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$3,300 La Notte Degli Assi
Day 1b Completed
2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
$3,300 La Notte Degli Assi
Day: 1b
Event Info
2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$2,823,480
Total Entries
1,023
Level
40
Blinds
600,000 / 1,200,000
Ante
1,200,000
Entries
238
Players Left
96
Players Left 1 / 1,023
Filter
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Day 1b of the $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi has officially wrapped up at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, bringing another full day of action to a close in North Cyprus. A total of 238 entries were recorded across the eight one-hour levels, adding to the 262 from Day 1a to bring the combined field to 500. With two more flights still to come on Sunday, the $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool remains very much within reach.
The field was filled with familiar faces, international regulars, and first-timers alike, all taking their shot at Merit Poker’s crown jewel of the summer. As chips were bagged for the night, Claudiu-Mihai Burlacu emerged as the Day 1b chip leader with an impressive 763,500. Hot on his heels were Fahredin Mustafov (747,000), Paris Dedes (731,000), and Bakhos Alalam (709,500), all of whom secured top spots on the overnight leaderboard.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claudiu-Mihai Burlacu | United Kingdom | 763,500 | 382 |
| 2 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 747,000 | 374 |
| 3 | Paris Dedes | Greece | 731,000 | 366 |
| 4 | Bakhos Alalam | Lebanon | 709,500 | 355 |
| 5 | Jordan Westmorland | United States | 600,000 | 300 |
| 6 | Iurii Okolovich | Russian Federation | 586,500 | 293 |
| 7 | Kassem HMD | Cyprus | 563,000 | 282 |
| 8 | Hassan Nashar | Guinea-Bissau | 535,000 | 268 |
| 9 | Ravi Sheth | United Kingdom | 516,000 | 258 |
| 10 | Baltazar Five | Lebanon | 440,500 | 220 |
Also finishing strong were Jordan Westmorland (600,000) and Hassan Nashar (535,000), who will return for Day 2 in great shape to contend. As with Day 1a, a full chip count list will be released once verified, but those names are expected to be among the biggest stacks of the flight.
Monday promises to be the busiest day yet, with two final starting flights on the schedule. Day 1c begins at 12 p.m. and will feature 40-minute levels, followed by the turbo-format Day 1d at 7 p.m. with 25-minute levels. Players will once again start with 100,000 chips, and unlimited reentries remain available until the end of Level 14 on Day 2.
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 4 | Day 1c | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| August 4 | Day 1d | 7 p.m. | 25 minutes |
| August 5 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| August 6 | Day 3 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| August 7 | Day 4 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| August 8 | Day 5 | 1 p.m. | 60 minutes |
With momentum building and the prize pool growing, the stage is set for an exciting finish to the opening phase of the La Notte Degli Assi Main Event. Stay with PokerNews for continued coverage as the $2,000,000 guaranteed Main Event continues.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Day 1b has come to a close and all surviving players have bagged up their chips.
Stay tuned for the chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The floor have announced that 5 more hands will be played today before the survivors bag up.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
With just 20 minutes remaining in the final level of the day, Day 1b of the $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi Main Event has reached 238 entries. That brings the overall total to an even 500 across the first two starting flights.
While today’s flight will fall short of last year’s 369 entries, the tournament remains well on pace heading into Monday's double-header. Day 1c and the turbo-format Day 1d will close out the starting phase, with late registration remaining open until the end of Level 14 on Day 2.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Mohamed El-Wely had opened and Mustafa Gulal made a big three-bet from the small blind, which the big blind cold-called. El-Wely then shoved around 160,000, Gulal called off his stack of slightly less, and the big blind folded.
Mustafa Gulal: A♠A♥ 
Mohamed El-Wely: A♣K♠
El-Wely was frustrated to see the situation he was in, and nothing really changed on the 6♣2♣6♥ flop. Any glimmer of hope that El-Wely had of backdoor clubs was completely eradicated on the 8♠ turn, with the meaningless 9♠ filling out the board.
Not much longer after that, El-Wely hit the rail.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Parahat Nurmuhammedov and Chady Ojeil were battling late on in Day 1b for a pot.
There were around 45,000 in the middle on a board of 8♥Q♣8♣, when Nurmuhammedov fired 15,000 from middle position and Ojeil called in the cutoff.
A 9♥ fell on the turn and Nurmuhammedov showed no signs of slowing down with a bet of 75,000. Ojeil looked to be in a tough spot and after some deliberation, he elected to fold.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
