$3,300 Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$2,431,560
Entries
881
Level
38
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
197
Players Left
93
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
A total of 197 players entered Day 1b of the $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series, battling for a spot in Day 2 at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. After eight 60-minute levels, 93 players survived the day’s grind, securing their place in the next stage of the tournament.
Carmen Zainescu topped the chip counts with 748,000, making her the overall leader across the first two starting flights. A pivotal hand during the final level saw her check-shove over a river bet from Oleg Svintsov, forcing a fold and padding her already impressive stack.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carmen Zainescu | Romania | 748,000 |
| 2 | Ori Elul | Israel | 610,000 |
| 3 | Spyridon Apartoglou | Greece | 553,500 |
| 4 | Ahmad Abdelhadi | United Kingdom | 447,000 |
| 5 | Samuel Ju | Germany | 430,500 |
| 6 | Maxime Chilaud | France | 426,000 |
| 7 | Adem Marjanovic | Austria | 425,500 |
| 8 | Hadi Khordbin | Iran | 422,500 |
| 9 | Nugzar Glonti | Georgia | 378,000 |
| 10 | Naji Tannoury | Lebanon | 373,000 |
Ori Elul finished the day with 610,000, securing the second-largest stack. The Israeli got off to a strong start, eliminating two players in the first level after flopping trips against two premium pocket pairs. He rode that early momentum to secure the second-biggest stack in the room. The 2023 Carmen Series Main Event Champion, Maxime Chilaud also secured a strong stack of 426,000, placing him sixth in today's chip counts.
Other notables who survived the day’s action include Soraya Estrada (364,000), Ludovic Geilich (308,000), Fahredin Mustafov (205,000), Andrey Pateychuk (118,000), and Dumitru Pora (89,500). Joining them in the Day 2 lineup are bracelet winners Simeon Spasov (139,000), Darius Neagoe (140,000), Antoine Vranken (82,500), Aneris Adomkevicius (56,000), and Nikolay Fal (19,500), all looking to add another deep run to their already accomplished resumes.
Tomorrow, Day 1c and Day 1d offer the final chances for players to join the action and secure a spot in Day 2. With 235 entries from Day 1a and 197 from today, the total field has grown to 432, with 208 players already through to the second day. All survivors from the four flights return on Friday, March 21, with late registration open until the end of Level 14 for any last-minute entries chasing the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event title.
Remaining Main Event Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | Day 1c | 12:00 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| March 20 | Day 1d | 7:00 p.m. | 25 minutes |
| March 21 | Day 2 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| March 22 | Day 3 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| March 23 | Day 4 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| March 24 | Day 5 | 1:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for ongoing coverage of the $1,500,000 guaranteed Carmen Series Main Event, with live updates, chip counts, and all the key hands as the tournament progresses.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
748,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
||
|
610,000
190,000
|
190,000 |
|
553,500
253,500
|
253,500 |
|
447,000
97,000
|
97,000 |
|
430,500
335,500
|
335,500 |
|
426,000
136,000
|
136,000 |
|
425,500
425,500
|
425,500 |
|
422,500
422,500
|
422,500 |
|
378,000
378,000
|
378,000 |
|
373,000
373,000
|
373,000 |
|
368,000
208,000
|
208,000 |
|
364,000
364,000
|
364,000 |
|
340,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
|
339,500
39,500
|
39,500 |
|
337,000
112,000
|
112,000 |
|
||
|
310,000
310,000
|
310,000 |
|
308,000
192,000
|
192,000 |
|
||
|
301,000
301,000
|
301,000 |
|
295,000
295,000
|
295,000 |
|
294,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
288,500
148,500
|
148,500 |
|
|
286,000
286,000
|
286,000 |
|
284,000
284,000
|
284,000 |
|
|
279,000
194,000
|
194,000 |
|
277,000
277,000
|
277,000 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The surviving players are now bagging up their chips and Day 1b has now finished.
Stay tuned for the full chip counts of the survivors and a recap of the day's action.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Merijn Van Rooij raised from early position to 4,000 with Roman Kolotiuk calling from the hijack, and the small blind player making the call also.
After the small blind checked the 2♣J♦6♣ flop, Van Rooij bet 3,500. Kolotiuk folded, but the small blind player called.
The small blind checked to Van Rooij again when the 9♣ dropped on the turn. Van Rooij's bet of 15,500 was enough to force a fold from his opponent, and the pot was pushed over to Van Rooij.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
140,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
|
140,000
130,000
|
130,000 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The clock has been stopped and the players are working their way through the final two hands.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
On a board of 3♥4♣J♠10♠, Carmen Zainescu checked from early positon and Oleg Svintsov bet 16,000 from the hijack. Zainescu quickly called.
The river came the 3♠ and Zainescu checked again. Svintsov bet 42,000 and was met with an instant check-shove from Zainescu. The raise was for Svinstsov's remaining 68,000. After a bit of tanking, Svintsov folded, and Zainescu added more chips to her already gigantic stack.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
745,000
575,000
|
575,000 |
|
|
||
|
68,000
68,000
|
68,000 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Stefan Bittger opened to 4,000 from middle positon, and Mikhail Zavoloka called on the button. Vladislav Ivanov squeezed all in for 35,000, which only Bittger called.
Vladislav Ivanov: A♠4♣ 
Stefan Bittger: A♣J♠
Ivanov was dominated by Bittger and looked poised to be exiting the tournament. The board ran out K♣6♥7♥10♥A♥, which meant Bittger's jack-kicker played and Ivanov was out.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
310,000
235,000
|
235,000 |
|
|
300,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Grzegorz Kozieja raised to 45,000 from middle position with Samuel Ju calling from the cutoff, Timur Mukhamedaminov calling out of the small blind, and the big blind also making the call.
Four-ways to a flop of A♣A♠7♥ where the action checked to Kozieja. He bet 4,000, which got a fold from Ju, but a check-raise to 11,000 by Mukhamedaminov. Only Kozieja called.
The 8♥ turn saw Mukhamedaminov put out a bet of 16,000. Kozieja just called.
The Q♦ landed on the river and Mukhamedaminov shoved for his last 20,000. Kozieja quickly called and was shown A♦4♦ by Mukhamedaminov for trip aces. Kozieja also had trip aces with A♥9♥, but his kicker played, and Mukhamedaminov was out of the event.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
160,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
|
|
95,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 8
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 2,000
