Hands #71-73: Filatov and Melnikov Do Battle
Level 39
: 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Hand #71: Alexey Melnikov raised to 9m from the cutoff with 
and Anatoly Filatov three-bet on the button to 24m with 
, which got Melnikov to fold.
Hand #72: Filatov raised to 9m with 
from the cutoff and won the pot.
Hand #73: Filatov raised to 9m with 
from under the gun and Melnikov defended his big blind with 
. The flop came 
, Melnikov check-called an 8m bet, and on the 
turn, Melnikov checked once more, before Filatov moved all in, and Melnikov folded.
and Andrey Malyshev open-mucked 
in the big blind.
in the cutoff and Kazaryan called in the small blind with the 
on the button. Out of the big blind, Viktor Khodorenko called with 
and three players headed to the 
turn, Filatov slowed down and checked, Kazaryan checked behind. The 
and Alexey Melnikov peeled with 
out of the big blind. The 
flop was checked and Filatov improved to top pair on the 
turn. Again both checked and the 
flop both checked and the 
river went check, check, and Khodorenko picked up a small pot.
turn and the 
, and Viktor Khodorenko called in the big blind with 
. Both players checked on the 
, and Melnikov checked. Kazaryan bet 20m and Melnikov folded the best hand before Kazaryan showed his bluff. 
turn triggered a bet of 11 million, Filatov was having none of it and quickly called while Kazaryan folded.
. The flop fell 
river was checked once more and Khodorenko dropped another pot.
and Gor Kazaryan on the button three-bet to 18 million with 