$2,200 Warm Up Day 1bc | 2025 Merit Poker Western Series

01-15-2025 16:53 UTC+2

Zheng's Kicker Earns Him a Double-Up

Kai Cocklin

Level 7 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

Edward Quinn raised the button to 3,500 and Xiaosheng Zheng three-bet from the small blind to 15,000, when it got back to Quinn, he shoved, and Zheng called off his stack of 62,500.

Xiaosheng Zheng: A♦Q♥ All in
Edward Quinn: A♠J♦

Zheng had his opponent out-kicked and it was the kicker that kept him in front on the 4♠9♣7♣ flop. A 9♠ on the turn did bring around some chop outs, but the 9♦ river meant Zheng's ace-high was better, and he doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Edward Quinn	300,000 50,000	50,000
Xiaosheng Zheng	130,000 50,000	50,000

Tags: Edward Quinn Xiaosheng Zheng

01-15-2025 17:06 UTC+2

Three-Way Lebanese All-In Sees Chehade Triple Up

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Kai Cocklin

Level 7 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

On a flop of 2♦J♦3♠, Rudolf Fourie had fired out 5,500 from early position and got a call from Georges Chehade in the hijack. Edgard Raffoul also called on the button, then Imad Saab shoved from the big blind for around 60,000. Fourie folded, and Chehade stuck in his last 22,500. Raffoul was thinking for quite some time and after a while, put in the chips to put two players at risk.

Georges Chehade: A♦6♦ All in
Imad Saab: 3♣2♣ All in
Edgard Raffoul: K♠J♠

Saab was in the lead with his two pair, but it was Chehade who took the lead after he turned the nut flush when the 8♦ appeared. A 7♣ river was clean for Chehade, which meant he more than tripled up, and Saab took the side pot from Raffoul.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rudolf Fourie	175,000 5,000	5,000
Georges Chehade	85,000 85,000	85,000
Imad Saab	70,000 30,000	30,000
Edgard Raffoul	50,000 50,000	50,000

Tags: Edgard Raffoul Georges Chehade Imad Saab Rudolf Fourie

01-15-2025 17:17 UTC+2

Evagorou Picks Off a Bluff

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Kai Cocklin

Level 7 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

With around 50,000 chips already in the middle on a board of A♥8♦8♥5♦, both Evagoras Evagorou and the player on the button knuckled the table to see a 4♦ land on the river. Evagorou then tapped the table again, and the button thought for a while before he bet 40,000. Without a moment's pause, Evagorou called.

The button sheepishly flipped over K♠Q♥, and Evagorou showed A♦J♥ to claim the pot, and boost his stack to around 200,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Evagoras Evagorou	200,000 200,000	200,000

Tags: Evagoras Evagorou

Level: 8

Blinds: 1,000/1,500

Ante: 1,500

01-15-2025 17:25 UTC+2

Selected Chip Counts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 8 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Soraya Estrada	470,000 5,000	5,000
Jianfeng Sun	240,000 10,000	10,000
Traian Stanciu	225,000 25,000	25,000
Nichan Khorchidian	200,000 145,000	145,000
Rudolf Fourie	200,000 25,000	25,000
Ruslan Bakhtiev	170,000
Boris Tabiyev	125,000 15,000	15,000
Fredrico Senno	100,000 100,000	100,000
Darko Svesko	90,000
Jinlong Hu	75,000

Sandra Cotescu	70,000 15,000	15,000
Philip Joyce	40,000

01-15-2025 17:36 UTC+2

Estrada Contesting the Chip Lead

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Kai Cocklin

Level 8 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

With around 30,000 chips already in the middle on a 10♣A♣8♠ flop, Adrian State checked from under the gun and the player in the hijack also tapped the table. Soraya Estrada was on the button and made a bet of 17,500, which gave State something to think about. After a while, State and the hijack folded, and Estrade took the pot.

Estrada is currently contesting for the chip lead with over 500,000 in her stack and just under three levels remaining in the day.

Player	Chips	Progress
Soraya Estrada	510,000 40,000	40,000
Adrian State	150,000 65,000	65,000

Tags: Adrian State Soraya Estrada

01-15-2025 17:45 UTC+2

Temiz Wins a Flip Against Amiri

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Kai Cocklin

Level 8 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

There was a raise from early position to 3,000 and Ehsan Amiri three-bet to 11,000 from late position. Berzan Temiz then shoved for 33,000 from the button, which only Amiri called.

Berzan Temiz: A♥10♥ All in
Ehsan Amiri: 7♣7♦

It was a fair flip that looked to be going the way of Temiz after the 5♠5♦A♦ flop gave him top pair. A Q♠ on the turn put Temiz one step closer to a double-up, and the 9♠ river earned him the check mark.

Despite that small setback, Amiri still has around 160,000 in his stack, while Temiz climbed to around 70,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ehsan Amiri	160,000 80,000	80,000
Berzan Temiz	70,000 10,000	10,000

Tags: Ehsan Amiri Berzan Temiz

01-15-2025 18:01 UTC+2

Kozhomzharov Bets Every Street Into Spataru

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Kai Cocklin

Level 8 : Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante

Aibek Kozhomzharov raised to 3,500 from under the gun and Andrei Spataru called from middle position. The big blind also came along.

On the A♣Q♣7♦ flop, the big blind checked and Kozhomzharov fired 5,000. Spataru called, and the big blind folded.

When the K♠ dropped on the turn, Kozhomzharov continued to fire with a bet of 11,000, and Spataru once again stuck around.

A 6♣ landed on the river and Kozhomzharov eyed up his opponent's stack, then bet 60,000. Spataru had around 57,000 behind and went into the tank for some time before he elected to fold.