$1,100 IPO Master
Day 4 Completed
2024 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
$1,100 IPO Master
Day: 4
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
2024 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
Buy-in
$1,100
Prize Pool
$862,040
Entries
937
Level
34
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
42
Players Left
1
Level 34
: Blinds 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
The Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series celebrates the notion of the “good life,” of warm, sunny days and carefree relaxation. And life was certainly good for Danesh Zargaran on the final day of the $1,100 IPO Master.
Zargaran began the day as chip leader and went wire-to-wire at the final table, defeating Candido Cappiello in a short heads-up match to cap off a dominating run throughout the tournament and win the $146,600 top prize.
“Actually, I ran really good. It was hard, but I think I played it well,” Zargaran said following his victory. “Two, three movements I had that it helped me to be the chip leader. I was lucky. You have to be lucky when you win the tournament. For sure you have to be lucky, and I’m very happy.”
$1,100 IPO Master Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danesh Zargaran | Iran | $146,600 |
| 2 | Candido Cappiello | Italy | $108,000 |
| 3 | Houman Sahafi | Iran | $66,600 |
| 4 | Francesco Canzonieri | Italy | $49,200 |
| 5 | Mohamed Ameur Hammi | Tunisia | $36,700 |
| 6 | Harout Ghazarian | Lebanon | $29,750 |
| 7 | Amir Saeid | Iran | $24,600 |
| 8 | Svetoslav Nikolov | Bulgaria | $19,600 |
The Iranian native has only had one recorded cash in the last decade. His previous best result was a win in a $500 event here at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in 2010 for $65,550. But he’s already thinking about what this win can mean for his career going forward.
“I’m looking forward to playing different tournaments, bigger tournaments. Thinking about it professionally,” he said.
Zargaran certainly played like a professional today as he ended up atop a massive field of 937 players. He was the chip leader at the start of the day. He was the first to cross 10,000,000. He was still the chip leader at the start of the final table. At one point during three-handed play, he controlled nearly 80 percent of the chips in play. He began heads-up against Cappiello with a 14-1 chip lead and ended it after only a few hands.
“I was chip leader two days in a row. I played it well. I put pressure, maximum pressure on short stacks,” he said. “When we were three-handed, the prize difference was like $40K so I put maximum pressure on both players, and it worked."
Day 4 Action
Day 4 began with 42 players remaining out of 937 total entries. Maher Achour (42nd), Andrei Spataru (39th), Azizjon Rakhimov (31st), and Romain Retiere (28th) were among the first to bust in a flurry of quick elimninations at the start of the day.
Recent WSOP bracelet winner Georgios Skarparis busted in 27th place to Simone Pascucci, while Amir Saeid picked up jacks to take out both Dmitrii Levin (26th) and EPT champion Kalidou Sow (25th). Zargaran added to his chip lead when he spiked an ace on the turn to crack John Basta’s tens and eliminate him in 23rd place.
Cappiello was in second place behind Zargaran at the start of the day but needed some good fortune to stay alive. He was all in for 3,500,000 with ace-queen but dominated by Carlos Aoun’s ace-king. Cappiello, though, hit a flush on the river to double up to more than 7,000,000.
Pascucci ran queens into Harout Ghazarian’s aces to finish in 20th, while Bakhos Joumaa was eliminated in 18th after coming up short in a three-way all in as Houman Sahafi tripled up with nines.
Zargaran busted Nikolay Fal in 15th with ace-king to king-queen, then took out Aleksandr Pak in 13th with two jacks. Bulent Kose was then the victim of a bad beat as he hit two pair on the turn, but Robert Burlacu spiked a better two pair on the river to bust Kose in 12th place.
Cappiello snapped off Jak Ferman’s all-in shove on the river with a stright to send the Day 2 chip leader to the rail on the final-table bubble. But while that hand was in progress on the outer table, Burlacu shoved for 9,700,000 on the main feature table. Zargaran called with ace-jack and had Burlacu’s queen-jack dominated. Zargaran held on to win the massive pot and take the chip lead into the final table with nearly 32,000,000.
Svetoslav Nikolov was the first to fall when he was all in for 5,475,000 against Francesco Canzonieri but couldn’t win a race with ace-king against tens. Canzonieri also eliminated Saeid in seventh with a pair of jacks.
Ghazarian was then all in with two aces against both Mohamed Ameur Hammi and Canzonieri, but Hammi hit a set of fives on the river to bust Ghazarian in sixth. Hammi, though, would be the next to fall as he four-bet shoved for 8,850,000 with ace-ten but Zargaran had a dominating ace-queen to send him to the rail in fifth place.
Sahafi was down to less than 2,000,000 at one point during the final table but doubled up with queens against Zargaran’s ace-jack, then with ace-ten against Cappiello’s king-queen. He then woke up with queens in the big blind to bust Canzonieri in fourth place.
