Nicolas Chouity Bags Chip Lead for La Notte Degli Assi Final Day
Day 4 of the $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi at the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series has wrapped up inside the luxurious Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. After four days of play, the final nine has been set, where one player will lift the coveted trophy and claim the top prize of $460,000.
This year’s La Notte Degli Assi drew 1,023 entries, creating a massive $2,823,480 prize pool and attracting some of the top talent from around the globe. The field has now been whittled down to a single table, with all those that remain guaranteed at least $46,280.
Starting the final day with the big stack is Lebanon’s Nicolas Chouity, who bagged 29,700,000 at the end of the day. The 2010 EPT Grand Final champion won several big pots late in the day to gain the chip lead and put himself in prime position to add another major title to his resume. Hot on his heels is Russia’s Aleksandr Razinkov with 23,125,000, while "Ma" rounds out the top three with 13,025,000.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolas Chouity | Lebanon | 29,700,000 | 74 |
| 2 | Aleksandr Razinkov | Russia | 23,125,000 | 58 |
| 3 | Ma | France | 13,025,000 | 33 |
| 4 | Richard Broda | Hungary | 9,750,000 | 24 |
| 5 | Mehmet Deniz | Turkey | 8,900,000 | 22 |
| 6 | Nebi Baysal | Turkey | 8,150,000 | 20 |
| 7 | Tommy G | San Marino | 5,400,000 | 14 |
| 8 | Adil Tlimisov | Russia | 2,600,000 | 7 |
| 9 | Viacheslav Balaev | Russia | 2,500,000 | 6 |
Day 4 Action
Day 4 began with 50 players having locked up $9,400, with Russia’s Aleksandr Chernikov leading the pack on 131 big blinds. Early action saw Razinkov double through the IPO Master winner Xiaosheng Zheng with pocket kings holding against queens, leaving Zheng with just a few big blinds and out shortly after.
Chernikov then sent Alessio Isaia to the rail when his ace-queen held against Isaia's jack-eight, but his own run ended in 26th place before the three table redraw. Chernikov was eliminated in a huge pot against Mehmet Deniz, who hit an ace on the turn to best Chernikov's flopped second pair.
Deniz remained active, shoving over an open from Aleksandr Kirichenko and having Chouity call to put himself at risk from the big blind. Although behind after the flop, Chouity completed his flush on the turn for a crucial double. He later dragged another big pot by eliminating Adrian State, rivering a straight against pocket jacks. These pots propelled Chouity toward the top of the leaderboard and helped secure the chip lead for the final table.
One of the day’s biggest talking points came when Dawid Smolka, chasing the first-ever Merit Poker Triple Crown, called off his stack with pocket jacks against a button shove from Razinkov. A brutal river gave Razinkov trip sevens, ending Smolka’s chances in 11th place.
The final table was confirmed when Maksim Shornikau got all-in against Chouity. Both had ace-eight suited, but Chouity won the pot outright by hitting a backdoor flush and sent Shornikau to the rail as the final table bubble boy.
The finalists have all locked up at least $46,280, but all eyes remain on the trophy and the $460,000 top prize. Cards go in the air for the final day at 1 p.m. local time, resuming with 46 minutes remaining on Level 35, featuring blinds at 200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 big blind ante.
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 |
Follow PokerNews on August 8, for full coverage of the La Notte Degli Assi finale, from the first shuffle to the final hand when a champion is crowned.