$5,300 High Roller Day 3 | 2025 Merit Poker Western Series

01-19-2025 20:51 UTC+3

Auzoux Bubbles the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series $5,300 High Roller

Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

Gregoire Auzoux raised to 50,000 under the gun and Maher Achour three-bet the small blind to 200,000. Auzoux instantly shoved for 705,000 and Achour snap-called.

Gregoire Auzoux: 10♠10♥ All in
Maher Achour: K♣K♦

Achour had just one big blind more than Auzoux and if his Cowboys could hold up, he would eliminate the overnight chip leader and send the remaining players into the money.

The flop of A♥2♥2♠ didn't change anything and Achour was still ahead with his pocket kings. The A♠ turn meant only a ten on the river would keep the tournament on the bubble. The river was the J♦ and the remaining players had all made the money.

Player	Chips	Progress
Maher Achour	1,500,000 700,000	700,000
Gregoire Auzoux	Busted

Tags: Gregoire Auzoux Maher Achour

01-19-2025 20:38 UTC+3

Varnaev Doubles With Big Slick

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

On the direct bubble, Mircea Flutur raised to 50,000 and Sergei Varnaev three-bet to 200,000 with 150,000 behind. When it got back to Flutur he did a bit of inventory before he four-bet shoved to put Varnaev all in. Varnaev called.

Sergei Varnaev: A♣K♠ All in
Mircea Flutur: 8♦8♣

Varnaev had direct bubbled the Warm Up earlier this series, and if he couldn't find some help with his Big Slick, he would have earned his second title of bubble boy in a week.

However, the 3♣K♥5♦ flop put him firmly in the lead with top pair. The 2♣ turn and Q♦ river didn't help Flutur and around half of hist stack was sent over to Varnaev.

Player	Chips	Progress
Sergei Varnaev	800,000 500,000	500,000
Mircea Flutur	305,000 395,000	395,000

Tags: Mircea Flutur Sergei Varnaev

01-19-2025 20:29 UTC+3

Ivanov Takes From Arda

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

Ozgur Arda raised to 85,000 from the small blind and Lyudmil Ivanov defended out of the big blind.

The flop came down J♦7♣7♦ and Arda continued with a bet of 55,000, which Ivanov called.

When the A♥ fell on the turn Arda decided to check-fold to a bet of 160,000 by Ivanov.

Player	Chips	Progress
Lyudmil Ivanov	1,050,000 200,000	200,000

Ozgur Arda	1,000,000 200,000	200,000

01-19-2025 20:19 UTC+3

Three Table Redraw

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

Table	Seat	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	1	Paul Runcan	Romania	875,000	35
1	2	Roman Stoika	Russia	330,000	13
1	3	Aliaksandr Hirs	Belarus	675,000	27
1	4	Suat Egilli	Turkey	275,000	11
1	5	Mustafa Biz	Turkey	1,100,000	44
1	6	Gaspare Sposato	Italy	725,000	29
1	7	Sachin Joshi	United Kingdom	450,000	18
1	8	Ihar Soika	Belarus	250,000	10

2	1	Xin Tang	China	600,000	24
2	2	Gregoire Auzoux	France	775,000	31
2	3	Mehmet Demirkol	Turkey	950,000	38
2	4	Bogdan Jontulovic	Serbia	1,250,000	50
2	5	Ramazan Akyel	United Kingdom	300,000	12
2	6	Edward Quinn	Jersey	1,200,000	48
2	7	Maxime Chilaud	France	300,000	12
2	8	Maher Achour	Tunisia	800,000	32

3	1	Hala Karam	Lebanon	500,000	20
3	2	Ozgur Arda	Turkey	1,200,000	48
3	3	Lyudmil Ivanov	Bulgaria	850,000	34
3	4	Nemo Israel	France	480,000	19
3	5	Dmitry Gromov	Russia	905,000	36
3	6	Ludovic Uzan	France	1,350,000	54
3	7	Mircea Flutur	Romania	700,000	28
3	8	Sergei Varnaev	Russia	300,000	12

Player	Chips	Progress
Ludovic Uzan	1,350,000 100,000	100,000
Bogdan Jontulovic	1,250,000 200,000	200,000
Edward Quinn	1,200,000 100,000	100,000
Ozgur Arda	1,200,000 50,000	50,000
Mustafa Biz	1,100,000 300,000	300,000
Mehmet Demirkol	950,000 500,000	500,000
Dmitry Gromov	905,000 365,000	365,000

