€880 Merit Poker Cup Day 1cd | 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship

01-16-2026 20:48 UTC+2

Daniliuk Delivers Brutal Beat on Varol

Tim Baker

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

Andrei Daniliuk raised to 12,000 out of the small blind and Hakan Varol jammed for around 75,000 from the big blind. After giving it some thought, Daniliuk stuck in the call.

Hakan Varol: K♣K♦ All in
Andrei Daniliuk: K♠J♥

Daniliuk was in almost the worst position he could be, as Varol had pocket kings. Daniliuk needed his king-jack off to come up with something on the board, or the majority of his stack would be sent over to Varol.

The 3♠Q♠Q♦ flop was safe for Varol's cowboys, and only running cards would see him hit the rail. The 2♠ turn gave Daniliuk a flush draw, and he managed to spike it on the 9♠ river.

Varol hit the rail and Daniliuk was up to 240,000. At another table Amirhossein Davoodi was seen leaving his seat and has also been eliminated

Player	Chips	Progress
Andrei Daniliuk	240,000 135,000	135,000
Hakan Varol	Busted
Amirhossein Davoodi	Busted

Tags: Andrei Daniliuk Hakan Varol

01-16-2026 20:39 UTC+2

Updated Chip Counts

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Tim Baker

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Benjamin Nicault	335,000 100,000	100,000

Nikolay Fal	180,000 55,000	55,000

Jon Kyte	160,000 120,000	120,000
Velibor Jakovljevič	152,000 77,000	77,000
Nemanja Tatar	150,000 58,000	58,000
Genrik Alekian	140,000 65,000	65,000
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya	135,000 135,000	135,000
Lennart Beumelburg	124,000 26,000	26,000
Sebastian Russo	120,000 6,000	6,000
Miroslav Forman	110,000 20,000	20,000
Andrei Daniliuk	105,000 105,000	105,000
Bojan Zivanovic	105,000 70,000	70,000
Antoine Hasbani	100,000 35,000	35,000
Ramez Haddad	98,000 18,000	18,000
Martin Brinkmann	95,000 18,000	18,000
Serkan Solak	90,000
Ilia Morozov	90,000 25,000	25,000
Danilo Stanisic	90,000 25,000	25,000
Hakan Varol	88,000 88,000	88,000
Ermogenis Asprogenous	85,000 35,000	35,000
Bora Kurtulus	77,000 21,000	21,000
Ohad Gelerenter	75,000 36,000	36,000
Giulio Gallo	70,000 18,000	18,000
Dmytro Tulin	68,000 38,000	38,000
Predrag Vukomanovic	65,000 40,000	40,000

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Level: 14

Blinds: 2,000/4,000

Ante: 4,000

01-16-2026 20:22 UTC+2

Break Time

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Tim Baker

Level 13 : Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante

The remaining 34 players have been sent on another 15-minute break.

01-16-2026 20:14 UTC+2

Vukomanovic Loses a Flip; Fal Sends Ketlerov to the Rail

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Tim Baker

Level 13 : Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante

Predrag Vukomanovic raised to 7,500 from the cutoff before the player on the button three-bet shoved for 44,500. Vukomanovic instantly called when the action got back to him.

Button Player: 5♦5♣ All in
Predrag Vukomanovic: A♣J♣

It was a classic flip that was important for both players' futures in the tournament.

The button player flopped a set on the 5♠9♣Q♣ flop, although Vukomanovic had a flush draw. The rest of the board ran out 2♠2♥ to give the button player a full house, and he doubled up through Vukomanovic.

At another table, Mikhail Ketlerov was seen getting up from his seat after his 2x2x ended up second best versus the AxQx of Nikolay Fal.

