$10,400 Merit Millions Day 1cd | 2025 Merit Millions

04-11-2025 17:30 UTC+2

Saad's Flush Sends Khorchidian to the Exit

Tim Baker

Level 7 : Blinds 8,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Nicolae Toma raised to 35,000 from under the gun with Mark Saad calling from the cutoff, Ismail Tas calling from the button, Nichan Khorchidian calling from the small blind, and Baltazar Five defending his big blind.

Five players saw the flop come down K♠Q♦7♦ and the action checked to Saad, who bet out for 75,000. Tas folded, but Khorchidian check-raised to 173,000. Only Saad made the call.

Khorchidian continued with a bet of 300,000 on the 10♦ turn, leaving himself with around 250,000 behind. Saad shoved to put Khorchidian all in, and Khorchidian called.

Nichan Khorchidian: 7♠7♥ All in
Mark Saad: K♦8♦

Khorchidian was behind with his flopped set of sevens, to the turned flush of Saad. The A♠ river didn't improve Khorchidian to a boat and he was out of the tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mark Saad	2,200,000 1,300,000	1,300,000
Ismail Tas	1,300,000 100,000	100,000
Baltazar Five	1,000,000
Nicolae Toma	900,000 50,000	50,000
Nichan Khorchidian	Busted

Tags: Baltazar Five Ismail Tas Mark Saad Nichan Khorchidian Nicolae Toma

04-11-2025 17:21 UTC+2

Ruijs Stays Alive

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Tim Baker

Level 7 : Blinds 8,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Joris Ruijs shoved from early position for 176,000 with Hala Karam making the call from the cutoff to put him at risk.

Joris Ruijs: 7♥7♦ All in
Hala Karam: A♠J♣

It was a classic race that Ruijs had to win. The board ran out favorable for Ruijs as it came 5♠8♠4♥6♣5♥ to give him a straight on the turn and keep him in the tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
Hala Karam	450,000 450,000	450,000
Joris Ruijs	400,000 150,000	150,000

Tags: Hala Karam Joris Ruijs

04-11-2025 17:05 UTC+2

Smolka Slowly Building Momentum

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Tim Baker

Level 7 : Blinds 8,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Johan Guilbert raised to 35,000 from early position and only Dawid Smolka called out of the big blind.

The dealer spread out a flop of 5♦9♥8♣ and Smolka started with a check. Guilbert fired out a bet of 32,000, which Smolka called.

The 4♥ turn checked through for the 9♣ to hit the river. Smolka now bet out and Guilbert instantly folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dawid Smolka	800,000 300,000	300,000
Johan Guilbert	450,000 400,000	400,000

Tags: Dawid Smolka Johan Guilbert

Level: 7

Blinds: 8,000/15,000

Ante: 15,000

04-11-2025 16:52 UTC+2

Yaghmaie Holds on With Pocket Sevens

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Tim Baker

Level 6 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Robert Haigh raised to 25,000 under the gun with Naryman Yaghmaie calling from the next position and Razvan Sabau calling on the button.

The flop came down 8♠5♠8♦ and Haigh continued with a bet of 30,000. Yaghmaie raised to 75,000 and Sabau three-bet to 175,000. Haigh reluctantly folded, but Yaghmaie called to see a turn.

Yaghmaie checked the 10♣ turn and Sabau fired out a bet of 225,000. Yaghmaie pondered for a few moments and then tossed in the call.

The 2♥ fell on the river and Yaghmaie checked. Sabau thought for a while and then checked behind. Yaghmaie showed 7♠7♥ for just a pair of sevens, which was good as Sabau mucked his cards.

Player	Chips	Progress
Razvan Sabau	2,450,000 450,000	450,000
Naryman Yaghmaie	1,550,000 600,000	600,000
Robert Haigh	750,000 70,000	70,000

Tags: Naryman Yaghmaie Razvan Sabau Robert Haigh

04-11-2025 16:43 UTC+2

Voronin Wants an Even Bigger Stack

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Tim Baker

Level 6 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

After securing a spot in Day 2 with an impressive 905,000 chips on Day 1a, and then returning yesterday on Day 1b to bag an even bigger stack of 2,125,000, Konstantin Voronin’s thirst for poker isn’t quite quenched yet.

Despite already securing a solid stack for Day 2, Voronin wasn’t content with that. He decided to give Day 1c a shot as well, aiming for even more chips. When asked about his goal for this flight, Voronin enthusiastically stated, "At least 3 million! I was lying in my room, got bored. So I came down to play. I’m gonna shove — if it works, great, if not, whatever."

