The 2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series is underway here at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in North Cyprus, with the $3,300 Main Event set to begin today at 12 p.m. local time. The seven-day tournament consists of four starting flights and an impressive $2,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
France's Maxime Chilaud took down this same event last year after overcoming a field of 765 entrants and last defeating Michael Magalashvili in heads-up play to take home the title and $376,800. Chilaud went on to have a stellar year in 2023 following that win and enjoyed another six-figure score this past December when he finished 11th at the WPT World Championship for $456,500. Clearly no stranger to tournament success, Chilaud will be a force to be reckoned with should he attempt a title defense in today's event.
2023 Merit Poker Carmen Series Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Prize (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxime Chilaud | $376,800 |
| 2 | Michael Magalashvili | $277,500 |
| 3 | Yuksel Savsa | $170,300 |
| 4 | Simeon Spasov | $125,900 |
| 5 | Eduard Barsegyan | $94,300 |
| 6 | Atanas Pavlov | $76,200 |
| 7 | Fausto Tantillo | $63,000 |
| 8 | Walter Treccarichi | $50,200 |
| 9 | Denis Kapustin | $37,700 |
Players in the Main Event will begin with 100,000 chips and today's Day 1a will play 60-minute levels. Each Day 1 will play nine levels. Late registration will be available until the end of Level 14, midway through Day 2. Day 1b will begin tomorrow, March 22 at noon and also feature 60-minute levels. Day 1c and Day 1d will take place on March 23 and feature a faster structure, with 40-minute levels on Day 1c and 25-minute levels on Day 1d. The fields combine for Day 2 on March 24 and a winner will be crowned on the fourth and final day, taking pace March 26.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for all your live coverage needs for this event from the moment cards are in the air until a winner is crowned.
