The $5,300 High Roller event at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series continues tonight with Day 2 starting at 8:00 p.m. local time inside the glamorous Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. After an action-packed Day 1, 69 players remain from a total of 95 entries, all vying for the prestigious title and a share of the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Romania’s Mircea Flutur leads the pack after an impressive opening day, bagging 522,500 chips to secure the top spot heading into today. Trailing behind him is Serbia’s Bogdan Jontulovic, who accumulated 367,000, while Poland’s Marcin Dziubdziela rounds out the top three with 351,500 chips.
Start of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mircea Flutur | Romania | 522,500 | 348 |
| 2 | Bogdan Jontulovic | Serbia | 367,000 | 245 |
| 3 | Marcin Dziubdziela | Poland | 351,500 | 234 |
| 4 | Nemo Israel | France | 333,000 | 222 |
| 5 | Maxime Chilaud | France | 321,500 | 214 |
| 6 | Edgard Raffoul | Lebanon | 311,500 | 208 |
| 7 | Jianfeng Sun | China | 306,000 | 204 |
| 8 | Paul Runcan | Romania | 296,500 | 198 |
| 9 | Andrey Pateychuk | Russia | 296,500 | 198 |
| 10 | Motokatsu Uhara | Japan | 281,500 | 188 |
Day 2 begins with blinds at 1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 big blind ante. With late registration remaining open for the first four levels of today, the number of entries is expected to rise, likely smashing the $500,000 guaranteed prizepool as more players take their shot at the title.
$5,300 High Roller Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 18 | Day 2 | 8 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| January 19 | Day 3 | 4 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| January 20 | Day 4 | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
Stay locked in right here to PokerNews for live updates from the tournament floor, as Day 2 promises another thrilling chapter in this high-stakes affair.
