$3,300 Main Event
Day 4 Completed
2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 4
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
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
60
Players Left
9
Level 32
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Day 4 of the $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series has wrapped up, with just nine players remaining inside the luxurious Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. After four full days of poker, the final table is set, where one player will walk away with the prestigious trophy and the top prize of $401,000.
This year's Main Event attracted a record-breaking 881 entries, making it the largest Main Event ever recorded at a Carmen Series and the second-largest in Merit Poker history. The massive turnout generated an impressive $2,431,560 prize pool, reflecting the popularity and reputation of the series among poker players worldwide.
Leading the charge heading into the final day is Serbia’s Nenad Dukic, who bagged a commanding stack of 17,700,000 chips, good for 89 big blinds. Dukic enters the final table with just shy of $600,000 in live tournament earnings, a chunk of which came from his fourth-place finish in the 2023 Retro Series Main Event. With his experience and a sizable chip lead, Dukic is well-positioned to claim the title and secure the biggest score of his career.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nenad Dukic | Serbia | 17,700,000 | 89 |
| 2 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russia | 15,275,000 | 76 |
| 3 | Akin Tuna | Turkey | 11,925,000 | 60 |
| 4 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | 11,000,000 | 55 |
| 5 | Chady Ojeil | Lebanon | 10,075,000 | 50 |
| 6 | Soraya Estrada | Spain | 7,925,000 | 40 |
| 7 | Han Han | San Marino | 5,700,000 | 29 |
| 8 | Leonid Orman | Russia | 5,375,000 | 27 |
| 9 | Daniil Kiselev | Russia | 3,025,000 | 15 |
Second in chips is Russia’s Mikhail Zavoloka, who quietly accumulated an impressive stack of 15,275,000. Zavoloka maintained a low profile throughout most of the event but surged late on Day 4 to put himself firmly near the top of the chip counts. Turkey’s Akin Tuna rounds out the top three with 11,925,000, following a steady climb throughout the day to move up the leaderboard.
Day 4 Action
Day 4 began with 60 hopefuls already guaranteed a payout of at least $8,690, but now looking to navigate their way toward the prestigious final table. Scotland’s Ludovic Geilich started as the chip leader, armed with nearly 100 big blinds.
Geilich continued his aggressive strategy from Day 3, frequently putting pressure on opponents and rapidly accumulating chips during the early stages. His momentum carried him comfortably into the final three-table redraw as the chip leader, with Spain’s Soraya Estrada nestled comfortably in second.
Dawid Smolka was looking to make history, as he pursued the first-ever Merit Poker Treble, having already the Warm-up at the 2024 Gatsby Series, and the High Roller event at this series earlier this week. Smolka narrowly avoided elimination against Geilich when his king-ten bested Geilich's ace-queen on the river, signaling the start of Geilich's downfall.
Shortly after the exits of 2024 Gatsby Series Main Event champion Nichan Khorchidian and this series’ Warm-Up winner Dmitrii Kopyl, Geilich found himself in a three-way all-in with pocket queens against the sevens of Alessio Isaia and the pocket kings of Dukic. Dukic's Cowboys held up, propelling him to the chip lead while sending Isaia and Geilich to the rail in 13th and 12th place, respectively.
Smolka’s attempt at history ultimately ended painfully as he became the final table bubble boy, running queen-nine into Zavoloka’s king-jack. Unable to improve, Smolka exited in 10th place, leaving the final nine to battle it out for glory tomorrow, with Dukic well-positioned as the player to beat.
The final nine players have all locked up at least $39,600, but all eyes will be on the trophy and top prize of $401,000. Action will pick up at 2:00 p.m. local time with almost 36 minutes left on Level 32, featuring blinds at 100,000/200,000 with a 200,000 big blind ante.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $401,000 |
| 2 | $265,000 |
| 3 | $185,250 |
| 4 | $132,100 |
| 5 | $99,050 |
| 6 | $80,500 |
| 7 | $65,700 |
| 8 | $52,200 |
| 9 | $39,600 |
Stay tuned to Pokernews as we bring you all the action tomorrow from the moment cards are in the air until a winner is crowned at the end of the night.
