2024 Merit Poker Western Series

$3,300 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info

2024 Merit Poker Western Series

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
99
Prize
$342,500
Event Info
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$1,854,720
Entries
672
Level Info
Level
36
Blinds
200,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Players Info - Day 1b
Entries
174
Players Left
77

Zhao Shoves on Munteanu

Level 5 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Cheng Zhao bet 6,000 from early position on a board of 10?A?2?8? before Bogdan Munteanu raised to 25,000 in the big blind.

Zhao then moved all in for 51,000. "Oh," tablemate Xiaohua Fu said. Munteanu tanked for nearly two minutes before surrendering the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Cheng Zhao
Cheng Zhao
90,000
20,000
20,000
Bogdan Munteanu ro
Bogdan Munteanu
70,000
-25,000
-25,000

Tags: Bogdan MunteanuCheng Zhao

Brown Bombs the River on Sarkis

Level 5 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Michael Brown
Michael Brown

Four players saw the turn on a board of K?8?6?J? as action checked to Wael Sarkis who bet 8,000 from middle position. Ali Zebarjad folded his button, but Michael Brown raised to 25,000 in the small blind.

Dragos Trofimov got out of the way in the big blind and Sarkis called. The river was the 9? and Brown tossed in 125,000, easily covering Sarkis' remaining stack. Sarkis snap-folded.

Player Chips Progress
Michael Brown gb
Michael Brown
280,000
120,000
120,000
Ali Zebarjad au
Ali Zebarjad
85,000
-30,000
-30,000
Wael Sarkis lb
Wael Sarkis
80,000
Dragos Trofimov md
Dragos Trofimov
50,000
-50,000
-50,000

Tags: Wael SarkisMichael BrownDragos TrofimovAli Zebarjad

Jazzar Hoping For a Flush, Finds a Straight Instead

Level 5 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Maroun Jazzar in the big blind, Yassin Mahmoud in the cutoff, and Ermanno Di Nicola in middle position each got all their chips in the middle on a flop of 8?4?9?. Di Nicola had both players covered and at risk.

Maroun Jazzar: A?5?
Yassin Mahmoud: Q?9?
Ermanno Di Nicola: 8?8?

Di Nicola was in the lead with a set of eights, Mahmoud had top pair, while Jazzar was chasing the nut flush draw. The 3? turn kept Di Nicola in the lead, but the 2? fell on the river and Jazzar made a running straight. He tripled up for around 60,000, while Mahmoud, who was all in for 85,000, was eliminated by Di Nicola in the side pot.

"That's a good one. I like to gamble," Jazzar said.

Player Chips Progress
Maroun Jazzar lb
Maroun Jazzar
170,000
40,000
40,000
Ermanno Di Nicola it
Ermanno Di Nicola
120,000
15,000
15,000
Day 3 Chip Leader
WSOP 1X Winner
Yassin Mahmoud jo
Yassin Mahmoud
Busted

Tags: Ermanno Di NicolaYassin MahmoudMaroun Jazzar

Semeniaka Extinguishes Sun

Level 5 : Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Yunsheng Sun bet 6,000 from the button on a flop of 3?K?5? and Oleksii Semeniaka called in the big blind.

The turn was the 9? and Sun moved all in for 25,000. Semeniaka quickly called with K?J? for top pair, while Sun had K?10? for a pair and flush draw.

Sun missed the Q? river and Semeniaka took the pot to send him to the rail. "Always a king when you're in the pot. At least a king," a tablemate told Semeniaka

John Doe, who already cashed in the Warm Up event here at the Merit Poker Western Series, has built up a stack of around 350,000 at this table.

Player Chips Progress
John Doe
John Doe
350,000
350,000
350,000
Oleksii Semeniaka ua
Oleksii Semeniaka
200,000
200,000
200,000
Yunsheng Sun cn
Yunsheng Sun
Busted

Tags: Oleksii SemeniakaYunsheng Sun

Level: 6

Blinds: 700/1,500

Ante: 1,500

Abou Khalil Calls Off to Petleshkov With Deuces

Level 6 : Blinds 700/1,500, 1,500 ante

Ghassan Abou Khalil was in the small blind and had a raise of 10,000 in front of him. Viliyan Petleshkov then moved all in from the big blind and Abou Khalil, left with only around 5,000 behind, tanked for a minute before calling.

