$2,200 Warm Up
Day 3 Completed
2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series
$2,200 Warm Up
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series
Buy-in
$2,200
Prize Pool
$1,188,640
Entries
646
Level
37
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
105
Players Left
9
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
After three days of intense action, the $2,200 Warm Up at the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series has reached its final stage, with just nine players remaining in the hunt for the $210,000 top prize. The original 646-entry field has been whittled down, and the remaining contenders will return for the ultimate showdown as they battle for the first major title of the series inside the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
Leading the final table is Alessio Isaia, who bagged an impressive 12,525,000 chips, closely followed by Atanas Malinov (12,450,000) and Humberto Lopes Galindo (11,025,000). With deep stacks, experienced pros, and rising stars all in contention, the stage is set for a thrilling finale. The pressure is on, the stakes are sky-high, and by the end of the day, one player will emerge victorious, etching their name into Carmen Series history.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alessio Isaia | Italy | 12,525,000 | 63 |
| 2 | Atanas Malinov | Bulgaria | 12,450,000 | 62 |
| 3 | Humberto Lopes Galindo | Spain | 11,250,000 | 56 |
| 4 | Daniel Abrahamsson | Sweden | 10,825,000 | 54 |
| 5 | Erdal Gulseven | Turkey | 6,425,000 | 32 |
| 6 | Dmitrii Kopyl | Russia | 4,500,000 | 23 |
| 7 | Atanas Georgiev Pavlov | Bulgaria | 4,500,000 | 23 |
| 8 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Russia | 3,100,000 | 16 |
| 9 | Rui Querido Martins | Portugal | 1,500,000 | 8 |
Day 3 Action
There were 105 players that returned for Day 3, and their first objective was to make it into the money as 87 spots were being paid. Some of the players who went home empty-handed included Milos Skrbic, Aliaksandr Hirs, Sergei Varnaev, and Cedric Schwaederle. As the field tightened and short stacks fought to survive, the tension grew with each passing hand.
One man, however, wasn't afraid to put his tournament life on the line. Hassan Nashar, unwilling to back down from a fight, took a stand in the small blind, but his queen-jack ran into the king-queen of Konstantin Kvashin. The board provided no help, and Nashar was eliminated just before hand-for-hand play could even begin, officially bursting the bubble and guaranteeing the remaining players a payout of $3,015.
Kvashin (31st), Alexandru Papazian (33rd), Dean Hutchinson (57th), Jakub Michalak (63rd), Fahredin Mustafov (69th), Simeon Spasov (78th), and Andrey Pateychuk (87th) all made a return on their initial investment.
Isaia’s rise to the top began with a key elimination of Danielle Noja in 17th place, when his ace-ten held strong against the Australian’s king-queen. He continued his charge by sending Andrii Novak to the rail, this time with ace-king in a dominating spot. His biggest moment, however, came just before the final table was set when Kirill Shcherbakov four-bet shoved ace-ten straight into Isaia’s pocket kings. A clean board locked up the pot for Isaia, vaulting him into the chip lead while Shcherbakov exited in 11th place.
Malinov followed a similar path, steadily building his stack with a string of knockouts. He won a crucial flip against Nikolay Ponomarev in 16th place, his pocket fours outlasting ace-queen. Later, he sent Daniel Gayer to the rail before delivering a devastating double knockout that saw Oleh Frantsevych’s jack-ten and Wojciech Frankowski’s ace-king both fall to his pocket nines, which improved to a full house. The huge pot gave Malinov the momentum he needed to secure his spot near the top of the leaderboard.
Dmitry Gromov’s tournament came to a brutal end in 10th place, as he ran headfirst into back-to-back premium hands at the worst possible time. His downfall began when he clashed with Dmitrii Kopyl, getting his pocket jacks in against pocket kings and watching the board run out clean for Kopyl. Left with just 700,000 chips, Gromov looked to find a double but ran straight into another monster, this time Erdal Gulseven’s pocket aces. Despite flopping a queen for some hope, the turn and river changed nothing, sending the Russian player to the rail just shy of the final table.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $210,000 |
| 2 | $142,100 |
| 3 | $98,575 |
| 4 | $71,030 |
| 5 | $52,530 |
| 6 | $42,020 |
| 7 | $35,015 |
| 8 | $28,015 |
| 9 | $21,010 |
All nine finalists have secured at least $21,010, but the real battle is just beginning as they chase the $210,000 top prize. A spot in the top three guarantees a six-figure payday, with $98,575 set aside for third place and $142,100 for the runner-up. However, all eyes are on the ultimate prize and the title of 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series Warm Up champion.
