Mohamed Mokrani raised to 160,000 and was faced with a three-bet of 350,000 from Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan. Mokrani then shoved for around 1,000,000, and Moldovan quickly called.
Mokrani knows better than most that you need to win flips to win tournaments, and this one went against him as Moldovan paired his queen on the 5♦6♦Q♣9♣6♥ runout.
Xiaosheng Zheng raised to 225,000 from the small blind and Umberto Ruggeri defended out of the big blind.
Zheng continued with a bet of 175,000 on the K♦5♥K♥ flop and Ruggeri called.
The turn came the K♠ and Zheng check-called a bet of 225,000 from Ruggeri.
The two players checked the J♠ river and Zheng took down the pot with A♣5♣ for a full house, kings full of fives. Ruggeri showed he started the hand with the superior ace, as he flipped over A♠10♥.
Arian Kashani recalled his bustout hand as he departed in 31st from the Main Event.
Gaspare Sposato opened the button to 135,000 and Kashani shoved for around 600,000 from the big blind. Sposato, with just over a million to start the hand, made the call.
Arian Kashani: 9♣9♥
Gaspare Sposato: K♠10♦
Kashani was flipping for his tournament life, which unfortunately ended after the Sposato hit a ten on the flop.
Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan raised to 100,000 from the cutoff and Philip Joyce defended out of the big blind.
The dealer fanned out a flop of 3♥4♣5♦ and Joyce opted to lead out for 90,000. Moldovan called.
The 2♣ dropped on the turn and Joyce led out again, this time for 460,000. Moldovan pondered briefly before making the call to see a river.
When the K♠ dropped on the river, Joyce did a bit of inventory before betting 1,685,000, leaving himself just 5,000 behind. Moldovan went deep into the tank, thinking for almost two minutes. Eventually, he slammed down the call.
Joyce flipped over a bluff with Q♣7♥, and Moldovan turned over the A♣2♥ for the low-end of a straight to scoop in a massive pot, after picking off Joyce's bluff.
On the next hand, Joyce was forced all-in from the small blind and was eliminated from the Main Event.
Ibrahim Ghasan got all of his 1,600,000 chips into the middle preflop against Xiaosheng Zheng, who had the covering stack.
Ibrahim Ghasan: K♣K♦
Xiaosheng Zheng: J♠J♣
Ghasan's Cowboys were way ahead of the pocket jacks of Zheng. The flop of K♥6♦Q♣ put Ghasan even further ahead, having flopped a set of kings, and now could only lose to running cards. The A♣ on the turn presented a slight sweat as Zheng picked up a gutshot straight draw. The river was a soul-crushing 10♣ to give Zheng a Broadway straight with his jacks, earning him the pot and sending Ghasan to the rail in heartbreaking fashion.
Hassan Sey shoved under the gun for roughly 400,000 with Roman Gadzhiev calling from the small blind to try and finish him off.
Hassan Sey: 10♠10♥
Roman Gadzhiev: A♦Q♠
It was another race between these two, but this time, the roles were reversed as Sey was the player with the pair and the player at risk of elimination. A clean runout of 5♠8♥4♣J♣J♥ meant that Sey's pocket tens earned him the double up.
Can Miral opened from early position to 100,000 before Max Deveson three-bet to 800,000 from the cutoff with roughly 200,000 behind. Tamazi Skhirtladze then made it 1,900,000 out of the small blind. Miral folded, but Deveson called for the remainder of his stack.
Max Deveson: 7♣7♠
Tamazi Skhirtladze: K♣K♠
Deveson had run into the Cowboys of Skhirtladze, and would need to find some help from the dealer if he was to continue his Main Event run. However, the runout of 8♠A♣6♦6♥2♣ didn't improve Deveson and he headed to the payout desk early on Day 4
Georgios Skarparis opened from the cutoff to 110,000 and Candido Cappiello three-bet from the small blind to 355,000. Skarparis responded with a four-bet to 750,000, and Cappiello shoved for almost 1,600,000. Skarparis snap-called with a slightly covering stack.
Candido Cappiello: A♥K♠
Georgios Skarparis: A♠A♦
Disaster for Cappiello as he runs right into the aces of Skarparis in the opening seconds of Day 4. There was still a runout to sweat, but the 8♣J♣5♥ flop offered little help to Cappiello. He was dead when the 3♦ hit the turn, and a meaningless 10♥ dropped on the river.
Day 4 of the $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series kicks off today at 12 p.m., with just 39 players left in the hunt for the coveted $377,500 top prize. After three action-packed days at the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, the stakes are higher than ever as the field narrows toward the final table.
Leading the charge is Dmitry Gromov, who enters the day with a commanding stack of 6,200,000, more than 120 big blinds. The Russian player is no stranger to deep runs in Merit Poker Main Events, and with his current momentum, he's in prime position to claim his first Main Event title.
Top Ten Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Dmitry Gromov
Russia
6,200,000
124
2
Renars Skanis
Latvia
5,300,000
106
3
Tamer Kamel
United Kingdom
3,685,000
74
4
Mihai Niste
Romania
3,660,000
73
5
Ryan Mandara
United Kingdom
3,500,000
70
6
Umberto Ruggeri
Italy
3,365,000
67
7
Johan Guilbert
France
2,895,000
58
8
Mohamed Mokrani
France
2,585,000
52
9
Can Miral
Turkey
2,545,000
51
10
Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan
Romania
2,510,000
50
Also in contention is Latvia's Renars Skanis, who bagged an impressive 5,300,000 and will be looking to leverage his chip advantage. Rounding out the top three is the UK's Tamer Kamel, who brings 3,685,000 chips into Day 4.
Ryan Mandara, the Day 1d chip leader, has positioned himself well for a run at the final table, bringing the fifth-largest stack of 3,500,000 into Day 4. Edward Quinn, who led the field on Day 1a, also remains in contention with a solid stack of 2,410,000. Meanwhile, Day 2 chip leader Zhen Chen saw his tournament come to an end on Day 3, finishing in the money.
Edward Quinn
The remaining field includes a mix of experienced pros and rising stars, including last year's champion Mohamed Mokrani and the Warm Up winner Georgios Skarparis, all vying for a spot at the final table.
Remaining Payouts
Place
Prize
1
$377,500
2
$251,000
3
$180,300
4
$130,200
5
$94,600
6
$75,900
7
$63,200
8
$50,500
9
$37,950
10-12
$28,900
13-15
$23,440
16-18
$20,170
19-21
$17,985
22-24
$16,020
25-26
$14,055
27-35
$12,305
36-39
$10,560
All remaining players are now guaranteed a payout of $10,560, but the ultimate goal remains the $377,500 first-place prize. A spot at the final table ensures a minimum payday of $37,950, adding even more incentive as the competition heats up.
With the blinds resuming at 25,000/50,000 and a 50,000 big blind ante, the average stack of just over 2,000,000 equates to 40 big blinds. The plan for today is to battle down to the final nine players, setting the stage for tomorrow’s grand finale.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you all the live updates and key hands from Day 4 of the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series Main Event.
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