Milos Miskovic Soars to the Top on Day 2 of $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi
The Day 2 field of the $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi during the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series returned to the baize today at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, where late registration officially closed with a total of 1,023 entries. That number created a $2,823,480 prize pool, crushing the $2,000,000 guarantee.
This year’s La Notte Degli Assi now stands as the largest tournament at Merit in 2025 and the second-biggest $3,300 event in Merit Poker history, trailing only the 2023 Retro Series (1,223 entries). The success builds on a steady growth of the Merit brand, which continues to draw players from across the globe.
After eight 60-minute levels, Milos Miskovic of Serbia leads the remaining field of 229 players with 1,554,000 chips, followed closely by Paris Dedes with a stack of 1,334,000, while BLT Good rounds out the top three with 1,363,000.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Milos Miskovic | Serbia | 1,554,000 | 259 |
| 2 | Viacheslav Balaev | Russian Federation | 1,370,000 | 228 |
| 3 | BLT Good | Romania | 1,363,000 | 227 |
| 4 | Paris Dedes | Greece | 1,334,000 | 222 |
| 5 | Dawid Smolka | Poland | 1,331,000 | 221 |
| 6 | Jordan Westmorland | United States | 1,325,000 | 221 |
| 7 | Haydar Issa | Lebanon | 1,288,000 | 215 |
| 8 | Maksim Shornikau | Belarus | 1,246,000 | 205 |
| 9 | Elena Yasyuchenya | Russian Federation | 1,230,000 | 205 |
| 10 | Gianmarco Kovari | Italy | 1,223,000 | 204 |
Another player to have locked up a big stack tomorrow is Jordan Westmorland (1,325,000), who climbed the leaderboard after getting Leonid Orman to call off his stack on the river with fourth pair, while Westmorland held a set. The pot catapulted him into the top ten, putting him in a great spot to apply some bubble pressure tomorrow.
With such a big field, a whole host of recognizable names found bags for Day 3. Some to return include Haydar Issa (1,288,000), Maksim Shornikau (1,246,000), Elena Yasyuchenya (1,238,000), Gianmarco Kovari (1,223,000), and Viacheslav Goryachev (1,037,000), who picked up Big Slick at just the right moment to bust Poland’s Jakub Michalak.
Day 3 kicks off at 12 p.m., with blinds at 3,000/6,000 and a big blind ante of 6,000. Levels will remain 60 minutes in length, and the plan for the day will be announced shortly after play begins. With 151 players set to make the money and a min-cash worth $5,500, the first goal for many will simply be to secure a place in the payouts before chasing the $460,000 top prize.
Payouts
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live coverage throughout the remainder of the Main Event, including chip counts, seat draws, photos, and key hands straight from the floor.