Gerard Carbo Santamaria opened the button to 1,000,000 and Zhugralin called in the big blind.
The flop came 6♣2♥8♣, where Zhugralin check-called a bet of 925,000 from Santamaria.
A J♣ hit the turn and again Zhugralin checked, and again Santamaria bet, this time for 2,400,000. Zhugralin took some time and eventually called.
When the Q♠ hit the river, Zhugralin checked for a third time and Santamaria went for the trifecta of bets with a sizing of 5,700,000. Zhugralin burned through a time bank before he made it 16,500,000, leaving himself just 75,000 behind.
Santamaria looked to have the covering stack and around a minute later, he shoved. Zhugralin snap-folded, leaving himself with a speck in his stack.
In the next hand, Zhugralin had his chips in from the small blind and was up against Santamaria again, who was looking to finish the job.
Zheng had a chance to clinch the title, and took a huge leap towards doing so when the flop came 2♥J♣A♥. Santamaria did pick up a gutshot on the 3♦ turn, but the K♦ river was no good, which meant he had to settle for second.
Level 38
: Blinds 500,000/1,000,000, 1,000,000 ante
Xiaosheng Zheng
The 2025 $2,200 IPO Master has crowned a new champion at the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series, and it’s Xiaosheng Zheng who walks away with the title and $225,000 top prize. The Chinese player navigated a massive 730-entry field and a stacked final table to claim the biggest victory of his career inside the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
Zheng came into the final day fifth in chips but steadily climbed the ranks as the field thinned. He remained calm and composed throughout the marathon session, ultimately defeating Gerard Carbo Santamaria heads-up to lock up the trophy. Santamaria earned $150,000 for his runner-up finish, while Day 3 chip leader Mahmut Sanli rounded out the podium in third for $100,600.
Although Zheng wasn’t able to offer many words in English following the win, his game spoke volumes. Quietly consistent from start to finish, he let his chips do the talking on a final table loaded with international talent to walk away with the biggest share of the $1,343,200 prize pool.
Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Xiaosheng Zheng
China
$225,000
2
Gerard Carbo Santamaria
Spain
$150,000
3
Mahmut Sanli
Turkey
$100,600
4
Damir Zhugralin
Kazahkstan
$74,000
5
Joan Crespi
Spain
$58,000
6
Khalil Jabra
Lebanon
$45,500
7
Benjamin LeBlond
Canada
$36,500
8
Adem Agoudjil
France
$29,500
9
David Boyaciyan
Netherlands
$23,500
Santamaria Rises From the Ashes
Santamaria’s path to second place was anything but smooth. Early on Day 4, he found himself on the wrong end of a massive pot against Sanli after triple-barreling with king-queen for two pair, only to be called down by ace-queen. The hand left Santamaria with just 400,000 chips, just two big blinds, and seemingly on his way out.
But what followed was one of the most impressive comebacks of the tournament. He doubled up twice in rapid succession to get back to a workable stack, then shoved ace-ten from the big blind over a hijack open from Adem Agoudjil. Agoudjil eventually called with ace-seven, but couldn’t improve as Santamaria paired his ten to complete the comeback.
Gerard Carbo Santamaria
From there, Santamaria chipped up steadily, outlasting several tough opponents and even making it to heads-up play with a legitimate shot at the title. Though he ultimately fell just short, his resilience and refusal to give up made for one of the most memorable storylines of the final day.
Zheng Cool, Calm, and Collected
Zheng’s patient and composed approach paid dividends as he picked his spots with precision at the final table. While others tangled in big pots, Zheng quietly stayed out of trouble before springing into action at the right moments. He scored a crucial knockout in fifth place when he called off Joan Crespi’s small blind shove and held with ace-king against nine-six.
Mahmut Sanli
Later, he picked up another key elimination by calling Sanli’s shove with ace-three suited and holding firm to send the Day 3 chip leader out in third, setting up his eventual heads-up win.
In the final hand of the night, after gradually wearing down Santamaria in heads-up play, Zheng put the finishing touch on his impressive run. Santamaria shoved from the button for around 14 big blinds and Zheng quickly called with ace-jack suited. The flop delivered both an ace and a jack for Zheng, leaving Santamaria in need of a miracle. A gutshot appeared on the turn, but the river bricked out, and with that, Zheng was crowned the IPO Master champion.
Keep following PokerNews for more highlights, winner recaps, and behind-the-scenes coverage from the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series as the action in North Cyprus continues to heat up.
