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

01-24-2025 21:11 UTC+2

Ersoy Survives; Litvinov Gets a Penalty

Kai Cocklin

Level 25 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Cagdas Ersoy shoved for around 200,000 from under the gun and Andrey Litvinov called in the next seat. When it got to Tamazi Skhirtladze, Litvinov revealed his cards, perhaps without realizing that Skhirtladze still had to act.

The floor were called to give a ruling and while it was being explained, Skhirtladze folded.

Cagdas Ersoy: Q♣10♠ All in
Andrey Litvinov: A♦10♦

Ersoy was dominated and on the brink of elimination, but managed to river a queen on the 7♦8♥J♠7♥Q♠ runout to stay alive.

After the hand, Litvinov was given a two-hand penalty for exposing his cards early.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrey Litvinov	2,900,000 600,000	600,000
Cagdas Ersoy	500,000 250,000	250,000

Tags: Andrey Litvinov Cagdas Ersoy Tamazi Skhirtladze

01-24-2025 21:02 UTC+2

Mandara Wins a Small Multi-Way Pot

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Tim Baker

Level 25 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Maksim Shornikau raised the hijack to 80,000 with Ryan Mandara calling from the small blind and Candido Cappiello defending his big blind.

Three-ways to a flop of 8♠8♦J♠, which everyone checked to see the 4♠ fall on the turn. Mandara and Cappiello checked, but Shornikau bet 210,000. Only Mandara called.

The 5♦ hit the river and both players checked. Mandara turned over A♠J♦ for a flopped pair of jacks and Shornikau mucked his cards.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ryan Mandara	3,400,000 400,000	400,000

Candido Cappiello	2,100,000
Maksim Shornikau	550,000 250,000	250,000

Tags: Candido Cappiello Maksim Shornikau Ryan Mandara

01-24-2025 21:01 UTC+2

Last Level Eliminations

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Kai Cocklin

Level 25 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Alexandru Cinca	Busted
Simeon Spasov	Busted

Osman Aksu	Busted
Nikolay Ponomarev	Busted
Hugo De La Fouchardiere	Busted
Walid Bou Habib	Busted

01-24-2025 20:58 UTC+2

Skhirtladze Makes the Right Call

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Kai Cocklin

Level 25 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

On a board of A♣4♦K♦7♦9♥, there were around 500,000 chips in the pot when Tamazi Skhirtladze checked from the small blind and Cagdas Ersoy bet 300,000 from the big blind. Can Miral was in the hijack and called, then Skhirtladze went into the tank for around a minute. After thinking it over, he called.

Ersoy showed two pair with A♠9♣, Miral mucked, and Skhirtladze took the pot with his turned set holding 7♣7♥.

Player	Chips	Progress
Can Miral	2,800,000 200,000	200,000
Tamazi Skhirtladze	2,300,000 1,000,000	1,000,000
Cagdas Ersoy	250,000 39,000	39,000

Tags: Can Miral Tamazi Skhirtladze Cagdas Ersoy

01-24-2025 20:49 UTC+2

Cappiello Snap-Folds to Skanis' Turn Bet

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Kai Cocklin

Level 25 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Renars Skanis opened from under the gun to 80,000 and Ryan Mandara called on the button, before Candido Cappiello made it 420,000 from the small blind. Skanis took back his initial raise and dropped in calling chips, and Mandara folded.

They saw a flop of 5♠7♥J♦ where Cappiello put out a bet of 240,000, which Skanis called pretty quickly.

Cappiello slowed down and tapped the table when the 10♥ rolled off on the turn, then Skanis thought for some time before he slid out a bet of 600,000. Before Skanis could even release his hands from the chips, Cappiello had folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ryan Mandara	3,000,000 200,000	200,000

Renars Skanis	2,900,000 800,000	800,000

Candido Cappiello	2,100,000 600,000	600,000

Tags: Candido Cappiello Renars Skanis Ryan Mandara

01-24-2025 20:46 UTC+2

Gromov Eliminates Aksu With Cowboys

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Tim Baker

Level 25 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Osman Aksu got the last of his chips into the middle preflop and Dmitry Gromov made the call to try and bust him.

Osman Aksu: A♠9♠ All in
Dmitry Gromov: K♠K♥

Aksu couldn't find any spades or an ace to crack the pocket kings of Gromov, as the board ran out 3♣5♥J♦7♦8♥, and all of Aksu's chips were sent over to Gromov.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dmitry Gromov	6,800,000 1,500,000	1,500,000

Osman Aksu	Busted

Tags: Dmitry Gromov Osman Aksu

01-24-2025 20:39 UTC+2

Fouchardiere Runs into Aces

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Tim Baker

Level 25 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

Hugo De La Fouchardiere got his last 315,000 into the middle preflop and Tamazi Skhirtladze called from the button to try and send him home.

Hugo De La Fouchardiere: K♦Q♥ All in
Tamazi Skhirtladze: A♥A♦

Fouchardiere had ran into Skhirtladze's aces and needed a miracle to survive. There was no help for Fouchardiere on the 10♣7♠2♣4♦J♦ runout and he was sent to the rail in the last level of Day 3.

Player	Chips	Progress
Tamazi Skhirtladze	1,300,000 150,000	150,000
Hugo De La Fouchardiere	Busted

Tags: Hugo De La Fouchardiere Tamazi Skhirtladze

01-24-2025 20:37 UTC+2

Niste Leads the River

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Kai Cocklin

Level 25 : Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante

On a board of Q♥K♣5♦5♠, there were already around 500,000 chips in the pot when Mihai Niste checked from the big blind and Renars Skanis fired out 250,000 on the button. Niste called.

An A♣ dropped on the river and Niste stayed motionless for some time, then he reached for chips and stacked a bet of 755,000 together, before sliding it across the line. Skanis took a deep breathe and with one more peek at his cards, he laid his cards down.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ryan Mandara	3,200,000 200,000	200,000

Mihai Niste	2,600,000 400,000	400,000
Renars Skanis	2,100,000 1,100,000	1,100,000

Tags: Mihai Niste Renars Skanis

Level: 25

Blinds: 20,000/40,000

Ante: 40,000

01-24-2025 20:25 UTC+2

Ruggeri Wins a Crucial Flip

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Tim Baker

Level 24 : Blinds 15,000/30,000, 30,000 ante

Umberto Ruggeri and Walid Bou Habib just got all of their chips into the middle preflop with Ruggeri being the player at risk for his last 550,000.

Umberto Ruggeri: 10♥10♣ All in
Walid Bou Habib: A♠J♥

It was a flip that Ruggeri needed to win to have a chance of making it through to the penultimate day of the Main Event. The board ran out Q♥6♦9♦5♠9♠ which kept Ruggeri ahead the whole way, and he doubled at the expense of Habib.

Player	Chips	Progress
Umberto Ruggeri	1,200,000 500,000	500,000
Walid Bou Habib	1,050,000 170,000	170,000

Tags: Umberto Ruggeri Walid Bou Habib