Daria Feshchenko has joined the field, she's somewhat of a regular here in Cyprus, having collected eight cashed here already over the past years.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000 |
The player on the button raised to 1,700 and was called by Mario Mosböck in the big blind.
The flop came 
, Mosböck check-raised the 2,100 continuation-bet of his opponent to 5,200 which the player on the button called.
The turn was the 
, Mosböck now barreled a bet of 8,400 over the line. His opponent considered his options for a while but then opted to fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
110,000 |
The tournament started with a slight delay and slowly more and more players are taking their seats at the tables. There are currently 32 entries showing on the clock and the first familiar face has been spotted which is Dragos Trofimov.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000 |
The tournament director has welcomed the players to the tables and the button has been drawn to Seat 4. The dealers have been instructed to shuffle up and deal.
Level: 1
Blinds: 300/600
Ante: 600
Welcome to sunny Cyprus and the 2019 Merit Poker Classic in the beautiful Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. Day 1a of the $5,300 Main Event kicks off today at noon local time to give players their first shot of making it through to Day 2 of the tournament which has a guaranteed prize pool of $3,000,000!
The festival features 40 different events and started on the 2nd of May already. One of the key events was the $2,200 Warm-Up which has 17 players left with partypoker LIVE Ambassador Anatoly Filatov making it into the final day with the chip lead. There was also a $10,300 High Roller which had their Day 2 yesterday which started with 32 players but already increased to more than 60 entries with registration still open today.
The last winner of a $5,300 Main Event here in Cyprus was Andrey Pateychuk who claimed $280,643 by defeating Alkesandr Gofman heads up. That tournament featured a $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool so the winner of this event will be taking even more back home with them. With a bunch of familiar faces spotted already and more making their way to this Mediterranean island, it promises to be an action-packed week.
The live reporting will be focusing on the Main Event throughout all the exciting activities happening here in North Cyprus. When players sit down, they will start with 100,000 in chips. Eight levels of 60 minutes each have been scheduled today and registration is open until the end of the break after Level 12 on Day 2 with unlimited reentries possible. The first level has a small blind of 300, big blind of 600, and a big blind ante of 600. A ten-minute break has been scheduled after every two levels. Four more starting flights will be coming up which includes two faster versions with 30- and 20-minute levels on Day 1d and 1e.
Day 1 Structure
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | BB Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 2 | 60 | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| Break | 10 | |||
| 3 | 60 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 4 | 60 | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| Break | 10 | |||
| 5 | 60 | 700 | 1,400 | 1,400 |
| 6 | 60 | 800 | 1,600 | 1,600 |
| Break | 10 | |||
| 7 | 60 | 900 | 1,800 | 1,800 |
| 8 | 60 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
Join the PokerNews live reporting team as they bring you all the action, for the first time ever, from the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino!
Main Event
Day 1a Started
