$3,300 OPE Classic Cup 8-Handed
Day 1 Completed
2024 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
$3,300 OPE Classic Cup 8-Handed
Day: 1
Event Info
2024 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$532,680
Entries
193
Level
29
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
74
Players Left
46
Players Left 1 / 193
Filter
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
The largest buy-in event of the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series began with a total of 74 entries on Day 1 of the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup 8-Handed. After eight levels of action at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, Cenk Ogun leads the way with 416,800 chips heading into Sunday’s final day.
The opening day saw 46 players find a bag, while unlimited reentries will allow for the field to grow on Day 2. There is still plenty of time for players to join as late registration will remain open until the end of Level 12. Action will resume at 8 p.m. local time, where the event is scheduled to crown a champion.
Lebanon's Antoine Hasbani also built a stack by moving all in halfway through the action on Day 1 and bagged 284,500 to sit among the larger counts in contention for the Merit Poker title.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cenk Ogun | Netherlands | 416,800 | 208 |
| 2 | Mohamad El-Sayed | Lebanon | 332,500 | 166 |
| 3 | Kemal Aslan | Turkey | 312,000 | 156 |
| 4 | Iurii Saiapin | Russian Federation | 299,500 | 150 |
| 5 | Fadi Nakhoul | Lebanon | 292,500 | 146 |
| 6 | Antoine Hasbani | Lebanon | 284,500 | 142 |
| 7 | Konstantin Voronin | Russian Federation | 283,000 | 142 |
| 8 | Zvezdan Tadic | Serbia | 256,000 | 128 |
| 9 | Iraklis Manikaros | Greece | 255,000 | 128 |
| 10 | Andrei Daniliuk | Russian Federation | 227,000 | 114 |
Chip leader Ogun made a move up the leaderboard on Level 6, calling a big river bet with a straight to take the chip lead.
Among the other names to build a stack on Day 1 was Zvezdan Tadic, who jumped out to a very fast start with an early double after flopping a full house. Tadic rode that momentum to a bag of 256,000 chips to sit in good position entering Day 2.
Others who managed to bag above the 200,000 mark include Fadi Nakhoul (292,500) and Iraklis Manikaros (255,000), while Konstantin Voronin (283,000) and Andrei Daniliuk (227,000) both shook off early exits to reenter and recover in a big way.
WSOP bracelet winner and EPT champion Maxim Lykov steadily built his way just short of that group, collecting 198,500 chips for Day 2.
The returning contenders will take their seats at 8 p.m. local time, where play will resume on Level 9 with blinds of 1,000/2,000 and a 2,000 big blind ante.
Players joining the field on Day 2 will receive a starting stack of 100,000 chips. Levels will remain 40 minutes long, with play scheduled to continue until a winner is determined. Full prize pool and payout information will be announced after late registration closes to begin Level 13.
As always, PokerNews will have full coverage as the high rollers continue to battle for the title of OPE Classic champion here in Northern Cyprus.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Antoine Hasbani | Lebanon | 284,500 | 142 |
| 1 | 2 | Konstantin Voronin | Russian Federation | 283,000 | 142 |
| 1 | 3 | Mohamed Mokrani | France | 41,500 | 21 |
| 1 | 4 | Amir Fouladmehr | Iran | 81,000 | 41 |
| 1 | 5 | Selahaddin Bedir | Turkey | 188,500 | 94 |
| 1 | 6 | Alain Hajj | Lebanon | 69,500 | 35 |
| 1 | 7 | Mohamad El-Sayed | Lebanon | 332,500 | 166 |
| 2 | 1 | Jad Gharios | United States | 38,500 | 19 |
| 2 | 2 | Recep Aydemir | Turkey | 131,000 | 66 |
| 2 | 3 | Zorlu Er | Turkey | 33,500 | 17 |
| 2 | 4 | Mihai Niste | Romania | 125,000 | 63 |
| 2 | 5 | Zvezdan Tadic | Serbia | 256,000 | 128 |
| 2 | 6 | Iraklis Manikaros | Greece | 255,000 | 128 |
| 2 | 7 | Abdullah Eddine | Lebanon | 173,000 | 87 |
| 3 | 1 | Michel Habib | Lebanon | 132,500 | 66 |
| 3 | 2 | Aziz Efe | Turkey | 24,000 | 12 |
| 3 | 3 | Guillermo Cifuentes | Poland | 136,000 | 68 |
| 3 | 4 | Alisa Sibgatova | Russian Federation | 201,500 | 101 |
| 3 | 5 | Fadi Nakhoul | Lebanon | 292,500 | 146 |
