Yury Bochkarev jammed all in from the small blind and was called by Naji Tanuri in the big blind.
Yury Bochkarev: 
Naji Tanuri: 
It was a race as the flop came 
. Bochkarev filmed as the turn was the 
and the river came the 
to end the day for the Russian.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,240,000 | 235,000 |
|
Busted |
"First hand I triple up," Recep Aydemir said as another hand was progressing on his table.
According to Aydemir, he got his last 185,000 in with 
and was called by two opponents, both holding ace-king. Aydemir flopped top set and won the pot to increase his stack threefold right from the start of Day 3.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
560,000 | 375,000 |
Action was joined on the river with the board showing 
. From the button, Viktor Ustimov moved all in into a pot of about 225,000.
Bakhos Joumaa was in the small blind and considered it for a while. He eventually slid his cards into the muck and Ustimov took the pot down.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,070,000 | 110,000 |
|
445,000 | -110,000 |
The remaining 114 players have taken their seats and unbagged their chips, and the penultimate day of the Merit Poker Western Series Main Event is now underway.
Level: 20
Blinds: 10,000/15,000
Ante: 15,000
Day 3 of the Merit Poker Western Series Main Event gets underway today at 12 noon local time with 114 players coming back. The early drama of the day will be the money bubble which will hit early on as 89 of the remaining players will make the money.
Leading the way into Day 3 is Ara Melkisetian of Lebanon who has a comfortable stack of over 150 big blinds. He has close to $500,000 in career earnings on the felt and will be looking to use his large stack to make a deep run here today.
His countryman Walid Bou Habib enters the second in chips as he is the only other player north of 2 million, creating a decent amount of separation between the top two and the rest of the big stacks.
In third more than 300,000 in chips behind second is Benjamin Hammann of France with 1,775,000. Makram Bou Habib (1,635,000) and Aleksandr Chernikov (1,605,000) round out the top five counts as they are the only five players who start the day with more than 100 big blinds.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ara Melkisetian | Lebanon | 2,365,000 | 158 |
| 2 | Walid Bou Habib | Lebanon | 2,100,000 | 140 |
| 3 | Benjamin Hammann | France | 1,775,000 | 118 |
| 4 | Makram Bou Habib | Lebanon | 1,635,000 | 109 |
| 5 | Aleksandr Chernikov | Russia | 1,605,000 | 107 |
| 6 | Maciej Komorowski | Poland | 1,460,000 | 97 |
| 7 | Orthodoxos Orthodoxou | Cyprus | 1,310,000 | 87 |
| 8 | Ceyhan Tezcan | Turkey | 1,230,000 | 82 |
| 9 | Vitaly Pankov | Russia | 1,205,000 | 80 |
| 10 | Eduard Barsegian | Russia | 1,200,000 | 80 |
There are several notable names amongst the returning players today, including, Cyprus local Orthodoxos Orthodoxou, who enters with a large stack of 1,310,000. Turkish player Ceyhan Tezcan is eight in chips witjh 1,230,000. Luc Bindel of France with 1,020,000, American Anthony Potis with 915,000 and the always loquatious Ghanim Dashti who has 720,000 to start the day.
Play will start at noon local time. There will be breaks every two levels and it will be up to the discretion of the tournament director as to when exactly play will end for the night.
PokerNews will be on hand for the entire day of action with chip counts and hand updates.
