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

01-24-2025 13:18 UTC+2

Meir Sends Genc to the Rail

Tim Baker

Level 19 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Oren Meir min-raised from middle position with Nils Pudel calling on the button before Musa Genc squeezed all in for roughly 120,000 out of the big blind. Meir shoved over the top for around 280,000 which caused Pudel to let go of his hand.

Musa Genc: A♦Q♠ All in
Oren Meir: 10♥10♣

Genc needed to win the flip to have a chance of making money in the Main Event. The flop of 7♠K♠J♠ offered a lot of outs to Genc as he picked up flush and straight draws. However, the rest of the board ran out 2♥3♥ and Meir's tens held up, sending Genc to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Nils Pudel	420,000 136,000	136,000
Oren Meir	390,000 175,000	175,000
Musa Genc	Busted

Tags: Musa Genc Nils Pudel Oren Meir

01-24-2025 13:33 UTC+2

Chen Attempts a Bluff, Aksu Doubles Up

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Kai Cocklin

Level 19 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Osman Aksu opened the cutoff to 20,000 and Zhen Chen three-bet from the button to 55,000. When it got back to Aksu, he dropped in the call.

They saw a flop of J♦6♦10♠ where Aksu check-called a bet of 40,000 from Chen to the J♥ turn, which went check-check.

An 8♦ landed on the river and Aksu quickly led out with a bet of 75,000. Chen, composed as always, took his time before he shoved, which put Aksu to the test for his remaining 325,000. Aksu didn't need to think for too long before he shrugged his shoulders, grabbed his chips, and shoved them into the pot.

Chen then revealed he had a bluff with A♥Q♠. and Aksu's nut flush holding A♦Q♦ was good for the pot and a double-up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Zhen Chen	1,000,000 500,000	500,000

Osman Aksu	1,000,000 577,000	577,000

Tags: Osman Aksu Zhen Chen

01-24-2025 13:33 UTC+2

Kolev Busts the Main Event

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Tim Baker

Level 19 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Mehmet Demirkol raised to 22,000 from early position and Boris Kolev shoved for 120,000 from the button. Mario Fata jammed over the top for 245,000, and after a bit of tanking, Demirkol folded his cards.

Boris Kolev: 8♦8♠ All in
Mario Fata: A♥J♠

Kolev found himself in a flip with two eights. Kolev stayed ahead on the 2♦K♦4♥3♥ flop and turn, but the J♣ fell on the river to give Fata the winner with a pair of jacks, sending Kolev out of the tournament.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mehmet Demirkol	520,000 166,000	166,000
Mario Fata	400,000 136,000	136,000
Boris Kolev	Busted

Tags: Boris Kolev Mario Fata Mehmet Demirkol

01-24-2025 13:42 UTC+2

Smolka Continues to Win Pots

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Tim Baker

Level 19 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Heads-up on a flop of K♣3♣8♠ in a pot between Lyudmil Ivanov in the big blind, and Dawid Smolka on the button. Ivanov checked and Smolka bet 15,000. Ivanov check-raised to 45,000 and Smolka called.

The turn came down the 5♥, and Ivanov started with a check. Smolka now took back the betting lead by carving out a bet of 50,000. Ivanov quickly folded and Smolka added to his tower of chips.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dawid Smolka	1,900,000 500,000	500,000
Lyudmil Ivanov	240,000 415,000	415,000

Tags: Dawid Smolka Lyudmil Ivanov

01-24-2025 13:43 UTC+2

Liklikadze Shows the Bluff

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Kai Cocklin

Level 19 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Both Grigoli Liklikadze and Rashad Iskandarov have seen their start-of-day chip stacks depleted and the two clashed in a pot not so long ago.

The action was picked up on a board of 3♦3♣K♣3♥ with around 125,000 in the pot. Iskandarov fired out 35,000 from the big blind, and Liklikadze called on the button.

On the 4♣ river, Iskandarov checked it over to Liklikadze, who bet 60,000. After just a short time, Iskandarov folded.

Liklikadze then revealed 10♥9♣ for a bluff as he raked in the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Rashad Iskandarov	400,000 305,000	305,000
Grigoli Liklikadze	300,000 211,000	211,000

Tags: Grigoli Liklikadze Rashad Iskandarov

01-24-2025 13:49 UTC+2

A Few Eliminations

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Tim Baker

Level 19 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Fatima Mourchid	Busted
Kirill Shcherbakov	Busted
Irina Zheleznyak	Busted
Sandra Cotescu	Busted

01-24-2025 13:53 UTC+2

Shushan Wins a Flip Against Molenaar

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Kai Cocklin

Level 19 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Yaniv Shushan had his stack of around 130,000 in the pot preflop and was put at risk by Michel Molenaar.

Yaniv Shushan: 8♠8♣ All in
Michel Molenaar: A♦Q♠

It was a flip that Shushan needed to win to stay alive, and win he did when the 10♣3♦9♠4♣4♦ runout kept his Snowmen alive.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michel Molenaar	500,000 257,000	257,000
Yaniv Shushan	300,000 168,000	168,000

Tags: Yaniv Shushan Michel Molenaar

01-24-2025 13:56 UTC+2

Borlan's King Good at Showdown

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Kai Cocklin

Level 19 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

The action was picked up with around 140,000 chips in the pot on a K♦7♠10♣7♦ board where Ruslan Bakhtiev had checked from the small blind and Dan Borlan fired out 105,000 from the big blind. Bakhtiev called.

Both then knuckled the table on the A♥ river where Bakhtiev showed 10♥9♦ for a pair of tens, but Borlan held the winner with K♥3♥ for a pair of kings to take the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dan Borlan	1,100,000 213,000	213,000
Gaspare Sposato	1,000,000 400,000	400,000
Ruslan Bakhtiev	500,000 352,000	352,000

Tags: Dan Borlan Ruslan Bakhtiev

01-24-2025 13:59 UTC+2

Fata Shoves Over Cinca's River bet

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Tim Baker

Level 19 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Georgios Skarparis raised the cutoff to 22,000 with Mario Fata calling from the button and Alexandru Cinca defending out of the big blind.

Cinca led out for 34,000 on the 8♦5♣9♣ flop and only Fata called.

The two players checked the 10♣ turn for the 6♣ to fall on the river. Cinca led out for 100,000 and was met by a shove from Fata for 455,000. Cinca went into the tank but eventually, let go of his cards and the pot was sent over to Fata.