$1.5 Million Guaranteed Main Event Headlines the Merit Poker Western Series

Matthew Pitt Senior Editor

Jan 10, 2024 3 min read

The Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Casino in Northern Cyprus has a glowing reputation for running prestigious poker tournament festivals. We may only be a couple of weeks into 2024, but the venue is putting together last-minute preparations for its first festival of the year, the 2024 Merit Poker Western Series.

Northern Cyprus ticks all the right boxes for a poker destination. It is easy to get to from across Europe, the weather is usually warm and sunny even at this time of year, the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Casino is all-inclusive, and its staff leaves guests wanting for nothing, and the poker tournaments are out of this world.

Follow the 2024 Merit Poker Western Series Here

Live updates are here! Gambling Aware

The 2024 Merit Poker Western Series runs from January 14 through January 25, and boasts some events with juicy guarantees. PokerNews' Live Reporting team is jetting off to sunny Cyprus to bring you live and exclusive coverage from three of the schedule's biggest events: the $2,200 Warm Up, $5,300 High Roller, and $3,300 Main Event.

The $2,200 Warm Up boasts an $800,000 guarantee on its prize pool making it the perfect way to, well, warm up for what lies in store. When the Merit Poker Western Series ran in January 2023, the Warm Up attracted 523 players who created a $932,620 prize pool. An anonymous player came out on top and turned their initial investment into $181,200.

This year's $2,200 Warm Up runs from January 15-19, and features four starting flights.

Reigning High Roller champion, Toni Kaukua

The $5,300 High Roller has a $300,000 price tag on its head, although the eventual pot should be far larger. It runs from January 18-20, and should see players from far and wide enter. Last year's event drew in 147 entrants who fought it out over a $659,700 prize pool. Finland's Toni Kaukua came out on top and walked away with $170,000 for his efforts.

The $3,300 buy-in, $1,500,000 guaranteed Main Event is the third and final Merit Poker Western Series tournament PokerNews is covering. January 20 is when Day 1A commences, with Day 1B, 1C, and a turbo-structured 1D taking place on subsequent days. The champion is crowned on January 25.

Orthodoxos Orthodoxou is the reigning champion, having left 756 opponents in his wake en route to scooping the $372,800 top prize.

Merit Poker Western Series Event Schedule

Many live satellites run during the Merit Poker Western Series, each offering you a cut-price route to stardom. Brushing up on satellite strategy before heading to Northern Cyprus is worthwhile!

Date	Time	Event	Guarantee
Mon 15 Jan	12:00 p.m.	$2,200 NLHE Warm Up Day 1A	$800,000
	5:30 p.m.	$960 NLHE Turbo Bounty	$30,000
Tue 16 Jan	12:00 p.m.	$2,200 NLHE Warm Up Day 1B	$800,000
	9:30 p.m.	$2,200 NLHE Warm Up Day 1C	$800,000
Wed 17 Jan	10:00 a.m.	$2,200 NLHE Warm Up Day 1D Turbo	$800,000
	12:30 p.m.	$2,200 NLHE Warm-Up Day 2	$800,000
Thu 18 Jan	12:00 p.m.	Warm Up Day 3	$800,000
	1:00 p.m.	$1,600 NLHE Bounty KO	$50,000
	8:00 p.m.	$5,300 NLHE High Roller 8-Handed Day 1	$300,000
Fri 19 Jan	12:00 p.m.	Warm Up Final Day	$800,000
	12:00 p.m.	$2,400 NLHE Bounty KO	$100,000
	8:00 p.m.	$5,300 NLHE High Roller 8-Handed Day 2	$300,000
Sat 20 Jan	12:00 p.m.	$3,300 NLHE Main Event Day 1A	$1,500,000
	2:00 p.m.	High Roller 8-Handed Final Day	$300,000
	6:00 p.m.	$550 NLHE Texas Split 7-Handed	$25,000
Sun 21 Jan	12:00 p.m.	$3,300 NLHE Main Event Day 1B	$1,500,000
	10:00 p.m.	$1,100 NLHE Mix-Max 9-Handed Day 1	$150,000
Mon 22 Jan	12:00 p.m.	$3,300 NLHE Main Event Day 1C	$1,500,000
	2:00 p.m.	$2,500 PLO Bounty 8-Handed	$75,000
	5:00 p.m.	$1,100 NLHE Seniors (50+)	$35,000
	7:00 p.m.	$3,300 NLHE Main Event Day 1D Turbo	$1,500,000
	10:00 p.m.	$1,100 NLHE Mix-Max 7-Handed Day 2	$150,000
Tue 23 Jan	12:00 p.m.	$3,300 NLHE Main Event Day 2	$1,500,000
	9:00 p.m.	$1,100 PLO Double Board Bomb Pot	$50,000
	10:00 p.m.	Mix-Max 6-Max Final Day	$150,000
Wed 24 Jan	12:00 p.m.	Main Event Day 3	$1,500,000
	12:30 p.m.	$4,250 NLHE Mystery Bounty Day 1A	$300,000
	4:00 p.m.	$880 PLO 8-Handed	$40,000
	7:00 p.m.	$4,250 NLHE Mystery Bounty Day 1B	$300,000
	9:30 p.m.	$770 NLHE Hyper Turbo Deep Stack	$35,000
Thu 25 Jan	11:00 a.m.	$4,250 NLHE Mystery Bounty Day 1C Turbo	$300,000
	12:00 p.m.	Main Event Final Day	$1,500,000
	1:00 p.m.	$1,280 NLHE Deep Stack Bounty 6-Handed	$40,000
	7:00 p.m.	Mystery Bounty Final Day	$300,000
	7:30 p.m.	$960 NLHE Turbo Deep Stack Bounty	$30,000
	8:00 p.m.	$3,300 NLHE Merit Classic	$50,000