$2,200 Warm Up Day 3 | 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series

03-16-2025 19:13 UTC+2

Updated Chip Counts

Kai Cocklin

Level 31 : Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Humberto Lopes Galindo	12,100,000 3,800,000	3,800,000
Daniel Abrahamsson	11,200,000 1,700,000	1,700,000
Atanas Malinov	8,200,000 600,000	600,000
Alessio Isaia	5,500,000

Kirill Shcherbakov	5,400,000 1,700,000	1,700,000
Dmitrii Kopyl	3,200,000 200,000	200,000
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya	2,900,000 1,300,000	1,300,000

Atanas Pavlov	2,800,000 3,000,000	3,000,000
Dmitry Gromov	2,600,000 100,000	100,000

Rui Querido Martins	2,300,000 1,600,000	1,600,000
Andrii Novak	2,200,000 1,300,000	1,300,000
Erdal Gulseven	1,800,000 1,100,000	1,100,000
Wojciech Frankowski	1,700,000 1,200,000	1,200,000
Oleh Frantsevych	1,700,000 1,800,000	1,800,000
Damien Gayer	750,000 350,000	350,000

Level: 31

Blinds: 100,000/200,000

Ante: 200,000

03-16-2025 19:07 UTC+2

Flashback: Umberto Ruggeri Wrangles Record-Breaking Victory in Merit Western Series Main Event

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Kai Cocklin

Level 30 : Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante

Back in January, the $3,300 Main Event of the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series saw Umberto Ruggeri crowned the champion after overcoming a record-breaking field of 791 inside the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.

The Italian player battled through countless emotional highs and challenging moments to claim the coveted trophy after cutting an undisclosed deal with Mihai Niste and Muhtar Taysi when three players remained.

Ruggeri expressed his joy after the victory, stating, "I’m very enthusiastic, and I think I played very well in key spots." The final table was not without its difficulties, as Ruggeri acknowledged, "It was very hard. A single moment can change everything, but in the end, it all went very well."

2025 Merit Poker Western Series Main Event Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Umberto Ruggeri	Italy	$377,500
2	Mihai Niste	Romania	$251,000
3	Muhtar Taysi	Turkey	$180,300
4	Mario Colavita	Italy	$130,200
5	Xiaosheng Zheng	China	$94,600
6	Alexander Sokolovsky	Serbia	$75,900
7	Ryan Mandara	United Kingdom	$63,200
8	Renars Skanis	Latvia	$50,500
9	Edward Quinn	Jersey	$37,950

Read the Full Recap Here

03-16-2025 18:54 UTC+2

Break Time

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Kai Cocklin

Level 30 : Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante

Players are on a 20-minute break.

03-16-2025 18:45 UTC+2

Nikolay Ponomarev Eliminated in 16th Place ($11,455)

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Kai Cocklin

Level 30 : Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante

Nikolay Ponomarev shoved for 900,000 from under the gun and Atanas Malinov was the only one to flick in a chip on the button.

Nikolay Ponomarev: A♦Q♣ All in
Atanas Malinov: 4♠4♥

Malinov was looking to thin down the field with his Sailboats and got off to a good start on the 6♠5♠J♣ flop. A 10♠ on the turn did give him Ponomarev a few more outs with a gutshot, but the 2♥ river was a brick, leaving him on the sidelines in 16th.

Player	Chips	Progress
Atanas Malinov	7,600,000 3,300,000	3,300,000
Nikolay Ponomarev	Busted

Tags: Atanas Malinov Nikolay Ponomarev

03-16-2025 18:35 UTC+2

Danielle Noja Eliminated in 17th Place ($11,455)

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Kai Cocklin

Level 30 : Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante

Alessio Isaia opened from the button and Danielle Noja shoved from the big blind for a little over 1,000,000. Isaia called.

Danielle Noja: K♣Q♥ All in
Alessio Isaia: A♥10♥

Both made a pair on the 6♦K♦A♦ flop and Noja was left drawing dead when the A♣ hit the turn as Isaia improved to trips. An inconsequential J♣ dropped on the river, and Noja was out in 17th.

Player	Chips	Progress
Alessio Isaia	5,500,000 1,300,000	1,300,000

Danielle Noja	Busted

Tags: Alessio Isaia Danielle Noja

03-16-2025 18:28 UTC+2

Eimantas Adomavicius Eliminated in 18th Place ($11,455)

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Tim Baker

Level 30 : Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante

Daniel Abrahamsson limped in from the small blind and Eimantas Adomavicius raised to 475,000 out of the big blind. After a few moments, Abrahamsson called to see a flop.

The flop came down a monotone 4♠5♠7♠ and Abrahamsson opted to lead out for 275,000. Adomovicius raised to 1,000,000, which Abrahamsson called.

The turn came the 2♦ and Abrahamsson check-called a bet of 1,000,000 from Adomavicius.

Abrahamsson checked for the last time upon seeing the Q♣ land on the river. Adomavicius shoved for around 2,000,000, and Abrahamsson snap-called.

Eimantas Adomavicius: K♠Q♠ All in
Daniel Abrahamsson: A♠2♠

It was a brutal cooler between two of the biggest stacks left in the tournament. Adomavicius had flopped the second nut flush, and Abrahamsson had the nut flush. Adomavicius was sent to the rail in eighteenth place, as Abrahamsson became the chip leader of the event.

Player	Chips	Progress
Daniel Abrahamsson	9,500,000 4,400,000	4,400,000
Eimantas Adomavicius	Busted

Tags: Daniel Abrahamsson Eimantas Adomavicius

03-16-2025 18:16 UTC+2

Fadi Zarka Eliminated in 19th Place ($10,145)

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Kai Cocklin

Level 30 : Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante

Eimantas Adomavicius min-raised and then called the shove of Fadi Zarka, who had around 1,300,000 in his stack.

Fadi Zarka: A♠J♦ All in
Eimantas Adomavicius: K♠Q♠

Zarka was in the lead but fell behind when the J♣K♦4♦ flop hit the table. A 4♣ turn and 9♣ river couldn't save Zarka, and he was out in 19th.

Player	Chips	Progress
Eimantas Adomavicius	4,400,000 500,000	500,000
Fadi Zarka	Busted

Tags: Eimantas Adomavicius Fadi Zarka

Level: 30

Blinds: 75,000/150,000

Ante: 150,000

03-16-2025 18:07 UTC+2

Aren Bezhanyan Eliminated in 20th Place ($10,145)

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Kai Cocklin

Level 29 : Blinds 50,000/125,000, 125,000 ante

The action folded to Aren Bezhanyan in the small blind who shoved all in for around 1,200,000. Dmitry Gromov was in the big blind and after peeking at his cards, he called with a marginally covering stack.

Aren Bezhanyan: 10♦8♠ All in
Dmitry Gromov: A♦3♣

Bezhanyan had around 50,000 less chips than Gromov and needed to connect with the board in order to survive. The flop of 9♥K♥J♣ did give Bezhanyan a gutshot, which he spiked on the 10♣ turn. Gromov, not impressed by the turn, started to get to his feet, but quickly sat back down again when the Q♠ river completed a gutshot of his own, sending Bezhanyan to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dmitry Gromov	2,700,000 300,000	300,000

Aren Bezhanyan	Busted

Tags: Aren Bezhanyan Dmitry Gromov