Dawid Smolka Among Leaders as $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi Enters Day 3
The $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi at the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series resumes for Day 3 today at 12 p.m. local time inside the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. A total of 1,023 entries were confirmed after registration closed on Day 2, generating a massive $2,823,480 prize pool. Just 229 players remain, all aiming for the $460,000 top prize and one of the most coveted titles on the Merit Poker calendar.
Serbia’s Milos Miskovic leads the returning field with 1,554,000, after a consistent Day 2 performance that saw him steadily climb the counts before taking the top spot late in the day. Not far behind is Russia’s Viacheslav Balaev, who ended with 1,370,000, while BLT Good of Romania rounds out the top three with 1,363,000.
Poland's Dawid Smolka also bagged a top-five stack with 1,331,000 and will be chasing Merit Poker history. Having already taken down both a Warm-Up and a High Roller title in the past year, a Main Event victory here would complete the prestigious triple crown and make him the first player to achieve this feat.
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 |
Some other big names who have made it into today's proceedings include Nicolas Chouity (886,000), Alessio Isaia (845,000), the start-of-Day-2 chip leader Andrei Spataru (831,000), Guo Liang Wei (611,000), Mihai Niste (600,000), Nikolay Fal (513,000), the IPO Master champion Xiaosheng Zheng (499,000), the record-breaking High Roller winner Cedric Schwaederle (432,000), and the always chatty Ren Lin (220,000).
Cards go in the air at 12 p.m. with blinds resuming at 3,000/6,000 and a big blind ante of 6,000. Levels remain 60 minutes in duration, and tournament staff will confirm the exact Day 3 schedule once play begins. With only the top 151 players making the money and a min-cash of $5,500, expect early tension as the bubble approaches and short stacks look to hold on.
Payouts
Stay locked in with PokerNews as Day 3 unfolds, with live updates, photos, chip counts, and key hands from the floor, as the field chases the $460,000 top prize.