$2,200 Warm Up Day 3 | 2025 Merit Poker Western Series

01-17-2025 12:39 UTC+2

Sposato Dispatches Zoufri

Kai Cocklin

Level 25 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Abdelhakim Zoufri had shoved from the hijack for around 400,000 and was snapped off by Gaspare Sposato in the big blind.

Abdelhakim Zoufri: K♣9♠ All in
Gaspare Sposato: J♠J♦

Zoufri was way behind, but did pick up a few extra outs on the Q♦A♥9♦ flop as he paired his nine. An A♦ on the turn was no help, and neither was the 3♠ on the river, which meant Zoufri was out in 30th.

Player	Chips	Progress
Gaspare Sposato	2,400,000 155,000	155,000
Abdelhakim Zoufri	Busted

Tags: Abdelhakim Zoufri Gaspare Sposato

Level: 26

Blinds: 30,000/60,000

Ante: 60,000

01-17-2025 12:45 UTC+2

Selected Chip Counts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Danielle Noja	3,700,000 1,510,000	1,510,000
Zhen Chen	3,600,000 2,175,000	2,175,000
Mario Fata	2,700,000 435,000	435,000
Dan Borlan	1,700,000 205,000	205,000
Yaniv Shushan	1,200,000 445,000	445,000
Aliaksandr Hirs	1,100,000 645,000	645,000
Mario Colavita	950,000 745,000	745,000
Paul Newey	750,000 550,000	550,000
Sofia Merkulova	600,000 260,000	260,000
Alisa Sibgatova	450,000 340,000	340,000
Nicolas Hasbani	Busted

01-17-2025 12:55 UTC+2

Shushan Tank-Folds the River After Lupuleac Shoves

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Kai Cocklin

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Yaniv Shushan made it 150,000 to go from under the gun and Alexandru Lupuleac called from the big blind.

They went to a flop of 2♠Q♣5♦ where both checked to see the J♦ drop on the turn, where Lupuleac bet 190,000, and Shushan called.

A 5♠ paired the board on the river and Lupuleac gathered all of his chips, then shoved for 570,000. Shushan immediately asked for a count and then went into deep thought for quite some time. For one player, it was too much time as he called the clock, which put Shushan on a 30-second countdown. With 5 seconds to spare. Shushan elected to fold.

"I think you had pocket sevens at best," said Lupuleac.

"Pocket tens," replied Shushan. "The jack either saved you or it saved me,".

Player	Chips	Progress
Alexandru Lupuleac	1,400,000 840,000	840,000
Yaniv Shushan	850,000 350,000	350,000

Tags: Alexandru Lupuleac Yaniv Shushan

01-17-2025 12:56 UTC+2

End of the Road For Sapiano

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Kai Cocklin

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Albert Sapiano was sitting healthy with over two million chips not so long ago, but he was seen heading to the payout desk in 28th place.

Player	Chips	Progress
Albert Sapiano	Busted

Tags: Albert Sapiano

01-17-2025 13:03 UTC+2

Ladies Help Newey to Double Up

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Kai Cocklin

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Aliaksandr Hirs made it 120,000 to go from under the gun and Paul Newey shoved from the cutoff for 475,000. When it got back to Hirs, he thought for some time before he flicked in the call.

Paul Newey: Q♦Q♠ All in
Aliaksandr Hirs: A♦7♦

Newey was well ahead with his queens and extended his lead on the Q♣9♥J♣ flop as he made top set. An 8♣ on the turn meant Hirs could only chop the pot with a river ten, but the A♥ wasn't what he needed, and Newey doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Paul Newey	1,100,000 350,000	350,000
Aliaksandr Hirs	500,000 600,000	600,000

Tags: Aliaksandr Hirs Paul Newey

01-17-2025 13:10 UTC+2

Selected Chip Counts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Danielle Noja	4,000,000 300,000	300,000
Esper Sadek	2,900,000 1,375,000	1,375,000
Andrei Roscan	2,800,000 705,000	705,000
Grigorii Rodin	2,600,000 825,000	825,000
Xin Yuan	1,700,000 460,000	460,000
Ali Zebarjad	1,300,000 560,000	560,000
Alisa Sibgatova	800,000 350,000	350,000
Sachin Joshi	800,000 390,000	390,000
Emad Ghadamian	Busted

01-17-2025 13:21 UTC+2

Skarparis Catches a Boat on the River to Send Yuan Out

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Kai Cocklin

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

With the elimination of Mario Colavita, it meant just 25 players remained, one away from the three table redraw.