| 3 | 6 | Maxim Lykov | Russian Federation | 198,500 | 99 |
| 3 | 7 | Damir Zhugralin | Kazakhstan | 46,000 | 23 |
| 4 | 1 | Zhao Cheng | China | 111,500 | 56 |
| 4 | 2 | Mustafa Biz | Turkey | 175,000 | 88 |
| 4 | 3 | Charbel Salloum | Lebanon | 120,000 | 60 |
| 4 | 4 | Daniel Henriques | Portugal | 218,500 | 109 |
| 4 | 5 | Iurii Saiapin | Russian Federation | 299,500 | 150 |
| 4 | 6 | Yilu Yuan | China | 79,500 | 40 |
| 4 | 7 | Cenk Ogun | Netherlands | 416,800 | 208 |
| 5 | 1 | Andrei Daniliuk | Russian Federation | 227,000 | 114 |
| 5 | 2 | Shuang Luo | China | 158,500 | 79 |
| 5 | 3 | Kemal Aslan | Turkey | 312,000 | 156 |
| 5 | 4 | Maksim Skripkin | Russian Federation | 207,000 | 104 |
| 5 | 5 | Roman Stoika | Russian Federation | 194,500 | 97 |
| 5 | 6 | Viktor Yugay | Uzbekistan | 114,500 | 57 |
| 6 | 1 | Ziad Gharios | Lebanon | 99,000 | 50 |
| 6 | 2 | Gurcan Gungoren | Turkey | 222,500 | 111 |
| 6 | 3 | Milad Langar | Iran | 214,000 | 107 |
| 6 | 4 | Avrham Harbon | Israel | 96,500 | 48 |
| 6 | 5 | Jingxuan Zhu | China | 110,500 | 55 |
| 6 | 6 | Walid Bou Habib | Lebanon | 96,500 | 48 |
| 7 | 1 | Antonino Venneri | Italy | 47,000 | 24 |
| 7 | 2 | Andrey Pateychuk | Russian Federation | 81,500 | 41 |
| 7 | 3 | Michele Pucci | Italy | 179,500 | 90 |
| 7 | 4 | Volodymyr Drokin | Ukraine | 140,000 | 70 |
| 7 | 5 | Antoine Farhat | Lebanon | 131,500 | 66 |
| 7 | 6 | Dmitry Gromov | Russian Federation | 45,500 | 23 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
416,800
74,800
|
74,800 |
|
||
|
332,500
232,500
|
232,500 |
|
312,000
312,000
|
312,000 |
|
299,500
299,500
|
299,500 |
|
292,500
170,500
|
170,500 |
|
284,500
16,500
|
16,500 |
|
||
|
283,000
142,000
|
142,000 |
|
256,000
62,000
|
62,000 |
|
255,000
155,000
|
155,000 |
|
227,000
227,000
|
227,000 |
|
222,500
79,500
|
79,500 |
|
218,500
218,500
|
218,500 |
|
214,000
88,000
|
88,000 |
|
207,000
207,000
|
207,000 |
|
201,500
50,500
|
50,500 |
|
198,500
25,500
|
25,500 |
|
||
|
194,500
70,500
|
70,500 |
|
188,500
188,500
|
188,500 |
|
179,500
79,500
|
79,500 |
|
175,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
173,000
173,000
|
173,000 |
|
158,500
9,500
|
9,500 |
|
140,000
140,000
|
140,000 |
|
136,000
136,000
|
136,000 |
|
132,500
33,500
|
33,500 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
The opening day has concluded with 46 players remaining from 74 entries.
Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of Day 1.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
The clock has been paused and players will see just two more hands before bagging for the night.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Action was three-way to the A♠9♦Q♠ flop, where Cheng Zhao fired a bet of 7,000 from under the gun and Shuang Luo was the only caller in the small blind.
Luo checked the 5♦ turn and called when Zhao bet 16,000. The 10♦ river produced another check from Luo, letting her hand go after Zhao tossed out a bet of 30,000 to take it down.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
149,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
114,000
16,000
|
16,000 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Maxim Lykov opened to 4,500 on the button and Damir Zhugralin defended his big blind.
Both players checked the J♥9♥10♥ flop, with Zhugralin checking again after the 2♥ turn.
Lykov counted out a bet and began to slide it into the middle, but pulled his chips back as Zhugralin folded instantly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
224,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
|
||
|
28,000
140,000
|
140,000 |
Level: 8
Blinds: 1,000/1,500
Ante: 1,500
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
An early position open to 3,500 was called by Roman Stoika in the cutoff and Charbel Salloum in the big blind.
The 8♦4♠A♦ flop saw no action, with the dealer flipping over the 6♥ turn. Salloum led out for 5,500 and was called by both opponents to see the 10♣ river.
Action checked to Stoika, who counted out a bet of 53,000. That produced a pair of folds to take down the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
124,000
28,000
|
28,000 |
|
98,000
31,000
|
31,000 |
