Damir Zhugralin opened the hijack and then called off his stack of around 700,000 after Kadir Altinbasak ripped it from the big blind.
Damir Zhugralin: A♥A♣ 
Kadir Altinbasak: A♦Q♠
Zhugralin was in great shape to double up, and did just that as the 2♠8♦10♥5♦9♦ runout kept his bullets ahead.
Danielle Noja recalled the action in a hand that had taken 12 minutes to complete.
Joan Crespi opened the hijack and Adem Agoudjil three-bet out of the small blind, which Crespi called.
Agoudjil fired the 10♣2♠J♥ flop and Crespi called to the 9♠ turn, where both checked.
A 2♥ on the river saw Agoudjil fire out 1,500,000, and after some time in the tank, Crespi folded.
Antoine Hasbani had his stack of around 300,000 in from the hijack and was called by Afshin Afsharorumieh in the small blind & Gerard Carbo Santamaria in the big blind.
The flop came 9♥8♣K♠ where Afsharorumieh check-called a bet of 300,000 from Santamaria to the 5♦ turn, where he again went into check-call mode when Santamaria bet 475,000.
A 3♣ filled out the board and Afsharorumieh checked for a third time, then Santamaria fired out 775,000. Afsharorumieh didn't need to think for too long before he called.
Santamaria then flipped over two pair with 9♠8♠, Hasbani mucked his J♦10♦, and Afsharorumieh showed A♥9♦ for a pair of nines before he mucked.
Level: 27
Blinds: 40,000/80,000
Ante: 80,000
Players are heading on their final 20-minute break of the night.
Renato Minicuci had his stack of 1,000,000 in from the cutoff and was put at risk by Adil Tlimisov in the small blind, who had just a few chips more.
Renato Minicuci: 4♠4♥
Adil Tlimisov: A♠Q♣
It was a fair fight, and one that saw Minicuci keep his lead through the 8♠K♦6♣ flop. A 2♦ on the turn left him one card away from a crucial double-up, but the A♥ on the river ended his ran as Tlimisov paired his ace.
With the return of the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series, here is a look back at the champions from last summer at Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Casino.
| Event | Entries | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,100 IPO Master | 937 | Danesh Zargaran | $146,600 |
| $3,300 OPE Classic Cup | 193 | Walid Bou Habib | $132,000 |
| $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi | 1,133 | Dashinka | $355,000 |
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