$5,300 High Roller
Day 3 Completed
2023 Merit Poker Gangster Series
$5,300 High Roller
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2023 Merit Poker Gangster Series
Buy-in
$5,300
Prize Pool
$556,600
Entries
121
Level
29
Blinds
125,000 / 250,000
Ante
250,000
Entries
22
Players Left
1
Level 29
: Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante
A total of 121 players took their shot at the Merit Poker Gangster Series $5,300 High Roller hosted at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel. Day 3 saw 22 players return to battle it out and play down to a champion.
When the dust settled after 10 hours of play it was Giorgiy Skhulukhiya who came out with the victory after a little luck and a lot of power poker. He was seen three-betting light, putting in river raises with air, and opening wide with blind aggression.
At one point he had one foot out the door while he was all in and at risk with his heads-up opponent, Aleksandr Kirichenko. With just 9% equity going to the river, Skhulukhiya spiked top pair to get a pure double, and it was all uphill from there. The next time he was all in was for the win.
Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | $149,200 |
| 2 | Aleksandr Kirichenko | Russia | $104,500 |
| 3 | Dawid Smolka | Poland | $67,200 |
| 4 | Guo Liang Wei | China | $49,750 |
| 5 | Natan Chauskin | Belarus | $37,300 |
| 6 | Clement Bonnant | France | $29,850 |
| 7 | Liwei Sun | China | $24,800 |
| 8 | Huseyin Akgul | Turkey | $19,850 |
| 9 | Leonid Sidelkovskiy | Russia | $14,900 |
Winners Reaction
After winning the match, Skhulukhiya was interviewed by Merit Poker commentator Ali Nejad with the assistance of a translator.
Nejad asked, “What do you attribute this success to?”
Skhulukhiya immediately brought a fun tone to the interview with a playful response through the translator, “He said basically, he takes more chips and throws them farther than the other players he’s playing with.”
Your style is so unique. It leaves some players confused. How are you able to get away with what not everyone would accept as “right”?
“First, he said by sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, and then he wakes up and puts it into third gear to run over his opponents.”
You’ve gone all over the world and collected trophies. What makes you keep coming back to the Merit Poker Room in Cyprus?
“From the servers, the dealers, the organizer. He loves Merit with all his heart and believes this is the best place to play poker.”
In the end, Skhulukhiya remained humble even after winning. He was extremely thankful to the staff, his family, and friends. He concluded the interview by simply saying, "The time to party is starting now!" Nejad presented him with the prestigious Merit Poker High Roller Trophy, and Skhulukhiya headed towards the cage to claim the spoils of his victory.
Final Table Action
The final nine players kicked off the final table with Leonid Sidelkovskiy being knocked out after he moved all in from under the gun with ace-jack and could not improve against the ace-queen of Huseyin Akgul.
For the next few hours, all eyes were on Liwei Sun, who was working off a sub-ten big blind stack. Before his chips were ever used, multiple players found a double. Eventually, he found a hand worth playing for all of his betting discs, and he would earn the double to stay alive.
That cautious strategy would prove correct for Sun as he made one ladder when Akgul misread a small button open from the chip leader, Aleksandr Kirichenko. He moved all in with ace-four suited and was not able to improve against the jacks of his opponent. Akgul hit the rail in eighth place.
It was then Sun who would fall in seventh place when his jam with king-queen suited got snapped off by the red kings of Clement Bonnant. However, back-to-back unfortunate hands were the demise of Bonnant who doubled up Skhulukhiya and then lost another all in the very next hand.
The double-up and subsequent knockout of Bonnant, who finished in sixth place, proved to be the turning point for Skhulukhiya in this event. Skhulukhiya continued with the momentum and eliminated Natan Chauskin a little later at the hands of a cold deck. Chauskin, who had gone all in while playing blind versus blind, was outdone by Skhulukhiya's kings in the big blind, which sent him packing in fifthth place.
Guo Liang Wei then got cooled off to fall when he flopped trips and Kirichenko went runner-runner flush to eliminate him in fourth place.
