2024 Merit Poker Western Series

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

2024 Merit Poker Western Series

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
99
Prize
$342,500
Event Info
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$1,854,720
Entries
672
Level Info
Level
36
Blinds
200,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Players Info - Day 1cd
Entries
149
Players Left
75

$3,300 Main Event

Day 1cd Started

Two Starting Flights Remain in 2024 Merit Poker Western Series $3,300 Main Event

Dmitry Yurasov
Dmitry Yurasov

The flagship tournament of the 2024 Merit Poker Western Series is already well underway here at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, with two starting flights complete and two more to go in the $3,300 Main Event. The first two starting flights have attracted a total of 360 entrants so far, of which 148 players survived to advance to Day 2.

Top Ten Chip Counts from Day 1a and Day 1b

RankPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Samy BarkaFrance783,000313
2Michel HabibLebanon753,000301
3Dmitry YurasovRussia736,000294
4Fabio PelusoItaly657,000263
5Daniel HenriquesPortugal633,000253
6Jianwei LinAustralia619,000248
7Basem AbudavasJordan600,000240
8Mustafa ErcanTurkey596,500239
9John Doen/a534,500214
10Wael SarkisLebanon533,500213

France's Samy Barka currently holds the overall chip lead with 783,000 chips, worth 313 big blinds going into Day 2. Barka is most closely followed by Lebanon's Michel Habib (753,000) and Russia's Dmitry Yurasov (736,000), who took down the last Merit Poker Series $3,300 Main Event at the Gangster Series this past October for $295,500. Other notable players who have already advaned to Day 2 include Benjamin Hamnett (427,000), Nikolay Fal (402,500), 2023 WSOP finalist Dean Hutchison (380,000), Andrea Dato (314,500), Maxime Chilaud (291,000), Roman Hrabec (209,000) and Shuang Luo (160,000).

Day 1c begins at noon local time and will feature a similar structure as the first two starting flights. Players will start with 100,000 chips and play nine 40-minute levels. There will be a break after every three levels. Unlimited reentries and late registration will be available until the end of Level 14 on Day 2. There will also be a turbo Day 1d starting flight featuring 25-minute levels beginning today at 7:00 p.m. local time.

As always, PokerNews will be on-site to cover all the action today from when cards are in the air until players bag and tag at the end of the night.

Tags: Andrea DatoBasem AbudavasBenjamin HamnettDaniel HenriquesDean HutchisonDmitry YurasovFabio PelusoJianwei LinJohn DoeMaxime ChilaudMichel HabibMustafa ErcanNikolay FalRoman HrabecSamy BarkaShuang LuoWael Sarkis

Level: 1

Blinds: 200/500

Ante: 500

Some Early Faces in the Field

Level 1 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante
Player Chips Progress
Sinead Priestley gb
Sinead Priestley
100,000
100,000
100,000
Davoud Pira ir
Davoud Pira
100,000
100,000
100,000
Joe Salameh lb
Joe Salameh
100,000
100,000
100,000
Jad Warde lb
Jad Warde
100,000
100,000
100,000
Hady El Asmar lb
Hady El Asmar
100,000
100,000
100,000
Peng Peng cn
Peng Peng
100,000
100,000
100,000
Kacper Pyzara pl
Kacper Pyzara
100,000
100,000
100,000
Sultan Meirbekov kz
Sultan Meirbekov
100,000
100,000
100,000
Rashad Iskandarov az
Rashad Iskandarov
100,000
100,000
100,000

Mikhael Check-Raises the Turn

Level 1 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

With two players seeing a board of 9?8?2? and 3,200 in the middle, Jean Mikhael checked from the big blind and called a 2,000 bet from Rashad Iskandarov in the cutoff.

Iskandarov bet again for 6,000 when checked to on the Q? turn. Mikhael put in a check-raise to 23,000 which was enough to force a fold from his opponent.

Player Chips Progress
Jean Mikhael lb
Jean Mikhael
108,000
Rashad Iskandarov az
Rashad Iskandarov
90,400
-9,600
-9,600

Tags: Jean MikhaelRashad Iskandarov

Priestley Takes Multiway Pot

Level 1 : Blinds 200/500, 500 ante

With six players seeing a board of K?3?2?5? and 8,300 already in the middle, Sinead Priestley bet 3,100 from the big blind. Hady El Asmar called in the hijack, Oleksii Semeniaka called from the cutoff and all other players folded.

Priestley bet again for 6,200 on the 3? river and this time both Asmar and Semeniaka opted to fold.

Elsewhere in the tournament area, bracelet winners Guoliang Wei and Ermanno Di Nicola have recently taken their seats.

Player Chips Progress
Sinead Priestley gb
Sinead Priestley
102,000
2,000
2,000
Guoliang Wei cn
Guoliang Wei
100,000
100,000
100,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Ermanno Di Nicola it
Ermanno Di Nicola
100,000
100,000
100,000
Day 3 Chip Leader
WSOP 1X Winner
Hady El Asmar lb
Hady El Asmar
90,300
-9,700
-9,700
Oleksii Semeniaka ua
Oleksii Semeniaka
82,500
82,500
82,500

Tags: Hady El AsmarOleksii SemeniakaSinead Priestley

Level: 2

Blinds: 300/600

Ante: 600

Wei Fires Two Barrels

Level 2 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

Hakan Kuscu opened to 1,500 from under the gun and Ali Zebarjad put in a min-raise to 2,500 from middle position. Guoliang Wei defended from the big blind and Zebarjad called as well.

All three players checked the 8?7?6? flop leading to the 8? turn. Wei bet 5,000 and received a call from Kuscu while Zebarjad got out of the way.

Wei bet again for 15,000 on the A? river and this time Kuscu opted to fold.

Player Chips Progress
Guoliang Wei cn
Guoliang Wei
94,000
-6,000
-6,000
WSOP 1X Winner
Ali Zebarjad au
Ali Zebarjad
78,000
78,000
78,000
Hakan Kuscu tr
Hakan Kuscu
76,000
76,000
76,000

Tags: Ali ZebarjadGuoliang WeiHakan Kuscu

El Siblani Makes a Small Boat

Level 2 : Blinds 300/600, 600 ante

Sultan Meirbekov opened to 1,500 from middle position and received calls from Mohamad El Siblani in the cutoff and Ermanno Di Nicola in the big blind.

The flop came 10?2?2?. Di Nicola checked, Meirbekov fired a 2,200 continuation bet, El Siblani called and Di Nicola folded.

Meirbekov bet again for 3,700 on the 3? turn and once again El Siblani made the call.

The river was the 9?. Meirbekov checked, El Siblani bet 10,000 and Meirbekov called.

El Siblani tabled 3?2? for twos full of threes and Meirbekov's hand hit the muck.

Player Chips Progress
Mohamad El Siblani lb
Mohamad El Siblani
128,000
128,000
128,000
Sultan Meirbekov kz
Sultan Meirbekov
83,500
-16,500
-16,500
Ermanno Di Nicola it
Ermanno Di Nicola
71,000
-29,000
-29,000
Day 3 Chip Leader
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Ermanno Di NicolaMohamad El SiblaniSultan Meirbekov