Over $4 Million Guaranteed During the Merit Poker Gangster Series

Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor
4 min read
Merit Crystal Cove

The Merit Crystal Cove Hotel-Casino is gearing up for its latest spectacular poker festival, the Merit Poker Gangster Series. Running from November 22 through December 3, the Merit Poker Gangster Series boasts over $4 million in guaranteed prize pools, with each event featuring a guarantee. Best of all? PokerNews is jetting out to Northern Cyprus to bring you coverage of three of the biggest, or should that be most gangster, tournaments.

While the first proper Gangster Series event kicks off on November 22, two satellites are taking place a day earlier. First, there is a freeroll satellite, with $25 rebuys permitted, at 6:00 p.m. local time on November 21 that feeds into the $275 NL Satellite to the Warm Up. That $275 satellite starts at 9:30 p.m. local time, and will award at least 15x $2,200 NL Warm Up seats.

The $2,200 NL Warm Up is the first of three events PokerNews' reporters will cover. The first of four flights begins at 12:00 p.m. local time on November 22, with the champion crowned on November 26. That champion will take home the lion's share of the $700,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Next up on PokerNews' coverage is the eagerly anticipated $5,300 High Roller event. Running from November 26 through November 28, the Gangster Series High Roller should being plenty of stellar names out of the woodwork. High stakes action is popular in Northern Cyprus, so it would be a major surprise if this event did not obliterate its $300,000 guarantee.

Andrey Pateychuk
Andrey Pateychuk has previously tasted victory at the Gangster Series

Last but certainly not least on PokerNews' live reporting radar is the $3,300 buy-in Main Event, which comes with a $1,500,000 guarantee on its prize pool. Day 1a commences at 12:00 p.m. local time on November 28, and it has three more flights. Day 4, the final day, is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. local time on December 3.

When this tournament last ran in 2018, it commanded a $5,000 buy-in and guaranteed $2 million. Some 457 players bought in, and Russian superstar Andrey Pateychuk returned home with the title and $280,643 after a four-way deal. Expect similar prizes this time around.

2023 Merit Poker Gangster Series Schedule

DateTimeEventGuarantee
Wed 22 Nov12:00 p.m.$2,200 NL Warm Up Day 1A$700,000
 5:30 p.m.$660 NL Turbo Bounty$30,000
Thu 23 Nov12:00 p.m.$2,200 NL Warm Up Day 1B$700,000
 9:00 p.m.$770 NL Hyper Turbo Deep Stack$35,000
 9:30 p.m.$2,200 NL Warm Up Day 1C$700,000
Fri 24 Nov10:00 a.m.$2,200 NL Warm Up Day 1D Turbo$700,000
 12:30 p.m.$2,200 NL Warm Up Day 2$700,000
Sat 25 Nov12:00 p.m.NL Warm Up Day 3$700,000
 1:00 p.m.$1,650 NL Mystery Bounty Day 1A$200,000
 7:00 p.m.$1,100 NL Seniors Event$30,000
Sun 26 Nov12:00 p.m.$1,650 NL Mystery Bounty Day 1B$200,000
 8:00 p.m.$5,300 NL High Roller 8-Handed Day 1$300,000
Mon 27 Nov12:00 p.m.NL Mystery Bounty Final Day$200,000
 12:30 p.m.$1,650 NL Bounty$100,000
 8:00 p.m.$5,300 NL High Roller 8-Handed Day 2$300,000
Tue 28 Nov12:00 p.m.$3,300 NL Main Event Day 1A$1,500,000
 2:00 p.m.NL High Roller Final Day$300,000
 5:30 p.m.$660 NL Hyper Turbo Deep Stack$25,000
Wed 29 Nov12:00 p.m.$3,300 NL Main Event Day 1B$1,500,000
 10:00 p.m.$1,100 NL Mix-Max 9-Handed Day 1$100,000
Thu 30 Nov12:00 p.m.$3,300 NL Main Event Day 1C$1,500,000
 3:00 p.m.$1,100 PL Omaha Bounty 8-Handed$50,000
 6:00 pm.$550 NL Texas Split$25,000
 7:00 p.m.$3,300 NL Main Event Day 1D Turbo$1,500,000
 10:00 p.m.$1,100 NL Mix-Max 7-Handed Day 2$100,000
Fri 1 Dec12:00 p.m.$3,300 NL Main Event Day 2$1,500,000
 9:00 p.m.$1,100 Double Board PLO Bomb Pot 8-Handed$50,000
 10:00 p.m.NL Mix Max 6-Handed Final Day$100,000
Sat 2 Dec12:00 p.m.NL Main Event Day 3$1,500,000
 12:30 p.m.$3,300 NL Mystery Bounty Day 1A$300,000
 4:00 p.m.$660 NL Bounty$25,000
 7:00 p.m.$3,300 NL Mystery Bounty Day 1B$300,000
 9:30 p.m.$660 NL Turbo Deep Stack$25,000
Sun 3 Dec11:00 a.m.$3,300 NL Mystery Bounty Day 1C Turbo$300,000
 1:00 p.m.NL Main Event Day 3$1,500,000
 1:00 p.m.$880 NL Deep Stack Bounty 6-Handed$35,000
 5:00 p.m.$3,300 NL Merit Classic$50,000
 7:00 p.m.NL Mystery Bounty Final Day$300,000
 7:30 p.m.$550 NL Turbo Deep Stack Bounty 6-Handed$20,000

Expect to see Merit Crystal Cove regulars, such as Turkey's Seref Dursun Anar, who has a record 118 cashes in tournaments held there, plus the likes of serial cashers Makram Saber, Dmitry Gromov, Orhan Ates, and Michel Habib. Hopefully, you'll be writing your name in the Merit Crystal Cove record books some the end of the Gangster Series.

The Merit Crystal Cove Hotel-Casino is a luxurious 5-star all-inclusive resort with everything you need under one roof. The weather in Northern Cyprus right now is a toasty 28 Celsius (83 Fahrenheit), so you can enjoy the sunshine and beaches if the poker doesn't quite go to plan! See you there.

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Matthew Pitt
Senior Editor

Matthew Pitt hails from Leeds, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom, and has worked in the poker industry since 2008, and worked for PokerNews since 2010. In September 2010, he became the editor of PokerNews. Matthew stepped away from live reporting duties in 2015, and now concentrates on his role of Senior Editor for the PokerNews.

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