Player	Chips	Progress
Nikolay Fal	125,000 70,000	70,000

Predrag Vukomanovic	25,000 23,000	23,000
Mikhail Ketlerov	Busted

Tags: Mikhail Ketlerov Nikolay Fal Predrag Vukomanovic

01-16-2026 20:01 UTC+2

Alnasseri Heads For the Exit

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Tim Baker

Level 13 : Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante

IIia Morozov raised it up to 6,000 from the cutoff before Belal Alnasseri pushed his stack of 17,000 into the middle from the small blind. Morozov called and the cards were turned over.

Belal Alnasseri: A♥9♣ All in
Ilia Morozov: J♠J♥

Alnasseri was in rough shape against the two jacks of Morozov and needed to find an ace to keep his hopes of making Day 2 alive.

Not enough help came for Alnasseri on the K♣Q♠6♥8♦9♦ runout, and Morozov's pocket jacks held up, sending Alnasseri to the exit.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ilia Morozov	65,000 65,000	65,000
Belal Alnasseri	Busted

Tags: Belal Alnasseri Ilia Morozov

Level: 13

Blinds: 1,500/3,000

Ante: 3,000

01-16-2026 19:49 UTC+2

Jakovljevič Bets Romanov Out

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Tim Baker

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Maksim Romanov min-raised to 4,000 from middle position before Velibor Jakovljevič three-bet to 8,500 out of the cutoff. When it folded back around to Romanov, he called to see a flop.

Romanov started with a check on the 9♠Q♦3♣ flop, and Jakovljevič quickly bet 11,000. Romanov continued in the form of a call.

The Q♥ turn got a second check from Romanov, and a second bet from Jakovljevič, this time for 15,000. Romanov thought better of it as he folded, and surrendered the pot to Jakovljevič.

Player	Chips	Progress
Velibor Jakovljevič	75,000 20,000	20,000
Maksim Romanov	40,000

Tags: Maksim Romanov Velibor Jakovljevič

01-16-2026 19:41 UTC+2

Flashback: Nicolas Chouity Reigns In the Sweet Life of La Notte Degli Assi

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Tim Baker

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

After thirteen days of poker under the Mediterranean sun, the 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series crowned its final champion. Nicolas Chouity conquered a record-setting 1,023-entry field in the $3,300 La Notte Degli Assi, claiming the title, the trophy, and a career-boosting $460,000 payday inside the luxurious Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.

The event generated a massive $2,823,480 prize pool, making it the largest Merit Poker tournament of 2025 in terms of both field size and prize pool.

Chouity began the final table as chip leader and never looked back, navigating a stacked lineup with experience, composure, and a little bit of luck. In the end, he overcame Hungary’s Richard Broda in a tough and tactical heads-up battle, marking a powerful return to the spotlight for one of Lebanon’s most accomplished players.

2025 La Notte Degli Assi Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Nicolas Chouity	Lebanon	$460,000
2	Richard Broda	Hungary	$307,000
3	"Ma"	France	$215,000
4	Mehmet Deniz	Turkey	$156,000
5	Aleksandr Razinkov	Russia	$115,000
6	Tommy G	San Marino	$95,000
7	Nebi Baysal	Turkey	$77,500
8	Viacheslav Balaev	Russia	$61,500
9	Adil Tlimisov	Russia	$46,280

Read the Full Recap Here

01-16-2026 19:35 UTC+2

Buhaiov Hits the Rail

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Tim Baker

Level 12 : Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante

Nazar Buhaiov three-bet jammed for around 30,000 out of the blinds after a raise by Benjamin Nicault in late position. Nicault instantly called to put Buhalov at risk.

Nazar Buhaiov: A♣3♣ All in
Benjamin Nicault : Q♠Q♥

Buhaiov was crushed by the pocket queens of Nicault, but he did have an ace of clubs working for him.

However, it wasn't to be for Buhaiov as the board came down 3♦J♠8♣9♦7♠, keeping the Nicault's pocket queens ahead the entire way, and Buhaiov headed for the exit.

Player	Chips	Progress
Benjamin Nicault	235,000 90,000	90,000

Nazar Buhaiov	Busted

Tags: Nazar Buhaiov Benjamin Nicault