A prestigious Merit Poker trophy awaits one lucky player when the final day of the Merit Poker Western Series $2,200 Warm Up begins at noon local time.
Just 17 players out of a starting field of 446 have successfully navigated through four starting flights and three days of play to reach this far. They are led by Italian pro Simone Andrian, who went on a late rush of eliminations yesterday on his way to bagging up a massive stack of 8,410,000 and becoming the man to beat today on Day 4.
The group of players who will try to track him down and steal the title include Adrian State, the Romanian pro who will eclipse $1 million in total live earnings with a victory today. State enters in third chip position with 3,900,000, right behind Day 2 chip leader Abdullah Alajmi (6,010,000). WSOP bracelet winner Guoliang Wei, part of a large Chinese contingent that traveled here to North Cyprus for the festival, is in fourth place with 2,810,000.
Day 4 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 8,410,000 | 140 |
| 2 | Abdullah Alajmi | Kuwait | 6,010,000 | 100 |
| 3 | Adrian State | Romania | 3,900,000 | 65 |
| 4 | Guoliang Wei | China | 2,810,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Andrea Dato | Italy | 2,750,000 | 46 |
| 6 | George Panagides | Cyprus | 2,750,000 | 46 |
| 7 | Baurzhan Akimov | Kazakhstan | 2,450,000 | 41 |
| 8 | Yuefan Gu | China | 2,230,000 | 37 |
| 9 | Sari Haddad | Lebanon | 2,170,000 | 36 |
| 10 | Qusai Albakeer | Jordan | 2,025,000 | 34 |
| 11 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 1,940,000 | 32 |
| 12 | Azamat Tulepbergenov | Kazakhstan | 1,930,000 | 32 |
| 13 | Antoine Hasbani | Lebanon | 1,320,000 | 22 |
| 14 | Andrei Daniliuk | Russia | 1,190,000 | 20 |
| 15 | Ermanno Di Nicola | Italy | 975,000 | 16 |
| 16 | Nina Krasilnikova | Russia | 925,000 | 15 |
| 17 | John Basta | Egypt | 790,000 | 13 |
Rounding out the top five is Andrea Dato, the veteran Italian pro who already has earned nearly $2.5 million in a career that dates back to 2006. Dato has fond memories of playing here in North Cyprus, finishing in second place in the EPT festival back in October for more than $650,000, the largest score on his resume. Other players still in the hunt include Baurzhan Akimov (2,450,000), Fahredin Mustafov (1,940,000), Andrei Daniliuk (1,190,000), who finished runner-up in the Warm Up at the Merit Poker Gangster Series in November, Ermanno Di Nicola (975,000), and Nina Krasilnikova (925,000).
The action on Day 4 resumes on Level 25 with blinds of 30,000-60,000. The players are already guaranteed $8,450 for making it this far, with a spot at the final table worth $16,500. But all eyes will be on the trophy and $165,000 top prize today at the Merit Poker Crystal Cove and Casino. The final table will be streamed on a 30-minute delay on Merit Poker’s YouTube channel, with commentary from James Dempsey and David Lappin.
Stay tuned as PokerNews follows all the action as the field plays down to a final table and on to the crowning of a new champion.
