After a swift and commanding performance, Georgios Skarparis has secured the $2,200 Warm Up title at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series. In a day that spanned just five levels inside the iconic Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, Skarparis took the reins early and never let go, eliminating four of the final table opponents on his way to victory.
The Cypriot cowboy rode off with the $180,200 top prize after striking a three-way deal with Konstantin Kvashin and Danielle Noja, who both locked up significant payouts.
With this win, Skarparis gallops past the $1,000,000 milestone in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. "I feel great, and it's a fantastic start to the year," he said with a grin. Skarparis acknowledged the significance of surpassing seven figures, noting, "I know, I know—it was a goal. But now the goal is $2 million!"
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgios Skarparis | Cyprus | $180,200 |
| 2 | Konstantin Kvashin | Russia | $121,100 |
| 3 | Danielle Noja | Australia | $86,040 |
| 4 | Zhen Chen | China | $60,070 |
| 5 | Philipp Wood | Germany | $45,050 |
| 6 | Ali Zebarjad | Australia | $36,140 |
| 7 | Grigorii Rodin | Russia | $30,035 |
| 8 | Mario Fata | France | $24,025 |
| 9 | Aliaksandr Hirs | Belarus | $18,020 |
The victory also propelled him from sixth to fifth on Cyprus' all-time money list, an achievement Skarparis was equally aware of. "Yes, I knew this too. We're a small community, obviously—only seven or eight pros—and we always chase each other in good competitive spirit," he remarked.
Reflecting on his dominating final table performance, Skarparis explained, "Today was perfect. I started putting pressure on the others early when we were nine-handed because I knew they were thinking about ICM, and I had the chip lead. Then, when we were down to seven, I let Zhen Chen take control for a while since he also had a good stack and was the main guy I was worried about. I found a great spot with pocket tens to three-bet him and eliminate Grigorii Rodin. From there, as soon as I regained the chip lead, it was smooth sailing. I think I knocked everybody out from seven left."
Looking ahead, Skarparis revealed his plans for the coming months. "Next up is Cambodia, then probably Taiwan, and then back home to Cyprus—I will always protect home," he said. "After that, maybe Ireland. That's my plan for the next three months."
With his latest triumph and a wave of confidence behind him, Skarparis is poised for an exciting year on the felt, ready to write the next chapter in his poker journey.
Final Table Action
The action was fast-paced from the get-go as Mario Fata had his ace-three all in and at risk against the queen-jack of Philipp Wood. Wood turned a flush, but Fata managed to survive with a a miraculous backdoor full house to keep his hopes alive.
As blinds climbed quickly, it wasn’t long before the first elimination was recorded, with Aliaksandr Hirs becoming the first casualty. Hirs three-bet shoved with king-ten and was put at risk by Ali Zebarjad's ace-six. A clean runout later, and Hirs was headed to the payout desk.
Fata quickly followed when his nine-eight couldn't improve against Chen's ace-queen, then Rodin lost a crucial flip with ace-queen against Skarparis' pocket tens to finish seventh.
By the time the first break hit, Chen and Skarparis were well clear of the field with each of them having over double the stack of Wood, who was in third. Wood and Kvashin's stacks then started to get eaten away by the blinds and it seemed they were waiting for one another to bust to earn a pay jump. However, they both made a ladder after Zebarjad shoved with ace-deuce from the button and ran into Skarparis' pocket aces.
Skarparis then scored another knockout when his nine-eight spiked a nine on the river to crush the ace-six of Wood, which brought around four-handed play.
The final table’s defining hand came as Chen and Skarparis clashed in a massive pot. Chen, holding queen-nine suited, defended his big blind against Skarparis’ cutoff raise and flopped a flush draw. After betting and calling on the flop, Chen check-shoved after pairing his nine, only to see Skarparis snap-call with trip kings. The river bricked for Chen, sending him to the rail just shy of the podium as Skarparis amassed over 80% of the chips in play.
At this stage, the final three paused the clock to negotiate a deal. After a lengthy discussion, an agreement was reached, with the details kept private. Skarparis claimed the trophy and the lion’s share of the prize pool, securing his place in Merit Poker history.
That concludes our PokerNews coverage of the Warm Up. Stay tuned right here as the action heats up with in-depth coverage of the High Roller and the eagerly anticipated Main Event still to come!
