Another busy day of action at the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series has come to a close, with just 41 players remaining in the $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi.
After ten more levels of play, Dashinka holds the lead as the field prepares for the final two days of the series at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. Day 4 will begin at 12:00 p.m. local time, where play is expected to reach the final table.
Day 3 saw plenty of action and bad beats, as the field coasted through the money bubble to battle for the massive prize pool of $2,084,720, which was confirmed at the start of play.
Dashinka won a big pot on the final level of the night, a pivotal moment on his way to bagging the chip lead with 7,400,000. That puts him just ahead of Maher Achour, who vaulted up the leadboard a couple of levels earlier when he cracked kings on the river to score a knockout. Achour finished up the night with 7,355,000 chips, good for 92 big blinds on Day 4.
Day 3 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 |
After the prize pool was confirmed to smash the $1,500,000 guarantee, players learned that the top 134 finishers would earn at least $3,020.
It took less than four levels before the money bubble burst, as Candido Cappiello was sent to the rail while the tournament was preparing to go hand-for-hand. From there, everyone set their sights on the top prize of $355,000 and the Merit Poker trophy.
Lebanon’s Anthony Khouzami (5,790,000), Romanian Adrian State (5,370,000) and Raffaele Castro (5,000,000) of Italy round out the top five.
One of more notable pots of the day went to Houman Sahafi, who watched his aces hold against kings and ace-queen two levels into the money. The propelled Sahafi to a top-ten stack, returning with 3,605,000 on Saturday.
Several notable names made the money but were unable to bag, including WPT champion Dmitry Gromov (95th - $3,650), EPT champion Nicolas Chouity (96th - $3,650) and WSOP bracelet winner Georgios Skarparis (126th - $3,020), who saw his pocket aces cracked by a flopped straight.
$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi Remaing Payouts
| Place | Prize (USD) | Place | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $355,000 | 10-12 | $26,600 |
| 2 | $240,000 | 13-15 | $22,000 |
| 3 | $160,000 | 16-18 | $19,000 |
| 4 | $115,000 | 19-21 | $16,600 |
| 5 | $90,000 | 22-24 | $14,500 |
| 6 | $72,000 | 25-26 | $12,600 |
| 7 | $57,700 | 27-35 | $11,000 |
| 8 | $45,000 | 36-41 | $9,400 |
| 9 | $34,450 |
Two more days remain here in Cyprus, with players returning on Day 4 to blinds of 40,000/80,000 and a big blind ante of 80,000. Breaks will continue after every pair of 60-minute levels, and all the action will be streamed on the Merit Poker YouTube channel at 1 p.m. local time.
Don’t miss any of the penultimate day, as the PokerNews team continues live coverage from the floor at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
