High Stakes at High Noon as the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series Begins
The saloons may be gone, and the dusty frontier towns replaced by sparkling casinos, but the spirit of the Wild West lives on in North Cyprus as the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series rides into town. Starting today, the $2,200 Warm Up invites poker’s modern-day gunslingers to load their chips, fire off bluffs, and duel their way to victory — all with a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool on the line at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
Players will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Simone Andrian, who overcame a roller-coaster ride at the final table to capture the 2024 Warm Up crown. The Italian professional outlasted a field of 446 entries, defeating Abdullah Alajmi heads-up to claim $165,000 and add another prestigious title to his growing poker resume. Andrian’s dramatic victory saw him recover from being the short stack at one point, winning a series of key all-ins to complete a memorable comeback.
The 2023 Warm Up produced a different type of champion, as John Doe, an anonymous player hidden behind a mask and hoodie, took down the title and $181,200 after a heads-up duel with Recep Aydemir. Both years produced thrilling finales, with top pros such as Paul Browne, David Hu, Helmut Phung, and Adrian State all making deep runs.
2024 Merit Poker Western Series Warm Up Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simone Andrian | Italy | $165,000 |
| 2 | Abdullah Alajmi | Kuwait | $121,500 |
| 3 | Adrian State | Romania | $74,300 |
| 4 | Andrei Daniliuk | Russia | $55,000 |
| 5 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | $41,300 |
| 6 | Baurzhan Akimov | Kazakhstan | $33,100 |
| 7 | George Panagides | Cyprus | $27,500 |
| 8 | Andrea Dato | Italy | $22,000 |
| 9 | Qusai Albakeer | Jordan | $16,500 |
This year, the Warm Up kicks off Merit Poker's first festival of the year with a 13-day poker bonanza. With four starting flights and a guaranteed $1,000,000 prize pool, it sets the stage for an action-packed start to the new year. Players from all over the world will test their skills in this opening event, aiming to secure an early piece of the prize money and gain momentum for the rest of the series.
Each player will begin their quest with 100,000 chips, navigating four starting flights to reach the later stages of the tournament. With unlimited reentries available, players have multiple chances to keep their tournament hopes alive. Blinds will run at 40-minute intervals throughout most of the event, with Day 1c and Day 1d offering faster-paced levels at 25 minutes and 15 minutes, respectively, providing options for players of all styles to join the action.
$2,200 Warm Up Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 14 | Day 1a | 12:00 pm | 40 minutes |
| January 15 | Day 1b | 12:00 pm | 40 minutes |
| January 15 | Day 1c | 9:00 pm | 25 minutes |
| January 16 | Day 1d | 10:00 am | 15 minutes |
| January 16 | Day 2 | 12:30 pm | 40 minutes |
| January 17 | Day 3 | 12:00 pm | 40 minutes |
| January 18 | Day 4 | 12:00 pm | 40 minutes |
All Day 1 flights will play ten levels, with survivors advancing to the second day of play. Registration remains open until the end of Level 15, which is roughly the halfway point of Day 2.
Stay tuned as PokerNews brings you live updates from the heart of the action! Who will ride off into the sunset with the trophy this time? The battle begins now!