$5,300 High Roller Day 1 | 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series

Mar 16, 2025

Estrada Takes From Zavoloka

Tim Baker

Level 1 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

The action was picked up on the turn of a board that read 4♥3♦4♣2♠. There were roughly 17,000 chips in the middle before Mikhail Zavoloka bet 10,500 from the big blind. Soraya Estrada made the call from the button.

The river came down the 6♥ and Zavoloka continued to fire, betting 16,000 this time. Estrade thought it over for a few moments before making the call. Zavoloka flipped over Q♣Q♠, but was pipped by one to the pocket kings of Estrada as she held K♣K♥.

Tags: Mikhail Zavoloka Soraya Estrada

Mar 16, 2025

Geilich Wins an Early Pot

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Tim Baker

Level 1 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

With roughly 15,000 in the middle already on a flop of 10♣6♥5♥, the player seated in the big blind fired out a bet of 4,500. Ludovic Geilich put in a raise to 11,300 from the cutoff, which forced Geilich's opponent to let go of his hand quickly.

Tags: Ludovic Geilich

Mar 16, 2025

Early Entrants

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Tim Baker

Level 1 : Blinds 200/400, 400 ante

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Level: 1

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 400

Mar 16, 2025

Shuffle Up & Deal

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Tim Baker

Play is now underway in the $5,300 High Roller!

Mar 16, 2025

Delayed Start

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Tim Baker

There will be a delayed start in the $5,300 High Roller. When action gets underway, PokerNews will be on hand to deliver updates.

Mar 16, 2025

Early Bird Bonus

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Tim Baker

It was announced just recently that any player who registers the $5,300 High Roller before the shuffle of the seat draw will receive 10,000 extra chips — a 10% boost to their starting stack.

Mar 16, 2025

Bright Lights and Big Stacks Await as the Merit Poker Carmen Series High Roller Begins at 8 p.m.

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Tim Baker

Poker’s elite will take center stage as the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series $5,300 High Roller kicks off at 8 p.m. local time inside the luxurious Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in North Cyprus. With a guaranteed prize pool of $500,000, this event promises drama, passion, and unforgettable performances as some of the world’s best battle for the spotlight.

Last year, Jakub Michalak delivered a masterclass worthy of the grandest stage, dominating the final table to claim the $174,500 top prize. Michalak’s performance was nothing short of a crescendo, as he defeated Halil Tasyurek in a swift heads-up battle. The final table also featured some of the game’s sharpest talents, including Daniel Henriques, Milos Skrbic, and Renan Bruschi, all of whom fell just short of getting their hands on the trophy.

2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series High Roller Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize (USD)
1	Jakub Michalak	Poland	$174,500
2	Halil Tasyurek	Turkey	$123,100
3	Daniel Henriques	Portugal	$80,200
4	Milos Skrbic	Serbia	$57,400
5	Renan Bruschi	Brazil	$43,100
6	Bojan Berberovic	Montenegro	$34,500
7	Andrei Spataru	Romania	$28,500
8	Marcin Dziubdziela	Poland	$22,900
9	Rachid El-Yaacoubi	France	$17,100

In this three-day affair, players begin the event with a 100,000 starting stack and will play eight 40-minute levels on Day 1. The blinds will begin at 200/400 with a big blind ante of 400. Late registration is open through Level 12 on Day 2, with unlimited reentries allowed during the registration period.