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

01-24-2025 17:17 UTC+2

State Gets There With a Monster Combo Draw

Tim Baker

Level 22 : Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Just before the break, a huge hand happened on Table #9.

Dawid Smolka raised to 30,000 under the gun with Joseph Houayek calling from middle position and Adrian State defending out of the big blind.

State checked the 10♥7♠3♦ flop and Smolka put out a continuation-bet of 30,000. Houayek folded, but State called.

After State checked again on the 2♠ turn, Smolka put out a second barrel, this time for 200,000. State check-shoved for 831,000, which sent Smolka deep into the tank. After pondering for around two minutes, Smolka made the call to put State at risk.

Adrian State: 5♠4♠ All in
Dawid Smolka: A♦10♠

Smolka had top pair, but was against a huge combo draw of State's . If Smolka could avoid State's outs, he would become one of the biggest stacks in the room.

However, the A♠ peeled off on the river which may have given Smolka two pair, but it improved State to a flush, earning him a huge double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Adrian State	1,900,000 1,000,000	1,000,000
Dawid Smolka	1,000,000 550,000	550,000
Joseph Houayek	380,000 311,000	311,000

Tags: Adrian State Dawid Smolka Joseph Houayek

01-24-2025 17:17 UTC+2

Selected Chip Counts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 22 : Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Mihai Niste	2,650,000 1,200,000	1,200,000
Dmitry Gromov	2,500,000 300,000	300,000

Gaspare Sposato	2,200,000 1,200,000	1,200,000
Nikolay Ponomarev	1,900,000 808,000	808,000
Philip Joyce	1,800,000 300,000	300,000
Andrey Litvinov	1,800,000 50,000	50,000
Nichan Khorchidian	1,800,000 250,000	250,000
Nils Pudel	1,550,000 830,000	830,000
Suat Egilli	1,500,000 300,000	300,000
Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan	1,500,000 350,000	350,000
Georgios Skarparis	1,500,000 50,000	50,000

Tamazi Skhirtladze	1,450,000 860,000	860,000
Sergei Varnaev	1,400,000 400,000	400,000
Marcin Dziubdziela	1,380,000 520,000	520,000
Johan Guilbert	1,350,000 250,000	250,000

Edward Quinn	1,250,000 90,000	90,000

Renars Skanis	1,200,000 100,000	100,000

Level: 22

Blinds: 10,000/20,000

Ante: 20,000

01-24-2025 17:01 UTC+2

Break Time

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Players are on a 15-minute break.

01-24-2025 17:01 UTC+2

Bustouts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Volkan Karacocuk	Busted
Stanislau Charvinski	Busted
Damir Zhugralin	Busted
Volodymyr Drokin	Busted

01-24-2025 16:54 UTC+2

Mavromoustaki Wins a Four-Bet Pot

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Andreas Mavromoustakis rasied to 35,000 under the gun gun and Mohamed Mokrani three-bet to 115,000 from the button, After the blinds folded, Mavromoustaki four-bet to 240,000 and Mokrani made the call.

When the flop came down 3♠J♦5♦ Mavromoustaki put out a continuation-bet of 200,000. Mokrani had roughly 800,000 remaining in his stack, and after thinking for a few moments, he laid his hand down and forfeited the pot to Mavromoustaki.

Player	Chips	Progress
Andreas Mavromoustakis	2,550,000 950,000	950,000
Mohamed Mokrani	800,000 100,000	100,000

Tags: Andreas Mavromoustakis Mohamed Mokrani

01-24-2025 16:46 UTC+2

Biz Bubbles the Record-Breaking Main Event

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

It seemed the entire room was waiting for Mustafa Biz to bust, as he had just a single white chip, worth 25,000.

Eventually, Biz stuck his chip in from under the gun and Zhen Chen called in the hijack. Dmitry Gromov then three-bet to 100,000, and Chen folded.

Mustafa Biz: 6♠5♦ All in
Dmitry Gromov: 9♦7♥

"I'm trying to help you," said Gromov as he turned his cards over. The Russian player has been enjoying the bubble and probably wanted to lose this hand so that he could continue to accumulate chips.

However, the board had other ideas as the 2♥9♥Q♦Q♥7♣ runout meant Biz was eliminated on 104th, while everybody else remaining in the field made the money.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dmitry Gromov	2,800,000 400,000	400,000

Zhen Chen	150,000 30,000	30,000

Mustafa Biz	Busted

Tags: Dmitry Gromov Mustafa Biz Zhen Chen

01-24-2025 16:41 UTC+2

Demirkol Chips Up on the Bubble

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Georgios Skarparis rasied to 30,000 from early position with Nicolae Paunescu calling on the button before Mehmet Demirkol squeezed it up to 120,000 from the small blind. Skarparis folded, but Paunescu called to see a flop.

Demirkol continued with a bet of 35,000 on the A♦K♠K♣ flop. Paunescu called.

The 3♥ turn and 6♥ river got checked down by both players and Demirkol took down the pot with A♥Q♣ for a flopped pair of aces.

Player	Chips	Progress
Georgios Skarparis	1,550,000

Mehmet Demirkol	720,000
Nicolae Paunescu	300,000

Tags: Georgios Skarparis Mehmet Demirkol Nicolae Paunescu

01-24-2025 16:25 UTC+2

Zheng Takes From Marsh

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan raised to 30,000 under the gun and Xiaosheng Zheng called from the cutoff. Luke Marsh squeezed to 115,000 from the big blind and only Zheng called.

Marsh continued with a bet of 65,000 on the J♥Q♠4♦ flop. Zheng took a few moments before making the call.

The turn came the 6♦ and Marsh slowed down and checked. Zheng announced all in for Marsh's remaining 300,000, and Marsh instantly folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Xiaosheng Zheng	1,500,000 556,000	556,000
Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan	1,150,000 150,000	150,000
Luke Marsh	300,000 200,000	200,000

Tags: Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan Luke Marsh Xiaosheng Zheng

01-24-2025 16:17 UTC+2

Pudel Doubles On the Bubble

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Dmitry Gromov opened from early position to 30,000 and Nils Pudel shoved from the next seat for 342,000. Zhen Chen was in the big blind and called, then Gromov folded.

Nils Pudel: A♦K♦ All in
Zhen Chen : A♠K♣

The most likely scenario was that the two would chop, but Pudel had a chance to snatch it all after the J♦2♠6♦ flop gave him a flush draw. Pudel didn't need to wait too long before he celebrated, as the 4♦ turn gave him an unbeatable flush. A meaningless 5♣ dropped on the river, and Pudel doubled up.

The bubble continues...

Player	Chips	Progress
Dmitry Gromov	2,400,000 600,000	600,000

Nils Pudel	720,000 220,000	220,000
Zhen Chen	180,000 820,000	820,000

Tags: Dmitry Gromov Nils Pudel Zhen Chen