button in SafariEhsan Amiri Bags Day 1c Chip Lead as Merit Poker Main Event Field Reaches 769 Entries
Another day is complete inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa as Day 1c of the $5,500 Merit Poker Main Event played out at the Merit Poker Noir Series. The penultimate starting flight has now come to an end, with a further 28 players locking up their spots in Day 2 and in the money
Day 1c attracted another 185 players, while the ongoing Day 1d flight added a further 140 after late registration came to a close. That brought the total field size to 769 entries, with a maximum of 115 players set to return for Day 2, all guaranteed a share of the $3,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Leading the way at the end of the night was Ehsan Amiri, who turned his starting stack into 1,705,000. Close behind was Farkas Benedek, who finished on 1,650,000 after bringing the roller-coaster day of Hassan Nashar to an end late in the evening. Alexey Borovkov rounded out the top three with 1,365,000, while Fabian Gumz (1,275,000), Bogdan Jontulovic (1,175,000), and Fahredin Mustafov (1,100,000) were among a whole host of familiar names to finish with seven-figure stacks.
Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ehsan Amiri | Australia | 1,705,000 | 68 |
| 2 | Farkas Benedek | Hungary | 1,650,000 | 66 |
| 3 | Alexey Borovkov | Russian Federation | 1,365,000 | 55 |
| 4 | Fabian Gumz | Germany | 1,275,000 | 51 |
| 5 | Bogdan Jontulovic | Serbia | 1,175,000 | 47 |
| 6 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Leonid Orman | Russian Federation | 1,065,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Vadzim Godzdanker | Belarus | 980,000 | 39 |
| 9 | Vedat Yilmaz | Turkey | 805,000 | 32 |
| 10 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 725,000 | 29 |
The Day's Action
The first level was rather quiet compared to the other flights, but that changed as the day's first elimination came during the second level. Illia Hurin scored the knockout after Ekaterina Fedyaeva called off her remaining stack with a pair of jacks for second pair, only to discover that Hurin had made the nut straight on the turn.
One of the stories of the day belonged to Elie Farah. Just before the first break, Farah hero-called Kirill Shcherbakov down over three streets with just a pair of sevens. The double-up propelled Farah towards the top of the chip counts, but his tournament eventually came to an end just two places shy of the money. With ace-queen, Farah raise-called off his more-than-healthy stack and lost against the pocket deuces of Borovkov, ending his Main Event in the second worst position.
After enduring a heartbreaking end to Day 1b by bubbling, Nashar returned for another attempt at reaching Day 2. Unfortunately for Nashar, his first bullet lasted just a single hand after his pocket nines were cracked in a three-way pot by a weak ace. Undeterred, he continued to reenter throughout the evening before finally finding running up a stack.
Nashar eventually turned that fresh starting stack into one of the biggest in the room, with one of the highlights coming when he eliminated Aliaksandr Hirs after rivering trips. However, with the money and a Day 2 spot within sight, Nashar's run finished when Benedek picked off his huge river bluff with trips, sending Nashar to the rail once again just before the end of the day.
Everyone was one spot away from making the money, when, with just a single big blind remaining, Mehmet Kolgu got his final chips into the middle against Borovkov. Kolgu paired his king on the flop and appeared destined for a double-up, but a fourth heart on the turn gave Borovkov a flush and earned Kolgu the unwanted title of bubble boy, bringing Day 1c to an end.
Also advancing to Day 2 were Felipe Ketzer (725,000), Pedro Ingles (555,000), Neophytos Neophytou (520,000), Timur Mukhamedaminov (475,000), Nicolas Chouity (450,000), Sergey Moiseev (435,000), Eyal Eshkar (350,000), and Orhan Ates (200,000). Joining them are Katherina Aristotelos (230,000) and Irina Zheleznyak (570,000), who also advanced to Day 2, with the pair finishing as the only female survivors from the flight.
Day 2 of Main Event gets underway at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, August 5, with players expected to return to Level 17, featuring blinds of 10,000/20,000 with a big blind ante of 20,000. All survivors will be guaranteed a cash, with the official payouts set to be announced shortly after play begins, while the schedule for the penultimate day of the tournament will be determined as the day progresses.
Remaining Main Event Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 5 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| August 6 | Final Day | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for continuing coverage from the Merit Poker Noir Series as the remaining players battle for a place at the final table and a shot at the title.