Paul Esau Leads 90 Survivors Into Day 3 of €1,650 Main Event
Day 2 of the €1,650 Main Event at the Merit Poker Montenegro Championship played out inside the Merit Royal Splendid Casino in Budva, with the four starting flights combining for the first time.
The day began with 150 players back in their seats from a starting field of 344 entries, with late registration open until the end of Level 14. After eight levels of play, the field was trimmed to 90 players, all of whom will return for Day 3 at 12 p.m. local time tomorrow.
Once registration closed, 70 late entries were added to bring the total field to 414, creating a €571,320 prize pool. A total of 63 players will be paid, with a min-cash worth €2,400, while the winner will take home the €110,000 top prize.
Germany’s Paul Esau ended the day out in front with 1,723,000, leading a group of big stacks that also includes Ruslan Kulibaba (1,625,000) and Anton Markachev (1,016,000). Nikolai Isaev finished right on the seven-figure mark with 1,000,000, while Mazalahedwa Bako (908,000) and Bogdan Jontulovic (864,000) also moved into strong positions.
End of Day 2 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Esau | Germany | 1,723,000 | 215 |
| 2 | Ruslan Kulibaba | Russian Federation | 1,625,000 | 203 |
| 3 | Anton Markachev | Russian Federation | 1,016,000 | 127 |
| 4 | Nikolai Isaev | Russian Federation | 1,000,000 | 125 |
| 5 | Mazalahedwa Bako | United Kingdom | 908,000 | 114 |
| 6 | Bogdan Jontulovic | Serbia | 864,000 | 108 |
| 7 | Milos Miskovic | Serbia | 841,000 | 105 |
| 8 | Nazar Buhaiov | Ukraine | 818,000 | 102 |
| 9 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | 803,000 | 100 |
| 10 | Jean-Baptiste Pano | France | 789,000 | 99 |
Esau put together a steady run through the later levels, first making a crucial call when Igor Abelmasov shoved the river and Esau looked him up with a flopped set of nines. He then won another big pot with top pair against Atilla Saracoglu after being paid off on the river. That correct call pushed Esau past the million mark and he kept building from there.
Bako also found a late surge, stacking the High Roller runner-up Andrey Golubev near the end of the day after getting it in with pocket nines against Golubev’s pair and straight draw, holding through to jump into the top end of the counts. Elsewhere, Evgeny Ivanov picked up one of the last pots of the night when he showed the nut flush after Vedat Yilmaz paid him off on the river.
There were plenty of swings along the way. Ufuk Erkmen won two consecutive hands against Erdal Gulseven, first applying maximum pressure to force a fold, then finishing the job when Erkmen’s pocket aces held against pocket jacks. Mikhail Zavoloka doubled through Shai Zurr after flopping trips with ace-three against queens, and Oleg Bystrenin made a big river call to pick off Nikolay Ponomarev in a sizable pot.
With 90 players still in, the chase is very much on heading into Day 3. Along with the leaders, plenty of familiar names remain in the mix, including Nazar Buhaiov (818,000), Giorgiy Skhulukhiya (803,000), Jean-Baptiste Pano (789,000), Timur Margolin (788,000), and Jon Kyte (700,000).
Payouts
With the payouts now confirmed, a total of 63 players will finish in the money, with a min-cash worth €2,400. From there, the jumps begin to steepen, and anyone who reaches the final table is guaranteed €11,020, with the top prize of €110,000 waiting for the eventual champion.
Day 3 begins Friday, January 23 at 12 p.m. local time at Level 18 (4,000/8,000/8,000), with the plan now simple: keep stacking, make the money, and set up a real shot at the €110,000 top prize, with PokerNews continuing to provide live updates from the tournament floor.