Zargaran continued to add to his lead during three-handed play, making a running flush on Cappiello, then bluff-shoving the turn on Sahafi as he moved up past 70,000,000. Zargaran then raised to 1,750,000 in the small blind, Sahafi shoved for 14,000,000 in the big blind, and Zargaran snap-called with two kings. Sahafi had ace-queen and Zargaran hit a set on the turn to leave Sahafi drawing dead and headed to the rail in third place.
Zargaran took a massive lead of 85,200,000 to Cappiello’s 6,800,000 into heads-up. It was only a few hands before Cappiello shoved for 5,050,000 with eight-seven and Zargaran called with nine-seven, winning the pot and the tournament with nine-high.
It brought to an end an impressive run through the final table, and in this seaside paradise along the sunny shores of the Mediterranean, the sun certainly shone on Zargaran today.
That concludes PokerNews' coverage of the $1,100 IPO Master. Stay tuned for more coverage throughout the remainder of the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series.
Level 34
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Candido Cappiello moved all in for 5,050,000 on the button and Danesh Zargaran called.
Candido Cappiello: 8♦7♠ 
Danesh Zargaran: 9♣7♥
Zargaran had Cappiello dominated heading to the flop, which came K♦Q♠J♥. The 5♣ turn was no help to Cappiello, while the river was the 2♦ as Zargaran won the pot, and the tournament, with nine-high while Cappiello was forced to settle for a second-place finish.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
93,700,000
4,700,000
|
4,700,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 34
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Danesh Zargaran limped in with K♠10♥ and Candido Cappiello checked back 9♥7♠.
Zargaran hit two pair on the A♣K♥10♠ flop as both players checked to the 4♠ turn. Action was then again checked through.
Cappiello led out for 500,000 on the 2♥ river and Zargaran immediately moved all in. Cappiello snap-folded and Zargaran took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
89,000,000
3,800,000
|
3,800,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
5,050,000
-1,750,000
|
-1,750,000 |
Level 34
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
The players are back in their seats and the heads-up match is now underway.
Level 34
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Danesh Zargaran raised to 1,750,000 in the small blind, Houman Sahafi moved all in for 14,000,000 in the big blind, and Zargaran snap-called.
Houman Sahafi: A♦Q♣
Danesh Zargaran: K♥K♦
Zargaran had woken up with kings and left Sahafi needed to hit an ace to stay alive. The flop came 9♦7♣6♣, while Zargaran made top set on the K♠ turn as Sahafi was already drawing dead by the river. The inconsequential 2♣ completed the board and Sahafi was sent to the rail in third place.
Zargaran and Candido Cappiello are taking a short break before beginning their heads-up match.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
85,200,000
13,200,000
|
13,200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
6,800,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
Busted | |
Level 34
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Danesh Zargaran raised to 1,750,000 in the small blind and Houman Sahafi called in the big blind.
The flop came 10♦8♣3♠ and Zargaran bet 2,000,000. Sahafi called and the 4♠ fell on the river. Zargaran then moved all in.
Sahafi had 14,000,000 behind and burned through two time banks before folding A♣8♥ as Zargaran took the pot with Q♣J♣.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
72,000,000
4,000,000
|
4,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
14,000,000
-5,000,000
|
-5,000,000 |
Level 34
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Houman Sahafi limped in from the small blind and Candido Cappiello checked back.
Sahafi led out for 500,000 on the K♦3♣2♥ flop and Cappiello called. Sahafi bet another 1,700,000 on the J♦ turn and Cappiello again called.
The river was the 8♣ and Sahafi bet 5,500,000. Cappiello tanked for a minute before calling with Q♠J♠, but Sahafi had K♥2♣ for two pair to win the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
19,000,000
9,075,000
|
9,075,000 |
|
|
5,800,000
-9,200,000
|
-9,200,000 |
Level 34
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Candido Cappiello raised to 1,000,000 on the button and Houman Sahafi called in the big blind.
Cappiello bet another 700,000 on the A♣7♣6♠ flop and Sahafi called. Both players checked the A♦ turn.
The river was the 4♣ and Sahafi led out for 1,500,000. Cappiello quickly called with K♦6♦ for two pair and Sahafi mucked 10♣9♦.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
15,000,000
4,000,000
|
4,000,000 |
|
|
9,925,000
-4,075,000
|
-4,075,000 |
Level 34
: 250,000/500,000, 500,000 ante
Houman Sahafi raised to 1,200,000 on the button with 10♠10♥ before Danesh Zargaran three-bet to 4,700,000 in the big blind with A♦Q♦. Sahafi called with his pocket pair and they saw the flop came K♥J♠5♥.
Zargaran then moved all in and Sahafi got rid of his tens as Zargaran expanded his lead.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
68,000,000
6,000,000
|
6,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
14,000,000
-8,000,000
|
-8,000,000 |