$3,300 La Notte Degli Assi Day 2 | 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series

08-05-2025 11:51 UTC+2

LeBlond's Cowboys Cracked

Tim Baker

Level 9 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Leonid Bozhkov made it 4,000 to go from the hijack and was three-bet to 11,000 by Benjamin LeBlond on the button. Bozhkov flicked in the call when it folded back to him.

Bozhkov checked the action over to LeBlond on the Q♣7♥6♦ flop, and LeBlond fired out 10,000. Bozhkov quickly called.

Another check came from Bozhkov when the 10♥ hit the turn, and LeBlond jammed for 66,000. Bozhkov lifted his sunglasses and went into the tank. Roughly two minutes passed before Bozhkov decided to make the call for the majority of his stack.

Benjamin LeBlond: K♠K♣ All in
Leonid Bozhkov: 10♣9♣

LeBlond had an overpair, but Bozhkov had quite a few outs he could hit on the river to bust him. One of those outs came in the form of the 10♦ to give Bozhkov trips, and LeBlond was out.

Player	Chips	Progress
Leonid Bozhkov	190,000
Benjamin LeBlond	Busted

Tags: Benjamin LeBlond Leonid Bozhkov

08-05-2025 11:36 UTC+2

Pateychuk Loses to Salikaev's Set

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Tim Baker

Level 9 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Catching the hand on the turn with the board showing 10♦6♥7♥K♣ and with roughly 45,000 in the middle. Yury Salikaev was first to act from under the gun and placed out a bet of 28,000. Andrey Pateychuk, who was sitting directly to the left of Salikaev, made the call.

The 3♥ came on the river and Salikaev bet 35,000. Pateychuk tossed in one chip to indicate a call and was shown 7♠7♦ by Salikae for a set. Pateychuk mucked and Salikaev pulled in the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Yury Salikaev	400,000 131,000	131,000
Andrey Pateychuk	180,000 46,000	46,000

Tags: Andrey Pateychuk Yury Salikaev

08-05-2025 11:31 UTC+2

Stoenescu Leads the River

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Kai Cocklin

Level 9 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Andrei Stoenescu opened from early position to 4,000 and Bekir Sivritepe three-bet the hijack to 10,500. Aren Bezhanyan was on the button and cold-called, then Stoenescu put in the extra.

On the 4♠K♦3♥ flop, the action checked to Bezhanyan, who bet 13,000. Stoenescu called while Sivritepe folded.

A 6♠ hit the river and the flop action repeated as Stoenescu check-called a bet of 26,000 from Bezhanyan to see the 2♣ river. After some time thinking, Stoenescu decided to lead out for 38,000, leaving himself around 50,000 behind. Bezhanyan thought for around 30 seconds and then elected to fold, forfeiting the pot to his opponent.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrei Stoenescu	200,000 81,000	81,000
Aren Bezhanyan	170,000 28,000	28,000
Bekir Sivritepe	165,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Andrei Stoenescu Aren Bezhanyan Bekir Sivritepe

08-05-2025 11:28 UTC+2

Panagides Turns a Pair to Take from Broda

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Tim Baker

Level 9 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

With the big blind not at the table, Richard Broda raised to 4,500 from middle position and only George Panagides called out of the small blind.

Panagides check-called a bet of 4,000 from Broda on the A♣2♣3♥ flop.

The turn came the K♦ and Panagides check-called another bet from Broda, this time for 15,500.

Two checks followed the 5♥ river, and Panagides tabled K♣Q♥ for second pair. Broda returned his cards to the dealer and the pot was awarded to Panagides.

Player	Chips	Progress
George Panagides	326,000 25,500	25,500
Richard Broda	220,000 33,500	33,500

Tags: George Panagides Richard Broda

08-05-2025 11:19 UTC+2

Khordbin Sends Gungor to the Rail

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Tim Baker

Level 9 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Hadi Khordbin raised to 4,000 from middle position with Evren Coskun calling from the cutoff. Dogan Gungor squeezed all in for 17,000 from the cutoff, and after the blinds folded, Khordbin jammed over the top for 150,000. This forced Coskun to fold and the cards got shown.

Dogan Gungor: 3♦3♣ All in
Hadi Khordbin: A♠7♥

Gungor was one the shortest stacks to start the day and needed to win this race or he would be headed to the exit. The board ran out 6♠2♦4♣7♣J♥ to give Khordbin the best hand with a pair of sevens on the turn, and Gungor was out.

Player	Chips	Progress
Evren Coskun	225,000 24,500	24,500
Hadi Khordbin	185,000 35,000	35,000
Dogan Gungor	Busted

Tags: Dogan Gungor Evren Coskun Hadi Khordbin

08-05-2025 11:13 UTC+2

Fast Exits For Zarriello and Fkih

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Kai Cocklin

Level 9 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Both Sandro Zarriello and Ali Fkih didn't last too long on Day 2 as their chips swiftly found new owners.

Zarriello had his short stack go over to Bekir Sivritepe, while Fkih's went over to Dominik Panka.

The full board read 8♣K♠Q♦J♠10♣, and Fkih's Q♥10♠ had rivered two pair. But, that same river card gave Panka a straight with A♦8♠.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dominik Panka	210,000 7,000	7,000

Bekir Sivritepe	170,000 25,000	25,000
Sandro Zarriello	Busted
Ali Fkih	Busted

Tags: Ali Fkih Bekir Sivritepe Dominik Panka

08-05-2025 11:07 UTC+2

Shuffle Up & Deal

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Tim Baker

Level 9 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Cards are in the air and play has started on Day 2 of the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi.

Level: 9

Blinds: 1,000/2,000

Ante: 2,000

08-05-2025 09:28 UTC+2

Andrei Spataru Tops the Counts as La Notte Degli Assi Field Unites for Day 2

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Kai Cocklin

After four opening flights spread across three days, all surviving players in the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi Main Event return today for Day 2 at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.

A total of 728 entries were recorded by the end of Day 1d, with 344 players advancing. For the first time, the entire field will come together as the battle for the $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool heats up. Late registration remains open until the end of Level 14, allowing for final entries and reentries before the prize pool is finalized.

Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Andrei Spataru	Romania	1,041,500	521
2	Claudiu-Mihai Burlacu	Romania	763,500	382
3	Fahredin Mustafov	Bulgaria	747,000	374
4	Paris Dedes	France	731,000	366
5	Aleksandr Chernikov	Russia	721,000	361
6	Bakhos Alalam	Lebanon	709,500	355
7	Maxime Chilaud	France	677,500	339
8	Jordan Westmorland	United States	600,000	300
9	Ivan Zabiiakin	Russia	587,500	294
10	Iurii Okolovich	Russia	586,500	293

At the top of the leaderboard is Andrei Spataru, who bagged 1,041,500 on Day 1a and remains the only player to cross the seven-figure mark so far. Right behind him is fellow countryman Claudiu-Mihai Burlacu with 763,500, giving Romania the top two spots heading into Day 2. Other big stacks include Fahredin Mustafov (747,000), Paris Dedes (731,000), and Aleksandr Chernikov (721,000), all sitting comfortably above the average.

Play resumes at 12 p.m. local time with blinds at 1,000/2,000 and a 2,000 big blind ante. Levels will go back to 60 minutes for the remainder of the tournament. With big stacks applying pressure and short stacks looking to double, Day 2 promises to be a pivotal stage in the road to the final table.