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

01-16-2025 20:35 UTC+2

Colavita Squeezes a Call Out of Roscan

Kai Cocklin

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

A pot of around 500,000 had already brewed between Mario Colavita and Andrei Roscan on a board of A♦J♥6♣A♠5♠ when Colavita fired a quarter-pot bet of 125,000 on the river. Roscan went into the tank for around two minutes and seemed no closer to making a decision.

Eventually, Roscan did eventually click the call button and mucked when he was shown A♣2♥ by Colavita.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrei Roscan	1,000,000 750,000	750,000
Mario Colavita	950,000 740,000	740,000

Tags: Andrei Roscan Mario Colavita

01-16-2025 20:38 UTC+2

Neagoe Drills the Turn to Bust Akeh

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Tim Baker

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Ashraf Akeh limped from the hijack and Darius Neagoe raised to 40,000 from the cutoff. After the rest of the table folded, Akeh called to see a flop.

When the flop came down 9♦9♥8♣ Akeh shoved for around 70,000 and Neagoe called.

Ashraf Akeh: 6♣6♠ All in
Darius Neagoe: A♠10♠

Akeh had shoved when the safe flop had fallen and just needed to fade the turn and river to double. However, the A♣ turn propelled Neagoe into the lead with top pair. The 10♣ river didn't help Akeh, and he was sent to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Darius Neagoe	620,000 346,000	346,000

Ashraf Akeh	Busted

Tags: Ashraf Akeh Darius Neagoe

01-16-2025 20:44 UTC+2

Sadek Rivers a Straight to Overcome Joshi's Ladies

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Tim Baker

Level 20 : Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante

Esper Sadek just approached PokerNews to explain a huge hand he just played.

Sadek raised under the gun to 25,000 before a short-stacked player shoved for 160,000. Sachin Joshi then jammed over the top with a stack that covered the entire table. After it folded back to Sadek he called for his remaining 500,000.

Esper Sadek: 10x10x All in
Short-Stacked Player: AxJx All in
Sachin Joshi: QxQx

If Joshi could hold with pocket queens, he would move up to almost a stack of two million. However, the board ran out very unfavorably for Joshi as it came 9♠3♠7x8x6x to give Sadek the winner with a rivered ten-high straight.

Player	Chips	Progress
Esper Sadek	1,250,000 234,000	234,000
Sachin Joshi	650,000 650,000	650,000

Tags: Esper Sadek Sachin Joshi

Level: 21

Blinds: 10,000/15,000

Ante: 15,000

01-16-2025 20:46 UTC+2

Selected Chip Counts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Georgios Skarparis	1,300,000 1,190,500	1,190,500

Philip Joyce	1,250,000 50,000	50,000
Paul Runcan	1,100,000 350,000	350,000
Stanislaw Grodek	900,000 75,000	75,000
Grigorii Rodin	850,000 120,000	120,000
Luke Marsh	800,000 225,000	225,000

Kirill Shcherbakov	600,000 520,000	520,000
Alisa Sibgatova	450,000 250,000	250,000
Dmitry Gromov	450,000 380,000	380,000

Xiaosheng Zheng	450,000 275,000	275,000
Nemo Koering	300,000 300,000	300,000
Edward Quinn	300,000 700,000	700,000

01-16-2025 20:52 UTC+2

Zhugralin Over Two Million

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

It looks like Damir Zhugralin is the current chip leader with around 2,200,000 in his stack right now as the bubble slowly approaches.

Player	Chips	Progress
Damir Zhugralin	2,200,000 2,156,500	2,156,500

Tags: Damir Zhugralin

01-16-2025 20:58 UTC+2

Sadek Cracks Aces

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Esper Sadek just described another big hand he played. Sadek said there was a limp from under the gun before Sadek called from the small blind and the big blind player checked.

The three players saw a flop of 2x5x6x and the action checked to the under the gun player, who bet 25,000. Only Sadek called.

Sadek checked again on the Q♦ turn and his opponent bet 80,000. Sadek check-shoved to put his opponent all-in, and after a few moments, the under the gun player called for his last 250,000.

Under The Gun Player: AxAx All in
Esper Sadek:4x3x

The under the gun player was drawing dead after slow-playing pocket aces, as Sadek had flopped the nut straight. There was an inconsequential river and Sadek had eliminated another player.

Player	Chips	Progress
Esper Sadek	1,600,000 350,000	350,000

Tags: Esper Sadek

01-16-2025 20:59 UTC+2

Rodin Approaches a Million

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

With around 90,000 in the middle on a monotone 10♣3♣Q♣ flop, Grigorii Rodin checked from the big blidn and Nemo Koering fired out 20,000. Rodin then raised to 60,000, and Koering quickly called.

A 2♠ on the turn saw Rodin quickly bet out 78,000, and Koering thought it over for a while before he folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Grigorii Rodin	975,000 125,000	125,000
Nemo Koering	275,000 25,000	25,000

Tags: Grigorii Rodin Nemo Koering

01-16-2025 21:10 UTC+2

Petkov Gains Some Momentum

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Lachezar Petkov opened from early position to 30,000 with Damir Zhugralin calling on the button, and Stanislaw Grodek defending out of the big blind.

Three-way to a flop of K♦9♠6♠ which got checked around for the 7♣ to hit the turn. Grodek checked, and Petkov fired out a bet of 55,000. Zhugralin folded, but Grodek carved out the call.

Grodek checked again on the 3♠ river and Petkov put out a bet of 165,000. Grodek quickly folded, and Petkov pulled in the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Damir Zhugralin	2,050,000 150,000	150,000
Stanislaw Grodek	800,000 100,000	100,000
Lachezar Petkov	750,000 560,000	560,000

Tags: Damir Zhugralin Lachezar Petkov Stanislaw Grodek

01-16-2025 21:18 UTC+2

Paunescu Flops a Set to Double Through Yuan

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Nicolae Paunescu got his last 150,000 into the middle preflop with Xin Yuan making the call to try and send him to the rail.

Nicolae Paunescu : 6♠6♦ All in
Xin Yuan: A♠8♠

It was a classic race that was crucial for Paunescu. The 6♣9♥J♣ flop was favorable for Paunescu, as he improved to a set of sixes and could only lose to running cards. The rest of the board came 9♣J♥ and Paunescu doubled up at the expense of Yuan.

Player	Chips	Progress
Xin Yuan	900,000 450,000	450,000
Nicolae Paunescu	335,000 254,500	254,500

Tags: Nicolae Paunescu Xin Yuan