$5,300 High Roller | 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series

20 minutos antiguedad

Nagami Doubles Through Karaliunas

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Nivel 17 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Simas Karaliunas raised to 20,000 from the cutoff with only Kyosuke Nagami calling from the big blind.

After Nagami checked the 10♣8♥6♣ flop, Karaliunas put out a continuation-bet of 20,000. Nagami quickly called.

Nagami checked again when the Q♥ fell on the turn and Karaliunas bet enough to put Nagami all in. Nagami called for his last 100,000.

Kyosuke Nagami: Q♦8♣ All in
Simas Karaliunas: A♠J♣

Nagami was ahead with two pair, but Karaliunas had a straight draw. The board-pairing 6♥ on the river meant Nagami earned the much-needed double-up.

Jugador	Fichas	Progreso
Simas Karaliunas	900,000 160,000	160,000
Kyosuke Nagami	300,000 222,500	222,500

Tags/etiquetas: Kyosuke Nagami Simas Karaliunas

38 minutos antiguedad

Bezhanyan Doubles Through Hallay

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Nivel 17 : Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante

Axel Hallay raised from middle position to 20,000 and Aren Bezhanyan shoved for 130,000 from the cutoff. When it got back to Hallay he made the call for almost half his stack.

Aren Bezhanyan: A♣J♣ All in
Axel Hallay: 7♠7♦

It was a classic race that Bezhanyan needed to win. The A♦J♠5♦ flop was favorable for Bezhanyan as he improved to two pair. The rest of the board ran out Q♣3♥ and Bezhanyan doubled.

Jugador	Fichas	Progreso
Aren Bezhanyan	285,000 175,000	175,000
Axel Hallay	150,000 250,000	250,000

Tags/etiquetas: Aren Bezhanyan Axel Hallay

Nivel: 17

Ciegas: 5,000/10,000

Ante: 10,000

44 minutos antiguedad

Alt Takes From Colavita

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Nivel 16 : Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante

Mario Colavita raised the button to 20,000 and was called only by Dinesh Alt in the big blind.

On the flop of J♠6♣10♣, Alt check-called a bet of 25,000 from Colavita.

Alt led out for 33,000 upon seeing the 10♠ land on the turn. Colavita thought for a few moments before making the call.

The A♠ river saw Alt lead out again, this time for 150,000. Colavita didn't long to muck his cards and forfeit the pot to ALt.

Jugador	Fichas	Progreso
Dinesh Alt	600,000 407,500	407,500
Mario Colavita	300,000 140,000	140,000

Tags/etiquetas: Dinesh Alt Mario Colavita

52 minutos antiguedad

Flashback: Elie Farah Takes Down 2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event

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Nivel 16 : Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante

Last year in the 2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series $3,300 Main Event, It took nearly 12 hour-long levels for a winner to emerge from the 41 players who entered the final day at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.

Elie Farah was the last player standing, scoring five final table knockouts and last defeating Felipe Ketzer in heads-up play to take home the title and top prize of $338,500.

Farah notably was down to his last 125,000 chips on the stone bubble during Day 3 aciton, worth just five big blinds at that time. His previous best score before this comes from an eighth-place finish in the 2022 Merit Poker Retro Series Main Event for $30,255. This victory not only exceeds his previous best more than tenfold, it also triples his total live tournament earnings which before this event stood at just under $150,000.

2024 Carmen Series Main Event Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize (USD)
1	Elie Farah	Lebanon	$338,500
2	Felipe Ketzer	Brazil	$249,200
3	Dinesh Alt	Switzerland	$153,000
4	Bart Lybaert	Belgium	$113,100
5	Dmitry Gromov	Russian Federation	$84,700
6	Tahsin Cankurtaranli	Turkey	$68,400
7	Andrey Litvinov	Russian Federation	$56,600
8	Maher Achour	Tunisia	$45,100
9	Danut Chisu	Romania	$33,900

Read the Full Recap Here

1 hora 6 minutos antiguedad

Malinov Quadruples Up With Big Slick

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Nivel 16 : Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante

Atanas Malinov raised to 16,000 under the gun with Georgios Tsouloftas calling from the next position and Axel Hallay calling on the button. Felipe Ketzer squeezed it up to 95,000 from the small blind, and Malinov shoved for 125,000. Tsouloftas just called the all-in, but Hallay back-jammed for 519,000 total. Ketzer folded, but Tsouloftas went into the tank. Tsouloftas had both players covered, but after doing a bit of inventory, he opted to fold his cards.

