Giorgiy Skhulukhiya Hunting For Another Merit Poker Crown on High Roller Final Day
Day 3 of the €2,750 High Roller gets underway at 1 p.m. local time inside the Merit Royal Splendid Casino in Budva, as the 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship looksto crown one of its biggest winners. A total of 17 players return from 128 entries, all in the money and competing for the €294,400 prize pool, with €75,000 set aside for first place.
Coming into the final day as the big stack is Croatia's Davor Pistalo, who holds the chip lead with 1,800,000 after he burst the bubble earlier this morning. He is followed by Giorgiy Skhulukhiya on 1,675,000, while Nazar Buhaiov sits close behind in third place with 1,595,000.
Second-placed Skhulukhiya will be one to watch today, as the Georgian player boasts live tournament earnings of over $3,900,000, according to The Hendon Mob. Skhulukhiya has been a regular on the Merit Poker scene for many years, and his biggest cash of $683,285 came from winning the 2021 Merit Poker presents partypoker MILLIONS Main Event. Skhulukhiya won't be afraid to tussle with the other big stacks and give himself the best shot at glory.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davor Pistalo | Croatia | 1,800,000 | 72 |
| 2 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | 1,675,000 | 67 |
| 3 | Nazar Buhaiov | Ukraine | 1,595,000 | 64 |
| 4 | Timur Margolin | Israel | 1,450,000 | 58 |
| 5 | Andrey Golubev | Kazakhstan | 1,285,000 | 51 |
| 6 | Bojan Berberovic | Serbia | 765,000 | 31 |
| 7 | Fabrizio Lo Carbo | Italy | 650,000 | 26 |
| 8 | Illia Petrytsia | Ukraine | 605,000 | 24 |
| 9 | Nikolai Ivanov | Russia | 585,000 | 23 |
| 10 | Seref Anar | Turkey | 575,000 | 23 |
A few other players worth mentioning, who have made it through a tough High Roller field, include two-time bracelet winner Timur Margolin (1,450,000), IIlia Petrytsia (605,000), Nikolai Ivanov (585,000), Milos Miskovic (370,000), Charbel Salloum (345,000), and Serhat Cetiner (285,000).
Cards get in the air at 1 p.m. local time on Level 21, with blinds of 10,000/25,000 and a 25,000 big blind ante, and the plan for the day is to play down to a winner. Everyone has locked up at least €4,000 for their efforts but the top prize is now within reach for everyone.
Payouts
Stay tuned to PokerNews for full live coverage of the €2,750 High Roller, including chip counts and all the action as the tournament crowns its champion.