Paul Runcan	875,000 155,000	155,000
Lyudmil Ivanov	850,000 150,000	150,000

Maher Achour	800,000 100,000	100,000
Gregoire Auzoux	775,000 625,000	625,000

Gaspare Sposato	725,000 50,000	50,000
Mircea Flutur	700,000 20,000	20,000

Aliaksandr Hirs	675,000 5,000	5,000
Xin Tang	600,000 110,000	110,000
Hala Karam	500,000 250,000	250,000
Nemo Israel	480,000 400,000	400,000
Sachin Joshi	450,000 170,000	170,000
Roman Stoika	330,000 5,000	5,000
Ramazan Akyel	300,000 90,000	90,000
Maxime Chilaud	300,000 100,000	100,000
Sergei Varnaev	300,000 234,000	234,000
Suat Egilli	275,000 370,000	370,000
Ihar Soika	250,000 25,000	25,000

01-19-2025 20:12 UTC+3

Uhara's Elimination Brings Around Redraw and Bubble

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

Motokatsu Uhara had his remaining 350,000 in the middle and was put at risk by Ludovic Uzan.

Motokatsu Uhara: 10♥10♣ All in
Ludovic Uzan: A♠K♠

The board was quickly scooped up by the dealer, but an ace on the flop was enough to secure the pot for Uzan, and send Uhara out one away from the money.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ludovic Uzan	1,250,000 370,000	370,000
Motokatsu Uhara	Busted

Tags: Motokatsu Uhara Ludovic Uzan

01-19-2025 20:08 UTC+3

Jontulovic Rivers a Straight to Crack Aces

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Tim Baker

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

Aliaksandr Hirs raised to 50,000 from the cutoff and Bogdan Jontulovic called from the button.

The flop came down 9♦8♦4♥ and Hirs check-called a bet of 45,000 from Jontulovic.

The 6♣ rolled off on the turn and Hirs check-called another bet from Jontulovic, this time for 140,000.

The 7♦ hit the river and both players checked. Hirs showed aces with A♥A♦, but was second best to the rivered straight of Jontulovic with Q♥10♥.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bogdan Jontulovic	1,050,000 100,000	100,000
Aliaksandr Hirs	670,000 516,000	516,000

Tags: Aliaksandr Hirs Bogdan Jontulovic

01-19-2025 20:04 UTC+3

Sposato Fails to Bust Stoika

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

The action folded to Roman Stoika in the small blind, who shoved his stack of 155,000 into the pot. Gaspare Sposato was in the big blind and quickly called.

Roman Stoika: A♦10♠ All in
Gaspare Sposato: Q♦J♦

Stoika managed to hold on as the 3♥4♣8♣7♥10♣ runout meant his hand was best at showdown.

Player	Chips	Progress
Gaspare Sposato	775,000 175,000	175,000
Roman Stoika	335,000 35,000	35,000

Tags: Gaspare Sposato Roman Stoika

01-19-2025 20:00 UTC+3

Chilaud Stays Alive

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Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante

Maxime Chilaud has his stack of a little under 200,000 in the middle and was put at risk by Gaspare Sposato.

Maxime Chilaud: A♥Q♥ All in
Gaspare Sposato: 6♣6♠

Chilaud would have been relieved to see the A♠ in the window, and it was followed by the 7♣7♠. A J♠ on the turn did give him a sweat though as Sposato picked up a flush draw, but the Q♦ river was clean, and Chilaud doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Gaspare Sposato	950,000 100,000	100,000
Maxime Chilaud	400,000 84,000	84,000

Tags: Gaspare Sposato Maxime Chilaud

Level: 21

Blinds: 10,000/25,000

Ante: 25,000

01-19-2025 19:52 UTC+3

Tang Beats Kings With Kings

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Tim Baker

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

Alexander Sokolovsky raised to 40,00 under the gun before Mustafa Biz three-bet to 125,000 from the next seat. Xin Tang then four-bet shoved for 325,000 out of the big, which only Biz called.

Xin Tang: K♥K♦ All in
Mustafa Biz: K♠K♣

It looked likely that they were going to chop the pot as both had pocket kings. However, the flop of 9♦9♥7♦ offered Tang a potential backdoor flush draw. The J♦ turn produced that flush draw, and when the 4♦ came on the river Tang had spiked a flush with his Cowboys, earning him the double-up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mustafa Biz	800,000 20,000	20,000
Xin Tang	710,000 290,000	290,000
Alexander Sokolovsky	270,000 120,000	120,000

Tags: Alexander Sokolovsky Mustafa Biz Xin Tang