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Arie Kliper | 1,000,000 | 67 |
| 1 | 2 | Katherina Aristotelos | 585,000 | 39 |
| 1 | 3 | Nikolay Fal | 885,000 | 59 |
| 1 | 4 | Shaul Barnea | 750,000 | 50 |
| 1 | 5 | Koray Korkmaz | 935,000 | 62 |
| 1 | 6 | Fahredin Mustafov | 95,000 | 6 |
| 1 | 7 | Danielle Noja | 310,000 | 21 |
| 1 | 8 | Liviu Catalin Toderita | 285,000 | 19 |
| 1 | 9 | Orthodoxos Orthodoxou | 1,310,000 | 87 |
| 2 | 1 | Roman Kolotiuk | 425,000 | 28 |
| 2 | 2 | Kubanychbek Abakirov | 865,000 | 58 |
| 2 | 3 | El Khoury Gabriel | 655,000 | 44 |
| 2 | 4 | Benjamin Hammann | 1,775,000 | 118 |
| 2 | 5 | Timur Margolin | 495,000 | 33 |
| 2 | 6 | Seref Dursun Anar | 495,000 | 33 |
| 2 | 7 | Baurzhan Akimov | 370,000 | 25 |
| 2 | 8 | Serge Matta | 390,000 | 26 |
| 2 | 9 | Evgenii Korchagin | 335,000 | 22 |
| 3 | 1 | Osman Midik | 670,000 | 45 |
| 3 | 2 | Tsveendorj Purevkhuu | 595,000 | 40 |
| 3 | 3 | Maciej Komorowski | 1,460,000 | 97 |
| 3 | 4 | George Chehade | 1,135,000 | 76 |
| 3 | 5 | Sergei Sokharev | 800,000 | 53 |
| 3 | 6 | Walid Bou Habib | 2,100,000 | 140 |
| 3 | 7 | Vitaly Pankov | 1,205,000 | 80 |
| 3 | 8 | Yury Bochkarev | 235,000 | 16 |
| 3 | 9 | Naji Tanuri | 1,005,000 | 67 |
| 4 | 1 | Ceyhan Tezcan | 1,230,000 | 82 |
| 4 | 2 | Anthony Potis | 915,000 | 61 |
| 4 | 3 | Nazim Kilic | 705,000 | 47 |
| 4 | 4 | Maksim Shornikau | 480,000 | 32 |
| 4 | 5 | Denis Matafonov | 615,000 | 41 |
| 4 | 6 | Idan Greenberg | 455,000 | 30 |
| 4 | 7 | Iulian-Remus Blebea | 340,000 | 23 |
| 4 | 8 | Jacek Pustula | 455,000 | 30 |
| 4 | 9 | Salavat Shafigullin | 815,000 | 54 |
| 5 | 1 | Justus Held | 615,000 | 41 |
| 5 | 2 | Milen Stefanov | 395,000 | 26 |
| 5 | 3 | Vladislav Ivanov | 625,000 | 42 |
| 5 | 4 | Alper Kerim | 375,000 | 25 |
| 5 | 5 | Harout Ghazarian | 530,000 | 35 |
| 5 | 6 | Amjad Nader | 570,000 | 38 |
| 5 | 7 | Boris Smuskevicius | 165,000 | 11 |
| 5 | 8 | Matan Krakow | 570,000 | 38 |
| 5 | 9 | [Removed:422] | 635,000 | 42 |
| 6 | 1 | Chakib M'hiri | 825,000 | 55 |
| 6 | 2 | Aleksei Ten | 90,000 | 6 |
| 6 | 3 | Kassem Hammoud | 805,000 | 54 |
| 6 | 4 | Denis Kapustin | 785,000 | 52 |
| 6 | 5 | Reza Sadat | 700,000 | 47 |
| 6 | 6 | Azizjon Rakhimov | 330,000 | 22 |
| 6 | 7 | Halil Baybars | 790,000 | 53 |
| 6 | 8 | Algirdas Saveikis | 180,000 | 12 |
| 6 | 9 | Luc Bindel | 1,020,000 | 68 |
| 7 | 1 | Aleksei Istomin | 850,000 | 57 |
| 7 | 2 | Fadi El-Hany | 545,000 | 36 |
| 7 | 3 | Danil Shalaev | 655,000 | 44 |
