$2,200 IPO Master Day 1a | 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series

Player	Chips	Progress
Hassan Nashar	699,500 500	500

Afshin Afsharorumieh	670,000
Michael Iakovlev	540,000

Imad Saab	527,000
Samuel Dray	521,000 411,000	411,000
Gerard Carbo Santamaria	506,000
Uladzimir Zhyharau	505,000 35,000	35,000
Maxime Chilaud	480,000
Soraya Estrada	476,500 500	500
Felipe Ketzer	470,000
Yilu Yuan	467,000 8,000	8,000
Ahmed Slimen	443,000 443,000	443,000
Vedat Yilmaz	425,500 145,500	145,500
Dawid Kuliberda	422,500 192,500	192,500
Sergey Fedyaev	413,500 413,500	413,500
Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan	400,000 400,000	400,000
Denis Vladimirov	394,000 6,000	6,000
Ludovic Periaux	389,000 389,000	389,000
Aleksandr Chernikov	388,000 12,000	12,000
Iliyas Mukhamedzhanov	387,000 33,000	33,000
Mehmet Dalkilic	377,000 77,000	77,000
Avraham Cohen	372,500 372,500	372,500
Ekaterina Fedyaeva	369,500 369,500	369,500
Daniel Henriques	319,000 319,000	319,000
Nader Shour	312,500 312,500	312,500

Player

Chips

Progress

Hassan Nashar

699,500

500

Afshin Afsharorumieh

670,000

Michael Iakovlev

540,000

Imad Saab

527,000

Samuel Dray

521,000

411,000

Gerard Carbo Santamaria

506,000

Uladzimir Zhyharau

505,000

35,000

Maxime Chilaud

480,000

Soraya Estrada

476,500

500

Felipe Ketzer

470,000

Yilu Yuan

467,000

8,000

Ahmed Slimen

443,000

Vedat Yilmaz

425,500

145,500

Dawid Kuliberda

422,500

192,500

Sergey Fedyaev

413,500

Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan

400,000

Denis Vladimirov

394,000

6,000

Ludovic Periaux

389,000

Aleksandr Chernikov

388,000

12,000

Iliyas Mukhamedzhanov

387,000

33,000

Mehmet Dalkilic

377,000

77,000

Avraham Cohen

372,500

Ekaterina Fedyaeva

369,500

Daniel Henriques

319,000

Nader Shour

312,500

The 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series got off to a flying start as Day 1a of the $2,200 IPO Master drew 228 entries, comfortably surpassing the 169 recorded in last year’s opening flight. With a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool and three more starting flights still to come, the momentum is already building toward another massive turnout in North Cyprus.

Leading the 99 survivors at the end of ten levels was Hassan Nashar, who bagged an impressive 699,500 in chips. Among the other big stacks and notables to find a bag were Afshin Afsharorumieh (670,000), Michael Iakovlev (540,000), and Imad Saab (527,000), all of whom finished with above-average stacks and plenty of room to maneuver on Day 2.

End of Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Hassan Nashar	Guinea-Bissau	699,500	280
2	Afshin Afsharorumieh	Iran	670,000	268
3	Michael Iakovlev	Russia	540,000	216
4	Imad Saab	Lebanon	527,000	211
5	Samuel Dray	France	521,000	208
6	Gerard Carbo Santamaria	Spain	506,000	202
7	Uladzimir Zhyharau	Belarus	505,000	202
8	Maxime Chilaud	France	480,000	192
9	Soraya Estrada	Spain	476,500	191
10	Felipe Ketzer	Brazil	470,000	188

Gerard Carbo Santamaria (506,000), Maxime Chilaud (480,000), Soraya Estrada (476,000), and Felipe Ketzer (470,000) also ended the day well ahead of the pack. Former EPT champion Andrey Pateychuk advanced with 268,000 and will be one to watch as the field continues to grow.

All survivors from Day 1a will return on July 30 for Day 2, where they’ll be joined by players from the remaining three flights. Day 1b kicks off tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. local time.

Stay locked in to PokerNews for exclusive updates, chip counts, and stories from the floor as the Dolce Vita Series continues.

Tags: Afshin Afsharorumieh Andrey Pateychuk Felipe Ketzer Gerard Carbo Santamaria Hassan Nashar Imad Saab Maxime Chilaud Michael Iakovlev Soraya Estrada