Kirill Burtin Rises to the Top as Warm Up Day 2 Wraps Up
Day 2 of the $2,200 Warm Up at the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series wrapped up with 105 players securing a bag for Day 3. A total of 646 entries packed the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, generating a $1,188,640 prize pool. Once the final card hits the felt, one player will claim the $210,000 top prize.
After grinding through eleven 40-minute levels, Russia’s Kirill Burtin closed out Day 2 as the chip leader, bagging 1,825,000 chips. His biggest boost came in the penultimate level when his flopped set of treys cracked Kadir Altinbasa’s pocket aces. Burtin kept the pressure on, later forcing Adem Marjanovic to fold after raising over his turn double barrel.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirill Burtin | Russia | 1,825,000 | 91 |
| 2 | Danielle Noja | Australia | 1,530,000 | 77 |
| 3 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russia | 1,420,000 | 71 |
| 4 | Razvan Nicolae Sabau | Romania | 1,350,000 | 68 |
| 5 | Erdal Gulseven | Turkey | 1,325,000 | 66 |
| 6 | Radoslav Stoyanov | Bulgaria | 1,240,000 | 62 |
| 7 | Yilu Yuan | China | 1,170,000 | 59 |
| 8 | Bassel Moussa | Lebanon | 1,165,000 | 58 |
| 9 | Baltazar Five | Lebanon | 1,165,000 | 58 |
| 10 | Berik Mussin | Kazakhstan | 1,160,000 | 58 |
Right behind Burtin is Australia's Danielle Noja, who takes 1,530,000 chips into the event's penultimate day. Rounding out the top three is Kirill Shcherbakov, with a healthy stack of 1,420,000, setting himself up for a deep run.
Other notables advancing to Day 3 include Radoslav Stoyanov (1,240,000), Hassan Nashar (930,000), and Alexandru Lupuleac (850,000). Day 1a chip leader Giorgiy Skhulukhiya (755,000) also made it through, after pocket kings helped him in two key all-in spots. Joining them are 2025 Merit Poker Western Series High Roller champion Sergei Varnaev (650,000), Day 1b chip leader Aren Bezhanyan (571,000), and two-time bracelet winners Alexandru Papazian (515,000) and Simeon Spasov (435,000).
Day 3 begins Sunday, March 16, at noon local time. The blinds will remain 40 minutes in duration, and players will return to blinds of 10,000/20,000 with a big blind ante of 20,000. The first hurdle for players tomorrow will be to navigate the money bubble and secure themselves at least a minimum payout of $3,015 for their efforts.
Payouts
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for all the updates as we follow this event to its conclusion. A winner will be crowned on Monday, March 17.