Atanas Malinov: A♥K♠ All in
Axel Hallay: A♣Q♠

Malinov found himself in the perfect spot to quadruple up if his Big Slick could hold against the inferior ace. The board ran out 3♦9♥3♠J♦K♣ to give Malinov the winner with a pair of kings.

Ketzer claimed to have folded pocket nines, and said to Malinov "He saved you", referring to Hally's jam forcing Ketzer out of the pot.

Jugador	Fichas	Progreso
Georgios Tsouloftas	650,000 110,000	110,000

Atanas Malinov	500,000 500,000	500,000
Axel Hallay	400,000 342,500	342,500
Felipe Ketzer	400,000 80,000	80,000

Tags/etiquetas: Atanas Malinov Axel Hallay Felipe Ketzer Georgios Tsouloftas

1 hora 20 minutos antiguedad

Updated Chip Counts

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Nivel 16 : 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante

Jugador	Fichas	Progreso
Simas Karaliunas	1,060,000 1,060,000	1,060,000
Hassan Nashar	800,000 280,000	280,000
Georgios Tsouloftas	760,000 320,000	320,000

Tobias Peters	750,000 160,000	160,000

Nikolaev Kolev	720,000 692,500	692,500
Baltazar Five	700,000 250,000	250,000
Ludovic Periaux	600,000 600,000	600,000
Samuel Ju	600,000 290,000	290,000
Paul Lagan	530,000 30,000	30,000
Dawid Smolka	500,000 500,000	500,000
Boris Kolev	490,000 10,000	10,000

Felipe Ketzer	480,000 480,000	480,000
Fahredin Mustafov	450,000 50,000	50,000
Vlado Banicevic	450,000 328,000	328,000
Edward Quinn	410,000 275,000	275,000
Andrey Pateychuk	400,000 10,000	10,000

Grzegorz Kozieja	400,000 20,000	20,000
Yayun Liu	400,000 175,000	175,000

Nivel: 16

Ciegas: 4,000/8,000

Ante: 8,000

1 hora 24 minutos antiguedad

Flashback: Umberto Ruggeri Wrangles Record-Breaking Victory in Merit Western Series Main Event

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Nivel 15 : Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

Back in January, the $3,300 Main Event of the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series saw Umberto Ruggeri crowned the champion after overcoming a record-breaking field of 791 inside the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.

The Italian player battled through countless emotional highs and challenging moments to claim the coveted trophy after cutting an undisclosed deal with Mihai Niste and Muhtar Taysi when three players remained.

Ruggeri expressed his joy after the victory, stating, "I’m very enthusiastic, and I think I played very well in key spots." The final table was not without its difficulties, as Ruggeri acknowledged, "It was very hard. A single moment can change everything, but in the end, it all went very well."

2025 Merit Poker Western Series Main Event Final Table Results

Place	Player	Country	Prize
1	Umberto Ruggeri	Italy	$377,500
2	Mihai Niste	Romania	$251,000
3	Muhtar Taysi	Turkey	$180,300
4	Mario Colavita	Italy	$130,200
5	Xiaosheng Zheng	China	$94,600
6	Alexander Sokolovsky	Serbia	$75,900
7	Ryan Mandara	United Kingdom	$63,200
8	Renars Skanis	Latvia	$50,500
9	Edward Quinn	Jersey	$37,950

Read the Full Recap Here

1 hora 39 minutos antiguedad

Break Time

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Nivel 15 : Blinds 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante

Players are now on a 15-minute break.

2024 Carmen Series Main Event Final Table Results

2025 Merit Poker Western Series Main Event Final Table Results

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