button in Safari
$2,200 Warm Up
Day 2 Completed
2025 Merit Poker Western Series
$2,200 Warm Up
Day: 2
Event Info
2025 Merit Poker Western Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
$2,200
Prize Pool
$921,840
Total Entries
501
Level
35
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
375
Players Left
38
Players Left 1 / 501
Filter
Level 24
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Day 2 of the $2,200 Warm Up at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series concluded with 38 players remaining from the 501-strong field that turned up to play at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
After battling through fourteen 40-minute levels, it was bracelet winner Georgios Skarparis of Cyprus who ended the day atop the chip counts with a whopping stack of 3,400,000. Trailing closely behind him in second place, and the only other player to surpass the three-million chip mark, is Mario Fata, who brings 3,135,000 into the event's penultimate day. Rounding out the top three is Italy's Gaspare Sposato, who bagged a healthy 2,555,000 to position himself well for a deep run.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgios Skarparis | Cyprus | 3,400,000 | 68 |
| 2 | Mario Fata | France | 3,135,000 | 63 |
| 3 | Gaspare Sposato | Italy | 2,555,000 | 51 |
| 4 | Danielle Noja | Lebanon | 2,190,000 | 44 |
| 5 | Xin Yuan | China | 2,160,000 | 43 |
| 6 | Andrei Roscan | Romania | 2,095,000 | 42 |
| 7 | Albert Sapiano | United Kingdom | 2,000,000 | 40 |
| 8 | Dan Borlan | Romania | 1,905,000 | 38 |
| 9 | Ali Zebarjad | Iran | 1,860,000 | 37 |
| 10 | Konstantin Kvashin | Russia | 1,860,000 | 37 |
Day 2's Action
All eyes were on Luke Marsh once cards went in the air. Marsh began the day as the chip leader with just shy of one million chips and looked poised for a deep run after maintaining a steady stack throughout much of the day. However, Marsh was ultimately unable to capitalize on his early momentum and fell short of making the money.
When late registration closed at the end of Level 15, the payouts for the series' first major event were finalized. A total of 63 players would make it into the money, with the minimum cash set at $3,415, and the eventual winner set to take home a staggering $180,200.
The eliminations came quickly as the day progressed, with several notable players failing to reach the money. Among those who fell short were Andrey Pateychuk, three-time bracelet winner Timur Margolin, Aleksandr Shevliakov, Tobias Peters, Aliaksei Boika, and Paul Runcan.
Once hand-for-hand play began during the penultimate level, it took only three hands for the bubble to burst. Unfortunately for Sergei Varnaev, he earned the unenviable title of bubble boy after being forced all in from the big blind. Varnaev found himself in a race with sailboats against Sofia Merkulova's queen-six. A queen in the window sealed Varnaev's fate, and with his elimination, the remaining 63 players secured their spot in the money.
The eliminations continued at a rapid pace, with several players falling short of Day 3 after reaching the money. Among them were Stanislaw Grodek (58th - $3,415), Imad Saab (57th - $3,415), Traian Stanciu (51st - $4,055), Soraya Estrada (49th - $4,055), Edward Quinn (48th - $4,055), and Candido Cappiello (47th - $4,055). Cappiello's elimination came after his pocket queens were bested by the pocket kings of Mario Fata, the current second in chips.
Some notables to advance to Day 3 include Danielle Noja (2,190,000), Dan Borlan (1,905,000), and Kianoosh Matin (1,810,000) after Paul Runcan made an audacious river bluff into Matin's two pair. Esper Sadek (1,525,000) rivered a miracle straight to crack Sachin Joshi's queens earlier in the day. Bracelet winners Darius Neagoe (1,420,000) and Boris Kolev (965,000) made it through in the middle of the pack. Nestled toward the bottom of the pack with the most work to do tomorrow are Joshi (410,000), Merkulova (340,000), and the current tournament short stack Alisa Sibgatova (110,000).
Day 3 begins January 17th, at 12:00 p.m. local time. The blinds will remain 40 minutes in duration, and players will return to blinds of 25,000/50,000 with a big blind ante of 50,000. The goal for tomorrow is to play down until the final table of nine is set.
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 17 | Day 3 | 12:00 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| January 18 | Day 4 | 12:00 p.m. | 40 minutes |
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for all the updates as we follow this event to its conclusion. A winner will be crowned on Saturday, January 18.
Level 24
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Level 24
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Day 2 of the $2,200 Warm Up has come to an end with 38 players still in contention.
Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action and the chip counts of the survivors.
Level 24
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Level 24
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Konstantin Kvashin raised to 80,000 from the button and Abdullah Akbarpoor three-bet to 220,000 out of the big blind. After thinking for a few moment,s Kvashin four-bet shoved for roughly 1,000,000 and Akbarpoor snap-called for his remaining 700,000.
Abdullah Akbarpoor: A♥10♠ 
Konstantin Kvashin: K♥Q♠
Akbarpoor was ahead with ace-ten, but needed a safe runout from the dealer to boost his stack just before the end of today's play.
The flop of 6♦6♠2♦ was safe for Akbarpoor, and the 10♣ turn meant only a king or queen on the river would end his tournament. The dealer put out the Q♦ on the river to give Kvashin the winner with a pair of queens, sending Akbarpoor to the cahsier's desk.
Level 24
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
On a flop of 6♥8♦J♠ with around 200,000 in the middle, Xin Yuan got his stack of 1,130,000 into the middle from the small blind and was put at risk by Nicolae Paunescu in the big blind.
Xin Yuan: A♠J♥
Nicolae Paunescu: 9x7x
Paunescu had an open-ended straight draw, but wasn't able to connect with it as neither the Q♣ turn nor 9♥ river were the cards he was looking for.
Level 24
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
The floor have announced that five more hands will be played before play wraps up for the evening.
Level 24
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Mario Fata raised to 80,000 from early position before Candido Cappiello three-bet to 200,000 from the hijack. After it folded back to Fata, he four-bet shoved for roughly 1,150,000. Cappiello called to put himself at risk.
Candido Cappiello: Q♦Q♣
Mario Fata: K♠K♥
Cappiello started the hand with a stack of around 1,000,000 and needed to find a queen if he was to remain in the tournament. The dealer put out a board of 8♥6♥4♣J♣A♠ which kept Fata's Cowboys ahead, sending Cappiello to the rail close to the end of the day.
Level 24
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
