$2,200 Warm Up
Day 3 Started
2025 Merit Poker Western Series
$2,200 Warm Up
Day: 3
Event Info
2025 Merit Poker Western Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
Buy-in
$2,200
Prize Pool
$921,840
Entries
501
Level
35
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
38
Players Left
9
Players Left 1 / 501
Filter
(1)
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Ali Zebarjad | Australia | 1,860,000 | 37 |
| 1 | 2 | Alexandru Lupuleac | Romania | 560,000 | 11 |
| 1 | 3 | Yaniv Shushan | Israel | 755,000 | 15 |
| 1 | 4 | Gaspare Sposato | Italy | 2,555,000 | 51 |
| 1 | 5 | Darius Neagoe | Romania | 1,420,000 | 28 |
| 1 | 6 | Emrah Akansu | Turkey | 480,000 | 10 |
| 1 | 7 | Danielle Noja | Australia | 2,190,000 | 44 |
| 1 | 8 | Abdelhakim Zoufri | Netherlands | 495,000 | 10 |
| 2 | 1 | Philipp Wood | Germany | 1,615,000 | 32 |
| 2 | 2 | Andrei Roscan | Romania | 2,095,000 | 42 |
| 2 | 3 | Boris Smuskevicius | Lithuania | 385,000 | 8 |
| 2 | 4 | Emad Ghadamian | Iran | 880,000 | 18 |
| 2 | 5 | Alisa Sibgatova | Russia | 110,000 | 2 |
| 2 | 6 | Boris Kolev | Bulgaria | 965,000 | 19 |
| 2 | 7 | Albert Sapiano | United Kingdom | 2,000,000 | 40 |
| 2 | 8 | Zhen Chen | China | 1,425,000 | 29 |
| 3 | 1 | Konstantin Kvashin | Russia | 1,860,000 | 37 |
| 3 | 2 | Sachin Joshi | United Kingdom | 410,000 | 8 |
| 3 | 3 | Paul Newey | United Kingdom | 1,300,000 | 26 |
| 3 | 4 | Xin Yuan | China | 2,160,000 | 43 |
| 3 | 5 | Adlan Vikayev | Kazakhstan | 780,000 | 16 |
| 3 | 6 | Murat Bayyurt | Netherlands | 1,510,000 | 30 |
| 3 | 7 | Nikolay Ponomarev | United Kingdom | 610,000 | 12 |
| 3 | 8 | Aliaksandr Hirs | Belarus | 455,000 | 9 |
| 4 | 1 | Mario Colavit | Italy | 1,695,000 | 34 |
| 4 | 2 | Nicolas Hasbani | Lebanon | 1,220,000 | 24 |
| 4 | 3 | Kianoosh Matin | Iran | 1,810,000 | 36 |
| 4 | 4 | Sofia Merkulova | Russia | 340,000 | 7 |
| 4 | 5 | Georgios Skarparis | Cyprus | 3,400,000 | 68 |
| 4 | 6 | Haghgou Seyedahmad | Iran | 430,000 | 9 |
| 4 | 7 | Damir Zhugalin | Kazakhstan | 650,000 | 13 |
| 5 | 1 | Mario Fata | France | 3,135,000 | 63 |
| 5 | 2 | Viliyan Petleshkov | Bulgaria | 1,180,000 | 24 |
| 5 | 3 | Philip Joyce | United Kingdom | 820,000 | 16 |
| 5 | 4 | Esper Sadek | Lebanon | 1,525,000 | 31 |
| 5 | 5 | Dan Borlan | Romania | 1,905,000 | 38 |
| 5 | 6 | Grigoriy Rodin | Russia | 1,775,000 | 36 |
| 5 | 7 | Nicolae Paunescu | Romania | 1,320,000 | 26 |
The $2,200 Warm Up at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series charges into Day 3 today at 12:00 p.m. local time, with just 38 players remaining from the original 501-strong field. After a grueling Day 2 that saw players battle through 14 levels, the stakes are higher than ever as the tournament closes in on its final table inside the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
Leading the charge is Georgios Skarparis, who bagged an impressive 3,400,000 chips to sit at the summit of the counts. Hot on his heels is Mario Fata, with 3,135,000, while Gaspare Sposato rounds out the top three with 2,555,000. These players will look to cement their positions as the field narrows toward the final nine.
Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgios Skarparis | Cyprus | 3,400,000 | 68 |
| 2 | Mario Fata | France | 3,135,000 | 63 |
| 3 | Gaspare Sposato | Italy | 2,555,000 | 51 |
| 4 | Danielle Noja | Lebanon | 2,190,000 | 44 |
| 5 | Xin Yuan | China | 2,160,000 | 43 |
| 6 | Andrei Roscan | Romania | 2,095,000 | 42 |
| 7 | Albert Sapiano | United Kingdom | 2,000,000 | 40 |
| 8 | Dan Borlan | Romania | 1,905,000 | 38 |
| 9 | Ali Zebarjad | Iran | 1,860,000 | 37 |
| 10 | Konstantin Kvashin | Russia | 1,860,000 | 37 |
Among the notables returning for Day 3 are Danielle Noja (2,190,000), Dan Borlan (1,905,000), and Kianoosh Matin (1,810,000), all poised for deep runs.
Bracelet winners Darius Neagoe, Boris Kolev and the chip leader Skarparis remain in contention, while Alisa Sibgatova will return as the tournament's short stack with 110,000.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $180,200 | 10-12 | $13,180 |
| 2 | $121,100 | 13-15 | $10,695 |
| 3 | $86,040 | 16-18 | $9,220 |
| 4 | $60,070 | 19-21 | $8,020 |
| 5 | $45,050 | 22-24 | $7,190 |
| 6 | $36,140 | 25-26 | $6,360 |
| 7 | $30,035 | 27-35 | $5,530 |
| 8 | $24,025 | 36-38 | $4,790 |
| 9 | $18,020 |
Play will resume with blinds at 25,000/50,000 with a big blind ante of 50,000, and the plan is to battle down to the final table of nine players. Each hand carries immense weight as players edge closer to the $180,200 top prize.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the live updates as the tournament reaches its penultimate stage and the race to the final table heats up!
Level: 25
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 50,000
Level 25
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Cards are in the air for Day 3 of the Warm Up!
Level 25
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
In a pot that already had around 500,000 in the middle on a 10♦2♣Q♦A♥ board, Murat Bayyurt had fired 115,000 from late position and Konstantin Kvashin called on the button.
They both saw the 6♦ river and the action went check-check. Bayyurt showed K♠10♣ for a pair of tens, but Kvashin had the winner with Q♥J♥ for a pair of queens.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,250,000
390,000
|
390,000 |
|
1,100,000
410,000
|
410,000 |
Level 25
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Level 25
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Haghgou Seyedahmad has had a blistering start to Day 3 and already tripled his starting stack.
In the latest hand, Kianoosh Matin raised from middle position and Seyedahmad called on the button.
On the 4♦10♦A♥ flop, Matin fired a continuation-bet of 100,000, which Seyedahmad quickly called.
Both the 7♠ turn and 7♣ river were checked to showdown where Matin tabled a pair of tens with 10♠9♠, but Seyedahmad had the winner after he paired his ace holding A♦J♠.
"He's five for five today!" said Georgios Skarparis.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,700,000
1,270,000
|
1,270,000 |
|
600,000
1,210,000
|
1,210,000 |
Level 25
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Boris Smuskevicius was seen walking away from the table with the last of his chips heading over to Albert Sapiano.
The board read Q♣7♦8♦Q♥4♠ and Smuskevicius' A♦6♦ had missed a flush draw, and Sapiano had rivered trips holding Q♦J♣.
Both Damir Zhugralin and Adlan Vikayev also busted shortly before.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,200,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted |
Level 25
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Kianoosh Matin had his reamining 350,000 in the middle prelflop and was put at risk by Georgios Skarparis.
Kianoosh Matin: K♥J♣ 
Georgios Skarparis: A♠K♣
Matin had run into the Big Slick of the overnight chip leader, but did pick up some outs on the 8♥Q♦10♣ flop with an open-ender. However, neither the 4♦ turn nor 7♣ river could deliver the outs he needed, and he was eliminated.
Darius Neagoe also found himself on the rail shortly before Matin did.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
4,000,000
600,000
|
600,000 |
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
||
