Mohamed Mokrani, Elie Farah Chase a Second Title on Day 4 of the $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi
Forty-one players return, but only nine spots at the final table are up for grabs when the penultimate day of the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi Main Event begins at noon local time.
Included among the returning players are two who know how to navigate through these massive fields and come out as champions. Mohamed Mokrani won the Merit Poker Western Series Main Event in January; two months later, Elie Farah emerged victorious in the Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event. They’re both still alive on Day 4, Farah with 1,620,000 and Mokrani with 1,600,000.
They’ll have their work cut out if they want to add a second title, however, as they come into the day far behind chip leader Dashinka (7,400,000). Maher Achour (7,355,000), Anthony Khouzami (5,790,000), Adrian State (5,370,000), and Raffaele Castro (5,035,000) round out the top five.
Day 4 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dashinka | Israel | 7,400,000 | 93 |
| 2 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | 7,355,000 | 92 |
| 3 | Anthony Khouzami | Lebanon | 5,790,000 | 72 |
| 4 | Adrian State | Romania | 5,370,000 | 67 |
| 5 | Raffaele Castro | Italy | 5,000,000 | 63 |
| 6 | Farshad Rahili | Iran | 4,580,000 | 57 |
| 7 | Ignacio Garrido | Spain | 3,700,000 | 46 |
| 8 | Houman Sahafi | Iran | 3,605,000 | 45 |
| 9 | Ermanno Pacini | Italy | 3,410,000 | 43 |
| 10 | Mihai Niste | Romania | 3,345,000 | 42 |
Other players still in the hunt for the title include Ermanno Pacini (3,410,000), Mihai Niste (3,345,000), Simone Andrian (3,300,000), Guillermo Gordo (3,135,000), Fausto Tantillo (3,050,000), Volodymyr Drokin (3,000,000), and Giorgiy Skhulukhiya (2,415,000). Houman Sahafi (3,605,000) and Amir Saeid (1,350,000) already made the final table of the $1,100 IPO Master earlier this festival and try for a repeat performance today.
The action on Day 4 picks up on Level 28 with blinds of 40,000-80,000 and an 80,000 big blind ante, making the average stack worth just over 30 big blinds at the start of the day. Play is scheduled to go down to the final table today. Everyone left is guaranteed $9,400 for making it this far out of a field of 1,133 players, while a spot at the final table is worth $34,450. The eventual champion walks away with $355,000 and the title of Merit Poker champion.
Stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the day as the race for the final table begins.