$3,300 Main Event Day 1b | 2024 Merit Poker Western Series

01-21-2024 15:27 UTC+2

El-Siblani Doubles With Queens

David Salituro

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Ali El-Siblani had his entire stack of 95,000 in the middle from the cutoff and was up against Osman Aksu. Vladimir Malyarchuk admitted he folded ace-king as they went heads-up.

Ali El-Siblani: Q♠Q♥
Osman Aksu: 9♥9♣

The flop came J♥6♥10♠, while the A♦ fell on the turn. Malyarchuk let out a sigh at the sight of the ace and the 2♠ fell on the river to give El-Siblani a double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ali El-Siblani	210,000
Vladimir Malyarchuk	130,000
Osman Aksu	30,000

Tags: Ali El-Siblani Osman Aksu

01-21-2024 15:37 UTC+2

Hursoz Makes the Right Call in Massive Three-Way All In

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David Salituro

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Razvan Sabau was already all in from the big blind as Qiang Xu and Tugce Hursoz went to the 8♠Q♠4♥ flop with around 70,000 in the pot.

Xu then bet 17,200 from middle position and Hursoz called in early position. The turn was the 10♦ and Xu bet 80,000.

Hursoz tanked for several minutes until another player at the table called the clock. She eventually moved all in and Xu, with only around 20,000 remaining, called.

Sabau had A♥10♣, Xu showed A♠6♠ for a nut flush draw, while Hursoz was ahead with K♣Q♦ for top pair. The river was the 6♥ and Hursoz began pounding on the table in celebration as she took the pot to send both players to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Tugce Hursoz	280,000 280,000	280,000
Qiang Xu	Busted

Razvan Sabau	Busted

Tags: Qiang Xu Razvan Sabau Tugce Hursoz

01-21-2024 15:47 UTC+2

He Shoves on Zhao

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David Salituro

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Heads-up on a flop of 7♠J♣9♥, Cheng Zhao bet 7,000 from the button and Junjie He called in the cutoff.

The turn came 5♥ and Zhao bet another 15,000. He again called and the 8♣ fell on the river.

He then moved all in for 42,500 and Zhao asked for a count as he tanked for nearly two minutes before mucking.

Player	Chips	Progress
Junjie He	105,000 105,000	105,000
Cheng Zhao	70,000 5,000	5,000

Tags: Cheng Zhao Junjie He

01-21-2024 16:01 UTC+2

Abou Khalil Can't Get One Past Achour

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David Salituro

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Ghassan Abou Khalil bet 4,500 from middle position on a flop of 6♠5♠5♦ before Maher Achour raised to 13,000 on the button. Abou Khalil called.

Both players checked the A♠ turn before Abou Khalil led out for 20,000 on the 9♠ river. Achour called.

"You win," Abou Khalil said, tossing the 6♦ into the muck. Achour showed 10♠10♦ for a flush as he took the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Maher Achour	250,000 90,000	90,000
Ghassan Abou Khalil	170,000

Tags: Ghassan Abou Khalil Maher Achour

01-21-2024 16:09 UTC+2

Updated Chip Counts

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David Salituro

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Michel Eid	240,000 70,000	70,000
Ali El-Siblani	230,000 20,000	20,000
Guoliang Wei	220,000 -10,000	-10,000

Baris Topuz	190,000 10,000	10,000
Andrea Dato	160,000 55,000	55,000

Michael Brown	160,000 -20,000	-20,000
Mark Smith	140,000 140,000	140,000
Maroun Jazzar	130,000 44,000	44,000
Ermanno Di Nicola	130,000 130,000	130,000

Nils Pudel	130,000
Milos Skrbic	110,000 -60,000	-60,000
Fabio Peluso	110,000 -60,000	-60,000

Vincent Meli	110,000 30,000	30,000
Dragos Trofimov	100,000 100,000	100,000
Dzmitry Urbanovich	100,000 100,000	100,000

Bogdan Munteanu	95,000
Aleksandar Tot	95,000 95,000	95,000
Adrian State	50,000 -25,000	-25,000
Kacper Pyzara	40,000 -55,000	-55,000

01-21-2024 16:22 UTC+2

Qu Doubles Off Di Nicola

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David Salituro

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Feng Qu and Ermanno Di Nicola saw a flop of K♣K♠3♠ when Di Nicola moved all in on the button and Qu called for his last 42,000 in early position.

Feng Qu: 6♠6♣
Ermanno Di Nicola: Q♦J♠

Qu was ahead with his sixes as the board ran out 2♦2♠, missing Di Nicola and giving Qu a double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ermanno Di Nicola	105,000 -25,000	-25,000

Feng Qu	90,000 30,000	30,000

Tags: Ermanno Di Nicola Feng Qu

01-21-2024 16:23 UTC+2

Break Time

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David Salituro

Level 4 : Blinds 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Players are headed on the second 15-minute break of the day.

The tournament clock currently shows 136 total entries so far today, with 106 players remaining.

Level: 5

Blinds: 600/1,200

Ante: 1,200

01-21-2024 16:47 UTC+2

Achour Picks Off Tannouri

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David Salituro

Level 5 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Shuang Luo, who finished runner-up in the High Roller last night, entered the field at the break and immediately got involved in a pot as she called a 2,500 raise from Maher Achour.

Issam Tannouri then three-bet to 7,000 on the button and both players called. The flop came K♦5♣3♥ and Tannouri continued for 7,200. Achour and Luo both called again and the 2♦ fell on the turn.

The river was the 9♣ and Tannouri reached into the bottom of his stack and tossed two 25,000 chips in the middle for a bet of 50,000. Achour tanked for more than two minutes until he called, while Luo got out of the way.

"Ace high," Tannouri said as he mucked the A♦. Achour showed K♠J♠ as he took the big pot, climbing above 300,000.

"Good call, sir," Tannouri told him.

Simone Andrian, who won the Warm Up event earlier in this festival, also entered at the break.

Player	Chips	Progress
Maher Achour	350,000 100,000	100,000
Simone Andrian	100,000 100,000	100,000

Shuang Luo	80,000 80,000	80,000
Issam Tannouri	40,000 40,000	40,000

Tags: Issam Tannouri Maher Achour Shuang Luo

01-21-2024 16:52 UTC+2

Pyzara Wins a Flip to Double

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David Salituro

Level 5 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Kacper Pyzara got his last 45,000 in the middle from the big blind and was up against an opponent in the hijack.

Kacper Pyzara: 10♣10♥
Opponent: A♦K♦

The board ran out J♦J♠8♠5♦J♣ and Pyzara's tens stayed in front to earn him a double up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Kacper Pyzara	90,000 50,000	50,000

Tags: Kacper Pyzara