Richard Broda shoved 7,550,000 from the button and after a bit of a tank, Aleksandr Razinkov called from the big blind.
Richard Broda: A♠J♦
Aleksandr Razinkov: 9♠9♣
Razinkov had a chance to gain a lot of the chips back he had already lost, but instead it looked like he was going to become one of the shorter stacks as the K♣10♠A♣ flop gave Broda top pair. A K♥ on the turn left Razinkov with just two outs, but the 8♠ wasn't one of them, meaning he had to fork out a chunk of chips over to Broda.
Viacheslav Balaev shoved 2,500,000 from under the gun and Nicolas Chouity called in middle position.
Viacheslav Balaev: J♦J♣
Nicolas Chouity: K♣Q♥
Balaev was ahead with his pocket jacks, but the K♦10♠3♦ flop meant it was a long road to recovery for him. A 10♦ on the turn did give some hope with a flush draw, but the K♥ river meant Balaev was out in eighth.
Nicolas Chouity raised to 800,000 in the hijack and Aleksandr Razinkov three-bet the cutoff to 2,500,000. Mehmet Deniz then four-bet to 5,500,000 on the button, which got Chouity to fold, but Razinkov called.
The action then slowed down as both checked to the river on the Q♠3♦J♠4♦2♦ board, and when it got to Deniz, he bet 2,500,000. Razinkov called and the mucked when Deniz showed K♠K♣ for a pair of kings.
"Ma" opened from under the gun and Nicolas Chouity three-bet the cutoff to 2,700,000. Mehmet Deniz then shoved 6,800,000 from the small blind, which got "Ma" to fold quickly.
Chouity took some time to think and after running the numbers through his head, he called.
Mehmet Deniz: K♠K♣
Nicolas Chouity: 9♦7♣
Chouity had been caught with his hands in the cookie jar, and was made to pay as the 2♥4♥Q♦J♦7♥ runout didn't offer enough.
"Ma" shoved the cutoff into the three shorter stacks on his left and Adil Tlimisov called off from the big blind with about 3,200,000 in his stack.
Adil Tlimisov: A♠7♠
"Ma": Q♥6♥
Tlimisov was ahead with his ace-high, but the 2♠6♦3♣ flop gave "Ma" a pair of sixes and the lead. That pair improved to trips on the 6♠ turn, but also gave Tlimisov a flush draw. However, the 3♦ river gave "Ma" a full house, and Tlimisov exited in ninth.
The $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi at the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series is down to its final day inside the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, where one player will walk away with the $460,000 top prize and one of the most sought-after titles on the Merit Poker calendar.
A total of 1,023 players entered this year’s La Notte Degli Assi, generating a massive $2,823,480 prize pool and attracting some of the best poker talent from around the world. After four days, just nine remain, each guaranteed at least $46,280 as they return to battle for the trophy and the lion’s share of the prize pool.
Lebanon’s Nicolas Chouity with a stack of 29,700,000 starts the day in pole position. He’s followed by Russia’s Aleksandr Razinkov with 23,125,000, and "Ma" from France starts the day's proceedings with 13,025,000.
Final Table Seat Draw
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
"Ma"
France
13,025,000
33
2
"Tommy G"
San Marino
5,400,000
14
3
Viacheslav Balaev
Russia
2,500,000
6
4
Adil Tlimisov
Russia
2,600,000
7
5
Richard Broda
Hungary
9,750,000
24
6
Nicolas Chouity
Lebanon
29,700,000
74
7
Aleksandr Razinkov
Russia
23,125,000
58
8
Mehmet Deniz
Turkey
8,900,000
22
9
Nebi Baysal
Turkey
8,150,000
20
The final table features an international lineup, with six countries represented. Joining the chip leaders are Richard Broda (9,750,000), Mehmet Deniz (8,900,000), and Nebi Baysal (8,150,000), all sitting comfortably in the middle of the pack. Meanwhile, Tommy G (5,400,000), Adil Tlimisov (2,600,000), and Viacheslav Balaev (2,500,000) will need an early double-up to climb the ladder.
Viacheslav Balaev
Cards go in the air at 1 p.m. local time, with 46 minutes remaining in Level 35, where blinds will be 200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 big blind ante. The final nine players have all locked up at least $46,280, but all eyes will be on the trophy and the $460,000 top prize.
Final Table Payouts
Place
Prize
1
$460,000
2
$307,000
3
$215,000
4
$156,000
5
$115,000
6
$95,000
7
$77,500
8
$61,500
9
$46,280
Stay with PokerNews throughout the day for live updates, chip counts, and all the key hands as the 2025 La Notte Degli Assi champion gets crowned today.
