$5,300 High Roller | 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series

08-02-2025 19:13 UTC+2

Assi's Doubles on the First Hand

Tim Baker

Level 28 : Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante

On the first hand of the final table, Salah Assi jammed from early position for 1,820,000 and Aren Bezhanyan called from the next seat.

Salah Assi: A♣J♥ All in
Aren Bezhanyan: K♥K♦

Assi's final table experience looked likely to be short-lived unless he could find an ace. The flop of A♥Q♥3♦ catapulted Assi into the lead with top pair. The rest of the board came 6♣9♦ and Assi doubled through Bezhanyan.

Player	Chips	Progress
Salah Assi	3,800,000 1,980,000	1,980,000
Aren Bezhanyan	3,640,000 1,800,000	1,800,000

Tags: Aren Bezhanyan Salah Assi

08-02-2025 19:09 UTC+2

Final Table Payouts

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Tim Baker

Level 28 : Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante

Here's a reminder of what's at stake.

Place	Prize
1	$310,000
2	$216,500
3	$155,000
4	$111,000
5	$81,000
6	$60,500
7	$45,700
8	$35,000
9	$27,500

08-02-2025 19:09 UTC+2

Play resumes

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Tim Baker

Level 28 : Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante

The introductions have been made and the final nine players have now taken their seats.

08-02-2025 18:46 UTC+2

Final Table Redraw

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Tim Baker

Level 28 : Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante

Seat	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Roman Pshyk	Ukraine	1,860,000	16
2	Cedric Schwaederle	France	5,415,000	45
3	Salah Assi	France	1,820,000	15
4	Aren Bezhanyan	Armenia	5,440,000	45
5	Xuming Qi	China	4,765,000	40
6	Adrian State	Romania	3,515,000	29
7	Mohamed El-Wely	Mauritania	5,435,000	45
8	Mehmet Demirkol	Turkey	3,135,000	26
9	Sakis Adrianopoulos	Greece	1,730,000	14

Player	Chips	Progress
Aren Bezhanyan	5,440,000 160,000	160,000
Mohamed El-Wely	5,435,000 435,000	435,000
Cedric Schwaederle	5,415,000 185,000	185,000
Xuming Qi	4,765,000 65,000	65,000
Adrian State	3,515,000 515,000	515,000
Mehmet Demirkol	3,135,000 235,000	235,000
Roman Pshyk	1,860,000 40,000	40,000
Salah Assi	1,820,000 20,000	20,000
Sakis Adrianopoulos	1,730,000 530,000	530,000

08-02-2025 17:59 UTC+2

Break Time

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Tim Baker

Level 28 : Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante

There will be a dinner break before play resumes at approximately 7:45 p.m.

08-02-2025 17:57 UTC+2

Nenad Dukic Eliminated in 10th Place ($22,500)

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Tim Baker

Level 28 : Blinds 60,000/120,000, 120,000 ante

Aren Bezhanyan raised the button to 240,000 before Nenad Dukic jammed for roughly 1,200,000 from the small blind. Bezhanyan made the call to try and send the tournament to the final table.

Nenad Dukic: 3♠3♥ All in
Aren Bezhanyan :A♦10♦

The 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series champion needed to win this flip to stay alive. The flop of 7♦J♦7♣ offered Bezhanyan a lot of outs to win. He found one of those outs on the 4♦ turn as he improved to a flush. The 9♦ river didn't change anything, and Dukic was out in 10th.

This meant the remaining nine players had made it to the final table of the record-breaking $5,300 High Roller.

Player	Chips	Progress
Aren Bezhanyan	5,600,000 2,100,000	2,100,000
Nenad Dukic	Busted

Tags: Aren Bezhanyan Nenad Dukic

Level: 28

Blinds: 60,000/120,000

Ante: 120,000

08-02-2025 17:47 UTC+2

Natan Chauskin Eliminated in 11th Place ($22,500); Danielle Noja Eliminated in 12th Place ($22,500)

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Tim Baker

Level 27 : Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

Natan Chauskin jammed from under the gun for 825,000 with Xuming Qi making the call from the cutoff. Danielle Noja called for his last 600,000 from the button, and after the blinds folded, the cards were turned over with Qi having the chance to bust two players.

Danielle Noja: A♣Q♣ All in
Natan Chauskin: 4♥4♠ All in
Xuming Qi: J♠J♣

Qi took a commanding lead in the hand on the 2♦J♥5♦ flop as he improved to top set. The 4♣ turn gave Noja and Chauskin a chance to win on the river. But the 9♠ came out, and Qi had eliminated two players.

Player	Chips	Progress
Xuming Qi	4,700,000 1,700,000	1,700,000
Danielle Noja	Busted
Natan Chauskin	Busted

Tags: Danielle Noja Natan Chauskin

08-02-2025 17:40 UTC+2

Jakub Michalak Eliminated in 13th Place ($18,700)

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Tim Baker

Level 27 : Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

When it folded to Cedric Schwaederle in the small blind, he jammed to put Jakub Michalak all in from the big blind. Michalak took one look at his cards and made the call for his stack of 1,000,000.

Jakub Michalak: A♦J♠ All in
Cedric Schwaederle: 5♣4♣

Michalak was in a great spot to double up, as all he had to do was fade Schwaederle hitting the board. However, Schwaederle won the pot with a pair of fives on the Q♦8♠5♥K♥K♠ runout, and the start-of-day chip leader was out in 13th place.

Player	Chips	Progress
Cedric Schwaederle	5,600,000 1,000,000	1,000,000
Jakub Michalak	Busted

Tags: Cedric Schwaederle Jakub Michalak

08-02-2025 17:31 UTC+2

Selected Chip Counts

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Tim Baker

Level 27 : Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Cedric Schwaederle	4,600,000 600,000	600,000
Xuming Qi	3,000,000 800,000	800,000
Salah Assi	1,800,000 200,000	200,000
Sakis Adrianopoulos	1,200,000
Jakub Michalak	1,000,000 50,000	50,000

Natan Chauskin	700,000 300,000	300,000
Danielle Noja	550,000 190,000	190,000