2024 Merit Poker Western Series

$3,300 Main Event
Day: 3
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 3
Entries
129
Players Left
24

Level: 21

Blinds: 10,000/15,000

Ante: 15,000

Arakelian Picks Up a Monster to Leave Tishkevich on Fumes

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Artem Arakelian
Artem Arakelian

Stanislav Tishkevich raised to 35,000 in early position before Artem Arakelian three-bet to 135,000 in the small blind. Tishkevich then moved all in and Arakelian snap-called.

Artem Arakelian: A?A?
Stanislav Tishkevich: Q?Q?

"C'mon. So sick," Tishkevich said when Arakelian turned over his aces. The 7?4?A? flop put Arakelian even further in the lead with top set, while the board ran out K?J?.

The stacks were counted down and Arakelian had 610,000 remaining. Tishkevich barely had him covered and was forced to send over most of his stack.

Player Chips Progress
Hadi Khordbin ir
Hadi Khordbin
1,330,000
217,000
217,000
Artem Arakelian ge
Artem Arakelian
1,250,000
471,000
471,000
Fady Kamar lb
Fady Kamar
1,200,000
400,000
400,000
Amir Touma lb
Amir Touma
640,000
-154,000
-154,000
Mihai Tusnea ro
Mihai Tusnea
430,000
-21,000
-21,000
Carlos Aoun lb
Carlos Aoun
430,000
-304,000
-304,000
Yingrui Ge cn
Yingrui Ge
400,000
148,000
148,000
Stanislav Tishkevich pt
Stanislav Tishkevich
20,000
-630,000
-630,000

Tags: Artem ArakelianStanislav Tishkevich

Urbanovich Deals Mortal Blow to Swieboda

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Dzmitry Urbanovich
Dzmitry Urbanovich

Dzmitry Urbanovich opened to 30,000 from middle position and Bartlomiej Swieboda three-bet to 75,000 from the button. Urbanovich four-bet to 140,000 and Swieboda made the call.

The flop came Q?8?J? and Urbanovich fired a 105,000 continuation bet that was called by Swieboda.

Urbanovich checked on the Q? turn and Swieboda moved all in, coverig Urbanovich who had 167,000 behind. Urbanovich snap-called and was at risk.

Dzmitry Urbanovich: Q?J?
Bartlomiej Swieboda: A?A?

Swieboda had trapped preflop with aces only for Urbanovich to flop top two pair and fill up on the turn. Swieboda couldn't find an ace on the 8? river and was left with just one big blind. Swieboda would bust shortly afterwards on the soft-bubble while Urbanovich secured a massive double up.

Player Chips Progress
John Doebs tr
John Doebs
1,460,000
360,000
360,000
Dzmitry Urbanovich pl
Dzmitry Urbanovich
864,000
310,000
310,000
EPT 1X Winner
Bartlomiej Swieboda pl
Bartlomiej Swieboda
Busted

Tags: Bartlomiej SwiebodaDzmitry Urbanovich

Khorchidian Nearly Calls With Ace-High

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Gang Zhao
Gang Zhao

Heads-up on a flop of 10?8?2?, Nichan Khorchidian bet 40,000 from under the gun before Gang Zhao raised to 110,000 in the small blind.

Khorchidian called and the 4? fell on the turn. Zhao then bet another 150,000. Khorchidian, an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth Sam Farha-style, took around two minutes before calling again.

The river was the 4? and Zhao bet 250,000. Khorchidian again went into the tank, taking several minutes to consider the decision.

"Ace-high good, my friend from China," he asked Zhao, who simply smiled and remained silent.

"I know if I make this call and I lose I'll regret it," Khorchidian eventually said as he gathered up his cards and sent them into the muck. Zhao showed him two kings as he took the pot.

Nichan Khorchidian
Nichan Khorchidian

Robert Heidorn and Stanislav Tishkevich were recently eliminated to bring the field two spots away from the money.

Player Chips Progress
Nichan Khorchidian lb
Nichan Khorchidian
1,950,000
1,560,000
1,560,000
Gang Zhao cn
Gang Zhao
1,820,000
481,000
481,000
Antoine Hasbani lb
Antoine Hasbani
850,000
390,000
390,000
Vladimir Malyarchuk kz
Vladimir Malyarchuk
840,000
177,000
177,000
Maher Achour tn
Maher Achour
500,000
-510,000
-510,000
Koray Korkmaz tr
Koray Korkmaz
430,000
-425,000
-425,000
Robert Heidorn de
Robert Heidorn
Busted
Stanislav Tishkevich pt
Stanislav Tishkevich
Busted

Tags: Gang ZhaoNichan Khorchidian

Soika Fires a Second Bullet

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Ihar Soika raised to 30,000 under the gun as action folded to a short-stacked Yuefan Gu who began tanking in the cutoff. "I swear to you we're not chicken," Ara Melkisetian said to him.

