2024 Merit Poker Western Series

$5,300 High Roller
Day: 3
Event Info

2024 Merit Poker Western Series

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
q5
Prize
$177,500
Event Info
Buy-in
$5,300
Prize Pool
$703,800
Entries
153
Level Info
Level
30
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
200,000
Players Info - Day 3
Entries
30
Players Left
1

$5,300 High Roller

Day 3 Started

Day 3 Seat Draw

TableSeatPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
11Paul AmsellemFrance420,00026
12Aleksandar TotMontenegro684,00043
13Nazar BuhaiovUkraine370,00023
14John DoeN/A907,00057
15Xixiang LuoChina1,250,00078
16Justus HeldGermany1,390,00087
17Aleksandr KirichenkoRussian Federation1,480,00093
18Andrey PateychukRussian Federation204,00013
      
21Tarmo TammelEstonia147,0009
22Maksim ShornikauBelarus1,320,00083
23Frederic PopotFrance426,00027
24Danut ChisuRomania330,00021
25Ceyhan TezcanTurkey253,00016
26Joseph SabeLebanon728,00046
27Bogdan MunteanuRomania300,00019
28Maroun JazzarLebanon214,00013
      
31Milos SkrbicSerbia334,00021
32Giorgiy SkhulukhiyaGeorgia345,00022
33Anatoly NikitinRussian Federation365,00023
34Mikhail SeminRussian Federation251,00016
35Alisa SibgatovaRussian Federation260,00016
36Maher AchourTunisia297,00019
37Shuang LuoChina821,00051
      
41Vedat MutluTurkey355,00022
42Fahredin MustafovBulgaria218,00014
43Maciej KomorowskiPoland369,00023
44Roman GadzhievRussian Federation371,00023
45Monika ZukowiczPoland236,00015
46Marius KudzmanasLithuania323,00020
47Guoliang WeiChina591,00037

Second Chance for Kirichenko in Final Day of Merit Poker Western Series $5,300 High Roller

Aleksandr Kirichenko
Aleksandr Kirichenko

The 2023 Merit Poker Western Series $5,300 High Roller has been reduced from a field of 153 entrants to just 30 remaining players here at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. All 30 will have their sights set on taking home the title and lion's share of the $703,800 prize pool.

Russia's Aleksandr Kirichenko holds the overall chip lead after Day 2, bagging 1,480,000 chips worth 93 big blinds. Kirichenko made the final table of the last Merit Poker $5,300 high roller event at the Gangster Series this past October, making it all the way to heads up play against Giorgiy Skhulukhiya before falling in second place. Today Kirichenko has a chance to avenge that runner up finish with another shot at a high roller title here in Cyprus. Kirichenko is most closely followed by Germany's Justus Held (1,390,000) and Maksim Shornikau of Belarus (1,320,000).

Merit Poker Western Series $5,300 High Roller Top Ten Chip Counts

RankPlayerCountryChip CountBig Blinds
1Aleksandr KirichenkoRussian Federation1,480,00093
2Justus HeldGermany1,390,00087
3Maksim ShornikauBelarus1,320,00083
4Xixiang LuoChina1,250,00078
5John DoeN/A907,00057
6Shuang LuoChina821,00051
7Joseph SabeLebanon728,00046
8Aleksandar TotMontenegro684,00043
9Guoliang WeiChina591,00037
10Frederic PopotFrance426,00027
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya

Others to make it to the final day include Day 1 chip leader John Doe (907,000), bracelet winner Guoliang Wei (591,000), Skhulukhiya (345,000), Skirbic (334,000), ACR team pro Monika Zukowicz (236,000) and Andrey Pateychuk (204,000).

Xixiang Luo
Xixiang Luo

Players will begin at 2:00 p.m. local time just ten spots shy of the money bubble, with blinds at 8,000/16,000 and a 16,000 big blind ante. The top 20 players will all be guaranteed at least a min-cash of $7,800 but all will be seeking the top prize of $177,500.The event is scheduled to play down to a winner today and will be streamed on the Merit Poker YouTube channel. PokerNews will be posting on a 60-minute delay to avoid spoiling the results of the stream.