| 7 | 4 | Recep Aydemir | 185,000 | 12 |
| 7 | 5 | Antoine Hasbani | 925,000 | 62 |
| 7 | 6 | Eduard Bagrov | 760,000 | 51 |
| 7 | 7 | Dominik Panka | 935,000 | 62 |
| 7 | 8 | Ibrahim Ghasan | 170,000 | 11 |
| 7 | 9 | Khamid Khudayberganov | 195,000 | 13 |
| 8 | 1 | Muhtar Taysi | 445,000 | 30 |
| 8 | 2 | Danut Chisu | 450,000 | 30 |
| 8 | 3 | Kirill Gladchenko | 80,000 | 5 |
| 8 | 4 | Ernestas Degtiariovas | 780,000 | 52 |
| 8 | 5 | Halil Tasyurek | 560,000 | 37 |
| 8 | 6 | Ara Melkisetian | 2,365,000 | 158 |
| 8 | 7 | Maxime Chilaud | 830,000 | 55 |
| 8 | 8 | Per Emil Mattsson | 900,000 | 60 |
| 8 | 9 | Andrew Hulme | 255,000 | 17 |
| 9 | 1 | Ghanim Dashti | 720,000 | 48 |
| 9 | 2 | Fausto Tantillo | 325,000 | 22 |
| 9 | 3 | Abraham Passet | 855,000 | 57 |
| 9 | 4 | Ozan Kokkaliaris | 425,000 | 28 |
| 9 | 5 | Michael Lech | 445,000 | 30 |
| 9 | 6 | Anatoly Shteyn | 565,000 | 38 |
| 9 | 7 | Makram Bou Habib | 1,635,000 | 109 |
| 9 | 8 | Joseph Mouwad | 375,000 | 25 |
| 9 | 9 | Zorlu Er | 455,000 | 30 |
| 10 | 1 | Aleksandar Jakovljevic | 1,135,000 | 76 |
| 10 | 2 | Osman Aksu | 610,000 | 41 |
| 10 | 3 | Vladislav Doroshkov | 520,000 | 35 |
| 10 | 4 | Dawid Smolka | 500,000 | 33 |
| 10 | 5 | Fabian Wolf | 410,000 | 27 |
| 10 | 6 | Eduard Tchoundnovski | 690,000 | 46 |
| 10 | 7 | Edgard Raffoul | 650,000 | 43 |
| 10 | 8 | Eduard Barsegian | 1,200,000 | 80 |
| 10 | 9 | Gabi Livshitz | 600,000 | 40 |
| 11 | 1 | Issam Tannouri | 455,000 | 30 |
| 11 | 2 | Nuri Hadioglu | 705,000 | 47 |
| 11 | 3 | Bogdan-Andrei Munteanu | 515,000 | 47 |
| 11 | 4 | Viktor Ustimov | 960,000 | 64 |
| 11 | 5 | Bakhos Joumaa | 555,000 | 37 |
| 11 | 6 | Ivan Stankov | 710,000 | 47 |
| 11 | 7 | Maroun Jazzar | 935,000 | 62 |
| 11 | 8 | Toni Kaukua | 420,000 | 28 |
| 12 | 1 | Rafic Rebeiz | 340,000 | 23 |
| 12 | 2 | Uri Reichenstein | 600,000 | 40 |
| 12 | 3 | Amarbayasgalan Sainjargal | 595,000 | 40 |
| 12 | 4 | Jenya Gavrilovich | 725,000 | 48 |
| 12 | 5 | Basel Khabbazeh | 695,000 | 46 |
| 12 | 6 | Jeffrey Hubbell | 300,000 | 20 |
| 12 | 7 | Aleksandr Chernikov | 1,605,000 | 107 |
| 12 | 8 | Nicolas Hasbani | 220,000 | 15 |
| 13 | 1 | Yulian Bogdanov | 535,000 | 36 |
| 13 | 2 | Sergei Efimov | 775,000 | 52 |
| 13 | 3 | Anton Markov | 620,000 | 42 |
| 13 | 4 | Hossein Zolghadriha | 365,000 | 24 |
| 13 | 5 | Fida Hussain | 795,000 | 53 |
| 13 | 6 | Bartlomiej Swieboda | 510,000 | 34 |
| 13 | 7 | Yauhen Kontush | 985,000 | 66 |
| 13 | 8 | Naji Abdo | 250,000 | 17 |
$3,300 Main Event
Day 3 Started
