Simone Andrian Storms to the Top on Day 3 of the $2,200 Warm Up
A late flurry of eliminations ensured that Simone Andrian would be the man to beat following Day 3 of the $2,200 Warm Up at the Merit Poker Western Series.
The Italian pro and WSOP bracelet winner ended the event��s penultimate day as chip leader over the remaining 17 players with a massive stack of 8,410,000 as he chases another prestigious title. Andrian already has nearly $1,000,000 in live career earnings, including his bracelet from 2021 and a WPT title in June. Just last month, he made a deep run in the WPT World Championship in Las Vegas, finishing in 29th place for $159,200.
Andrian began the day second in chips but didn��t wait long before he built an even more massive stack. He won with aces against the pocket kings of Day 1 chip leader Peng Yang when, incredibly, they were found to have the exact same 1,340,000 remaining in their stack. He later picked off a massive bluff in a 4,000,000-chip pot against Justus Held.
He saved his best for last, however. Andrian flopped top pair to beat Ramez Haddad��s pocket tens and send him out in 23rd place. He then busted Gang Zhao in 21st with aces against queens, and Xiang Lian in 19th when they both showed ace-king but Andrian rivered a flush.
The 16 opponents who will try to track down Andrian when the final day begins at noon local time are led by Abdullah Alajmi. The start-of-day chip leader adopted an unconventional limping strategy late on Day 3 and used it to bust Held in 26th place, flopping a full house against trip kings. He bagged up 6,010,000 as, together, he and Andrian control nearly a third of the chips in play between them.
Day 3 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 8,410,000 | 140 |
| 2 | Abdullah Alajmi | Kuwait | 6,010,000 | 100 |
| 3 | Adrian State | Romania | 3,900,000 | 65 |
| 4 | Guoliang Wei | China | 2,810,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Andrea Dato | Italy | 2,750,000 | 46 |
| 6 | George Panagides | Cyprus | 2,750,000 | 46 |
| 7 | Baurzhan Akimov | Kazakhstan | 2,450,000 | 41 |
| 8 | Yuefan Gu | China | 2,230,000 | 37 |
| 9 | Sari Haddad | Lebanon | 2,170,000 | 36 |
| 10 | Qusai Albakeer | Jordan | 2,025,000 | 34 |
| 11 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 1,940,000 | 32 |
| 12 | Azamat Tulepbergenov | Kazakhstan | 1,930,000 | 32 |
| 13 | Antoine Hasbani | Lebanon | 1,320,000 | 22 |
| 14 | Andrei Daniliuk | Russia | 1,190,000 | 20 |
| 15 | Ermanno Di Nicola | Italy | 975,000 | 16 |
| 16 | Nina Krasilnikova | Russia | 925,000 | 15 |
| 17 | John Basta | Egypt | 790,000 | 13 |
The top five on the leaderboard are rounded out by Adrian State (3,900,000), Guoliang Wei (2,810,000), and veteran Italian pro Andrea Dato (2,750,000). Baurzhan Akimov (2,450,000), Yuefan Gu (2,230,000), Fahredin Mustafov (1,940,000), Antoine Hasbani (1,320,000), Andrei Daniliuk (1,190,000), Ermanno Di Nicola (975,000), and Nina Krasilnikova are also still alive in the hunt for the title.
Day 3 began with 81 players remaining out of a total field of 446 entries. With only the top 53 guaranteeing themselves a payday, the likes of Vladimir Troyanovskiy, Dzmitry Urbanovich, Dmitry Gromov, and Cheng Zhao busted before the money. Qiang Xu was eliminated right before the start of hand-for-hand play and proved to be the bubble boy as tournament officials determined there were already 53 players remaining.
Andrey Pateychuk (49th), Ara Melkisetian (41st), and Koray Korkmaz (34th) were among those to make their way to the payout desk. Matthew Davenport was eliminated in 27th place after the redraw for the final three tables. Emrah Daban and Eren Eroglu were then knocked out in the same hand against Qusai Albakeer��s kings, Daban taking 25th and Eroglu 24th as the larger stack.
The action on Day 4 picks up on Level 25 with blinds of 30,000-60,000 and a 60,000 big blind ante. Everyone has already locked up $8,450, with a spot at the final table worth at least $16,500. The champion will walk away with $165,000 and the title of Merit Poker champion.
Stay tuned as PokerNews returns tomorrow to bring you all the action as the field plays down to the final table and onward to the crowning of a champion.