$5,300 High Roller Day 1 | 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series

11-22-2024 13:43 UTC-12

Kirill Shcherbakov Leads the Way After Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller

Kai Cocklin

Level 8 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller unfolded today at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino as part of the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series. A total of 54 entries were logged, with 40 players advancing through the eight 40-minute levels of the opening day.

Leading the pack is Russia's Kirill Shcherbakov who bagged up 364,500 chips at the culmination of the day, which puts him in a great spot to make a run for the money and beyond come Day 2.

Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts

Place	Player	Country	Chip Count
1	Kirill Shcherbakov	Russia	364,500
2	Atilla Saracoglu	Turkey	333,500
3	Nemo Koering	France	305,000
4	Felipe Ketzer	Brazil	250,500
5	Mehmet Demirkol	Turkey	237,500
6	Aleksandr Chernikov	Russia	213,500
7	Ryan Mandara	United Kingdom	213,500
8	Mehdi Chaoui	Morocco	207,500
9	Candido Cappiello	Italy	205,500
10	Cheng Zhao	China	191,500

Shcherbakov got off to a good start by stacking Alisa Sibgatova in the opening levels when he over-bet shoved the river with a flush, and got looked up by Sibgatova's two pair. It was smooth sailing from then onwards to the top of the pile, and only time will tell if he can convert this chip lead into something meaningful on Day 2.

Atilla Saracoglu bagged up the second-biggest stack of 333,500 chips, and Nemo Koering rounded out the podium places in third with a stack of 305,000.

Felipe Ketzer had a rollercoaster day as he started off well, but soon found himself on the wrong side of a cooler when his ace-king ran into the pocket aces of Ryan Mandara. However, he recovered well and bagged up 250,500, which is good for fourth, and Mandara occupies seventh in the counts with 213,500 chips.

The reigning champion Jakub Michalak couldn't get anything going and will bring 38,500 into Day 2 as he seeks to defend his title from earlier this year.

$5,300 High Roller Schedule

Date	Event	Time
23 November	Day 2	8:00 p.m.
24 November	Day 3	6:00 p.m.
25 November	Day 4	1:00 p.m.

Day 2 will get started at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 23 and registration remains open until the end of Level 12. Play begins at Level 9, and the plan for the day will be announced shortly after the day starts.

Be sure to tune into PokerNews as Day 2 gets underway to see who can build their stack and progress toward the business end of the tournament.

Tags: Aleksandr Chernikov Alisa Sibgatova Atilla Saracoglu Candido Cappiello Cheng Zhao Felipe Ketzer Jakub Michalak Kirill Shcherbakov Mehdi Chaoui Mehmet Demirkol Nemo Koering Ryan Mandara

11-22-2024 11:06 UTC-12

Chaoui Makes the Right Call

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Kai Cocklin

Level 7 : Blinds 800/1,500, 1,500 ante

On a full board of 7♣7♦K♠10♠2♠, there were around 40,000 chips in the pot when Mehdi Chaoui checked it over to Cheng Zhao, who shoved the river. Chaoui had around 65,000 behind and was thinking about how to proceed, but according to his tablemates, he was taking too long to do so as one of them called the clock.

The floor came over and started to give the countdown, then Chaoui said to his opponent, "Will you show me if I fold?". Zhao remained motionless and with just a few seconds to go until his hand would be declared dead, Chaoui called.

"Good call," said Zhao, who then rolled over 8♠6♦ for a bluff. Chaoui flipped J♣J♦ to claim the pot, but still wasn't too impressed the clock was called on him.

"Do you think it's ok to call the clock one minute after I got the count?" he asked.

Either way, Chaoui is the new owner of a lot of chips and has around 170,000 to work with in the penultimate level of the day.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mehdi Chaoui	170,000 95,000	95,000
Cheng Zhao	80,000 110,000	110,000

Tags: Cheng Zhao Mehdi Chaoui

11-22-2024 10:35 UTC-12

Talvard Min-Raises River Against Sibgatova

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Kai Cocklin

Level 6 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

On a double-paired board of 7♦3♦7♠3♥ with around 8,000 chips in the pot, all three of Alisa Sibgatova, Simone Andrian, and Antoine Talvard checked to see the 9♦ drop in the river. Sibgatova was first to act from the small blind and fired out 3,500, which got Andrian to fold in the big blind position.

When it got to Talvard, he put in a min-raise to 7,000, which Sibgatova called after a short time.

Talvard then flipped over the Cowboys with K♦K♥, and Sibgatova mucked her cards.

Player	Chips	Progress
Antoine Talvard	125,000 20,000	20,000
Alisa Sibgatova	105,000 5,000	5,000
Simone Andrian	40,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Alisa Sibgatova Antoine Talvard Simone Andrian

11-22-2024 09:00 UTC-12

Ketzer Recovers to Above Starting Stack

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Kai Cocklin

Level 4 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Yassin Mahmoud raised to 2,200 from under the gun and Joris Ruijs three-bet from the next seat to 6,500. Felipe Ketzer cold-called from the small blind, Giorgii Skhulukhiia called in the big blind, and Mahmoud put in the extra.

The quartet saw a flop of 9♦3♠7♥ where Ketzer led out for 3,500, and all three players behind him called to see the 4♠ drop on the turn. Ketzer stayed aggressive with a bet of 13,500, and one by one, his three opponents mucked their cards.

