Vladislav Chekhlov opened to 600 from the cutoff and Hakan Varol called from the big blind.
The flop came A♣A♠7♣ and Varol checked it over, before Chekhlov bet 300. Varol then check-raised the minimum to 600, and Chekhlov called.
An A♥ hit the turn, putting three aces on board, and Varol bet 600. Chekhlov stuck around to see the 8♠ drop on the river, where both decided to check it down.
Varol showed a full house with 7♠3♠, and that was enough to earn him the pot. No early quads for either player.
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
Xiaosheng Zheng
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.
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