Georgios Skarparis Leads the Pack After Day 2 of the $2,200 Warm Up

Day 2 of the $2,200 Warm Up at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series concluded with 38 players remaining from the 501-strong field that turned up to play at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.

After battling through fourteen 40-minute levels, it was bracelet winner Georgios Skarparis of Cyprus who ended the day atop the chip counts with a whopping stack of 3,400,000. Trailing closely behind him in second place, and the only other player to surpass the three-million chip mark, is Mario Fata, who brings 3,135,000 into the event's penultimate day. Rounding out the top three is Italy's Gaspare Sposato, who bagged a healthy 2,555,000 to position himself well for a deep run.

Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts

Place	Player	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Georgios Skarparis	Cyprus	3,400,000	68
2	Mario Fata	France	3,135,000	63
3	Gaspare Sposato	Italy	2,555,000	51
4	Danielle Noja	Lebanon	2,190,000	44
5	Xin Yuan	China	2,160,000	43
6	Andrei Roscan	Romania	2,095,000	42
7	Albert Sapiano	United Kingdom	2,000,000	40
8	Dan Borlan	Romania	1,905,000	38
9	Ali Zebarjad	Iran	1,860,000	37
10	Konstantin Kvashin	Russia	1,860,000	37

Day 2's Action

All eyes were on Luke Marsh once cards went in the air. Marsh began the day as the chip leader with just shy of one million chips and looked poised for a deep run after maintaining a steady stack throughout much of the day. However, Marsh was ultimately unable to capitalize on his early momentum and fell short of making the money.

When late registration closed at the end of Level 15, the payouts for the series' first major event were finalized. A total of 63 players would make it into the money, with the minimum cash set at $3,415, and the eventual winner set to take home a staggering $180,200.

The eliminations came quickly as the day progressed, with several notable players failing to reach the money. Among those who fell short were Andrey Pateychuk, three-time bracelet winner Timur Margolin, Aleksandr Shevliakov, Tobias Peters, Aliaksei Boika, and Paul Runcan.

Once hand-for-hand play began during the penultimate level, it took only three hands for the bubble to burst. Unfortunately for Sergei Varnaev, he earned the unenviable title of bubble boy after being forced all in from the big blind. Varnaev found himself in a race with sailboats against Sofia Merkulova's queen-six. A queen in the window sealed Varnaev's fate, and with his elimination, the remaining 63 players secured their spot in the money.

The eliminations continued at a rapid pace, with several players falling short of Day 3 after reaching the money. Among them were Stanislaw Grodek (58th - $3,415), Imad Saab (57th - $3,415), Traian Stanciu (51st - $4,055), Soraya Estrada (49th - $4,055), Edward Quinn (48th - $4,055), and Candido Cappiello (47th - $4,055). Cappiello's elimination came after his pocket queens were bested by the pocket kings of Mario Fata, the current second in chips.

Some notables to advance to Day 3 include Danielle Noja (2,190,000), Dan Borlan (1,905,000), and Kianoosh Matin (1,810,000) after Paul Runcan made an audacious river bluff into Matin's two pair. Esper Sadek (1,525,000) rivered a miracle straight to crack Sachin Joshi's queens earlier in the day. Bracelet winners Darius Neagoe (1,420,000) and Boris Kolev (965,000) made it through in the middle of the pack. Nestled toward the bottom of the pack with the most work to do tomorrow are Joshi (410,000), Merkulova (340,000), and the current tournament short stack Alisa Sibgatova (110,000).

Day 3 begins January 17th, at 12:00 p.m. local time. The blinds will remain 40 minutes in duration, and players will return to blinds of 25,000/50,000 with a big blind ante of 50,000. The goal for tomorrow is to play down until the final table of nine is set.