Player	Chips	Progress
Yassin Mahmoud	140,000 25,000	25,000
Felipe Ketzer	105,000 35,000	35,000
Joris Ruijs	45,000 50,000	50,000
Giorgii Skhulukhiia	40,000 10,000	10,000

Tags: Felipe Ketzer Giorgii Skhulukhiia Joris Ruijs Yassin Mahmoud

11-22-2024 08:23 UTC-12

Mandara on the Right Side of a Cooler Against Ketzer

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Kai Cocklin

Level 3 : Blinds 300/700, 700 ante

Ryan Mandara and Felipe Ketzer got into a preflop-raising war which resulted in the two getting their stacks in preflop, with the former at risk for around 100,000.

Ryan Mandara: A♦A♥ All in
Felipe Ketzer: A♠K♥

Mandara was a in fantastic position to double up and got a safe flop of 2♠5♠9♦ to help his cause. A Q♠ on the turn sealed the deal, and the 4♣ river was just a formality.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ryan Mandara	205,000 105,000	105,000
Felipe Ketzer	60,000 80,000	80,000

Tags: Felipe Ketzer Ryan Mandara

11-22-2024 07:45 UTC-12

Shcherbakov Over-Bet Shoves Again, Stacks Sibgatova

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Kai Cocklin

Level 2 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

A full board of A♣4♠9♥3♣8♣ was showing with around 50,000 chips in the middle when Kirill Shcherbakov had overbet shoved the river yet again, this time with Alisa Sibgatova facing the bet.

Sibgatova had around 80,000 in her stack and after thinking it over for a few minutes, she decided to call.

Shcherbakov then tabled Q♣10♣ for a backdoored flush, and Sibgatova was forced to reveal A♦2♦ before she vacated her seat.

Player	Chips	Progress
Kirill Shcherbakov	230,000 110,000	110,000

Alisa Sibgatova	Busted

Tags: Alisa Sibgatova Kirill Shcherbakov

11-22-2024 07:36 UTC-12

Andrian Gets Value From Zhyharau

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Kai Cocklin

Level 2 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

With around 4,500 chips in the pot on a flop of Q♠8♥4♥, Uladzimir Zhyharau checked it over to Simone Andrian, who fired 4,500. Zhyharau called.

A 2♥ on the turn went check-check to the K♣ river, where Zhyharau checked and Andrian bet out 9,000. It took just a few seconds for Zhyharau to make a decision, and he did so by tossing in a single chip to signify a call.

Andrian then showed he had rivered top pair with K♦J♥, and Zhyharau mucked.

Player	Chips	Progress
Simone Andrian	125,000 15,000	15,000

Candido Cappiello	100,000 100,000	100,000
Uladzimir Zhyharau	80,000 80,000	80,000

Tags: Simone Andrian Uladzimir Zhyharau

11-22-2024 07:03 UTC-12

Ketzer Rivers a Straight, Niste Pays Off

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Kai Cocklin

Level 1 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

Felipe Ketzer has gotten off to a great start and is also nearing a stack of 150,000.

Mihai Niste opened from under the gun to 1,000 and Felipe Ketzer three-bet the button to 3,500. Niste called.

They saw a flop of A♦J♣Q♥ where Niste check-called a bet of 2,000 from Ketzer to the A♠ turn, which checked through.

An 8♥ dropped on the river and Niste led out for 2,500. Ketzer then raised to 10,800, and Niste quickly called.

Ketzer tabled a straight with 10♦9♦, and Niste mucked his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Felipe Ketzer	145,000 45,000	45,000
Mihai Niste	85,000 85,000	85,000

Tags: Felipe Ketzer Mihai Niste

11-22-2024 02:46 UTC-12

The $5,300 High Roller Begins at the Gatsby Gala Series

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Kai Cocklin

The 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series rolls on today with Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller event, set in the luxurious Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. This prestigious tournament attracts top players from around the globe, all vying for the coveted title and a significant share of the prize pool.

Earlier this year, the $5,300 High Roller took center stage at the Merit Poker Carmen Series, where Jakub Michalak emerged victorious after he outlasted a competitive field of 145 entries to claim the top prize of $174,500.

Merit Poker Carmen Series $5,300 High Roller Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize (USD)
1	Jakub Michalak	Poland	$174,500
2	Halil Tasyurek	Turkey	$123,100
3	Daniel Henriques	Portugal	$80,200
4	Milos Skrbic	Serbia	$57,400
5	Renan Bruschi	Brazil	$43,100
6	Bojan Berberovic	Montenegro	$34,500
7	Andrei Spataru	Romania	$28,500
8	Marcin Dziubdziela	Poland	$22,900
9	Rachid El-Yaacoubi	France	$17,100

This four-day affair kicks off at 8 p.m. today with Day 2 starting at the same time tomorrow, November 23. Day 3 plays out on November 24, then the fourth and final day plays out on November 25.

$5,300 High Roller Schedule

Date	Event	Time
22 November	Day 1	8:00 p.m.
23 November	Day 2	8:00 p.m.
24 November	Day 3	6:00 p.m.
25 November	Day 4	1:00 p.m.

Players start with 100,000 chips and the blinds are set at 40 minutes throughout the tournament's entirety. The amount of levels played per day will be decided by the tournament directors shortly after play begins.

Late registration is open until the end of Level 12, which will be at some point during Day 2.

Stay tuned to PokerNews for comprehensive updates, live coverage, and insights as the $5,300 High Roller unfolds. Who will claim the trophy this time? Don’t miss a moment of the action!

Tags: Andrei Spataru Bojan Berberovic Daniel Henriques Halil Tasyurek Jakub Michalak Milos Skrbic Rachid El-Yaacoubi Renan Bruschi