Ehsan Amiri has been slowly pulling away from the field as of late and just took down another pot to burst through the 600,000 mark.
There were already 105,000 chips in the middle on a 10♠5♣K♦ flop when Motokatsu Uhara checked from the hijack and Amiri bet 25,000 from the cutoff. Uhara called.
On the A♠ turn, Uhara tapped the table once again and Amiri fired out 55,000. Uhara thought for some time, but eventually elected to fold, and Amiri's stack grew bigger.
On a flop of 3♣7♥6♣ with around 65,000 in the pot, the small blind checked and Alisa Sibgatova fired out 55,000. Marc Foggin then put in a raise that covered both of his opponents, which got the small blind to fold. Sibgatova, however, made the call for her stack of just over 90,000.
Alisa Sibgatova: 9♥9♦
Marc Foggin: 10♣8♣
Foggin had a huge draw and an overcard he could hit, but couldn't find it on the 5♥ turn. Sibgatova only needed to fade one more card to earn herself a double-up, and managed to do it as the 2♥ river was a brick.
The $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series continued to break records inside the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, with an impressive 218 entries recorded on Day 1b. This marks the largest single flight in a Western Series Main Event since the pandemic, showcasing the growing popularity of this marquee tournament.
By the end of nine grueling levels, only 81 players survived, with Australia's Ehsan Amiri bagging an enormous 902,500 chips to secure the chip lead.
The total number of entries across the first two flights now stands at 400, with two more starting flights still to come. With late registration open until the end of Level 14, midway through Day 2, the prize pool is well on its way to surpassing the $1,500,000 guarantee.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chip Count
1
Ehsan Amiri
Australia
902,500
2
Dmitry Gromov
Russia
706,500
3
Philip Joyce
United Kingdom
660,000
4
Joseph Houayek
Lebanon
579,000
5
Stanislau Charvinski
Belarus
573,500
6
Tamer Kamel
United Kingdom
532,000
7
Walid Bou Habib
Lebanon
492,000
8
Hassan Sey
Philippines
474,000
9
Themistoklis Themistokleous
Cyprus
459,500
10
Andrei Roscan
Romania
455,500
Another record set today is Amiri's massive stack, with it being the largest recorded in any Western Series Main Event opening flight since the pandemic, and perhaps even longer in the tournament's history. His impressive performance saw him accumulate the equivalent of nine starting stacks—one for each level played throughout the day.
Dmitry Gromov also bagged a healthy stack, finishing the day with 706,500 chips. The Russian player, who placed third in the Gatsby Gala Main Event just a few months ago, has made Cyprus his playground, boasting over 100 career cashes. Gromov is no stranger to success in Merit Poker Main Events, with cashes in no less than ten previous editions. He’s now positioned himself well for a potential eleventh deep run here.
Dmitry Gromov
Philip Joyce rounds out the top three with a stack of 660,000, and they were the only players to surpass the 600,000-chip mark. Walid Bou Habib (492,000), Hassan Sey (474,000), and Andrei Roscan (455,500) also made it into the top ten.
As Day 1c and Day 1d approach, the Main Event is poised to see even more players join the action, all vying for a spot in Day 2. Players in the final two flights will start with 100,000 in chips and play through nine levels, with the survivors making it into Day 2 on Thursday, January 23.
Remaining Schedule
Date
Day
Time
Blind Levels
January 22
Day 1c
12:00 p.m.
40 minutes
January 22
Day 1d
7:00 p.m.
25 minutes
January 23
Day 2
12:00 p.m.
60 minutes
January 24
Day 3
12:00 p.m.
60 minutes
January 25
Day 4
12:00 p.m.
60 minutes
January 26
Day 5
1:00 p.m.
60 minutes
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates and chip counts as we continue our coverage of the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series.
