Merit Poker Montenegro Championship Turns to €1,650 Main Event Day 1a
After the opening days of the 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship, the focus now shifts to the festival’s headline event as the €1,650 Main Event gets underway inside the Merit Royal Splendid Casino in Budva.
Day 1a begins today at 12:00 p.m. local time, with players playing for a share of the €500,000 expected prize pool. The opening flight is the first of four Day 1s on the schedule, with the tournament set to run through Day 5.
The most recent Merit Poker Main Event was held at the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series, where Nicolas Chouity won the $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi after topping a record 1,023-entry field, collecting $460,000 for the victory.
$3,300 La Notte Degli Assi Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolas Chouity | Lebanon | $460,000 |
| 2 | Richard Broda | Hungary | $307,000 |
| 3 | "Ma" | France | $215,000 |
| 4 | Mehmet Deniz | Turkey | $156,000 |
| 5 | Aleksandr Razinkov | Russia | $115,000 |
| 6 | Tommy G | San Marino | $95,000 |
| 7 | Nebi Baysal | Turkey | $77,500 |
| 8 | Viacheslav Balaev | Russia | $61,500 |
| 9 | Adil Tlimisov | Russia | $46,280 |
The €1,650 Main Event features four starting flights across multiple days. Day 1a and Day 1b will be played with 60-minute blind levels, followed by a 40-minute Day 1c and a 25-minute turbo Day 1d, offering flexibility for players looking to enter at different paces. Late registration remains open through the end of Level 14, which will be around the mid-way stage of Day 2.
Main Event Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 19 | Day 1a | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Jan 20 | Day 1b | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Jan 21 | Day 1c | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| Jan 21 | Day 1d | 7 p.m. | 25 minutes |
| Jan 22 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Jan 23 | Day 3 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Jan 24 | Day 4 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Jan 25 | Day 5 | 1 p.m. | 60 minutes |
Each player starts with a 100,000-chip stack, giving plenty of room to build during the early stages. Survivors from all four Day 1 flights will combine on Day 2, with the tournament then playing through Days 3, 4, and 5 until a champion is crowned later in the week.
PokerNews will be on the floor throughout Day 1a, bringing you live updates, key hands, and chip counts as the €1,650 Main Event gets underway in Budva.