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

01-16-2025 15:14 UTC+2

Aziz Left With Crumbs

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Kai Cocklin

Level 14 : Blinds 1,500/3,500, 3,500 ante

Shankui Li and Tony Aziz got their similar stacks of around 110,000 into the middle preflop in a coinflip situation.

Shankui Li: 10♥10♣ All in
Tony Aziz: A♥K♣

Li was ahead with his pair and maintained his lead through the 3♦J♥3♥ flop. A 4♠ on the turn offered no help to Aziz, and neither did the 8♦ river, After the stacks were counted down, Aziz had 1,500 left to play with, while Li doubled to around 235,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Shankui Li	235,000 120,000	120,000
Tony Aziz	1,500

Tags: Shankui Li Tony Aziz

01-16-2025 15:20 UTC+2

Kolev Hits the Rail

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Tim Baker

Level 14 : Blinds 1,500/3,500, 3,500 ante

Stojan Vazic raised to 7,000 from early position with the player in the small blind calling before Boris Kolev squeezed all in for roughly 60,000 out of the big blind. Vazic called to put Kolev at risk, and the small blind folded.

Boris Kolev: A♠4♠ All in
Stojan Vazic: J♠J♦

Kolev had made a move with a suited ace, but ran into the premium pocket pair of Vazic. There was no help for Kolev on the K♥6♠6♥8♦6♣ runout and all of his chips were sent over to Vazic.

Player	Chips	Progress
Stojan Vazic	260,000 30,000	30,000
Boris Kolev	Busted

Tags: Boris Kolev Stojan Vazic

01-16-2025 15:22 UTC+2

Selected Chip Counts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 14 : Blinds 1,500/3,500, 3,500 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Luke Marsh	880,000 5,000	5,000

Xiaosheng Zheng	650,000
Ashraf Akeh	550,000 150,000	150,000
Ehsan Amiri	350,000 100,000	100,000
Grigorii Rodin	300,000 114,000	114,000
Alisa Sibgatova	300,000
Pouya Ranjehdel	250,000 21,500	21,500
Evagoras Evagorou	220,000 14,500	14,500
Philip Joyce	200,000 20,000	20,000
Paul Newey	200,000 200,000	200,000
Felipe Ketzer	170,000 44,000	44,000
Nichan Khorchidian	120,000 200,000	200,000
Halil Tasyurek	110,000 20,000	20,000
Aylar Lie	80,000 50,000	50,000

01-16-2025 15:27 UTC+2

Estrada's Ladies Crack Markov's Cowboys

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Tim Baker

Level 14 : Blinds 1,500/3,500, 3,500 ante

Anton Markov four-bet all in for his stack of roughly 75,000 after Soraya Estrada three-bet from the small blind. Estrada called and the cards were flipped over.

Anton Markov: K♥K♣ All in
Soraya Estrada: Q♦Q♠

Markov had Estrada crushed with Cowboys, but when the flop came down Q♥2♦10♠, Estrada took the lead with top set. The 8♦ turn and A♠ river didn't help Markov, and he was sent to the rail at the hands of Estrada.

Player	Chips	Progress
Soraya Estrada	620,000 20,000	20,000
Anton Markov	Busted

Tags: Anton Markov Soraya Estrada

01-16-2025 15:31 UTC+2

Become a Bigger Part of the Action With MyStack by PokerNews

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Kai Cocklin

Level 14 : Blinds 1,500/3,500, 3,500 ante

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Level: 15

Blinds: 2,000/4,000

Ante: 4,000

01-16-2025 15:44 UTC+2

Marsh's Thin Value Bet Gets Paid

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Tim Baker

Level 15 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

With roughly 45,000 in the middle on a flop of 7♦7♥2♠, Luke Marsh check-called from under the gun to a bet of 12,500 by Lachezar Petkov on the button.

The two players checked the 4♣ turn for the 8♠ to land on the river. Marsh led out for 20,000 and after a few moments, Petkov called.

Marsh flipped over 3♦3♥ for just a pair of treys, and it was good as Petkov mucked his hand.

Player	Chips	Progress
Luke Marsh	850,000 30,000	30,000

Lachezar Petkov	320,000 320,000	320,000

Tags: Lachezar Petkov Luke Marsh

01-16-2025 15:46 UTC+2

State Leads the River With Flush on Board

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Kai Cocklin

Level 15 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

On a monotone flop of 6♣9♣10♣, a player in the blinds checked and Adrian State also tapped the table before Ilnur Murtazin fired 8,000 from the cutoff. The player in the blinds folded, and State called.

On the 3♣ turn, State went into check-call mode again after Murtazin bet 13,000.

A fifth club, the J♣, landed on the river and State switched up his strategy by leading for 45,000. Murtazin didn't seem too interested in the pot and quickly folded, which meant State took the pot to grow his stack to around 700,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Adrian State	700,000 150,000	150,000
Ilnur Murtazin	120,000 105,500	105,500

Tags: Adrian State Ilnur Murtazin

01-16-2025 15:52 UTC+2

Grodek Leaves Mokrani Short-Stacked

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Kai Cocklin

Level 15 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

Stanislaw Grodek was seen raking in a pot worth around 500,000 with Mohamed Mokrani being the one to fork over the chips.

A full board of 8♥4♣K♣7♠J♠ was showing and all the chips had found themselves in the middle. Mokrani's hand was already in the muck and couldn't beat the rivered set of Grodek, who showed J♥J♦.

Grodek up to around 500,000, while Mokrani's stack tumbled to just a few big blinds as the deadline for registration looms closer.

Player	Chips	Progress
Stanislaw Grodek	500,000 368,000	368,000
Mohamed Mokrani	15,000 204,000	204,000

Tags: Mohamed Mokrani Stanislaw Grodek

01-16-2025 15:59 UTC+2

Sey Makes a Move at the Wrong Time

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Tim Baker

Level 15 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

Hassan Sey raised to 8,000 from middle position before Traian Stanciu three-bet from the hijack to roughly 25,000. After it folded back to Sey, he four-bet shoved for approximately 140,000. Stanciu snap-called.

Hassan Sey: A♠3♦ All in
Traian Stanciu: K♥K♠

Sey was making a move with a suited ace, but had run into the Cowboys of Stanciu. A clean runout of 3♠9♠8♥6♦8♠ came out for Stanciu's Cowboys, and Sey was sent to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Traian Stanciu	400,000 160,000	160,000
Hassan Sey	Busted

Tags: Hassan Sey Traian Stanciu