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

01-16-2025 16:08 UTC+2

Pateychuk Doubles Through Petkov

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Kai Cocklin

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

Lachezar Petkov on the button had Andrey Pateychuk's stack of a little under 80,000 at risk from the big blind.

Andrey Pateychuk: A♣3♥ All in
Lachezar Petkov: 10♠10♥

Pateychuk was behind but vaulted into the lead on the 6♠A♠8♠ flop, though Petkov did pick up a flush draw. An A♥ on the turn improved Pateychuk to trips, and the 2♥ river kept him in the lead, earning him a double-up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Lachezar Petkov	190,000 130,000	130,000

Andrey Pateychuk	160,000 119,000	119,000

Tags: Lachezar Petkov Andrey Pateychuk

01-16-2025 16:12 UTC+2

Choufani Takes From Gromov

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Tim Baker

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

Dmitry Gromov raised to 8,000 from the cutoff with Joseph Choufani calling out of the small blind, and the big blind player making the call also.

When it checked to Gromov on the 6♥8♣7♥ flop, he put out a bet of 15,000 which only Choufani called.

The 2♠ turn checked through for the 4♣ to land on the river. Choufani led out for 25,000 and Gromov quickly called. Choufani turned over the winner with 5♠5♣ for a rivered straight.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dmitry Gromov	720,000 50,000	50,000

Joseph Choufani	280,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Dmitry Gromov Joseph Choufani

01-16-2025 16:19 UTC+2

Sadek Shows an Overpair

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Tim Baker

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

Esper Sadek raised to 8,000 from under the gun with Jianfeng Sun calling from the button and the small blind player making the call also.

The action checked to Sun to on the 9♦3♣5♠ flop and he bet 20,000. The small blind called before Sadek check-raised to 80,000. This prompted two quick folds from Sun and the small blind. Sadek was kind enough to flip over J♦J♣ for an overpair as he pulled in the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jianfeng Sun	600,000 210,000	210,000
Esper Sadek	590,000 180,000	180,000

Tags: Esper Sadek Jianfeng Sun

01-16-2025 16:19 UTC+2

Break Time

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Kai Cocklin

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

Players are on a 20-minute break.

Once the break is over, late registration will be closed.

Level: 16

Blinds: 2,000/5,000

Ante: 5,000

01-16-2025 16:40 UTC+2

Selected Chip Count at the Break

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Kai Cocklin

Level 16 : Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Edward Quinn	1,050,000 100,000	100,000
Dan Borlan	900,000 550,000	550,000
Luke Marsh	900,000 50,000	50,000

Adrian State	750,000 50,000	50,000
Albert Sapiano	750,000 750,000	750,000
Sachin Joshi	700,000 462,000	462,000
Soraya Estrada	650,000 30,000	30,000
Xiaosheng Zheng	640,000 10,000	10,000
Katherina Aristotelos	630,000 430,000	430,000
Sofia Merkulova	615,000 115,000	115,000
Danut Chisu	600,000 170,000	170,000
Esper Sadek	600,000 10,000	10,000
Philip Joyce	550,000 350,000	350,000
Roman Stoika	550,000 429,500	429,500
Jianfeng Sun	530,000 70,000	70,000
Dmitry Gromov	520,000 200,000	200,000

Danielle Noja	500,000 210,000	210,000
Felipe Ketzer	450,000 280,000	280,000
Ashraf Akeh	240,000 310,000	310,000
Aylar Lie	100,000 20,000	20,000

01-16-2025 16:42 UTC+2

Sets For Everybody as Li Busts to Cappiello

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Kai Cocklin

Level 16 : Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante

While the rest of the field went on break, Shankui Li and Candido Cappiello were playing out a hand that resulted in them both getting their chips in the middle preflop, with the former at risk for his stack of around 100,000.

Shankui Li: 6♠6♦ All in
Candido Cappiello: A♣A♠

Li was well behind and did momentarily think he jumped into the lead on the K♥6♣A♥ flop, but he soon realized that Cappiello had also made a set. The turn brought a 9♣ and Boris Smuskevicius, who had folded preflop, said he mucked 9x9x and would have also made a set!

Only one out could save Li, but the 3♥ river wasn't what he needed, meaning he was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
Candido Cappiello	240,000 240,000	240,000
Boris Smuskevicius	220,000 14,000	14,000
Shankui Li	Busted

Tags: Boris Smuskevicius Candido Cappiello Shankui Li

01-16-2025 16:51 UTC+2

Joyce Sends Zhechev to the Rail

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Tim Baker

Level 16 : Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante

Ivan Zhechev raised to 10,000 from middle position with Philip Joyce three-betting to 22,000 from the next seat. After it folded back to Zhechev, he four-bet shoved for roughly 150,000. Joyce snap-called.

Ivan Zhechev: A♠Q♠ All in
Philip Joyce: K♣K♥

Joyce was ahead with pocket kings and needed to fade an ace or some spades to bust Zhechev. The flop of A♥K♦8♠ may have given Zhechev top pair, but Joyce hit a set of kings to take a commanding lead.

The 3♠ turn offered Zhechev with a possible flush draw, but the 5♣ river didn't help him. Zhechev was sent out the door and Joyce dragged in the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Philip Joyce	670,000 120,000	120,000
Ivan Zhechev	Busted

Tags: Ivan Zhechev Philip Joyce

01-16-2025 16:53 UTC+2

Schiffbauer Sticking Around

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Kai Cocklin

Level 16 : Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante

Robbie Schiffbauer started the day with a decent amount of chips, but was fighting for survival not so long ago in a hand with Dawid Smolka.

Schiffbauer's K♠8♠ managed to hit a pair on the 10♣J♣8♣9♥5♥ board to beat the 3♦3♣ of Smolka, but the two are both short-stacked with not much over ten big blinds to work with.

Player	Chips	Progress
Robbie Schiffbauer	70,000 270,000	270,000
Dawid Smolka	65,000 285,000	285,000

Tags: Dawid Smolka Robbie Schiffbauer

01-16-2025 17:05 UTC+2

Sun Puts Pressure on Pilhofer

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Kai Cocklin

Level 16 : Blinds 2,000/5,000, 5,000 ante

With around 90,000 chips already in the middle on a 8♣4♦4♠J♣ board, Jianfeng Sun fired out 60,000 from the small blind, which Istvan Pilhofer called from the cutoff.

The two saw a 7♣ drop in the river and after thinking it over, Sun counted out a chunky bet of 200,000 and threw it across the line. Pilhofer went into the tank and after counting out his stack, saw that he had around 220,000 remaining. A few more moments passed and Pilhofer made the fold, and Sun boosted his stack to 750,000.

On another table, Jinlong Hu has just been sent to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jianfeng Sun	750,000 220,000	220,000
Istvan Pilhofer	220,000
Jinlong Hu	Busted

Tags: Istvan Pilhofer Jianfeng Sun