The final nine players will return tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. local time to battle for the $210,000 top prize and the first major title of the series. Stay locked in with PokerNews for all the action as we crown the Warm Up champion!
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
12,525,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
||
|
12,450,000
750,000
|
750,000 |
|
11,025,000
1,075,000
|
1,075,000 |
|
10,825,000
375,000
|
375,000 |
|
6,425,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
4,500,000 | |
|
3,075,000
175,000
|
175,000 |
|
||
|
2,300,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
|
1,500,000
800,000
|
800,000 |
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
The final table of the $2,200 Warm Up is set.
Stayed tuned for the chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Dmitry Gromov just lost a healthy pot after running into a premium, and he ran into another moments later to leave him out in tenth.
Gromov shoved his last 700,000 from the button and was quickly called by Erdal Gulseven in the big blind.
Dmitry Gromov: Q♥J♦ 
Erdal Gulseven: A♣A♦
Gromov couldn't believe it and appeared frustrated after running into the two best hands in poker just moments apart. There was still a board to run and despite pairing his queen on the 8♦4♦Q♦ flop, the future looked bleak for the Russian player as Gulseven had a flush draw with his aces. The 7♣ on the turn changed nothing, and neither did the 5♠ river, leaving Gromov out in tenth.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,500,000
4,700,000
|
4,700,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Kirill Shcherbakov opened to 400,000 from under the gun and Alessio Isaia made it 1,100,000 on the button. After the blinds folded, Shcherbakov shoved for around 4,500,000, and Isaia snap-called.
Kirill Shcherbakov: A♥10♥
Alessio Isaia: K♠K♦
Shcherbakov's aggressive style had him in a spot of bother, but he did hold the ace and would scoop a giant pot if he could find one on the board.
The flop came out 5♦J♣8♠, which offered little assistance to Shcherbakov, who did pick up some extra outs after he paired his ten on the 10♠ turn. However, Shcherbakov couldn't improve further as the 7♠ rolled off on the river, leaving the field with just ten players.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12,500,000
4,500,000
|
4,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Dmitrii Kopyl had his stack of 2,100,000 in the middle and at risk against Dmitry Gromov from the big blind.
Dmitrii Kopyl: K♦K♣
Dmitry Gromov: J♥J♠
Kopyl had the lead and kept it as the runout of A♦3♣6♥3♥4♦ saw Gromov tumble down the counts to around 700,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,500,000
1,300,000
|
1,300,000 |
|
|
700,000
1,900,000
|
1,900,000 |
|
|
||
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
A double knockout has just brought the field two eliminations away from the final table!
Atanas Malinov made it 450,000 from the hijack and Oleh Frantsevych shoved for 850,000 from the cutoff. When the action got to Wojciech Frankowski in the big blind, he shoved for around 1,000,000, and Malinov called to put both players at risk.
Oleh Frantsevych: J♥10♠
Wojciech Frankowski: A♦K♠
Atanas Malinov: 9♦9♥
Malinov had a chance to send two players to the rail, but the flop of 2♣J♣2♠ put Frantsevych in a great spot to triple up. However, everything changed when the 9♠ fell on the turn as Malinov improved to a full house, which left Frankowski drawing dead.
Only a jack on the river could save Frantsevych, but instead the 8♥ peeled off, leaving two players on the sidelines and Malinov with a mountain of chips!
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
11,700,000
1,700,000
|
1,700,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Damien Gayer made it 400,000 to go off a short stack and Atanas Malinov min-raised to 600,000 from the cutoff. Gayer then shoved for around 700,000, and Malinov quickly called.
Damien Gayer: A♣7♠
Atanas Malinov: K♣Q♥
Gayer was in the lead but the flop of K♠5♦6♥ paired Malinov's king and gave him a commanding lead. No help arrived on the J♥ turn nor 10♥ river, and Gayer was eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,000,000
1,800,000
|
1,800,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 31
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Alessio Isaia opened to 400,000 from under the gun and Andrii Novak shoved for around 2,000,000 from the cutoff. When the action got back to Isaia, he quickly called.
Andrii Novak: A♦J♦
Alessio Isaia: A♥K♣
Novak was way behind and at risk, needing to find some help from the runout. The flop of 8♥2♣6♠ offered next to nothing, and he was left with just three outs after the 5♦ turn. None of those three outs appeared when the 10♦ river hit the table, which meant Novak was out in 15th.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,000,000
2,500,000
|
2,500,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
