€1,650 Main Event Day 1cd | 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship

01-21-2026 15:49 UTC+2

Gerwig is Freerolling

Tim Baker

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Three ways to a flop of 10♦7♥9♦ where Tim Gerwig checked from under the gun and Bogdan Jontulovic fired out a bet of 6,500 from middle position. Mutulu Eren called on the button, and Gerwig also came along with a call.

Gerwig led out for 12,300 on the 6♥ turn and was met by a raise to 40,000 from Jontulovic. Eren folded before Gerwig jammed for around 100,000. Jontulovic called with a little fewer chips and the cards were revealed.

Bogdan Jontulovic: 8♣8♠ All in
Tim Gerwig: 9♥8♥

Both players showed the same ten-high straight, but Gerwig was freerolling with his flush draw.

A blank arrived on the river, so Jontulovic and Gerwig chopped up the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Tim Gerwig	130,000 25,000	25,000
Bogdan Jontulovic	115,000 5,000	5,000
Mutulu Eren	55,000 55,000	55,000

Tags: Bogdan Jontulovic Tim Gerwig

01-21-2026 15:37 UTC+2

Filipovic Doubles Through Baitsou

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Tim Baker

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

With around 10,000 in the pot on a flop of 5♦9♠8♦ and after some betting and raising, Dragan Filipovic's remaining 54,800 got into the middle from the big blind, with Dzmitry Baitsou making the call out of the cutoff.

Dragan Filipovic: J♦7♥ All in
Dzmitry Baitsou: 9♥9♣

Baitsou was ahead with top set, but Filipovic had a straight draw with two cards to come.

Filipovic took the lead on the 6♦ turn by improving to a straight. Baitsou couldn't fill up on the 2♦ river as Filipovic improved further to a jack-high flush, and he doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Dragan Filipovic	120,000 30,000	30,000
Dzmitry Baitsou	10,000

Tags: Dragan Filipovic Dzmitry Baitsou

01-21-2026 15:28 UTC+2

Selected Chip Counts

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Tim Baker

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Adam Graeser	225,000 76,000	76,000
Ori Kain	210,000 210,000	210,000
Atilla Saracoglu	200,000 100,000	100,000

Bulent Sahin	195,000 5,000	5,000
Aleksandr Brazhnikov	160,000 160,000	160,000
Bogdan Jontulovic	120,000 120,000	120,000
Zhicheng Miao	115,000 115,000	115,000
Huma Feizi	110,000 110,000	110,000
Predrag Premovic	107,000 63,000	63,000
Tim Gerwig	105,000 5,000	5,000
Milos Miskovic	90,000 90,000	90,000
Pavel Nikiforov	65,000 33,000	33,000
Mustafa Ercan	45,000 15,000	15,000
Velibor Jakovljevic	35,000 63,000	63,000

Level: 4

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 1,000

01-21-2026 15:09 UTC+2

First Break

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Tim Baker

Level 3 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

The players are now on their first 15-minute break of the day.

01-21-2026 15:08 UTC+2

Flashback: Nicolas Chouity Reigns In the Sweet Life of La Notte Degli Assi

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Tim Baker

Level 3 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

After thirteen days of poker under the Mediterranean sun, the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series crowned its final champion. Nicolas Chouity conquered a record-setting 1,023-entry field in the $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi, claiming the title, the trophy, and a career-boosting $460,000 payday inside the luxurious Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.

The event generated a massive $2,823,480 prize pool, making it the largest Merit Poker tournament of 2025 in terms of both field size and prize pool.

Chouity began the final table as chip leader and never looked back, navigating a stacked lineup with experience, composure, and a little bit of luck. In the end, he overcame Hungary’s Richard Broda in a tough and tactical heads-up battle, marking a powerful return to the spotlight for one of Lebanon’s most accomplished players.

2025 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

Read the Full Recap Here

01-21-2026 15:04 UTC+2

Kulyk Takes From Ercan

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Tim Baker

Level 3 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Mustafa Ercan raised from the hijack with Chan Abdurrezzak calling on the button and Artem Kulyk defending his big blind.

Kulyk led out for 2,200 on the 9♦8♠3♣ flop. Ercan and Abdurrezzak called.

A 3♥ came on the turn and all three players checked.

Kulyk led out for 5,500 on the J♦ river, and this time only Ercan called.

Kuly showed a rivered straight with 10♠7♠ and Ercan was forced to muck his cards.

Player	Chips	Progress
Artem Kulyk	125,000 125,000	125,000
Chan Abdurrezzak	70,000 70,000	70,000
Mustafa Ercan	30,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Artem Kulyk Chan Abdurrezzak Mustafa Ercan

01-21-2026 14:45 UTC+2

Jakovljevic Gains Some Chips With Top Pair

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Tim Baker

Level 3 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Javier Elorza checked first from the big blind on a flop of 8♠5♦J♣ and Giulio Gallo checked from under the gun. Velibor Jakovljevic bet 4,000 from the next seat and only Elorza called.

Elorza check-called another bet from Jakovljevic on the 3♠ turn, this time for 7,000.

The 2♦ river checked through and Jakovljevic took down the pot with J♦10♥ for a pair of jacks.

Player	Chips	Progress
Velibor Jakovljevic	98,000
Giulio Gallo	95,000
Javier Elorza	90,000

Tags: Giulio Gallo Javier Elorza Velibor Jakovljevic

01-21-2026 14:42 UTC+2

Add PokerNews to Your Mobile Home Screen

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Tim Baker

Level 3 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

The PokerNews desktop and mobile browser websites are as feature-rich as ever, so our tech gurus have decided to call time on the PokerNews mobile app.

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Level: 3

Blinds: 400/800

Ante: 800