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$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi
Day 3 Completed
2024 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi
Day: 3
Event Info
2024 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
Buy-in
$2,200
Prize Pool
$2,084,720
Total Entries
1,133
Level
40
Blinds
600,000 / 1,200,000
Ante
1,200,000
Entries
210
Players Left
41
Players Left 1 / 1,133
Filter
Level 27
: Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Another busy day of action at the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series has come to a close, with just 41 players remaining in the $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi.
After ten more levels of play, Dashinka holds the lead as the field prepares for the final two days of the series at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. Day 4 will begin at 12:00 p.m. local time, where play is expected to reach the final table.
Day 3 saw plenty of action and bad beats, as the field coasted through the money bubble to battle for the massive prize pool of $2,084,720, which was confirmed at the start of play.
Dashinka won a big pot on the final level of the night, a pivotal moment on his way to bagging the chip lead with 7,400,000. That puts him just ahead of Maher Achour, who vaulted up the leadboard a couple of levels earlier when he cracked kings on the river to score a knockout. Achour finished up the night with 7,355,000 chips, good for 92 big blinds on Day 4.
Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dashinka | Israel | 7,400,000 | 93 |
| 2 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | 7,355,000 | 92 |
| 3 | Anthony Khouzami | Lebanon | 5,790,000 | 72 |
| 4 | Adrian State | Romania | 5,370,000 | 67 |
| 5 | Raffaele Castro | Italy | 5,000,000 | 63 |
| 6 | Farshad Rahili | Iran | 4,580,000 | 57 |
| 7 | Ignacio Garrido | Spain | 3,700,000 | 46 |
| 8 | Houman Sahafi | Iran | 3,605,000 | 45 |
| 9 | Ermanno Pacini | Italy | 3,410,000 | 43 |
| 10 | Mihai Niste | Romania | 3,345,000 | 42 |
After the prize pool was confirmed to smash the $1,500,000 guarantee, players learned that the top 134 finishers would earn at least $3,020.
It took less than four levels before the money bubble burst, as Candido Cappiello was sent to the rail while the tournament was preparing to go hand-for-hand. From there, everyone set their sights on the top prize of $355,000 and the Merit Poker trophy.
Lebanon’s Anthony Khouzami (5,790,000), Romanian Adrian State (5,370,000) and Raffaele Castro (5,000,000) of Italy round out the top five.
One of more notable pots of the day went to Houman Sahafi, who watched his aces hold against kings and ace-queen two levels into the money. The propelled Sahafi to a top-ten stack, returning with 3,605,000 on Saturday.
Several notable names made the money but were unable to bag, including WPT champion Dmitry Gromov (95th - $3,650), EPT champion Nicolas Chouity (96th - $3,650) and WSOP bracelet winner Georgios Skarparis (126th - $3,020), who saw his pocket aces cracked by a flopped straight.
$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi Remaing Payouts
| Place | Prize (USD) | Place | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $355,000 | 10-12 | $26,600 |
| 2 | $240,000 | 13-15 | $22,000 |
| 3 | $160,000 | 16-18 | $19,000 |
| 4 | $115,000 | 19-21 | $16,600 |
| 5 | $90,000 | 22-24 | $14,500 |
| 6 | $72,000 | 25-26 | $12,600 |
| 7 | $57,700 | 27-35 | $11,000 |
| 8 | $45,000 | 36-41 | $9,400 |
| 9 | $34,450 |
Two more days remain here in Cyprus, with players returning on Day 4 to blinds of 40,000/80,000 and a big blind ante of 80,000. Breaks will continue after every pair of 60-minute levels, and all the action will be streamed on the Merit Poker YouTube channel at 1 p.m. local time.
