€1,650 Main Event Day 2 | 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship

01-22-2026 15:06 UTC+2

Mudric Stacks Elorza

Kai Cocklin

Level 11 : Blinds 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante

Davor Mudric was a very happy man a few moments ago as he collected Javier Elorza's stack.

Mudric started with a raise to 6,000 from middle position and Martin Brinkmann called on the button. Elorza then squeezed to 25,000 in the big blind, which only Mudric called.

On the 8♥J♣5♦ flop, Elorza open-shoved for around 65,000, and Mudric quickly called.

Javier Elorza: A♣K♣ All in
Davor Mudric: A♦J♦

Mudric had flopped a jack to take the lead, which left Elorza looking for a king. However, the 8♠5♥ runout changed nothing, leaving Elorza on the sidelines.

Player	Chips	Progress
Martin Brinkmann	350,000 37,500	37,500
Davor Mudric	300,000 71,000	71,000
Javier Elorza	Busted

Tags: Davor Mudric Javier Elorza Martin Brinkmann

01-22-2026 15:01 UTC+2

Zavoloka Dismantles Zurr's Ladies

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Tim Baker

Level 11 : Blinds 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante

Shai Zurr raised to 6,000 from middle position, and the player in the hijack called. Mikhail Zavoloka squeezed it up to 22,000 from the cutoff, and when it got back to Zurr, he four-bet to 48,500. The hijack folded, but Zavoloka called with 77,000 left in his stack.

The dealer spread out the 3♦4♥3♠ flop, and Zurr shoved, putting Zavoloka all in. Zavoloka looked back at his cards and then quickly called.

Mikhail Zavoloka: A♥3♥ All in
Shai Zurr: Q♥Q♠

Zavoloka had outflopped Zurr's two queens and just needed to avoid a two-outer to double up.

The 10♥ came on the turn and the 4♦ dropped on the river to give Zavoloka a boat, and the double-up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mikhail Zavoloka	260,000 143,000	143,000
Shai Zurr	100,000 105,000	105,000

Tags: Mikhail Zavoloka Shai Zurr

01-22-2026 14:51 UTC+2

Miao Continues to Build

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Kai Cocklin

Level 11 : Blinds 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante

Zhicheng Miao is moving up the counts nicely, partly due to a big call he just made against Sergey Kudryavtsev.

The board read 6♣Q♠10♥K♣ and Miao had checked from the small blind before Kudryavtsev bet 16,000 from the big blind. Miao called.

An 8♠ hit the river and after Miao checked again, Kudryavtsev bet 72,000. Miao needed around thirty seconds to think it over before he finally called.

Kudryavtsev then rolled over A♣8♦ for a rivered pair of eights, but that was no good as Miao turned a king with K♠4♣ to win the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Atilla Saracoglu	700,000 45,000	45,000

Zhicheng Miao	350,000 95,000	95,000
Sergey Kudryavtsev	250,000 154,000	154,000

Tags: Sergey Kudryavtsev Zhicheng Miao

01-22-2026 14:45 UTC+2

Miao On the Right Side of a Flip

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Tim Baker

Level 11 : Blinds 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante

From early position, Dzmitry Baitsou raised to 5,500 and was three-bet to 16,000 by Christoforos Chrysochoidis in the next seat. Zhicheng Miao cold four-bet to 41,000 on the button, which got Baitsou to fold. Chrysochoidis five-bet jammed, covering Miao, and Miao called for stack of 119,500.

Zhicheng Miao: J♠J♦ All in
Christoforos Chrysochoidis: A♦K♠

It was a classic race that Miao came out of on top of after the J♥7♦6♠8♥4♥ runout gave him top set.

Miao was up to around a quarter million, and Chrysochoidis was back to the starting stack.

Player	Chips	Progress
Zhicheng Miao	255,000 217,000	217,000
Dzmitry Baitsou	250,000 192,000	192,000
Christoforos Chrysochoidis	100,000 257,500	257,500

Tags: Christoforos Chrysochoidis Dzmitry Baitsou Zhicheng Miao

01-22-2026 14:39 UTC+2

Bua is Distraught at Nixon

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Tim Baker

Level 11 : Blinds 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante

Jamie Nixon made it 5,000 from the hijack and Dalibor Bua three-bet to 16,000 from the cutoff. Nixon called to see a flop.

Nixon knuckled the action over to Bua on the 3♦8♦A♠ flop, and Bua bet 21,500. Nixon continued in the form of a call.

The 9♣ turn and K♠ river checked through and Nixon flipped over K♦7♦ for a flopped flush draw that rivered a pair of kings. Bua frustratingly tossed his cards back to the dealer, and the pot was sent over to Nixon.

Bua continued to shake his head and ramble on about the hand for a while. Nixon just smiled and stacked up his newly acquired chips.

Player	Chips	Progress
Jamie Nixon	290,000 111,000	111,000
Dalibor Bua	190,000 72,000	72,000

Tags: Dalibor Bua Jamie Nixon

01-22-2026 14:35 UTC+2

Bystrenin Picks Off Ponomarev's Bluff

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Kai Cocklin

Level 11 : Blinds 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante

Oleg Bystrenin just made a big call to pick off Nikolay Ponomarev's bluff.

The board read 6♠8♦J♣9♠ and with around 50,000 in the pot, Ponomarev led for 22,000 from the big blind. Bystrenin called from the hijack.

On the 5♦ river, Ponomarev reached for chips and threw 80,000 in the pot, which sent Bystrenin deep into the tank. After thinking for close to two minutes, Bystrenin tossed in calling chips.

Ponomarev then flipped over a bluff with A♣4♠, and Bystrenin's two pair holding J♥9♥ earned the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Igor Abelmasov	600,000 55,000	55,000
Nikolay Ponomarev	450,000 143,000	143,000

Oleg Bystrenin	350,000 139,000	139,000

Tags: Nikolay Ponomarev Oleg Bystrenin

01-22-2026 14:19 UTC+2

Become a Bigger Part of the Action With MyStack by PokerNews

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Kai Cocklin

Level 11 : Blinds 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante

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01-22-2026 14:19 UTC+2

Big Stacks at Break

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Tim Baker

Level 11 : Blinds 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Fausto Tantillo	900,000 75,000	75,000

Atilla Saracoglu	655,000 85,500	85,500

Nikolai Isaev	650,000 36,500	36,500

Amir Hassan	630,000 51,000	51,000
Timur Margolin	560,000 110,500	110,500

Srdan Milicevic	550,000 179,500	179,500
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya	525,000 219,500	219,500
Uri Reichenstein	510,000 71,500	71,500
Oleksii Shchukin	510,000 23,000	23,000
Paul Esau	480,000 59,000	59,000

Viktoria Shalneva	440,000 52,000	52,000
Vedat Yilmaz	410,000 140,000	140,000
Andrei Daniliuk	375,000 165,000	165,000