As always, stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you all the action from the final day of this event as well as the $3,300 Main Event which is set to begin today.

Tags: Aleksandar TotAleksandr KirichenkoAndrey PateychukFrederic PopotGiorgiy SkhulukhiyaGuoliang WeiJoseph SabeJustus HeldMaksim ShornikauMonika ZukowiczShuang LuoXixiang Luo

Level: 19

Blinds: 8,000/16,000

Ante: 16,000

Nikitin Flips Sibgatova to the Rail

Level 19 : 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
Alisa Sibgatova
Alisa Sibgatova

Anatoly Nikitin opened to 32,000 from under the gun and Alisa Sibgatova three-bet to 105,000 from the cutoff, leaving roughly 160,000 behind. Nikitin moved all in with a covering stack and Sibgatova snap-called.

Alisa Sibgatova: Q?Q?
Anatoly Nikitin: A?K?

It was a classic preflop race that Nikitin got the better of on the A?6?3? flop. He remained ahead on the 10? turn and K? river to send Sibgatova to the rail in the first hand of the day and score nearly a full double up.

Player Chips Progress
Anatoly Nikitin ru
Anatoly Nikitin
665,000
300,000
300,000
Alisa Sibgatova ru
Alisa Sibgatova
Busted

Held Rivers the Goods

Level 19 : 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante

With two players seeing a board of 9?3?2?5? and roughly 120,000 already in the middle, John Doe checked from middle position and Justus Held checked from the hijack.

On the 10? river Doe bet 92,000 and was called by Held.

Doe tabled A?9? for second pair but Held turned over A?10? for top pair to take the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Justus Held de
Justus Held
1,455,000
65,000
65,000
John Doe
John Doe
770,000
-137,000
-137,000
Day 1 Chip Leader

Tags: John DoeJustus Held

Held Wins Battle of Chip Leaders

Level 19 : 8,000/16,000, 16,000 ante
Justus Held
Justus Held

With two players seeing a board of 5?6?9?7? and roughly 270,000 already in the middle, Justus Held bet 85,000 from the big blind and was called by Aleksandr Kirichenko from under the gun.

Held fired again for 160,000 on the J? river. Kirichenko, looking slightly exasperated with the situation, flicked in the call.

Held turned over 7?5? for two pair to take the chip lead from Kirichenko.

Elsewhere in the tournament area, Giorgiy Skhulukhiya was recently eliminated.

Player Chips Progress
Justus Held de
Justus Held
1,835,000
Aleksandr Kirichenko ru
Aleksandr Kirichenko
1,095,000
Day 2 Chip Leader
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya ge
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya
Busted

Tags: Aleksandr KirichenkoJustus Held

Level: 20

Blinds: 10,000/20,000

Ante: 20,000

Luo Catches a Bluff

Level 20 : 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante

Shuang Luo had opened from early position and received a call from Aleksandar Tot in the small blind.

The flop came 6?5?6? and Tot check-called a 25,000 continuation bet from Luo.

Tot lead out with a 50,000 bet on the 9? turn which was called by Luo.

On the 5? river Tot bet 180,000. Luo thought for roughly 45 seconds before flicking in a calling chip.

Tot tabled 4?4? for a small pocket pair turned into a bluff. Luo showed down 8?8? for a bigger pocket pair to take down a healthy pot.

Elsewhere in the tournament area, Joseph Sabe and Andrey Pateychuk were recently eliminated.

Player Chips Progress
Shuang Luo cn
Shuang Luo
885,000
64,000
64,000
Aleksandar Tot me
Aleksandar Tot
391,000
-293,000
-293,000
Joseph Sabe lb
Joseph Sabe
Busted
Andrey Pateychuk ru
Andrey Pateychuk
Busted
WPT 1X Winner
EPT 1X Winner

Tags: Aleksandar TotShuang Luo