Level 32
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
17,700,000 | |
|
||
|
15,275,000 | |
|
11,925,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
11,000,000
900,000
|
900,000 |
|
10,075,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
7,925,000
425,000
|
425,000 |
|
5,700,000
1,200,000
|
1,200,000 |
|
5,375,000
375,000
|
375,000 |
|
3,025,000
525,000
|
525,000 |
Level 32
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
That's a wrap on Day 4 of the Carmen Series $3,300 Main Event.
Stay tuned for the final table seat draw and a recap of the day's action.
Level 32
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Mikhail Zavoloka opened the button to 400,000 and Dawid Smolka shoved from the small blind for around 2,000,000. Zavoloka called.
Dawid Smolka: Q♠9♠ 
Mikhail Zavoloka: K♦J♦
Smolka was at risk of being the final table bubble boy and took a leap to getting that title as the 6♥5♣3♥ flop gave no help. A J♠ on the turn paired Zavoloka and removed three of Smolka's outs, leaving him with just three queens to survive.
The 5♠ wasn't the Lady that he needed, and Smolka was out in tenth!
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
15,275,000
2,275,000
|
2,275,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 32
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
When it folded to Eimantas Adomavicius on the button, he shoved for roughly 1,600,000. Mikhail Zavoloka made the call from the small blind to try and bust him.
Eimantas Adomavicius: Q♠9♥
Mikhail Zavoloka: A♥6♠
Zavoloka was ahead with ace-high, but Adomavicius had two live cards. The flop brought no help to either player as it came K♣5♦10♦. The 4♣ turn and 5♠ river changed nothing, and Zavoloka’s ace-high held to win the pot.
Adomavicius was eliminated, and the remaining ten players were now on the final table bubble of the Main Event.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
13,000,000
2,500,000
|
2,500,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 32
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Maher Achour's mistake has just earned him a lot of chips!
Daniil Kiselev made it 400,000 from the hijack and Achour put in 525,000 from the cutoff, which was deemed to be a min-raise to 600,000. When it got back to Kiselev, he shoved, and Achour snap-called his stack of 4,800,000.
Maher Achour: K♦K♣
Daniil Kiselev : K♠Q♣
Kiselev thumped the table when he saw the hand of Achour and didn't seem like a happy bunny. The runout of A♥3♠8♠K♥J♥ changed nothing, and Achour doubled up.
"You don't do that by accident, right?" asked Kiselev, suggesting Achour tried to angle him.
"Actually, I made a mistake," replied Achour.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
10,100,000
4,500,000
|
4,500,000 |
|
|
2,500,000
4,300,000
|
4,300,000 |
Ludovic Geilich Eliminated in 12th Place ($32,000); Alessio Isaia Eliminated in 13th Place ($25,800)
Level 32
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Ludovic Geilich raised to 400,000 under the gun before Alessio Isaia three-bet shoved for 3,350,000 from the next seat. Nenad Dukic called from the hijack with a stack that covered the table, and action folded back to Geilich, who jammed for 3,650,000. Dukic made the call to put both players at risk.
Alessio Isaia: 7♥7♠
Ludovic Geilich: Q♦Q♥
Nenad Dukic: K♦K♠
Dukic had picked up Cowboys at the perfect time, and if he could fade a bad runout, he’d soar into the chip lead with eleven players remaining in the Main Event.
The board ran out 9♣5♣A♣6♥6♠, which was clean for Dukic’s kings. After the stacks were counted, Isaia was eliminated in 13th place, with Geilich following in 12th.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
17,700,000
9,900,000
|
9,900,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 32
: Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante
Dmitrii Kopyl raised to 400,000 from under the gun and Soraya Estrada called on the button. Akin Tuna then squeezed from the small blind to 1,400,000, and Kopyl shoved for around 3,000,000. Estrada got out of the way, and Tuna snap-called.
Dmitrii Kopyl: J♦J♣
Akin Tuna: A♠Q♦
Kopyl was fighting for his tournament life and took a severe blow when the 2♠A♦9♣ flop hit the felt as Tuna paired his ace. A Q♣ on the turn gave Tuna two pair, and left Kopyl with one chance to spike a two-outer. The 8♦ river wasn't the card Kopyl needed, and he was out in 14th.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
12,000,000
3,000,000
|
3,000,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 32
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 200,000
