Level 30
: Blinds 50,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
The ceremony is done, the players are in their seats, and cards are in the air!
2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship
€1,650 Main Event
Day: 5
Event Info
2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 5
Buy-in
€1,650
Prize Pool
€571,320
Entries
414
Level
37
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
9
Players Left
1
Players Left 1 / 414
Filter
Level: 30
Blinds: 50,000/125,000
Ante: 125,000
The ceremony for the final table will begin shortly where the players will be introduced to the final table.
Shortly after, the action will get underway.
The final table start time has been pushed back to 1 p.m.
The €1,650 Main Event at the Merit Poker Montenegro Championship is down to its final day inside the Merit Royal Splendid Casino in Budva, where one player will lift the trophy and walk away with the €110,000 top prize.
A total of 414 players entered this year’s Main Event, creating a €571,320 prize pool and drawing an international field. After four days of play, just nine players remain, all returning today with a guaranteed €11,020 as they chase the title and the biggest payout of the tournament.
Norway’s Jon Kyte starts the final day as the one to catch with 11,700,000 chips, giving him a healthy cushion at the top of the counts. He is followed by Germany’s Paul Esau (8,625,000) and Israel’s Timur Margolin (5,275,000), who round out the top three.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Sands | San Marino | 3,600,000 | 29 |
| 2 | Nikolay Fal | Russian Federation | 4,325,000 | 35 |
| 3 | Ufuk Erkmen | Turkey | 2,800,000 | 22 |
| 4 | Yaser Sakarya | Turkey | 1,950,000 | 16 |
| 5 | Oleksii Shchukin | Ukraine | 1,125,000 | 9 |
| 6 | Paul Esau | Germany | 8,625,000 | 69 |
| 7 | Andrei Daniliuk | Russian Federation | 1,825,000 | 15 |
| 8 | Timur Margolin | Israel | 5,275,000 | 42 |
| 9 | Jon Kyte | Norway | 11,700,000 | 94 |
Also returning with workable stacks are Nikolay Fal (4,325,000) and Eric Sands (3,600,000), both well positioned in the middle of the pack. Further back are Ufuk Erkmen (2,800,000), Yaser Sakarya (1,950,000), and Andrei Daniliuk (1,825,000), while Oleksii Shchukin (1,125,000) returns as the short stack and will be looking for an early double to give himself the best shot of capturing the title.
Cards go in the air at noon local time with 40 minutes remaining in Level 30, where blinds will be 50,000/125,000 with a 125,000 big blind ante. With the final table set and the biggest jumps still to come, attention now turns to who will navigate the last stretch and be crowned €1,650 Main Event champion in Budva.
Final Table Payouts
| Place | Prize (EUR) |
|---|---|
| 1 | €110,000 |
| 2 | €75,000 |
| 3 | €51,500 |
| 4 | €36,800 |
| 5 | €28,000 |
| 6 | €22,500 |
| 7 | €18,600 |
| 8 | €14,800 |
| 9 | €11,020 |
Follow along on PokerNews as the final nine battle it out for the €110,000 top prize in Budva.
€1,650 Main Event
Day 5 Started
