€880 Merit Poker Cup | 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship

01-18-2026 17:45 UTC+1

Updated Chip Counts

Kai Cocklin

Level 25 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Not a lot of action on the table right now. Mikhail Zavoloka has lost some of his fortune after being three-bet a few times and giving up some flops.

Bojan Berberovic has taken down a few small pots and sits over 4,000,000 right now, and Nikolay Fal remains the short stack,

Player	Chips	Progress
Bojan Berberovic	4,200,000 1,000,000	1,000,000
Fausto Tantillo	3,500,000 500,000	500,000

Vladimir Lappo	2,000,000 100,000	100,000
Genrik Alekian	1,500,000 600,000	600,000
Mikhail Zavoloka	800,000 750,000	750,000
Nikolay Fal	450,000 300,000	300,000

01-18-2026 17:36 UTC+1

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Kai Cocklin

Level 25 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

The PokerNews desktop and mobile browser websites are as feature-rich as ever, so our tech gurus have decided to call time on the PokerNews mobile app.

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01-18-2026 17:27 UTC+1

Fal Sticking Around

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Kai Cocklin

Level 25 : Blinds 30,000/60,000, 60,000 ante

Short-stacked Nikolay Fal isn't going down without a fight.

Fal just got a shove through and then defended his big blind after Bojan Berberovic raised to 120,000 from the cutoff.

On the 6♣8♣9♣ flop, Fal checked and Berberovic bet 60,000. Fal then shoved around 400,000, and Berberovic snap-folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bojan Berberovic	3,200,000 400,000	400,000
Nikolay Fal	750,000 300,000	300,000

Tags: Bojan Berberovic Nikolay Fal

Level: 25

Blinds: 30,000/60,000

Ante: 60,000

01-18-2026 17:06 UTC+1

Updated Chip Counts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 24 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Fausto Tantillo	4,000,000

Bojan Berberovic	3,600,000 200,000	200,000
Vladimir Lappo	1,900,000
Mikhail Zavoloka	1,550,000
Genrik Alekian	900,000 50,000	50,000
Nikolay Fal	450,000 150,000	150,000

01-18-2026 17:05 UTC+1

Break Time

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Kai Cocklin

Level 24 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Players are on a 15-minute break.

01-18-2026 17:05 UTC+1

Tantillo Bets Out Zavoloka

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Kai Cocklin

Level 24 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Mikhail Zavoloka opened under the gun to 100,000 and Fausto Tantillo called on the button. Nikolay Fal also called from the big blind,.

They went to a flop of 7♠Q♦K♦, which when it got to Tantillo, he bet 135,000. Fal folded, but Zavoloka called. When the 3♠ hit the turn, Zavoloka check-folded to a bet of 340,000 from Tantillo.

Player	Chips	Progress
Fausto Tantillo	4,000,000 200,000	200,000

Mikhail Zavoloka	1,550,000 450,000	450,000

Tags: Fausto Tantillo Mikhail Zavoloka Nikolay Fal

01-18-2026 16:52 UTC+1

Alekian's Timer Runs Out

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Kai Cocklin

Level 24 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Fausto Tantillo opened the button to 100,000 and Genrik Alekian three-bet to 325,000, leaving himself around 850,000 behind in the small blind. When the action was back on Tantillo, he shoved, sending Alekian into the tank.

Around two minutes passed before Tantillo called the clock on Alekian, who was then given a 30-second countdown. The timer hit zero, Alekian's hand was declared dead, and Tantillo was awarded the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Fausto Tantillo	3,800,000 400,000	400,000

Genrik Alekian	850,000 750,000	750,000

Tags: Fausto Tantillo Genrik Alekian

01-18-2026 16:45 UTC+1

Tantillo Evens Out the Counts With Berberovic

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Kai Cocklin

Level 24 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Bojan Berberovic made it 150,000 to go from the small blind and Fausto Tantillo called from the big blind.

They saw a flop of 7♦6♦2♣, where both checked to the 4♦ turn. Berberovic put out a delayed continuation-bet of 125,000, which Tantillo called.

A 7♥ on the river saw Berberovic check and Tantillo bet 450,000. After some consideration, Berberovic let it go, which left him and Tantillo even in chips.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bojan Berberovic	3,400,000 300,000	300,000
Fausto Tantillo	3,400,000 900,000	900,000

Nikolay Fal	600,000 200,000	200,000

Tags: Bojan Berberovic Fausto Tantillo

01-18-2026 16:31 UTC+1

Lappo Back in the MIx

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Kai Cocklin

Level 24 : Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante

Vladimir Lappo is back in the mix!

After grinding a short stack for some time, Lappo opened the button to 100,000 and then called off his stack of 930,000 after Fausto Tantillo shoved the big blind.

Vladimir Lappo: A♣K♥ All in
Fausto Tantillo: 6♦6♣

Lappo needed to win the flip, and made a good start when the J♥A♠7♠ flop paired his. Further improvements came on the K♣ turn, and the 7♦ river meant Lappo doubled to almost 2,000,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Fausto Tantillo	2,500,000 900,000	900,000

Vladimir Lappo	1,900,000 950,000	950,000

Tags: Fausto Tantillo Vladimir Lappo