$3,300 Main Event Day 2 | 2024 Merit Poker Western Series

01-23-2024 16:53 UTC+2

Melkisetian Spikes the Turn to Bust Kaba

David Salituro

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/3,500, 3,500 ante

Heads-up on a flop of 3♥10♥7♦, Huseyin Kaba moved all in for 71,000 from under the gun and Ara Melkisetian called.

Huseyin Kaba: K♠10♠
Ara Melkisetian: K♥4♥

Kaba was ahead with top pair, while Melkisetian had a flush draw. The A♥ turn completed Melkisetian's flush and Kaba was already drawing dead by the 4♦ river as he was sent to the rail.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ara Melkisetian	600,000 400,000	400,000
Huseyin Kaba	Busted

Tags: Ara Melkisetian Huseyin Kaba

01-23-2024 17:04 UTC+2

Iaculli Earns a Massive Double Off Warde

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/3,500, 3,500 ante

More than 300,000 was already in the pot as Gianfranco Iaculli and Jad Warde went to the turn on a board of K♣2♠5♦7♠.

Both players then checked to the 8♦ river, where Iaculli moved all in for 150,000. "What do you have," Warde pondered as he tanked for several minutes.

Warde eventually called and Iaculli turned over 5♥5♠ for a set. Warde's cards quickly hit the muck and Iaculli doubled up to nearly 600,000.

Player	Chips	Progress
Gianfranco Iaculli	560,000 217,500	217,500
Jad Warde	300,000 300,000	300,000

Tags: Gianfranco Iaculli Jad Warde

01-23-2024 17:07 UTC+2

Munteanu Shows the Bluff

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Ryan Lashmar

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/3,500, 3,500 ante

Bogdan Munteanu opened to 7,500 from middle position and a player in the hijack three-bet to 21,000. Munteanu made the call.

The flop came J♥9♠8♥ and Munteanu check-called a 15,000 continuation bet from his opponent.

Both players checked the K♠ turn leading to the 5♣ river. Munteanu bet 10,000, the hijack raised to 50,000 and Munteanu moved all in, covering his opponent who had roughly 150,000 behind. The hijack opted to fold and Munteanu revealed he had Q♦Q♣ for a pair of queens turned into a bluff to take the pot without showdown.

Player	Chips	Progress
Bogdan Munteanu	530,000 238,000	238,000

Tags: Bogdan Munteanu

01-23-2024 17:08 UTC+2

Updated Chip Counts

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/3,500, 3,500 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Razvan Sabau	960,000 310,000	310,000
Maher Achour	950,000 229,000	229,000
Michel Habib	940,000 60,000	60,000
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya	890,000 793,000	793,000
Anatoly Nikitin	750,000 160,000	160,000
Fabio Peluso	750,000 -50,000	-50,000

Audere	620,000 70,000	70,000
Fausto Tantillo	500,000 370,500	370,500
Matthew Davenport	450,000 40,000	40,000
Lukasz Grossmann	450,000 140,500	140,500
Volodymyr Drokin	450,000 263,000	263,000
Azamat Tulepbergenov	420,000 173,000	173,000
Tomer Lahav	380,000 -70,000	-70,000
Dean Hutchison	380,000 -5,000	-5,000
Georges Hanna	370,000 288,500	288,500
Siarhei Chudapal	230,000 -220,000	-220,000
Michael Brown	220,000 -80,000	-80,000
Andrea Dato	210,000 -30,000	-30,000

Maksim Shornikau	175,000
Eduard Norel	160,000 -170,500	-170,500
Peng Yang	150,000 70,000	70,000
Joe Mouawad	130,000 -73,000	-73,000

01-23-2024 17:17 UTC+2

Hasbani Dodges the River to Double

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/3,500, 3,500 ante

Around 70,000 was in the pot as Antoine Hasbani and Baurzhan Akimov went to the turn on a board of K♥5♣J♥6♠.

Hasbani, in the small blind, then led out for 75,000. Akimov spent a moment eyeing Hasbani's remaining stack before moving all in. Hasbani snap-called for 175,000.

Hasbani showed K♣J♣ for two pair, while Akimov had A♦Q♣ for a straight draw. The A♣ river wasn't enough for Akimov and Hasbani doubled up.

Player	Chips	Progress
Antoine Hasbani	430,000 250,000	250,000
Baurzhan Akimov	200,000 -50,000	-50,000

Tags: Antoine Hasbani Baurzhan Akimov

01-23-2024 17:19 UTC+2

Tantillo Pressures Habib

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Ryan Lashmar

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/3,500, 3,500 ante

Michel Habib opened to 8,000 from the cutoff and Fausto Tantillo defended from the big blind.

The flop came 9♣8♣2♣. Tantillo checked, Habib bet 10,000, Tantillo check-raised to 32,000 and Habib called.

On the 7♦ turn Tantillo bet 96,000. Habib thought for about 45 seconds before deciding to fold and Tantillo took down a nice pot without showdown.

Player	Chips	Progress
Michel Habib	909,000 -31,000	-31,000
Fausto Tantillo	645,000 145,000	145,000

Tags: Fausto Tantillo Michel Habib

01-23-2024 17:31 UTC+2

Shornikau Shoves on Demirkol

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/3,500, 3,500 ante

Maksim Shornikau bet 20,000 from the button on a flop of 5♥Q♣6♥ and Mehmet Demirkol called in the hijack.

The turn was the 3♣ and Shornikau pushed forward a stack of chips to put Demirkol all in. Demirkol, with around 65,000 remaining, then went deep into the tank.

He considered the decision for his last chips for nearly five minutes until decided to fold as Shornikau, the High Roller champion from earlier in this festival, took the pot.

Player	Chips	Progress
Maksim Shornikau	270,000 95,000	95,000
Mehmet Demirkol	65,000 11,500	11,500

Tags: Maksim Shornikau Mehmet Demirkol

01-23-2024 17:34 UTC+2

Skhulukhiya Puts Achour in the Blender

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

Ryan Lashmar

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/3,500, 3,500 ante

With two players seeing a board of A♦5♦Q♠5♠8♦ and roughly 35,000 already in the middle, Maher Achour bet 45,000 from thebig blind. Giorgiy Skhulukhiya raised it to 177,000 from under the gun, putting Achour deep into the tank.

After several minutes a player called the clock. Achour still could not come to a decision and after 30 seconds his hand was declared dead and Skhulukhiya took down a nice pot without showdown, surpassing 1,000,000 chips in the process.

Player	Chips	Progress
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya	1,053,000 163,000	163,000
Maher Achour	887,000 -63,000	-63,000

Tags: Giorgiy Skhulukhiya Maher Achour

01-23-2024 17:39 UTC+2

Amsellem Commits It All in Three-Way Pot

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook

David Salituro

Level 14 : Blinds 2,000/3,500, 3,500 ante

Paul Amsellem, Viliyan Petleshkov, and Damir Zhugralin went to the turn on a board of Q♥9♣5♣2♥ where Zhugralin bet 33,000 from under the gun.

Amsellem called in middle position, while Petleshkov also came along from the cutoff as the J♦ fell on the river.

Zhugralin then checked over to Amsellem who moved all in for around 75,000. Petleshkov quickly mucked, while Zhugralin also folded as Amsellem took the pot uncontested.