Merson Wins Big Preflop Battle

Grayson Ramage raised under the gun to 2,500 and from the cutoff it was Alex Bilokur who three-bet to 6,000. The 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event champion Greg Merson was next to act from the button and he made it 14,500 to go.

Both blinds and Ramage gave up quickly after Bilokur went into the tank. After about two minutes, Bilokur put in a five-bet to 25,500 and the pressure was back on Merson. The Marylander went into the tank for 30 seconds before he announced he was all in, sitting in silence while his Russian opponent went into the tank.

Minutes went by and Bilokur kept counting down his stack down, not sure what his next move would be. After about six minutes, it was Bjorn Li who called the clock and in the final seconds of the countdown, Bilokur let go of his hand.

Merson raked in this nice pot and his run is already showing similar signs to the 2012 $10,000 NLHE 6-Max, a tournament he ultimately managed to win.