$5,300 High Roller
Day 2 Completed
2023 Merit Poker Carmen Series
$5,300 High Roller
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
2023 Merit Poker Carmen Series
Buy-in
$5,300
Entries
187
Level
31
Blinds
125,000 / 250,000
Ante
250,000
Entries
187
Players Left
28
Ryan Mandara Leads Field in Event #13: $5,300 High Roller
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
After 12 levels of play on Day 2 of Event #13: $5,300 High Roller at the Merit Poker Carmen Series hosted by the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, just 28 players remain from an initial field of 187. Leading those 28 players is Ryan Mandara with a whopping 1,950,000. That places him well ahead of his nearest competitor, Anton Ionel, who was able to bag a still impressive 1,605,000. Fahredin Mustafov rounds out the top three with 1,500,000.
At the start of the day, 71 players returned from a Day 1 field of 110 but with late registration open for a further four levels, the total number of entries was set to rise. And rise it did as 77 additional players ponied up the buyin on Day 2 before the conclusion of Level 12 and the end of late registration.
Merit Poker Western Series $5,300 High Roller Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ryan Mandara | 1,950,000 | 78 |
| 2 | Anton Ionel | 1,605,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Fahredin Mustafov | 1,500,000 | 60 |
| 4 | Aliaksandr Hirs | 1,490,000 | 60 |
| 5 | Mihai Niste | 1,465,000 | 59 |
| 6 | Stefan Huber | 895,000 | 36 |
| 7 | Lev Kydatov | 855,000 | 34 |
| 8 | Dmitry Gromov | 840,000 | 34 |
| 9 | Egor Romaniuk | 720,000 | 29 |
| 10 | Alexandru Papazian | 715,000 | 29 |
Once late registration did close, the total prizepool was confirmed at $860,200, absolutely obliterating the guarantee of $250,000. That money will be split amongst the top 23 finishers but, with the field just five eliminations away from the money, the tournament director announced that play would be halted for the day. As a result, nobody currently has a return on their investment locked up with the soft bubble set to come into effect from the very start of Day 3.
Still, with only 28 players left, aside from the $8,100 minimum cash, most who retake their seat tomorrow will surely have one eye on the sizable first place prize of $204,700. In addition, those who make it to the final five will also receive a free entry into Event #19: $3,300 Main Event as part of an ongoing promotion being put on during the series that sees added value for tournament players.
Day 3 resumes at 2 p.m, Tuesday March 28th at the start of Level 13 with blinds of 10,000/25,000 with a 25,000 big blind ante at which point the remaining players will be whittled down to a winner. Be sure to stay tuned to Pokernews as its live reporting team continues to provide updates of Event #13: $5,300 High Roller.
End of Play
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
With 28 players remaining, Day 2 of Event #13: $5,300 High Roller has drawn to a close. Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of the day's action to follow.
Final Five Hands
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
With the level nearing a close and 31 players still remaining, the tournament director has announced that five more hands will be played before the survivors bag for the night.
Chilaud Felts Two
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Picking up the action partway through the hand, Maxime Chilaud in the small blind had a player on the button and a player in the cutoff all in and at risk.
Cutoff Player: 
Button Player: 
Maxime Chilaud: 
Chilaud was not in the best of positions with the cutoff player blocking one of his two overcards to the fives but shot into the lead after the flop came 
. Nothing changed on the 
turn or 
river, sending Chilaud's opponents to the rail before the end of the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,035,000 | 730,000 |
Final Level of the Night?
Level 20
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
With the start of Level 20, it is possible that this will be the final level of the night. There are, however, 36 players currently remaining and with 23 of those getting paid, it seems unlikely play will be halted until the money is reached.
Level: 20
Blinds: 10,000/20,000
Ante: 20,000
Gavrilovich Leaves Kliper Short
Level 19
: Blinds 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
Arie Kliper opened to 32,000 from under the gun and was called by Jenya Gavrilovich in middle position. The remaining players got out of the way to send action heads-up to the flop.
Kliper slowed down following the 
flop, checking to Gavrilovich who chose to toss 29,000 into the middle. It did not take long for Kliper to make the call to see a turn.
Both players checked through the 
turn to the 
river at which point Kliper chose to lead into Gavrilovich for a meaty 79,000. After some thought Gavrilovich made the call and turned over 
, sufficiently strong to send Kliper's 
into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
430,000 | 110,500 |
|
175,000 | -200,000 |
Romaniuk Scores Triple Knockout
Level 19
: Blinds 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
Picking up the action partway through the hand, a player on the button, a player in the small blind and Egor Romaniuk in the big blind were each all in. A player in middle position was considering a call for their tournament life. Eventually, the middle position player did make the call and all four players tabled their hands.
Button Player: 
Small Blind Player: 
Middle Position Player: 
Egor Romaniuk: 
Romaniuk had all of his opponents covered but was well behind, likely needing to find one of the two remaining eights in the deck to scoop the pot. That is precisely what happened after the board ran out 
to improve Romaniuk to a set and hand him not only an enormous pot but also a rare triple knockout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,250,000 | 1,250,000 |
Level: 19
Blinds: 8,000/16,000
Ante: 16,000