The 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship gets underway at noon inside the Merit Royal Splendid Casino in Budva, marking Merit Poker’s return to the Adriatic coast and the opening chapter of the new year’s schedule. Nestled between the mountains and the sea, the Montenegro stop blends classic Merit structures with a fresh setting, as players settle in for nearly two weeks of tournament action.
Leading the way is the €880 Merit Poker Cup, the first major highlight of the festival and a familiar fixture on the Merit calendar. Running from January 14–18, the event is expected to generate a €250,000 prize pool.
The last comparable Merit opener ran at the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series, where Xiaosheng Zheng won the $2,200 IPO Master for $225,000 after topping a 730-entry field. Zheng defeated Gerard Carbo Santamaria heads-up, with Mahmut Sanli finishing third, giving a good indication of the kind of international field expected again as the Merit Poker Cup kicks off in Montenegro.
2025 $2,200 IPO Master Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xiaosheng Zheng | China | $225,000 |
| 2 | Gerard Carbo Santamaria | Spain | $150,000 |
| 3 | Mahmut Sanli | Turkey | $100,600 |
| 4 | Damir Zhugralin | Kazakhstan | $74,000 |
| 5 | Joan Crespi | Spain | $58,000 |
| 6 | Khalil Jabra | Lebanon | $45,500 |
| 7 | Benjamin LeBlond | Canada | $36,500 |
| 8 | Adem Agoudjil | France | $29,500 |
| 9 | David Boyaciyan | Netherlands | $23,500 |
With four Day 1 flights and a 30,000 starting stack, the Merit Poker Cup offers multiple paths into Day 2. Today’s Day 1a flight kicks off at 12:00 p.m. local time with 40-minute blinds. Survivors return on January 17 for Day 2 before the tournament plays down to a winner on Day 3, where the first major trophy of the Montenegro Championship will be awarded.
Live coverage from the festival will include the €880 Merit Poker Cup, €2,750 High Roller (January 17–19), and the €1,650 Main Event (January 19–25).
€880 Merit Poker Cup Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 14 | Day 1a | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| Jan 15 | Day 1b | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| Jan 16 | Day 1c | 12 p.m. | 30 minutes |
| Jan 16 | Day 1d | 6 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| Jan 17 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Jan 18 | Day 3 | 1 p.m. | 60 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for full live coverage from the €880 Merit Poker Cup as the Merit Poker Montenegro Championship springs into action in Budva.