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

01-16-2025 17:33 UTC+2

Shushan Wisely Doesn't Bluff

Tim Baker

Level 17 : Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

On a flop of 5♦4♣J♠, Dumitru Pora bet 7,000 from the big blind. Yaniv Shushan called from early position and the player in the small blind folded.

Pora bet 29,000 upon seeing the 9♣ drop on the turn and Shushan called to see the 9♥ land on the river. Pora thought for a while before checking and Shushan immediately checked behind.

Pora turned over the winner with 4♠4♦ for a boat, as Shushan showed he chose not to bluff with Ax2x for just ace-high.

Player	Chips	Progress
Yaniv Shushan	300,000 300,000	300,000
Dumitru Pora	190,000

Tags: Yaniv Shushan Dumitru Pora

01-16-2025 17:30 UTC+2

Roscan Shoves River on Rebeiz

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Kai Cocklin

Level 17 : Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

With around 45,000 chips in the pot on a 10♣Q♣8♠6♥ board, Rafic Rebeiz checked out of the big blind and Andrei Roscan bet a pot-sized 40,000 from middle position. After a while, Rebeiz called.

A 9♣ landed on the river and after Rebeiz checked, Roscan moved all in for around 110,000. Rebeiz didn't like the situation he had found himself in, and with around 200,000 chips behind, he elected to fold.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrei Roscan	250,000 86,000	86,000
Rafic Rebeiz	200,000 99,000	99,000

Tags: Andrei Roscan Rafic Rebeiz

Level: 17

Blinds: 3,000/6,000

Ante: 6,000

01-16-2025 17:18 UTC+2

Cappiello Wins Without Showdown

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Tim Baker

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

WIth roughly 45,000 in the middle on a board that read J♥J♦4♦6♣, Candido Cappiello checked from the small blind and the player on the button bet 15,000. Cappiello check-raised to 45,000 and his opponent quickly called.

The 6♦ dropped on the river and Cappiello bet 30,000. The button player raised to 65,000 and after a few moments, Cappiello called. Cappiello's opponent mucked his cards, which meant Cappiello took down the pot without having to show.

Player	Chips	Progress
Candido Cappiello	420,000 180,000	180,000

Tags: Candido Cappiello

01-16-2025 17:15 UTC+2

Salloum Snaps Off Joyce

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Kai Cocklin

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

Charbel Salloum made it 11,000 to go from the button and Philip Joyce called from the big blind.

They went to a flop of 10♦6♦10♥ where both tapped the table to see the 7♠ roll off on the turn. Joyce bet 6,000, Salloum made it 12,000, and Joyce called.

When the 9♣ dropped on the river, Joyce put out a bet of what seemed to be 25,000, that was snap-called by Salloum. Joyce then flipped 5♣5♠, but Salloum had rivered a straight holding A♣8♥ to take the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Philip Joyce	600,000 70,000	70,000
Grigorii Rodin	400,000 100,000	100,000
Charbel Salloum	300,000 60,000	60,000
Ehsan Amiri	140,000 210,000	210,000

Tags: Charbel Salloum Philip Joyce

01-16-2025 17:06 UTC+2

Peluso Takes From Salloum

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Tim Baker

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

Fabio Peluso raised to 10,000 from the cutoff and Charbel Salloum defended out of the big blind.

The flop came down K♣K♠K♥ and Salloum check-called a bet of 7,000 from Peluso.

Salloum checked again upon seeing the 4♦ fall on the turn. Peluso fired a second barrel of 20,000 and Salloum swiftly tossed his cards into the muck.

Player	Chips	Progress
Fabio Peluso	270,000 65,000	65,000

Charbel Salloum	240,000 54,000	54,000

Tags: Charbel Salloum Fabio Peluso

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

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 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 16:42 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.