Two Starting Flights Remain in 2024 Merit Poker Western Series $3,300 Main Event
The flagship tournament of the 2024 Merit Poker Western Series is already well underway here at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, with two starting flights complete and two more to go in the $3,300 Main Event. The first two starting flights have attracted a total of 360 entrants so far, of which 148 players survived to advance to Day 2.
Top Ten Chip Counts from Day 1a and Day 1b
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samy Barka | France | 783,000 | 313 |
| 2 | Michel Habib | Lebanon | 753,000 | 301 |
| 3 | Dmitry Yurasov | Russia | 736,000 | 294 |
| 4 | Fabio Peluso | Italy | 657,000 | 263 |
| 5 | Daniel Henriques | Portugal | 633,000 | 253 |
| 6 | Jianwei Lin | Australia | 619,000 | 248 |
| 7 | Basem Abudavas | Jordan | 600,000 | 240 |
| 8 | Mustafa Ercan | Turkey | 596,500 | 239 |
| 9 | John Doe | n/a | 534,500 | 214 |
| 10 | Wael Sarkis | Lebanon | 533,500 | 213 |
France's Samy Barka currently holds the overall chip lead with 783,000 chips, worth 313 big blinds going into Day 2. Barka is most closely followed by Lebanon's Michel Habib (753,000) and Russia's Dmitry Yurasov (736,000), who took down the last Merit Poker Series $3,300 Main Event at the Gangster Series this past October for $295,500. Other notable players who have already advaned to Day 2 include Benjamin Hamnett (427,000), Nikolay Fal (402,500), 2023 WSOP finalist Dean Hutchison (380,000), Andrea Dato (314,500), Maxime Chilaud (291,000), Roman Hrabec (209,000) and Shuang Luo (160,000).
Day 1c begins at noon local time and will feature a similar structure as the first two starting flights. Players will start with 100,000 chips and play nine 40-minute levels. There will be a break after every three levels. Unlimited reentries and late registration will be available until the end of Level 14 on Day 2. There will also be a turbo Day 1d starting flight featuring 25-minute levels beginning today at 7:00 p.m. local time.
As always, PokerNews will be on-site to cover all the action today from when cards are in the air until players bag and tag at the end of the night.