In a single-raised pot on a 5♠7♠6♠ flop, Paul Grummitt led out for 20,000 from the small blind, Andres Vasquez called in middle position, and Fatih Aydin folded from the cutoff.
An 8♦ on the turn drew another bet out of Grummitt, this time for 45,000, and again Vasquez called to the J♥ river. A third and final bet of 55,000 went into the middle from Grummitt, and Vasquez needed just ten seconds before he called.
Grummitt then showed K♠4♠ for a flopped flush, and Vasquez quietly mucked his cards as he paid the bet.
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
Ren Lin
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
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
10–11
$37,500
12–13
$30,000
14–15
$24,000
16–17
$20,000
18–20
$17,000
21–23
$15,000
24–31
$13,300
32–39
$11,800
40–47
$10,500
48–55
$9,400
56–63
$8,400
64–79
$7,400
80–95
$6,600
96–119
$6,000
120–151
$5,500
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.
