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$2,200 IPO Master
Day 2 Completed
2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
$2,200 IPO Master
Day: 2
Event Info
2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
$2,200
Prize Pool
$1,343,200
Total Entries
730
Level
38
Blinds
500,000 / 1,000,000
Ante
1,000,000
Entries
300
Players Left
123
Players Left 1 / 730
Filter
Level 20
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Day 2 of the $2,200 IPO Master at the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series has wrapped up at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, with 123 players advancing to Day 3. Across four opening flights, the event drew 730 total entries, creating a $1,343,200 prize pool. When the dust settles, the eventual champion will claim the top prize of $225,000 and the trophy.
After another ten grueling 40-minute levels, it was Milos Miskovic of Serbia who bagged the biggest stack with 1,885,000 chips. Just a few big blinds behind is the start of day chip leader Roman Kolotiuk, who finished Day 2 with a stack of 1,820,000. Rounding out the podium positions is Alexey Savenkov, who brings 1,475,000 into the penultimate day of this four-day affair.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milos Miskovic | Serbia | 1,885,000 | 126 |
| 2 | Roman Kolotiuk | Russia | 1,820,000 | 121 |
| 3 | Alexey Savenkov | Russia | 1,475,000 | 98 |
| 4 | Gerard Carbo Santamaria | Spain | 1,380,000 | 92 |
| 5 | Pedro Ingles | Spain | 1,355,000 | 90 |
| 6 | Ege Guven | Turkey | 1,335,000 | 89 |
| 7 | Renato Minicuci | France | 1,280,000 | 85 |
| 8 | Afshin Afsharorumieh | Iran | 1,150,000 | 77 |
| 9 | Hassan Nashar | Guinea-Bissau | 1,140,000 | 76 |
| 10 | Ali Moein | Iran | 1,100,000 | 73 |
Another familiar face returning for Day 3 with an above-average stack is Aren Bezhanyan, who bagged up 850,000 chips. He scored an early double-up after squeezing from the blinds against Konstantin Voronin, then bet the flop, check-raised the turn, and jammed the river with top pair. Voronin called with just a pair of eights, giving Bezhanyan a key boost in momentum early on.
A few more notables who will be returning to the baize for Day 3 include Hassan Nashar (1,140,000), Dawid Smolka (855,000), Georgios Tsouloftas (845,000), and Dragos-Florin Anton (780,000) after he spiked a three-outer to send a player to the rail near the end of the day. Some more bagging up a stack today were Maxime Chilaud (745,000), Joseph Sabe (625,000), two-time gold bracelet winner Timur Margolin (453,000), and Damir Zhugralin (280,000).
Day 3 begins Thursday, July 31, at noon local time. The blinds are scheduled to increase to 60 minutes in duration, and players will return to blinds of 10,000/15,000 with a big blind ante of 15,000. The first hurdle for players tomorrow will be to navigate the money bubble and secure themselves at least a minimum payout of $3,750 for their efforts.
Payouts
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for all the updates as we follow this event to its conclusion. A winner will be crowned on Saturday, August 1.
Level 20
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,885,000 | |
|
||
|
1,820,000 | |
|
||
|
1,475,000 | |
|
1,380,000
280,000
|
280,000 |
|
1,355,000
1,090,000
|
1,090,000 |
|
1,335,000
185,000
|
185,000 |
|
1,280,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
1,150,000
495,000
|
495,000 |
|
1,140,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
|
||
|
1,100,000
785,500
|
785,500 |
|
1,090,000
390,000
|
390,000 |
|
1,080,000
772,000
|
772,000 |
|
1,075,000
1,075,000
|
1,075,000 |
|
1,075,000
661,500
|
661,500 |
|
1,065,000
780,500
|
780,500 |
|
1,020,000
890,000
|
890,000 |
|
990,000
260,000
|
260,000 |
|
920,000
920,000
|
920,000 |
|
905,000
305,000
|
305,000 |
|
865,000
355,000
|
355,000 |
|
855,000
755,000
|
755,000 |
|
850,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
850,000
671,000
|
671,000 |
|
845,000
255,000
|
255,000 |
|
845,000
255,000
|
255,000 |
Level 20
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The remaining players have bagged up their chips and will return for Day 3 tomorrow at noon.
Stay tuned for chip counts and a full recap of the day's action.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,885,000
1,654,500
|
1,654,500 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,820,000
220,000
|
220,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,475,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
Level 20
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
There was a raise from early position to 15,000, which only Fadi Nakhoul called from middle position.
Heads-up to the A♣Q♦4♦ flop that saw the early position player fire a continuation-bet of 20,000. Nakhoul stuck around with a call.
The 10♠ came on the turn and the early position player fired again, this time for 43,000. Once again, Nakhoul called.
The early position player jammed for 65,000 on the 10♣ river. Nakhoul reluctantly called and then mucked after he was shown a boat by his opponent holding A♦10♥.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
650,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
Level 20
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The floor has announced that there will be three more hands before the players bag up for the night.
Level 20
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
In a limped pot, Anthony Khouzami checked from the small blind on a flop of 3♦7♠2♠, and Tibor Nyuli bet the minimum of 12,000 out of the big blind. Khouzami called.
The 10♥ turn checked through to see the J♥ appear on the river. Another round of checks followed and Khouzami took down the pot with 4♦3♣ for just a pair of treys.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,100,000 | |
|
400,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
Level 20
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
With 730 entries recorded in the $2,200 IPO Master here at the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series, the prize pool totaled $1,343,200.
There will be 103 players paid, with a min-cash being worth $3,750, while the eventual champion will walk away with $225,000.
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $225,000 | 10–12 | $18,500 |
| 2 | $150,000 | 13-15 | $14,500 |
| 3 | $100,600 | 16-23 | $11,000 |
| 4 | $74,000 | 24-31 | $9,000 |
| 5 | $58,000 | 32-39 | $7,500 |
| 6 | $45,500 | 40-47 | $6,200 |
| 7 | $36,500 | 48-55 | $5,200 |
| 8 | $29,500 | 56-71 | $4,400 |
| 9 | $23,500 | 72-103 | $3,750 |
Level: 20
Blinds: 6,000/12,000
Ante: 12,000
Level 19
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
In the 909th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz wrap up coverage of the 2025 World Series of Poker (WSOP) by highlighting Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, who not only won the 2025 WSOP Main Event for $10 million but was also snap-inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. It was a historic summer for The Grinder, and the crew gave him his just deserts.
They then talk about Shaun Deeb winning the WSOP Player of the Year for a second time, numbers from the summer, and late bracelet winners, including Andrew Ostapchenko, Daniel Zack, and Chad Eveslage. They also share final results from this year's 25K Fantasy Draft as well as the PokerNews Podcast draft involving Christina Gollins and Joey Ingram.
Meanwhile, news out of Las Vegas indicates poker chips can no longer be redeemed across competing properties, and there's a great high hand promotion at the Planet Hollywood Poker Room that players should know about. From there, it's over to the Venetian, including a big hand with Patrick Leonard from Venetian Poker Live, as well as Nico Betbese winning the WPT Venetian for $706K.
Finally, an update of all things PokerStars, including them parting ways with Barny Boatman, Silver Passes, Women's Summer Festival, and a look ahead to the EPT Barcelona.
A new PokerNews Podcast drops every week on Thursdays at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!
