button in Safari
€1,650 Main Event
Day 2 Completed
2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship
€1,650 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info
2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
€1,650
Prize Pool
€571,320
Total Entries
414
Level
37
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
220
Players Left
90
Players Left 1 / 414
Filter
Level 17
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
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.
Level 17
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Level 17
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
That's a wrap for Day 2.
Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action and the chip counts.
Level 17
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Amir Hassan made it 12,000 to go from early position with Vedat Yilmaz calling on the button, Evgeny Ivanov calling out of the small blind, and Predrag Premovic defending his big blind.
The action checked to Yilmaz on the K♣A♥9♣ flop, and he chose to bet 23,000. Only Ivanov called.
Check, check came after the 3♣ turn for the J♠ to complete the board. Ivanov bet 18,000, and Yilmaz called.
Ivanov showed the nut flush with A♣6♣ to take down one of the last pots of the night.
Level 17
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The floor have announced that three more hands will be played before the survivors bag up their chips.
Level 17
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Mazalahedwa Bako just took down a huge pot to boost his stack into seven-figure territory as the day approaches its end.
Bako opened to 12,000 from middle position and Andrey Golubev called from the button. Milos Todorevic also called from the small blind.
On the 2♦5♣6♠ flop, it checked to Golubev, who immediately slid out a bet of 100,000, leaving around 30,000 behind. Todorevic quickly called, then Bako shoved his stack in just as fast!
Golubev joined the quick-decision club and called off his last 30,000, which left Todorevic with a lot of thinking to do. After around ninety seconds, Todorevic decided to let his hand go.
Andrey Golubev: 6♥3♥ 
Mazalahedwa Bako: 9♥9♦
Bako was in the lead with his pair of nines, but Golubev had outs with his pair and straight draw. The 5♦ turn removed some of Golubev's outs as a three would no longer help him, and the 8♦ river meant he was out with a few minutes remaining in the day.
Level 17
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Christoforos Chrysochoidis made it 12,000 from middle position with Paul Esau calling in the hijack, Paul Grummitt calling out of the small blind, and Fabrod Nazari defending his big blind.
When it got to Chrysochoidis on the A♠5♠J♠ flop, he bet 17,000, and only Nazari called.
A board-pairing J♥ caused Nazari to check again. Chrysochoidis fired a second barrel of 34,000, and after a bit of deliberation, Nazari check-raised to 106,000. Chrysochoidis went into the tank before he reluctantly folded and surrendered the pot to Nazari.
Level 17
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
On a completed board of 6♥4♦8♣4♣J♦, Senadin Cosic bet 20,000 from the blinds and was met by a raise to 60,000 from Paul Grummitt, who was in late position.
While Cosic was thinking, Grummitt reminded him that folding was one of the options available to him, saying, "You can fold."
Cosic didn't take Grummitt's advice as he put in the call. Grummitt revealed a turned boat with 8♥8♦ and the pot was awarded to him.
Level 17
: Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Hakan Varol opened under the gun and Nemanja Tatar shoved 53,000 on the button. Yevhen Korynetskyi called from the big blind, and Varol elected to fold.
Nemanja Tatar: J♦J♣
Yevhen Korynetskyi: A♣J♥
Tatar was ahead with his jacks, but he still had the runout to sweat. A few more outs for Korynetskyi appeared on the K♥10♣8♣ flop as he picked up a straight draw, but the K♦9♥ turn and river changed nothing, earning Tatar a double.