It’s clear that Voronin’s relentless pursuit of victory is far from over, as he shows his determination to make a deep run in the tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
Konstantin Voronin	1,000,000 100,000	100,000

Tags: Konstantin Voronin

04-11-2025 16:34 UTC+2

Kirichenko Has the Bigger Pair

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Tim Baker

Level 6 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Joris Ruijs made it 25,000 to go from early position before Aleksandr Kirichenko three-bet to 60,000 from the next seat. Elie Farah cold-called from the big blind, and Ruijs folded.

The flop fell A♠3♠6♥ and Farah started out with a check. Kirichenko bet 31,000, which Farah called.

Both players were happy to check the 7♦ turn to see the 2♥ hit the river. Farah led out for 51,000 and after a brief pause, Kirichenko called.

Farah showed 9♦9♠ for a pair of nines, and was piped by one by Kirichenko who held 10♥10♠ for a pair of tens.

Player	Chips	Progress
Elie Farah	2,100,000
Aleksandr Kirichenko	2,100,000 800,000	800,000

Joris Ruijs	250,000 20,000	20,000

Tags: Aleksandr Kirichenko Elie Farah Joris Ruijs

04-11-2025 16:19 UTC+2

Dalkilic Raises the River

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Tim Baker

Level 6 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Dawid Smolka raised from under the gun to 26,000 with Konstantin Voronin calling from the next position, Mehmet Dalkilic calling on the button, and Albert Daher defending his big blind.

Daher checked the A♠7♦K♦ flop and Smolka fired out a bet of 30,000. Voronin folded, but Dalkilic and Daher called.

The three players checked the 4♥ turn to see the 5♦ hit the river. Daher led out for 140,000, forcing Smolka to fold. Dalkilic on the other hand, raised to 300,000. Daher folded and relinquished the pot to Dalkilic.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mehmet Dalkilic	1,300,000 500,000	500,000
Albert Daher	1,100,000 100,000	100,000
Konstantin Voronin	900,000 50,000	50,000
Dawid Smolka	500,000 100,000	100,000

Tags: Albert Daher Dawid Smolka Konstantin Voronin Mehmet Dalkilic

04-11-2025 16:14 UTC+2

PokerNews to Give Away Ten $125 Mediterranean Poker Party Satellite Tickets

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Tim Baker

Level 6 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

The Merit Royal Diamond Casino and Spa opens its doors to the poker-loving public next month, with the 2025 Mediterranean Poker Party running from May 3-13. Over $10 million is guaranteed across the festival, and you could be playing for a huge chunk of that eyewatering sum for free, thanks to a PokerNews-exclusive promotion.

GGPoker is hosting Mediterranean Poker Party satellites that award packages worth $12,500. Those satellites have four steps: $1.20, $12, $125, and $1,050. You can buy into any step your bankroll allows, with each satellite awarding a seat in the next highest step.

PokerNews has ten Step 3 $125 satellite tickets to give away to its readers, meaning ten of you will be one step away from battling it out for a $12,500 package! You need to think again if you feel nobody wins anything from a $125 satellite because Azamat Lamkov will tell you differently.

In 2024, Lamkov progressed to the Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event from a $125 buy-in satellite. A few days later, Lamkov was the last player standing from a 1,260-strong field and became the tournament's champion. His reward? A cool $1 million!

Find Full Details Here

04-11-2025 16:08 UTC+2

Updated Chip Counts

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Tim Baker

Level 6 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Boris Kolev	2,500,000 200,000	200,000

Mustafa Ercan	2,400,000 300,000	300,000
Elie Farah	2,100,000 1,500,000	1,500,000
Razvan Sabau	2,000,000 750,000	750,000
Erik Smith	1,800,000 800,000	800,000
Seyed Ghavam	1,700,000 400,000	400,000
Vedat Yilmaz	1,600,000 300,000	300,000
Andrey Pateychuk	1,550,000 100,000	100,000

Dmitry Gromov	1,500,000 200,000	200,000

Ismail Tas	1,400,000 100,000	100,000
Mehdi Chaoui	1,400,000 200,000	200,000
Aleksandr Kirichenko	1,300,000 400,000	400,000

Albert Daher	1,200,000 1,200,000	1,200,000
Samir Moukawem	1,200,000 300,000	300,000
Kemal Aslan	1,200,000 500,000	500,000
Baltazar Five	1,000,000 300,000	300,000
Konstantin Voronin	950,000 1,175,000	1,175,000
Nicolae Toma	950,000 100,000	100,000
Naryman Yaghmaie	950,000 150,000	150,000
Bogdan Munteanu	900,000 900,000	900,000
Mark Saad	900,000 900,000	900,000
Hala Karam	900,000
Johan Guilbert	850,000 150,000	150,000

Nichan Khorchidian	850,000 850,000	850,000
Robert Haigh	820,000 180,000	180,000

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