$3,300 Main Event Day 4 | 2025 Merit Poker Western Series

01-25-2025 20:10 UTC+2

Tamer Kamel Eliminated in 13th Place ($23,440)

Tim Baker

Level 32 : Blinds 100,000/200,000, 200,000 ante

Tamer Kamel got his remaining 3,500,000 into the middle preflop from the small blind with Mihai Niste being the player to try and send him home out of the big blind.

Tamer Kamel: K♣K♦ All in
Mihai Niste: A♠10♥

Kamel was in fantastic shape to double through Niste if his pocket kings could hold up. However, a brutal flop of A♣5♦8♣ put Niste firmly in the lead with a pair of aces. The rest of the board ran out J♠6♥ which was clean for Niste and Kamel was out of the Main Event.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mihai Niste	7,300,000 2,300,000	2,300,000
Tamer Kamel	Busted

Tags: Mihai Niste Tamer Kamel

Level: 33

Blinds: 125,000/250,000

Ante: 250,000

01-25-2025 20:14 UTC+2

Pedro Munitis Eliminated in 12th Place ($28,900)

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Kai Cocklin

Level 33 : Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante

Mihai Niste made it 500,000 to go from the cutoff and Pedro Munitis shoved for around 3,000,000 from the big blind, Niste called.

Pedro Munitis: K♣Q♠ All in
Mihai Niste: A♥Q♦

Munitis was dominated and couldn't find any help on the 2♦J♥6♣ flop. A 3♥ on the turn left Munitis needing to find a king on the river, but the J♣ wasn't the right paint he needed.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mihai Niste	11,400,000 4,100,000	4,100,000
Pedro Munitis	Busted

Tags: Mihai Niste Pedro Munitis

01-25-2025 20:18 UTC+2

Quinn Survives a Sweaty Situation

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Kai Cocklin

Level 33 : Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante

The action folded to Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan on the button, who shoved into the two shorter stacks in the blinds. Edward Quinn looked down at his cards in the big blind and immediately put his stack of 4,450,000 at risk.

Edward Quinn: A♣K♥ All in
Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan: J♦10♦

Quinn was in the lead, but certainly wouldn't have felt comfortable seeing the hand of his opponent. That level of uncomfortableness was turned up a few notches when the 6♦Q♦5♥ flop gave Moldovan a flush draw to go along with his pair outs.

A 6♠ on the turn put Quinn one step closer to a double-up, and he breathed a massive, massive sigh of relief when the 4♠ hit the river.

Sweaty!

Player	Chips	Progress
Edward Quinn	9,000,000 5,000,000	5,000,000

Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan	2,800,000 4,700,000	4,700,000

Tags: Edward Quinn Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan

01-25-2025 20:22 UTC+2

Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan Eliminated in 11th Place ($28,900)

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Tim Baker

Level 33 : Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante

Mihai Niste raised the button to 500,000 and Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan defended his big blind.

Moldovan checked when the A♦9♦Q♠ flop came down and Niste put out a continuation-bet of 400,000. Moldovan thought for a while before he check-shoved for roughly 1,800,000. Niste quickly called and the cards were turned over.

Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan: J♥9♠ All in
Mihai Niste: A♠2♠

Moldovan was behind right now with bottom pair against Niste's top pair. The 6♣ turn didn't change anything, and neither did the 7♠ river. Moldovan was out in eleventh and the tournament was one more elimination away from the final table.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mihai Niste	13,300,000 1,900,000	1,900,000
Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan	Busted

Tags: Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan Mihai Niste

01-25-2025 20:37 UTC+2

Ruggeri Shows Top Pair

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Tim Baker

Level 33 : Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante

Umberto Ruggeri limped from the small blind and Muhtar Taysi checked his option from the big blind.

Uggeri led out for 250,000 on the 3♥9♠6♦ flop and Taysi called.

The 5♠ fell on the turn and Uggeri bet again, this time for 350,000. Taysi called again.

Uggeri bet 400,000 when the 3♠ appeared on the river and this time, Taysi folded. Uggeri showed top pair with the 9♣ as the pot was sent over to him.

Player	Chips	Progress
Umberto Ruggeri	6,800,000 1,100,000	1,100,000
Muhtar Taysi	6,700,000 1,300,000	1,300,000

Tags: Umberto Ruggeri Muhtar Taysi

01-25-2025 20:40 UTC+2

Niste Makes a Quick Laydown

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Kai Cocklin

Level 33 : Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante

Mihai Niste raised to 500,000 from under the gun and Renars Skanis called on the button.

They went to a flop of 6♥4♦8♥, which was checked through to the 9♠ turn where Niste bet 600,000, and Skanis called.

When the A♠ dropped on the river, Niste chcked and Skanis fired out 1,500,000. Niste immediately folded and showed J♥J♦ as he did so.

Player	Chips	Progress
Renars Skanis	15,000,000 3,800,000	3,800,000

Mihai Niste	14,500,000 1,200,000	1,200,000

Tags: Mihai Niste Renars Skanis

01-25-2025 20:43 UTC+2

Colavita Holds To Double Through Niste

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Kai Cocklin

Level 33 : Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante

Mario Colavita raised the button to 500,000 and Mihai Niste shoved from the big blind. Colavita quickly called for his stack of 4,800,000.

Mario Colavita: 9♣9♦ All in
Mihai Niste: J♣10♣

Niste was certainly pleased to find himself in a flip, but didn't like the 6♠K♣7♠ flop as he didn't improve. A K♥ on the turn changed nothing, and neither did the Q♠ river, which meant Colavita doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mario Colavita	10,000,000 6,300,000	6,300,000
Mihai Niste	9,700,000 4,800,000	4,800,000

Tags: Mario Colavita Mihai Niste

01-25-2025 20:52 UTC+2

Dmitry Gromov Eliminated in 10th Place ($28,900)

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Tim Baker

Level 33 : Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante

Dmitry Gromov raised to 800,000 under the gun and Umberto Ruggeri three-bet to 1,400,000 from the cutoff. After it folded back to Gromov he burned through two of his time bank cards before making the call with roughly 925,000 behind.

Gromov checked the 4♥J♠9♦ flop and Ruggeri bet enough to put Gromov all in. Gromov thought for a few moments before making the call.

Dmitry Gromov: 8♦8♣ All in
Umberto Ruggeri: Q♥Q♣

Gromov was behind for now with two eights against the pocket queens of Ruggeri. The 2♥ came on the turn and Gromov was one card away from being the final table bubble boy of the Main Event. The 6♦ peeled off on the river to cement Gromov's elimination in tenth, and the final table for the 2025 Western Series Main Event was set.