Gu eventually folded while Melkisetian called on the button, as did big blind Carmel Haloon. The flop came 3?8?7? and Soika continued for 35,000.

Both opponents called and the K? fell on the turn. Soika then bet 155,000. Melkisetian spent around three minutes tanking before he folded.

Haloon, meanwhile, instantly folded a pair of deuces as Soika took the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Ihar Soika by
Ihar Soika
1,100,000
546,000
546,000
Christophe Panetti ch
Christophe Panetti
760,000
86,000
86,000
Carmel Haloon il
Carmel Haloon
700,000
320,000
320,000
Ara Melkisetian lb
Ara Melkisetian
600,000
-300,000
-300,000
Dean Hutchison gb
Dean Hutchison
600,000
124,000
124,000
Nils Pudel de
Nils Pudel
220,000
3,000
3,000
Jose Nehme lb
Jose Nehme
210,000
-241,000
-241,000
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya ge
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya
140,000
-255,000
-255,000
Yuefan Gu cn
Yuefan Gu
75,000
-474,000
-474,000

Tags: Ara MelkisetianCarmel HaloonIhar Soika

Yilmaz Makes a Move

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

Aykutalp Yilmaz opened to 30,000 from middle position and was called by Dmitry Gromov in the cutoff before Andrea Dato raised to 100,000 from the button. Yilmaz then moved all in for 339,000. Both Gromov and Dato made the fold. Gromov flashed 10x10x to the table as Yilmaz scooped the pot without having to risk his tournament life.

Player Chips Progress
Andrea Dato it
Andrea Dato
905,000
90,000
90,000
WPT 1X Winner
Aykutalp Yilmaz
Aykutalp Yilmaz
509,000
319,000
319,000
Dmitry Gromov ru
Dmitry Gromov
315,000
-205,000
-205,000
WPT 1X Winner

Tags: Andrea DatoAykutalp YilmazDmitry Gromov

Zhugralin Shoves on Brown

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Damir Zhugralin
Damir Zhugralin

Heads-up on a board of 5?9?10?2?, Damir Zhugralin bet 175,000 from under the gun and Michael Brown called in the big blind.

The river was the K? and Zhugralin moved all in for 865,000. Brown had him covered and sent into the tank for several minutes until he open-folded A?Q?.

Zhugralin expressed surprise that Brown thought about calling for so long with ace-high as the two players had a testy exchange. "Why are you so mad about it," Brown said.

"I'll never bluff you again," Zhugralin added.

Player Chips Progress
Damir Zhugralin kz
Damir Zhugralin
1,300,000
672,000
672,000
Michael Brown gb
Michael Brown
1,060,000
278,000
278,000

Tags: Damir ZhugralinMichael Brown

Luo Wakes Up With Aces Near the Bubble

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante

David Hu was in early position and put small blind Shuang Luo all in. Luo called for her last 465,000.

Shuang Luo: A?A?
David Hu: A?5?

Hu had run into aces and got no help on the 10?10?K?4?5? board as Luo doubled up. "This was a perfect hand to do it with," Hu said as he picked up his cards and tossed them back to the dealer.

Player Chips Progress
Shuang Luo cn
Shuang Luo
950,000
390,000
390,000
David Hu nl
David Hu
470,000
-630,000
-630,000

Tags: David HuShuang Luo

Haloon Busts Skhulukhiya Two Spots from the Money

Level 21 : Blinds 10,000/15,000, 15,000 ante
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya

In a preflop confrontation Giorgiy Skhulukhiya was all in from early position for 114,000 and up against Carmel Haloon in the cutoff who had a covering stack.

Giorgiy Skhulukhiya: 9?9?
Carmel Haloon: J?J?

Skhulukhiya took the lead flopping a set on the 10?9?Q? flop but in a dramatic turn of events Haloon made a straight on the 8? turn. Skhulukhiya could not catch up on the 2? river and was sent to the rail two spots shy of making the money while Haloon collected the last of his chips.

Player Chips Progress
Carmel Haloon il
Carmel Haloon
845,000
145,000
145,000
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya ge
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya
Busted

Tags: Carmel HaloonGiorgiy Skhulukhiya