$5,300 High Roller
Day 1 Started
2024 Merit Poker Western Series
$5,300 High Roller
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
2024 Merit Poker Western Series
Buy-in
$5,300
Prize Pool
$703,800
Entries
153
Level
30
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Entries
91
Players Left
59
The 2023 Merit Poker Western Series continues here at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino this evening with the highest buy-in event of the series. The $5,300 High Roller is set to begin at 8:00 p.m. local time with a healthy guaranteed prize pool of $300,000.
The Western Series has already been a major success so far, with the $2,200 Warm Up attracting a field of 446 entrants to generate a prize pool of $830,640, surpassing the $800,000 guarantee. The Warm Up is set to play down to a winner tomorrow, January 19, and will be streamed on Merit Poker's YouTube Channel.
This event features a nearly identical structure to the $5,300 High Roller from the Merit Poker Gangster Series this past October, which was won by Giorgiy Skhulukhiya. Skhulukhiya outlasted a field of 121 players, last defeating Aleksandr Kirichenko heads up to claim the title and top prize of $149,200.
2023 Gangster Series $5,300 High Roller Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | $149,200 |
| 2 | Aleksandr Kirichenko | Russia | $104,500 |
| 3 | Dawid Smolka | Poland | $67,200 |
| 4 | Guoliang Wei | China | $49,750 |
| 5 | Natan Chauskin | Belarus | $37,300 |
| 6 | Clement Bonnant | France | $29,850 |
| 7 | Liwei Sun | China | $24,800 |
| 8 | Huseyin Akgul | Turkey | $19,850 |
| 9 | Leonid Sidelkovskiy | Russia | $14,900 |
Day 1 will feature 8-handed tables, play eight 40-minute levels and end at approximately 2:00 a.m. local time. There will be a 20-minute break after every three levels and unlimited reentries and late registration will be open until the end of Level 12, midway through tomorrow's Day 2. As the late registration period coincides with the last two days of the $2,200 Warm Up, a number of notable players may choose to join this event should they bust from the Warm Up. Some notables currently deep in the Warm Up who may choose to do so include Simone Andrian, Ermanno Di Nicola, Guoliang Wei and Andrea Dato.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for all your live coverage needs for this event from the moment cards are in the air until a winner is crowned on January 20.
Cards are in the air for the $5,300 High Roller.
There are currently 22 players registered to start the event.
Level: 1
Blinds: 200/400
Ante: 400
Level 1
: Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
||
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
||
Level 1
: Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
Candido Cappiello opened to 1,100 from the button and received calls from Maher Achour in the small blind and Yury Bochkarev in the big blind.
All three players checked the 10♣8♠5♦ flop leading to the Q♥ on the turn. Achour bet 2,000, Bochkarev called and Cappiello folded.
Achour slowed down with a check on the K♥ river and Bochkarev bet 4,000. Achour called.
Bochkarev tabled K♦J♦ for top pair on the river and Achour quickly mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
108,400
8,400
|
8,400 |
|
98,900
98,900
|
98,900 |
|
|
92,900
-7,100
|
-7,100 |
Level 1
: Blinds 200/400, 400 ante
Fausto Tantillo opened to 1,200 from the button only for Moritz Dietrich to three-bet to 5,000 from the small blind. Tantillo made the call.
The flop came 8♦8♠7♥. Dietrich fired a 3,500 continuation bet only for Tantillo to raise it to 9,000. Dietrich made the call.
Both players checked the 5♦ turn leading to the K♦ river. Dietrich put in an overbet of 40,000, putting Tantillo in the tank.
After just over two minutes, Tantillo flicked in a calling chip. Dietrich could only show A♠9♣ for a bluff while Tantillo tabled 10♠10♦ to take down a massive early pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
152,000
52,000
|
52,000 |
|
|
33,000
-67,000
|
-67,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 2
Blinds: 300/600
Ante: 600
Level 2
: Blinds 300/600, 600 ante
Nikos Lampropoulos opened to 1,000 from under the gun and Alper Kerim defended from the big blind.
The flop came 9♥8♠3♥. Kerim checked, Lampropoulos bet 2,000 and Kerim called.
Lampropoulos bet again for 7,000 when checked to on the K♠ turn and this time Kerim quickly folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
93,600
-6,400
|
-6,400 |
|
87,000
87,000
|
87,000 |
Level 2
: Blinds 300/600, 600 ante
Jia Guo opened to 1,400 from the hijack and Aleksandr Kirichenko defended from the big blind.
The flop came K♠8♥4♦ and Kirichenko check-called a 1,400 continuation bet from Guo.
Both players checked the 6♥ turn leading to the 7♣ river. Kirichenko bet 6,500 and Guo snap-called.
Kirichenko could only show A♣4♠ for a pair of fours while Guo tabled A♥A♦ for a pair of aces to take the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
199,000
99,000
|
99,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
104,000
104,000
|
104,000 |