankov after the hand.
"Almost," Stankov replied.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
185,000 | 95,000 |
|
150,000 |