2025 Merit Poker Western Series

$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2025 Merit Poker Western Series

Final Results
Winner
Prize
$377,500
Event Info
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$2,183,160
Entries
791
Level Info
Level
39
Blinds
500,000 / 1,000,000
Ante
1,000,000
Players Info - Day 1a
Entries
182
Players Left
73

Molenaar Puts Thiriart in the Blender; Newey Wants More Hands

Level 1 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

There were around 80,000 chips already in the middle between Arthur Thiriart and Michel Molenaar, who were both in the blinds.

The board read 10685K and Thiriart had bet 22,500 on the river, leaving himself a little under 40,000 behind. Molenaar then shipped all in, which sent Thiriart into a deep tank. After thinking for around three minutes, the clock was called and a 30-second countdown was initiated. When the countdown got to three seconds remaining, Thiriart folded, and Molenaar took the pot.

"It's been 30 minutes and we've played five hands, nobody is going to win any chips at this rate," said Paul Newey in relation to the slow pace the table has been playing.

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Michel Molenaar nl
Michel Molenaar
165,000
Profile photo of Arthur Thiriart be
Arthur Thiriart
38,000

Tags: Arthur ThiriartMichel MolenaarPaul Newey