Day 1b of the Merit Poker 2023 Gangster Series $2,200 Warm Up has reached a conclusion. Dmitry Yurasov has emerged as both the Day 1b leader and overall chip leader of the tournament so far at Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, finishing the evening with a staggering 866,000 chips. That stack will be worth 289 big blinds going into Day 2, leading the way after Day 1b attracted 182 entrants for a total of 289 after the first two starting flights.
Yurasov is no stranger to poker tournament success. With just over $3,500,000 in live tournament earnings and two WSOP bracelet wins under his belt already, the Russian pro will be a force to be reckoned with going into Day 2 on Friday. Yurasov finished the night with more than double the chips of all but five players who bagged and tagged at the end of the night. He is most closely followed by Sergey Baranski (581,000), Andrei Daniliuk (570,000) and Feyzullah Karaarslan (528,500).
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dmitry Yurasov | Russian Federation | 866,000 | 289 |
| 2 | Sergey Baranski | Belarus | 581,000 | 194 |
| 3 | Andrei Daniliuk | Russian Federation | 570,000 | 190 |
| 4 | Feyzullah Karaarslan | Turkey | 528,500 | 176 |
| 5 | Khalil Tawil | Lebanon | 438,500 | 146 |
| 6 | Agharazi Babayev | Azerbaijan | 435,500 | 145 |
| 7 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | 417,500 | 139 |
| 8 | Andrei Vavilonskii | Russian Federation | 386,000 | 129 |
| 9 | Natik Ismailov | Russian Federation | 375,000 | 125 |
| 10 | Damir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | 368,000 | 123 |
After eight hour-long levels, 90 players were able to find a bag at the end of the night and advance to Day 2. Action was fast and furious to start the day despite the deep structure, with several coolers happening in the first few levels. In one notable early highlight, Parahat Nurmuhammedov flopped the nut-flush only for Georgios Skarparis to turn a full house to send Nurmuhammedov to the reentry desk.
Agharazi Babayev had a roller coaster day today after failing to find a bag in yesterday's Day 1a flight. Babayev enjoyed the chip lead in the early levels only to lose a big chunk of his stack to Angelos Michael after the latter rivered a set of sixes. Babayev continued to slide down the chip counts from that point but surged right back up after picking off a massive bluff and would ultimately finish the evening with the sixth-largest stack of the day at 435,500.
Other notables to advance to Day 2 today include Dmitry Gromov (333,000), David Hu (227,000), Tinay Aksoy (206,000) and Guoliang Wei (128,000). Others who were not as fortunate and failed to find a bag at the end of the night include Frederico Senno, Matthew Davenport and Ramez Haddad.
Two starting flights remain for this event. Day 1c is already underway, while a turbo Day 1d is scheduled at 10:00 a.m. local time on November 24. The final flight begins just a couple hours before the fields combine for Day 2 at 12:30 p.m. local time the same day. Unlimited reentries and late registration will remain open until the end of Level 12, midway through Day 2.
PokerNews will be on site to cover the rest of this event from the start of Day 2 until a winner is crowned on Day 4 on November 26, so stay tuned for all your live coverage. The series continues with the $5,300 High Roller on November 26 and the $3,300 Main Event starting on November 28.
