Mikhail Zamyatin Bags the Chip Lead on Day 1a of the Merit Poker Carmen Series $2,200 Warmup
The curtain has fallen on Day 1a of the Merit Poker Carmen Series $2,200 Warmup, and the rest of the field is looking up at Mikhail Zamyatin on the chip leaderboard.
Aces over kings is the worst cooler in poker, and being on the right side of it is one reason why the Russian with more than $600,000 in live tournament earnings built up the biggest stack on the opening flight. He busted Valeriy Pak in a nearly 200,000-chip pot on his way to bagging up 522,500 for the day. Zamyatin is no stranger to success here at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. He was runner-up in a side event during the Merit Poker Western Series in January.
Stepan Kiba, Sergei Efimov, and Artem Kazantsev spent most of the day sitting at the same table and kept tangling in big pots as each took turns building up a massive stack. Efimov finished Day 1a ahead in that table trio with 415,000, while Kiba isn’t far behind with 333,500 and Kazantsev bagged 231,000.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikhail Zamyatin | 522,500 | 209 |
| 2 | Luc Bindel | 430,000 | 172 |
| 3 | Sergei Efimov | 415,000 | 166 |
| 4 | Aliaksandr Hirs | 407,000 | 163 |
| 5 | Maksim Skripkin | 406,000 | 162 |
| 6 | Harald Sammer | 395,000 | 158 |
| 7 | Damir Zhugralin | 382,500 | 153 |
| 8 | Denis Kapustin | 365,500 | 146 |
| 9 | Stepan Kiba | 333,500 | 133 |
| 10 | Murat Altunok | 315,500 | 126 |
Day 1a attracted 125 total entries, with 62 players making it through to Day 2. Notables to survive eight hour-long levels include Luc Bindel (430,000), Fausto Tantillo (283,500), Michele Guerrini (252,500), Dragos Trofimov (168,500), Yiannis Liperis (129,500), and Maxime Chilaud (119,500). Those who weren’t as lucky include Aleksandr Chernikov, runner-up in the Western Series Main Event, and 2022 WSOP finalist Philippe Souki. They will have to try again in another flight if they want to get their hands on the prestigious Merit Poker trophy.
There are still three more starting flights remaining in this tournament before the prize pool is determined. Day 1b begins at noon tomorrow, while there will be a turbo Day 1c tomorrow night and a turbo Day 1d on Friday. The remaining players combine on Day 2 on March 24, with late registration and unlimited reentries available until the end of Level 12.
Stay tuned for more coverage as PokerNews brings you all the action from the remainder of the festival along the shores of the Mediterranean in North Cyprus.
before Ramin Esmaeilzadeh moved all in from early position for 54,500. Liperis quickly called.
on the turn was safe, while the 
on the river improved Esmaeilzadeh to two pair as he smacked his hands together in celebration of his double up.
. The 
on the turn improved him to a full house as Gungoren, already drawing dead, began cutting out the chips to pay him off.
on the river also gave Gungoren a full house but it was too late to avoid handing over the pot to Bindel.
flop, Amir Hassan on the button got the rest of his 40,000 in the middle and was up against big blind Stepan Kiba.
turn was no help, but the 
river completed Kiba's flush and sent Hassan to the exit.
river when Gungoren once again checked over to Zhugralin, who tossed in 7,000. Gungoren quickly called as Zhugralin turned over 
for queen-high. Gungoren showed 
for a pair of aces.
and action checked to Kazantsev, who fired out 3,500. Only Efimov called and both players checked the 
turn.
, and this time Kazantsev assembled a bet of 16,000. Efimov quickly threw in the chips to call and Kazantsev turned over 
for rivered two pair. Efimov threw his cards into the muck and surrendered the pot.
for a full house to send Bindel to the rail.