Georgios Skarparis had the chance to make the redraw happen as he had Xin Yuan at risk for a pot worth around 3,000,000.

Xin Yuan: A♦Q♦ All in
Georgios Skarparis: J♥J♦

It was a fair fight and one that looked to be going Yuan's way as the 5♣2♥A♣ flop gave him top pair. A 2♣ on the turn was a brick, but the J♠ river meant Skarparis spiked a full house to snatch the pot away and send Yuan to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Georgios Skarparis	7,000,000 3,000,000	3,000,000

Mario Colavita	Busted
Xin Yuan	Busted

Tags: Georgios Skarparis Mario Colavita Xin Yuan

01-17-2025 13:29 UTC+2

Seat Draw

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Kai Cocklin

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Table	Seat	Player	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	1	Alisa Sibgatova	800,000	13
1	2	Ali Zebarjad	1,600,000	27
1	3	Dan Borlan	2,900,000	48
1	4	Aliaksandr Hirs	1,100,000	18
1	5	Mario Fata	1,600,000	27
1	6	Grigorii Rodin	2,500,000	42
1	7	Gaspare Sposato	2,300,000	38
1	8	Georgios Skarparis	7,200,000	120


2	1	Konstantin Kvashin	2,150,000	36
2	2	Nicolae Paunescu	1,300,000	22
2	3	Paul Newey	830,000	14
2	4	Murat Bayyurt	925,000	15
2	5	Sofia Merkulova	640,000	11
2	6	Alexandru Lupeleac	1,2800,00	21
2	7	Danielle Noja	3,800,000	63
2	8	Seyedahmad Haghgou	3,300,000	55


3	1	Zhen Chen	4,200,000	70
3	2	Philipp Wood	800,000	13
3	3	Esper Sadek	2,500,000	42
3	4	Boris Kolev	600,000	10
3	5	Yaniv Shushan	1,300,000	22
3	6	Sachin Joshi	1,060,000	18
3	7	Nikolay Ponomarev	980,000	16
3	8	Andrei Roscan	2,700,000	45

Player	Chips	Progress
Georgios Skarparis	7,200,000 200,000	200,000

Zhen Chen	4,200,000 600,000	600,000
Danielle Noja	3,800,000 200,000	200,000
Haghgou Seyedahmad	3,300,000 1,600,000	1,600,000
Dan Borlan	2,900,000 1,200,000	1,200,000
Andrei Roscan	2,700,000 100,000	100,000
Grigorii Rodin	2,500,000 100,000	100,000
Esper Sadek	2,500,000 400,000	400,000
Gaspare Sposato	2,300,000 100,000	100,000
Konstantin Kvashin	2,150,000 100,000	100,000
Ali Zebarjad	1,600,000 300,000	300,000
Mario Fata	1,600,000 1,100,000	1,100,000
Nicolae Paunescu	1,300,000 20,000	20,000
Yaniv Shushan	1,300,000 450,000	450,000
Alexandru Lupuleac	1,280,000 120,000	120,000
Aliaksandr Hirs	1,100,000 600,000	600,000
Sachin Joshi	1,060,000 260,000	260,000
Nikolay Ponomarev	980,000 370,000	370,000
Murat Bayyurt	925,000 175,000	175,000
Paul Newey	830,000 270,000	270,000
Alisa Sibgatova	800,000
Philipp Wood	800,000 815,000	815,000
Sofia Merkulova	640,000 40,000	40,000
Boris Kolev	600,000 365,000	365,000

01-17-2025 13:35 UTC+2

Sofia Merkulova Eliminated in 24th Place ($7,190)

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Tim Baker

Level 26 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Sofia Merkulova shoved for 790,000 from middle position and after it folded round to Nicolae Paunescu in the big blind, he snap-called.

Sofia Merkulova: A♥K♥ All in
Nicolae Paunescu: A♠A♦

Merkulova was in the worst possible shape with Big Slick against the aces of Paunescu. A clean runout of 6♠4♠7♠9♣6♥ meant Paunescu's aces stayed ahead the whole way, and Merkulova was out.

Player	Chips	Progress
Nicolae Paunescu	2,100,000 800,000	800,000
Sofia Merkulova	Busted

Tags: Nicolae Paunescu Sofia Merkulova