Aleksandr Chernikov, Dominik Panka Lead 16 Players Into the Main Event's Final Day
Aleksandr Chernikov and Dominik Panka played the role of sheriffs in the wild west town that is the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino on Day 3 of the Merit Poker Western Series $3,300 Main Event.
Chernikov, a smile continuously on his face, eliminated one player after another as he built up a massive stack. His latest victim was Gabi Livshitz, when he busted the Israeli pro after flopping top set with nines. Chernikov finished with 13,600,000 and is in pole position to capture the title tomorrow.
Panka, the most accomplished pro left in the field with more than $3 million in live earnings, ended the day right behind Chernikov in second place with 11,575,000. Panka won a massive all in against Maxime Chilaud when he flopped a set of nines against Chilaud’s two pair. Later, he knocked out Viktor Ustimov by winning a 10,000,000-chip race with jacks to ace-king.
The rest of the 16 remaining players are looking up at Chernikov and Panka on the leaderboard. They include Eduard Barsegian (9,450,000), Luc Bindel (4,200,000), Justus Held (2,825,000), and Day 2 chip leader Ara Melkisetian (2,300,000).
Day 3 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandr Chernikov | 13,600,000 | 91 |
| 2 | Dominik Panka | 11,575,000 | 77 |
| 3 | Eduard Barsegian | 9,450,000 | 63 |
| 4 | Amarbayasgalan Sainjargal | 6,175,000 | 41 |
| 5 | Ernestas Degtiariovas | 4,850,000 | 32 |
| 6 | Luc Bindel | 4,200,000 | 28 |
| 7 | Vladislav Doroshkov | 3,975,000 | 27 |
| 8 | Maroun Jazzar | 3,725,000 | 25 |
| 9 | Serge Matta | 3,175,000 | 21 |
| 10 | Justus Held | 2,825,000 | 19 |
| 11 | Maciej Komorowski | 2,425,000 | 16 |
| 12 | Ara Melkisetian | 2,300,000 | 15 |
| 13 | Sergei Efimov | 2,000,000 | 13 |
| 14 | Edgard Raffoul | 2,000,000 | 13 |
| 15 | Bakhos Joumaa | 1,850,000 | 12 |
| 16 | Orthodoxos Orthodoxou | 1,375,000 | 9 |
Day 3 began with 114 players remaining out of the starting field of 757. With only 89 making the money, 25 made it this far but left with nothing. It took more than an hour of hand-for-hand play before Toni Kaukua burst the bubble.
From there, Michael Lech (82nd), Uri Reichenstein (79th), Arie Kliper (77th), and Nuri Hadioglu (69th) were all sent to the payout desk in a flurry of eliminations that accompanied the bursting of the money bubble. Chilaud, who won a high roller here in North Cyprus in November, was sent out in 28th place, while Koray Korkmaz (27th), Nikolay Fal (26th), and Day 1c chip leader Matan Krakow (25th) made it to the final three tables.
The 16 who survived the day will return at 1 p.m. local time tomorrow to play down to a champion. They’ve already guaranteed themselves $19,155, but they’ll all have an eye on the $372,800 top prize. The final table will be streamed on a 30-minute delay on Merit Poker’s YouTube channel.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow to follow all the action until a new Main Event champion is crowned in this paradise along the Mediterranean coast.