$5,300 High Roller
Day 1 Started
2025 Merit Poker Western Series
$5,300 High Roller
Day: 1
Event Info
2025 Merit Poker Western Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
Buy-in
$5,300
Prize Pool
$800,400
Entries
174
Level
30
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
95
Players Left
69
Players Left 1 / 174
Filter
(1)
The 2025 Merit Poker Western Series has ridden back into town at the luxurious Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, bringing with it one of its marquee events, the $5,300 High Roller. Set to kick off at 8:00 p.m. local time, this high-stakes showdown boasts a guaranteed prizepool of $500,000 and promises to deliver thrills worthy of the Wild West.
This year’s High Roller follows a similar structure to the 2024 edition, where Maksim Shornikau emerged as the last cowboy standing. The Belarusian bested a field of 153 players, pocketing $177,500 after a heads-up duel with Shuang Luo of China. With a posse of breakout stars and seasoned sharpshooters expected to saddle up this year, this looks to be another unforgettable event.
2024 Western Series $5,300 High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maksim Shornikau | Belarus | $177,500 |
| 2 | Shuang Luo | China | $125,100 |
| 3 | Aleksandar Tot | Montenegro | $81,500 |
| 4 | Aleksandr Kirichenko | Russia | $58,500 |
| 5 | Anatoly Nikitin | Russia | $43,800 |
| 6 | Bogdan Munteanu | Romania | $35,100 |
| 7 | Tarmo Tammel | Estonia | $29,200 |
| 8 | Guoliang Wei | China | $23,400 |
| 9 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | $17,500 |
Players kicking off Day 1 of this four-day rodeo will start with a stack of 100,000 chips and play through eight 40-minute blind levels. The blinds will begin at 200/400 with a big blind ante of 400. Late registration and unlimited reentries will remain open until the end of Level 12 on Day 2.
With many of the region's top poker gunslingers already spotted in the Warm Up field and a treasure chest of $500,000 up for grabs, this High Roller promises to be a showdown for the ages.
$5,300 High Roller Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 17 | Day 1 | 8 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| January 18 | Day 2 | 8 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| January 19 | Day 3 | 4 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| January 20 | Day 4 | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for comprehensive live coverage of this event, from the first deal to the crowning of the champion on Monday, January 20.
In the 874th episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway, Kyna England, and Mike Holtz talk about Phil Hellmuth's new poker sponsorship with Bet Rivers. That means he joins a team that includes another Phil in Phil Galfond.
They then look at some in the poker world impacted by the fires in Los Angeles, an 11-way chop in a massive event at Minnesota's Canterbury Park, and how "Crazy" Carl Carodenuto got the best of it. Other stories covered include Jeremy Ausmus winning both the 2024 PokerGO Tour Player of the Year and the $1,000,000 PGT Championship, Shannon Shorr and Martin Zamani claiming PGT Last Chance titles, and Vanessa Rousso making a rare appearance in the poker world.
Chad then sits down for a one-on-one talk with Joris Dekker, the creator of a new, high-end luxury coffee-table book — The Las Vegas Book — that has captured the history and elegance of Sin City. Find out how it came to be, what it took to bring it to life, and some fun stories along the way.
Finally, it's your final opportunity to win your way to Las Vegas as part of the "Vegas Vacation Sweepstakes" being held by the WSOP Free-to-Play App.
The podcast is sponsored by the #1 free-to-play WSOP app. Remember to use bonus code "POKERNEWS" if you download and play for an extra 1,000,000 in chips!
A new PokerNews Podcast will drop weekly every Friday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!
There will be a delayed start in the $5,300 High Roller. When action gets underway, PokerNews will be on hand to deliver updates.
Level: 1
Blinds: 200/400
Ante: 400
Level 1
: Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
Play is now underway in the $5,300 High Roller!
Level 1
: Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
||
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
||
Level 1
: Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
Simeon Spasov raised to 900 under the gun with Dan Bolan calling on the button, Halil Tasyurek calling out of the small blind, and Dan Borlan calling from the big blind.
Four-way to a flop of 9♦4♠8♣ which got checked to Gabdullin and he bet 1,100. Tasyurek check-raised to 3,500. Borlan folded, Spasov called, and Gabdullin folded.
The turn came the 5♥ and this time Tasyurek opted to check-call a bet of 8,000 from Spasov.
When the 5♠ hit the river, Tasyurek checked for the last time and Spasov put out a big bet of 22,000. Tasyurek quickly folded and Spasov won a nice early pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
118,000
118,000
|
118,000 |
|
||
|
99,000
99,000
|
99,000 |
|
|
98,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
|
86,000
14,000
|
14,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
Luke Marsh raised to 1,000 from middle position with Evgeniy Golenko and Damir Gabdullin calling out of the blinds.
Golenko checked out of the small blind on the 5♣2♥8♦ flop and Gabdullin led out for 1,400 from the big blind. Marsh folded, but Golenko called.
The 4♣ turn checked through for the K♦ to land on the river. Golenko led out this time for 2,200 and Gabdullin snap-called.
Golenko flipped over two pair with K♠2♠ and it was good to take down the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
105,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
99,000
99,000
|
99,000 |
|
|
85,000
13,000
|
13,000 |
Level 1
: Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
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||
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
