$3,300 Main Event | 2025 Merit Poker Western Series

01-26-2025 17:53 UTC+2

Alexander Sokolovsky Eliminated in 6th Place ($75,900)

Kai Cocklin

Level 37 : Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante

Umberto Ruggeri raised from under the gun to 1,200,000 and Alexander Sokolovsky shoved from the cutoff for just over 4,000,000. When it got back to Ruggeri, he called.

Alexander Sokolovsky: A♥J♥ All in
Umberto Ruggeri: 7♦7♣

Sokolovsky needed to win this flip to stay alive, and he picked up a few more outs on the 10♣2♠Q♦ flop any king would make him Broadway. However, neither the 3♦ turn nor 6♦ river was any help to Sokolovsky, and he was out in sixth.

Player	Chips	Progress
Umberto Ruggeri	13,500,000 6,000,000	6,000,000
Alexander Sokolovsky	Busted

Tags: Umberto Ruggeri Alexander Sokolovsky

01-26-2025 17:54 UTC+2

Break Time

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Kai Cocklin

Level 37 : Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante

Players are on a 20-minute break.

01-26-2025 17:58 UTC+2

Updated Chip Counts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 37 : Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Muhtar Taysi	23,500,000 3,000,000	3,000,000
Mario Colavita	17,000,000 500,000	500,000
Mihai Niste	16,000,000 3,000,000	3,000,000
Umberto Ruggeri	15,000,000 1,500,000	1,500,000
Xiaosheng Zheng	8,000,000

01-26-2025 18:11 UTC+2

Extended Break

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Kai Cocklin

Level 37 : Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante

The clock hasn't been restarted as the players are taking an extended break.

Level: 38

Blinds: 400,000/800,000

Ante: 800,000

01-26-2025 18:42 UTC+2

Xiaosheng Zheng Eliminated in 5th Place ($94,600)

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Kai Cocklin

Level 38 : Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante

Mihai Niste raised the cutoff to 1,600,000 and Xiaosheng Zheng shoved 6,300,000 from the button. Niste called.

Xiaosheng Zheng: A♥J♥ All in
Mihai Niste: Q♥10♦

Zheng was in the lead, but not for long as Niste paired his ten on the 3♣10♠8♣ flop. Zheng picked up a gutterball on the K♠ turn, but the 7♣ river was a brick, and he was out in fifth.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mihai Niste	29,000,000 13,000,000	13,000,000
Xiaosheng Zheng	Busted

Tags: Mihai Niste Xiaosheng Zheng

01-26-2025 18:46 UTC+2

Ruggeri Takes the Chip Lead

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Kai Cocklin

Level 38 : Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante

On a flop of 5♠Q♥K♥ with around 7,000,000 in the pot , Mihai Niste had checked and Mario Colavita fired out 2,500,000. Umberto Ruggeri then shoved for around 10,000,000, Niste shoved behind, and Colavita folded.

Umberto Ruggeri: 8♥7♥ All in
Mihai Niste: 5♥4♥

"Woah, I didn't expect to see that," said Niste, who was in the lead with his pair.

The turn brought a Q♦, which put Ruggeri one step closer to the rail, but the 8♠ river gave him a bigger pair, and the chip lead!

Player	Chips	Progress
Umberto Ruggeri	28,000,000 13,000,000	13,000,000
Mihai Niste	19,000,000 10,000,000	10,000,000
Mario Colavita	8,000,000 9,000,000	9,000,000

Tags: Mario Colavita Mihai Niste Umberto Ruggeri

01-26-2025 18:57 UTC+2

Niste Back in Control

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Kai Cocklin

Level 38 : Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante

Umberto Ruggeri limped from the small blind and Mihai Niste made it 2,500,000 out of the big blind. Ruggeri called.

They saw a flop of 3♥8♠2♥ where Ruggeri checked, Niste bet 3,300,000, Ruggeri shoved, and Niste called for his stack of almost 18,000,000.

Mihai Niste: K♥7♥ All in
Umberto Ruggeri: Q♥10♥

Niste had the best of it this time and his hand held up as the 3♦7♣ runout gave him a pair of sevens.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mihai Niste	41,000,000 22,000,000	22,000,000
Umberto Ruggeri	7,000,000 21,000,000	21,000,000

Tags: Mihai Niste Umberto Ruggeri

01-26-2025 18:59 UTC+2

Ruggeri Doubles to Leave Colavita Short

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Kai Cocklin

Level 38 : Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante

Umberto Ruggeri had his stack of around 10,000,000 in the middle from under the gun and was put at risk by Mario Colavita in the small blind.

Umberto Ruggeri: A♠7♣ All in
Mario Colavita: 8♣8♦

Ruggeri went from dismay to delight when he saw the 5♦9♠A♦ flop, as he paired his ace to take the lead. A 6♠ on the turn did give Colavita a straight draw, but the 5♥ wasn't what he needed, and Ruggeri doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Umberto Ruggeri	21,000,000 14,000,000	14,000,000
Mario Colavita	2,600,000 5,400,000	5,400,000

Tags: Mario Colavita Umberto Ruggeri

01-26-2025 19:05 UTC+2

Mario Colavita Eliminated in 4th Place ($130,200)

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Kai Cocklin

Level 38 : Blinds 400,000/800,000, 800,000 ante

Mario Colavita shoved for 2,600,000 from under the gun and Umberto Ruggeri called from the small blind.

Mario Colavita: 10♠10♦ All in
Umberto Ruggeri: Q♣10♥

Colavita had a good shot at getting back into the game and stayed in the lead on the K♠3♦7♣ flop. A J♥ on the turn spiced things up for Ruggeri as he improved to an open-ended straight draw, and the 9♠ fell on the river, completing Ruggeri's straight and leaving Colavita out in fourth,

Player	Chips	Progress
Umberto Ruggeri	28,500,000 7,500,000	7,500,000
Mario Colavita	Busted

Tags: Mario Colavita Umberto Ruggeri