€880 Merit Poker Cup Day 2 | 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship

01-17-2026 19:35 UTC+2

Updated Chip Counts

Kai Cocklin

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Bojan Berberovic	2,900,000 300,000	300,000
Mikhail Zavoloka	2,000,000 100,000	100,000
Fausto Tantillo	1,250,000 50,000	50,000

Vladimir Lappo	1,200,000 100,000	100,000
Charbel Daou	850,000 450,000	450,000

Rashad Iskandarov	800,000 350,000	350,000
Ali Moein	585,000 85,000	85,000
Genrik Alekian	550,000
Oleksii Shchukin	500,000 50,000	50,000
Stefan Cupic	475,000 175,000	175,000

Erdal Gulseven	450,000 375,000	375,000
Nikolay Fal	350,000 150,000	150,000

Christoforos Chrysochoidis	240,000 40,000	40,000

Level: 21

Blinds: 10,000/20,000

Ante: 20,000

01-17-2026 19:30 UTC+2

Welcome to Club PokerNews

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Kai Cocklin

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

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01-17-2026 19:20 UTC+2

Break Time

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Kai Cocklin

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

The remaining 13 players are going on a 15-minute break.

01-17-2026 19:18 UTC+2

Bobby James Eliminated in 14th Place (€3,000)

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Kai Cocklin

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Bobby James had been card dead for much of Day 2, and raised to 110,000 from the hijack, leaving just 1,000 behind. Vladimir Lappo called form the small blind.

Both checked the 7♣3♦J♥ flop and the last 1,000 of James went in on the 2♦ turn.

Bobby James: A♦5♥ All in
Vladimir Lappo: 7♥7♦

James needed a four to stay alive, but the Q♦ river sent him on his way in 14th.

Player	Chips	Progress
Vladimir Lappo	1,100,000 100,000	100,000
Bobby James	Busted

Tags: Bobby James Vladimir Lappo

01-17-2026 19:11 UTC+2

Tantillo Has a Bigger Flush than Alekian

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Kai Cocklin

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Nikolay Fal raised to 30,000 from the hijack and Genrik Alekian called from the button. Fausto Tantillo also called from the big blind.

On the 2♠A♥5♠ flop, it checked to Fal, who continued for 40,000. Both Alekian and Tantillo called to the 6♦ turn, where everybody checked.

When the A♠ fell on the river, Tantillo led out with a bet of 85,000, which got Fal to fold. Alekian took just two seconds before he tossed in a chip to call.

Tantillo then flipped a flush with Q♠6♠, which pipped the smaller flush of Alekian, who turned over J♠9♠.

Player	Chips	Progress
Fausto Tantillo	1,200,000 250,000	250,000

Stefan Cupic	650,000 550,000	550,000

Genrik Alekian	550,000 250,000	250,000
Nikolay Fal	500,000 150,000	150,000

Tags: Fausto Tantillo Genrik Alekian Nikolay Fal

01-17-2026 18:59 UTC+2

Shchukin Doubles Through Lappo

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Kai Cocklin

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Vladimir Lappo and Oleksii Shchukin were both in the blinds, and after some preflop action. the chips went in the middle, leaving Shchukin at risk for his stack of around 265,000.

Oleksii Shchukin: A♣9♥ All in
Vladimir Lappo: 4♠4♥

Shchukin needed to win a flip, and got off to a pretty good start as the 9♦2♣6♦ flop gave him top pair. No fours arrived on the Q♣10♥ runout, and Shchukin doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Vladimir Lappo	1,000,000 250,000	250,000
Oleksii Shchukin	550,000 250,000	250,000

Tags: Oleksii Shchukin Vladimir Lappo

01-17-2026 18:56 UTC+2

Alekian Shoves on Berberovic

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Kai Cocklin

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Genrik Alekian opened the button to 35,000 and Bojan Berberovic three-bet out of the small blind to 110,000. Alekian called.

They went to a flop of Q♣2♠8♣, where Berberovic checked and Alekian fired 90,000. Berberovic called and then checked again when the 9♥ fell on the turn.

Alekian then moved all in for around 350,000, and Berberovic tanked for around a minute before he folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bojan Berberovic	2,600,000 100,000	100,000
Genrik Alekian	800,000 75,000	75,000

Tags: Bojan Berberovic Genrik Alekian

01-17-2026 18:44 UTC+2

Updated Chip Counts

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Kai Cocklin

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Bojan Berberovic	2,700,000 100,000	100,000
Mikhail Zavoloka	1,900,000 100,000	100,000
Vladimir Lappo	1,250,000 150,000	150,000
Stefan Cupic	1,200,000 150,000	150,000

Fausto Tantillo	950,000 10,000	10,000

Erdal Gulseven	825,000 75,000	75,000
Genrik Alekian	725,000 225,000	225,000
Nikolay Fal	650,000 200,000	200,000

Ali Moein	500,000 100,000	100,000
Rashad Iskandarov	450,000 80,000	80,000
Charbel Daou	400,000

Bobby James	350,000 150,000	150,000
Oleksii Shchukin	300,000 10,000	10,000
Christoforos Chrysochoidis	200,000 60,000	60,000

01-17-2026 18:39 UTC+2

Benjamin Nicault Eliminated in 15th Place (€3,000)

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Kai Cocklin

Level 20 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Charbel Daou shoved from the cutoff and Benjamin Nicault took some time before he committed his stack of around 140,000 from the big blind.

Benjamin Nicault: K♠Q♦ All in
Charbel Daou: Q♣J♣

Nicault was in the lead, and stayed there through the 7♠3♥8♣ flop. However, he was made to sweat as the 9♣ turn added both straight and flush draws for Daou.

None of those draws connected on the river, but the J♦ was enough to see off Nicault as Daou made a pair of jacks.