Don’t miss any of the penultimate day, as the PokerNews team continues live coverage from the floor at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
Level 27
: Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Fouad Toujani | France | 2,680,000 | 34 |
| 1 | 2 | Ermanno Pacini | Italy | 3,410,000 | 43 |
| 1 | 3 | Basel Khabbazeh | Syria | 2,220,000 | 28 |
| 1 | 4 | Elie Farah | Lebanon | 1,620,000 | 20 |
| 1 | 5 | Ghassan Bitar | Lebanon | 3,045,000 | 38 |
| 1 | 6 | Osman Ihlamur | Turkey | 1,880,000 | 24 |
| 1 | 7 | Navid Samavati | Iran | 2,765,000 | 35 |
| 1 | 8 | Mohamed Mokrani | Algeria | 1,600,000 | 20 |
| 1 | 9 | Ignacio Garrido | Spain | 3,700,000 | 46 |
| 2 | 1 | Fausto Tantillo | Italy | 3,050,000 | 38 |
| 2 | 2 | Dashinka | Israel | 7,400,000 | 93 |
| 2 | 3 | Michele D'Angelo | Italy | 940,000 | 12 |
| 2 | 4 | Vadzim Haiduk | Belarus | 3,110,000 | 39 |
| 2 | 5 | Mohamad El-Sayed | Lebanon | 3,250,000 | 41 |
| 2 | 6 | Kirill Burtin | Russia | 1,390,000 | 17 |
| 2 | 7 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Russia | 2,415,000 | 30 |
| 2 | 8 | Volodymyr Drokin | Ukraine | 3,000,000 | 38 |
| 3 | 1 | Anthony Khouzami | Lebanon | 5,790,000 | 72 |
| 3 | 2 | Denis Stoma | Belarus | 2,675,000 | 33 |
| 3 | 3 | Yossi Eluz | Israel | 670,000 | 8 |
| 3 | 4 | Farshad Rahili | Iran | 4,580,000 | 57 |
| 3 | 5 | Asaf Groofi | Israel | 2,555,000 | 32 |
| 3 | 6 | Gregory Luttke | France | 1,225,000 | 15 |
| 3 | 7 | Amir Saeid | Iran | 1,350,000 | 17 |
| 3 | 8 | Konstantin Voronin | Russia | 2,300,000 | 29 |
| 4 | 1 | Naji Abdo | Lebanon | 1,660,000 | 21 |
| 4 | 2 | Iraklis Manikaros | Greece | 2,330,000 | 29 |
| 4 | 3 | Guillermo Gordo | Spain | 3,135,000 | 39 |
| 4 | 4 | Adrian State | Romania | 5,370,000 | 67 |
| 4 | 5 | Houman Sahafi | Iran | 3,605,000 | 45 |
| 4 | 6 | Sinan Unlu | Turkey | 1,120,000 | 14 |
| 4 | 7 | Azamat Tulepbergenov | Kazakhstan | 865,000 | 11 |
| 4 | 8 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 3,300,000 | 41 |
| 5 | 1 | Nerses Sargsian | Russia | 975,000 | 12 |
| 5 | 2 | Fredrico Senno | Lebanon | 1,465,000 | 18 |
| 5 | 3 | Mihai Niste | Romania | 3,345,000 | 42 |
| 5 | 4 | Mircea Flutur | Romania | 1,885,000 | 24 |
| 5 | 5 | Omer Erkus | Turkey | 1,290,000 | 16 |
| 5 | 6 | Adrien Buetas | France | 2,670,000 | 33 |
| 5 | 7 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | 7,355,000 | 92 |
| 5 | 8 | Raffaele Castro | Italy | 5,035,000 | 63 |
Level 27
: Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Level 27
: Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Day 3 has ended with 41 players remaining.
Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 27
: Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Level 27
: Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Heads-up on a flop of A♠K♦4♠, Fausto Tantillo bet 150,000 from the hijack and Ghassan Bitar called on the button.
Both players checked the 2♠ turn and the 3♣ fell on the river. Tantillo then bet 215,000.
Bitar came back with a raise to 750,000 and Tantillo tanked for several minutes before folding. Bitar slammed down Q♣J♥ as he took the pot.
Level 27
: Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
The tournament director has announced that players will see four more hands before bagging for the night.
Level 27
: Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Michele D'Angelo opened to 120,000 in the cutoff and called when Ignacio Garrido three-bet to 400,000 in the small blind.
Garrido led out for 250,000 on the 9♣9♠J♠ flop and the call was made. Both players then checked the 8♦ turn and the dealer flipped over the 5♦ river.
Garrido moved all in and put D'Angelo to the test. After a moment, D'Angelo slid his cards into the muck.
Level 27
: Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante
Evren Coskun moved all in for 125,000 in early position and Mohamed Mokrani reraised to 325,000 in middle position, forcing out the rest of the table.
Evren Coskun: A♠J♥ 
Mohamed Mokrani: 10♦10♣
Coskun took the lead on the K♣J♣9♣ flop with a pair of jacks, while the turn was the 9♥. The river, though, came the 8♣ to give Mokrani a flush and send Coskun to the rail.
