button in Safari
$3,300 Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2025 Merit Poker Western Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
2025 Merit Poker Western Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$2,183,160
Total Entries
791
Level
39
Blinds
500,000 / 1,000,000
Ante
1,000,000
Entries
218
Players Left
81
Players Left 1 / 791
Filter
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
The $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series continued to break records inside the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, with an impressive 218 entries recorded on Day 1b. This marks the largest single flight in a Western Series Main Event since the pandemic, showcasing the growing popularity of this marquee tournament.
By the end of nine grueling levels, only 81 players survived, with Australia's Ehsan Amiri bagging an enormous 902,500 chips to secure the chip lead.
The total number of entries across the first two flights now stands at 400, with two more starting flights still to come. With late registration open until the end of Level 14, midway through Day 2, the prize pool is well on its way to surpassing the $1,500,000 guarantee.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ehsan Amiri | Australia | 902,500 |
| 2 | Dmitry Gromov | Russia | 706,500 |
| 3 | Philip Joyce | United Kingdom | 660,000 |
| 4 | Joseph Houayek | Lebanon | 579,000 |
| 5 | Stanislau Charvinski | Belarus | 573,500 |
| 6 | Tamer Kamel | United Kingdom | 532,000 |
| 7 | Walid Bou Habib | Lebanon | 492,000 |
| 8 | Hassan Sey | Philippines | 474,000 |
| 9 | Themistoklis Themistokleous | Cyprus | 459,500 |
| 10 | Andrei Roscan | Romania | 455,500 |
Another record set today is Amiri's massive stack, with it being the largest recorded in any Western Series Main Event opening flight since the pandemic, and perhaps even longer in the tournament's history. His impressive performance saw him accumulate the equivalent of nine starting stacks—one for each level played throughout the day.
Dmitry Gromov also bagged a healthy stack, finishing the day with 706,500 chips. The Russian player, who placed third in the Gatsby Gala Main Event just a few months ago, has made Cyprus his playground, boasting over 100 career cashes. Gromov is no stranger to success in Merit Poker Main Events, with cashes in no less than ten previous editions. He’s now positioned himself well for a potential eleventh deep run here.
Philip Joyce rounds out the top three with a stack of 660,000, and they were the only players to surpass the 600,000-chip mark. Walid Bou Habib (492,000), Hassan Sey (474,000), and Andrei Roscan (455,500) also made it into the top ten.
As Day 1c and Day 1d approach, the Main Event is poised to see even more players join the action, all vying for a spot in Day 2. Players in the final two flights will start with 100,000 in chips and play through nine levels, with the survivors making it into Day 2 on Thursday, January 23.
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 22 | Day 1c | 12:00 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| January 22 | Day 1d | 7:00 p.m. | 25 minutes |
| January 23 | Day 2 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| January 24 | Day 3 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| January 25 | Day 4 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| January 26 | Day 5 | 1:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates and chip counts as we continue our coverage of the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Players are now bagging up their chips as Day 1b has come to an end.
It seems like Ehsan Amiri is the outright chip leader with a humongous stack of 902,500!
Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action and the chip counts of the survivors.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
The floor have announced that five more hands will be played before the surviving players bag up for the evening.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
On a board of 8♣4♣J♠3♦, there were already around 80,000 chips in the pot when Lyudmil Ivanov checked from the small blind and Ehsan Amiri fired 42,000 out of the big blind. Ivanov called.
Ivanov tapped the table when the 6♣ landed on the river, then Amiri went into the tank for a while. After some time, he checked back.
Ivanov then revealed 9♥9♣, but Amiri checked back top set with J♦J♣ to take the pot.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Florian Duta was seen walking away from his table and all his 100,000-chip stack was being pushed in Walid Bou Habib's direction.
The full board read 10♥Q♠4♣4♦3♥ and Duta's K♠J♠ missed an open-ended straight draw, which meant Habib's A♠A♣ was more than enough to scoop in the pot.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
On a flop of 9♦9♣8♣, Fares Sahyoun checked from the big blind and Ehsan Amiri fired out 7,000 from the hijack. Adrian State called on the button, and Sahyoun also called.
They saw the 4♥ land on the turn and again Sahyoun checked, then Amiri put out a chunky bet of 50,000. State called, then Sahyoun shoved for around 85,000. Both Amiri and State called.
A 6♠ completed the board and Amiri put out a bet of 50,000, which got a quick fold out of State.
Amiri then showed trips with J♣9♥, but Sahyoun had a boat holding 8♠8♦ to scoop the pot and triple up.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
In the 874th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz talk about Phil Hellmuth's new poker sponsorship with Bet Rivers. That means he joins a team that includes another Phil in Phil Galfond.
They then look at some in the poker world impacted by the fires in Los Angeles, an 11-way chop in a massive event at Minnesota's Canterbury Park, and how "Crazy" Carl Carodenuto got the best of it. Other stories covered include Jeremy Ausmus winning both the 2024 PokerGO Tour Player of the Year and the $1,000,000 PGT Championship, Shannon Shorr and Martin Zamani claiming PGT Last Chance titles, and Vanessa Rousso making a rare appearance in the poker world.
Chad then sits down for a one-on-one talk with Joris Dekker, the creator of a new, high-end luxury coffee-table book — The Las Vegas Book — that has captured the history and elegance of Sin City. Find out how it came to be, what it took to bring it to life, and some fun stories along the way.
Finally, it's your final opportunity to win your way to Las Vegas as part of the "Vegas Vacation Sweepstakes" being held by the WSOP Free-to-Play App.
The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips!
A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