Three-handed play would then be quiet, but only for Dawid Smolka, who sat back and watched his two opponents absolutely go at it. Skhulukhiya was not shy about putting in a squeeze or a light open with his newly acquired stack. Unfortunately for him, Kirichenko played right back.
After the elimination of Smolka in third place, Kirichenko went into heads-up play with a substantial chip lead. They battled all the way to up to a pivotal hand where Skhulukhiya moved all in from the button and was going to the river with just 9% equity. Lucky for him, the perfect river card was in order. He spiked top pair and never looked back. The next time he was all in was when he was eliminating Kirichenko for the win.
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Level 29
: Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante
Aleksandr Kirichenko moved all in from the button for his last 1,800,000 after a few orbits of Giorgiy Skhulukhiya laying down the hammer and accumulating chips.
Skhulukhiya tanked for a moment then called off to put Kirichenko at risk.
Aleksandr Kirichenko: A♦8♥
Giorgiy Skhulukhiyam: K♠7♦
No sweat for Skhulukhiyam who hit top pair on the 4♦K♥J♣ board. The 5♠ turn and 7♣ river would not bring the help that Kirichenko needed and Skhulukhiyam sent Kirichenko to the rail to officially be crowned the Merit Poker $5,300 High Roller champion for $149,200.
Full Recap coming soon.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
12,100,000
7,400,000
|
7,400,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 29
: Blinds 125,000/250,000, 250,000 ante
Play will resume in about 10-minutes.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
7,400,000
-600,000
|
-600,000 |
|
|
4,700,000
550,000
|
550,000 |
Level: 29
Blinds: 125,000/250,000
Ante: 250,000
Level 28
: Blinds 50,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Aleksandr Kirichenko started heads up play by chipping away at Giorgiy Skhulukhiya and getting him down to just 1,950,000 chips.
Skhulukhiya was on the button and liked his hand enough to move all in. Kirichenko snap called.
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya: J♠7♠
Aleksandr Kirichenko: K♣Q♣
The 6♣9♣9♠ flop landed and Skhulukhiya was drawing slim. The blank 3♥ turn was no help but out of nowhere the J♥ river landed giving Skhulukhiya the best hand and life in this tournament.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
8,000,000
1,650,000
|
1,650,000 |
|
|
4,150,000
-1,600,000
|
-1,600,000 |
Level 28
: Blinds 50,000/125,000, 125,000 ante
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya opened the button to 325,000 before the action was on Dawid Smolka in the small blind who wasted little time before moving all in. Aleksandr Kirichenko folded from the big blind and Skhulukhiya snap called to put Smolka at risk.
Dawid Smolka: 4♠4♥
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya: A♥10♠
The full board ran out Q♠2♥A♠2♠9♠ and Smolka fell at the hands of Skhulukhiya.
Skhulukhiya and Kirichenko are now taking a short break before the heads up match begins.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,350,000
2,725,000
|
2,725,000 |
|
|
5,750,000
650,000
|
650,000 |
|
Busted |
Level: 28
Blinds: 50,000/125,000
Ante: 125,000
Level 27
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Play has come to a pause three-handed.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
3,625,000
-1,375,000
|
-1,375,000 |
|
|
3,375,000
1,275,000
|
1,275,000 |
Level 27
: Blinds 50,000/100,000, 100,000 ante
Aleksandr Kirichenko opened the small blind to 350,000 before the action was on Guo Liang Wei in the big blind. He thought it over and flicked in a chip.
The 10♦10♣5♣ flop landed and Kirichenko continued for 300,000. Wei wasted little time before raising small to 675,000. Kirichenko took a moment and then piled his chips in. Wei snap called to put his tournament life at risk.
Guo Liang Wei: 10♠8♦
Aleksandr Kirichenko: 8♣8♠
Wei was in prime position to double but the dealer brought in a sweat in the form of a flush draw with the Q♣ turn. The 3♣ river would bring in the gross runner-runner flush and Wei would hit the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
5,000,000
2,200,000
|
2,200,000 |
|
Busted |