Huseyin Akgul Leads the Way Into Day 2 of the Merit Poker Carmen Series Merit Poker Cup
The remaining 158 players survived one of four starting flights. Now the road to the title begins in earnest when Day 2 of the Merit Poker Carmen Series Merit Poker Cup begins at 12:30 p.m. local time.
The four opening flights saw 349 total entries. Huseyin Akgul built the biggest stack among them, coming into Day 2 with 744,000. Mukhtar Nasiradinov (728,000), Emad Ghadamian (660,000), Joseph Mouwad (541,500), and Koray Korkmaz (535,000) round out the top five.
Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huseyin Akgul | Turkey | 744,000 | 298 |
| 2 | Mukhtar Nasiradinov | Russia | 728,000 | 291 |
| 3 | Emad Ghadamian | Iran | 660,000 | 264 |
| 4 | Joseph Mouwad | Lebanon | 541,500 | 217 |
| 5 | Koray Korkmaz | Turkey | 535,000 | 214 |
| 6 | Andrea Dato | Italy | 521,000 | 208 |
| 7 | Sergei Sokharev | Russia | 504,500 | 202 |
| 8 | Iurii Saiapin | Russia | 488,500 | 195 |
| 9 | Victor Yugay | Uzbekistan | 464,000 | 186 |
| 10 | Siavash Ziarat | Iran | 432,500 | 173 |
The rest of the leaderboard is littered with notable names with big stacks. They include Andrea Dato (521,000), Simeon Spasov (403,000), High Roller runner-up Halil Tasyurek (401,500), Maksim Shornikau (380,500), Alexandru Papazian (364,000), Florian Guimond (341,500), Maxime Chilaud (259,500), and Benjamin Hamnett (251,000). Also making it to Day 2 are Fausto Tantillo (235,500), Simone Andrian (167,500), Aylar Lie (138,500), and Fabio Peluso (112,000).
The action on Day 2 picks up on Level 9 with blinds of 1,000-2,500 and a 2,500 big blind ante. Late registration remains open through the end of Level 12, so the field could grow substantially by the time the registration period ends. The official prize pool will then be announced and players will find out what they are playing for this week at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. The schedule calls for a further seven 60-minute levels today.
Stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the day for all the live updates from the Merit Poker Carmen Series here in North Cyprus.