Money Bubble Is in Sight For 129 Survivors on Day 3 of the Merit Poker Western Series Main Event
The 129 players remaining in the hunt for the Merit Poker Western Series title at the Merit Crystal Cove Resort & Casino have their eye on making the money when Day 3 of the $3,300 Main Event begins at noon local time.
Just 80 players will survive the money bubble and guarantee themselves $4,640. Two Italians stand the best chance of doing that, with Giuliano Boellis (1,654,000) and Fabio Peluso (1,477,000) occupying the top two spots on the chip leaderboard entering the day.
Roman Hrabec (1,386,000), Xiang Lian (1,353,000), and Gang Zhao (1,339,000) round out the top five. Ermanno Di Nicola (1,169,000), David Hu (950,000), Fausto Tantillo (914,000), Ryan Plant (873,000), Koray Korkmaz (855,000) and Dmitry Yurasov (800,000), who is seeking his second consecutive Merit Poker Main Event trophy, are also top stacks.
Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giuliano Boellis | Italy | 1,654,000 | 207 |
| 2 | Fabio Peluso | Italy | 1,477,000 | 185 |
| 3 | Roman Hrabec | Czech Republic | 1,386,000 | 173 |
| 4 | Xiang Lian | China | 1,353,000 | 169 |
| 5 | Gang Zhao | China | 1,339,000 | 167 |
| 6 | Ermanno Di Nicola | Italy | 1,169,000 | 146 |
| 7 | Jianwei Lin | China | 1,135,000 | 142 |
| 8 | Nan Zhu | China | 1,074,000 | 134 |
| 9 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | 1,010,000 | 126 |
| 10 | Yassin Mahmoud | Jordan | 996,000 | 125 |
Other players still in the mix include Michael Brown (782,000), Robert Heidorn (580,000), Dzmitry Urbanovich (554,000), Dean Hutchison (476,000), and Felipe Ketzer (251,000).
The action picks up on Level 18 with blinds of 4,000-8,000 and an 8,000 big blind ante. The plan is to play another eight 60-minute levels, which should bring the field close to the final table by the night's end. A spot at the final table is worth at least $34,300, with the eventual champion taking home $342,500 and the prestige of hoisting a Merit Poker Trophy.
Stay tuned as PokerNews provides all the action leading up to the money bubble and toward the final table.