Warm Up Climbing Toward Historic Numbers with More Entries to Come
The $2,200 Warm Up is on a record-breaking pace at the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series, with over 400 entries already on the board and plenty more action still to come. With Day 1b in full swing and Day 1c set to kick off tonight, the question is no longer if this edition will be massive—but how massive.
Looking at past editions, the 2023 Carmen Warm Up saw 611 entries, with Arie Kliper taking home $206,800 after navigating a tough field. The biggest Warm Up in Merit Poker history came at the 2023 Retro Series, where Hadi Khadra topped a huge 809-entry field to capture $264,400. Meanwhile, the 2022 Vintage Series Warm Up saw 624 entries, proving that big numbers are nothing new for this event.
| Year | Event | Entries | 1st Place Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Retro Series Warm Up | 809 | $264,400 |
| 2023 | Carmen Series Warm Up | 611 | $206,800 |
| 2022 | Vintage Series Warm Up | 624 | $200,000 |
With the prize pool growing and more top players still jumping in, this year’s Warm Up is quickly shaping up to be one of the largest ever. Could we see a new all-time record?
Stay tuned as the action heats up inside the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino!