Charbel Daou Tops Day 1b as 15 Advance in €880 Merit Poker Cup
Day 1b of the €880 Merit Poker Cup played out inside the Merit Royal Splendid Casino in Budva as part of the Merit Poker Montenegro Championship, drawing 102 entries for the second starting flight. After a full day of action, just 15 players survived the cut, all locking up a cash and a seat into Day 2.
Charbel Daou emerged as the chip leader after a steady session, bagging 465,000 to finish well clear of the rest of the field. Mikhail Zavoloka (374,000) and Christoforos Chrysochoidis (359,000) also found healthy bags, while several others positioned themselves well heading into the combined Day 2 field.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charbel Daou | Lebanon | 465,000 | 93 |
| 2 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russia | 374,000 | 75 |
| 3 | Christoforos Chrysochoidis | Greece | 359,000 | 72 |
| 4 | Alexander Sokolovsky | Serbia | 304,000 | 61 |
| 5 | Pablo Redrado | Spain | 255,000 | 51 |
| 6 | Ughur Giyasi | Azerbaijan | 206,000 | 41 |
| 7 | Boris Kazbekov | Russia | 206,000 | 41 |
| 8 | Maor Zaharagi | Israel | 170,000 | 34 |
| 9 | Ivan Bozhenko | Ukraine | 164,000 | 33 |
| 10 | Alisa Sibgatova | Russia | 115,000 | 23 |
Much of the mid-to-late day action centered around the stacks moving in both directions, with players fighting for position as blinds climbed and the money bubble crept closer. Zavoloka steadied himself by sending Viktoria Shalneva to the rail after getting it in ahead of ace-queen with pocket kings and fading the ace.
A few levels earlier, Mikhail Ostapenko found a key double when he paired his four against Yaniv Peretz’s ace-king, keeping himself alive as the field began to tighten. Ostapenko was involved again not long after, showing two pair in a pot against Ivan Bozhenko, who correctly found the fold before delivering the table talk with a grin.
Ali Moein also rode a wave during the later stages, winning a flip after spiking a jack on the river to rebuild, not before he had already benefitted from a mistimed bluff that sent his stack surging toward the top end of the counts.
As the bubble approached, the pace slowed down across the room, with shorter stacks looking for a spot and the bigger stacks applying pressure. Players began to pick their battles more carefully as the field inched toward the 15 paid places.
The bubble finally burst when Olena Vashchenko became the last player to leave empty-handed, getting pocket fours in from the button and running straight into Boris Kazbekov’s pocket sixes. Vashchenko couldn’t find help on the board, bringing Day 1b to an end and confirming the 15 players who will return with chips for Day 2.
All survivors from Day 1b will return on January 17 for Day 2, where they’ll be joined by players advancing from the remaining two starting flights. With Day 1a and Day 1b complete, the tournament has already reached 217 total entries, with Day 1c and Day 1d still to play out on Friday, January 16.
Stay locked in to PokerNews for full coverage from the €880 Merit Poker Cup as the Merit Poker Montenegro Championship continues in Budva.