2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship

€2,750 High Roller
Day: 1
123
Event Info
2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship
Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
q♥10♣
Prize
€75,000
Event Info
Buy-in
€2,750
Prize Pool
€294,400
Total Entries
128
Level Info
Level
27
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
100,000
Players Info - Day 1
Entries
86
Players Left
51
Players Left 1 / 128
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Cheaters, Arrests and Poker Villains Among Top Stories of 2025 | PokerNews Podcast #932

Tim Baker
Tim Baker
Level 5 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

In the 932nd episode of the PokerNews Podcast, Chad Holloway and Mike Holtz recap the top 10 stories of 2025 according to PokerNews. They include:

Find out all about those stories and more in this week's episode of the PokerNews Podcast! Oh, and be sure to check out the audio version of the PokerNews Podcast that is available on all major podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and SoundCloud.

A new PokerNews Podcast drops every Thursday at 8a PT / 11a ET / 4p UK time. Remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you do not miss an episode!
Click here to listen to the new PN Podcast!

Pistalo Takes Down Back-to-Back Hands vs Golubev

Tim Baker
Tim Baker
Level 5 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Davor Pistalo
Davor Pistalo

Bora Kurtulus came in for a raise to 2,000 from the hijack before Andrey Golubev three-bet to 6,000 from the cutoff. Davor Pistalo cold-called from the button, and Kurtulus also called.

The action checked to Pistalo on the 10♥5♦9♠ flop and he chose to bet 5,000. Kurtulus folded, and before Golubev had acted, Pistalo said, "I flopped two pair". Upon apparently only just realising Golubev still had cards, Pistalo put his head in his hands and let out a sigh. Golubev decided to call.

A 7♠ hit the turn and Golubev checked. Pistalo bet 15,000, which was enough to get a fold from Golubev.

The next hand, Golubev min-raised to 2,000 from the hijack and Pistalo three-bet to 4,000 from the next seat. When it got back to Golubev he four-bet to 12,000. Pistalo gave it some thought, then five-bet jammed, covering Golubev. Golubev had 85,000 remaining in his stack and didn't take long to release his cards.

Pistalo proudly flipped over Jx8x for a complete bluff as the pot was sent his way.

Tags: Andrey GolubevBora KurtulusDavor Pistalo

Svesko Takes it Away on the River

Tim Baker
Tim Baker
Level 5 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Heads-up to a flop of 5♦5♣8♠ where Uri Reichenstein checked out of the big blind, and Darko Svesko bet 1,500 from under the gun. Reichenstein check-raised to 5,000, which Svesko called.

A 4♣ landed on the turn and Reichenstein continued for a bet of 11,000. Svesko stuck around with a call.

The 2♦ completed the board, and this time, Reichenstein checked. Svesko made a bet of 19,000, and after a bit of tanking, Reichenstein tossed his cards away.

Tags: Darko SveskoUri Reichenstein

Level: 5

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 1,000

Zerjav's Aces Take Out Solovyev

Tim Baker
Tim Baker
Level 4 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante
Blaz Zerjav
Blaz Zerjav

With 25,000 already in the pot, Danila Solovyev and Blaz Zerjav saw a flop of 8♣J♥4♥ come down. Solovyev, who was seated under the gun, bet 7,000, and Zerjavc called.

The 2♦ on the turn checked through for the 10♥ to complete the board. Solovyev jammed for around 30,000, and Zerjav instantly called.

Solovyev turned over K♥K♠ for pocket kings and was second best to the A♦A♣ of Zerjav. Solovyev headed to the exit while Zerjav's stack increased to around 170,000.

Tags: Blaz ZerjavDanila Solovyev

Selected Chip Counts

Tim Baker
Tim Baker
Level 4 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

Ostapenko Leads Out on Two Streets

Tim Baker
Tim Baker
Level 4 : Blinds 400/800, 800 ante

With 4,300 in the pot on a flop of J♥7♦8♦, Mikhail Ostapenko led out for 3,800 from the big blind and Mikhail Ketlerov made the call from early position.

A 8♣ on the turn saw Ostapenko lead out again, this time for 7,500. Again, Ketlerov just called.

Two checks came after the Q♦ river and Ostapenko took down the pot with K♣J♣ for a pair of jacks.

Tags: Mikhail KetlerovMikhail Ostapenko

Level: 4

Blinds: 400/800

Ante: 800

Kurtulus Wins Without Showdown

Tim Baker
Tim Baker
Level 3 : Blinds 300/700, 700 ante

From the button, Bora Kurtulus raised to 1,700 with Andrey Golubev and Davor Pistalo calling from the blinds.

Check, check, check followed the 7♠2♦K♥ flop to see the 9♥ hit the turn. Golubev led out for 2,900 and only Kurtulus called.

A Q♦ appeared on the river and Golubev bet again, this time for 12,500. Kurtulus called, prompting Golubev to immediately muck his cards, which meant Kurtulus won the pot without having to show.

Tags: Andrey GolubevBora KurtulusDavor Pistalo

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