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
Nicolas Chouity
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.
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