Ghassan Abou Khalil: 2?2?
Viliyan Petleshkov: J?J?

Abou Khalil was crushed by Petleshkov's deuces as the 5?7?9?5?4? board left him heading for the exit.

Player Chips Progress
Viliyan Petleshkov bg
Viliyan Petleshkov
150,000
Ghassan Abou Khalil lb
Ghassan Abou Khalil
Busted

Tags: Ghassan Abou KhalilViliyan Petleshkov

Sabau Hits an Ace on Gavrilovich

Level 6 : Blinds 700/1,500, 1,500 ante

Razvan Sabau put in a raise of 18,000 from the big blind before small blind Jenya Gavrilovich reraised to 60,000, a bet representing most of his stack. Sabau moved all in and Gavrilovich called for his last few chips.

Jenya Gavrilovich: K?Q?
Razvan Sabau: A?10?

Gavrilovich was already out of his seat after the 7?7?A? flop gave Sabau two pair. The board ran out 2?2? and Sabau sent Gavrilovich to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Razvan Sabau ro
Razvan Sabau
200,000
200,000
200,000
Jenya Gavrilovich by
Jenya Gavrilovich
Busted

Tags: Jenya GavrilovichRazvan Sabau

Peng Hits His Straight Twice

Level 6 : Blinds 700/1,500, 1,500 ante
Peng Peng
Peng Peng

Three-handed on a flop of 7?Q?9?, Peng Peng moved all in for 9,500 from the big blind and Maher Achour called in early position. Andrea Dato got out of the way in middle position.

Peng Peng: J?10?
Maher Achour: A?K?

Peng was on a straight draw against Achour's ace-king as the turn brought the K?, completing his straight. The river was the 8? and Peng doubled up.

"I win two times," Peng said, pointing out that he already would've hit his straight on the river.

Player Chips Progress
Maher Achour tn
Maher Achour
350,000
Andrea Dato it
Andrea Dato
220,000
60,000
60,000
WPT 1X Winner
Peng Peng cn
Peng Peng
40,000
40,000
40,000

Tags: Andrea DatoMaher AchourPeng Peng

Bochkarev Damages Yaghmai, Kowal Finishes the Job

Level 6 : Blinds 700/1,500, 1,500 ante

Nariman Yaghmai raised to 3,500 on the button, Yury Bochkarev three-bet to 12,000 in the small blind, and Yaghmai called.

Bochkarev checked the 2?2?5? flop and Yaghmai bet 5,200. Bochkarev called, then led out for 12,000 on the 4? turn.

Yaghmai called and the 6? fell on the river. Bochkarev then moved all in and Yaghmai folded.

Yaghmai was left with 30,700 and moved all in the next hand as Graydon Kowal called to put him at risk.

Nariman Yaghmai: K?J?
Graydon Kowal: 7?7?

The 9?10?6?4?10? board was no help for Yaghmai and he was sent to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Yury Bochkarev ru
Yury Bochkarev
130,000
130,000
130,000
Graydon Kowal ca
Graydon Kowal
90,000
90,000
90,000
Nariman Yaghmai ir
Nariman Yaghmai
Busted

Tags: Graydon KowalNariman YaghmaiYury Bochkarev

El-Siblani Shows a Monster in Big Pot Against Peluso

Level 6 : Blinds 700/1,500, 1,500 ante
Ali El-Siblani
Ali El-Siblani

Vladimir Malyarchuk bet 5,000 on a flop of Q?2?2? and Fabio Peluso called under the gun, as did Ali El-Siblani in middle position.

All three players checked the 4? turn and Peluso led out for 35,000 on the 10? river. El-Siblani then raised to 85,000.

Malyarchuk quickly folded, but Peluso went deep into the tank. He even removed his trademark bucket hat as he pondered the decision for several minutes. He eventually picked up his cards and tossed them into the muck.

"Ace-queen," Malyarchuk asked him.

"Better than ace-queen," Peluso replied.

"What did I have," El-Siblani said, pointing at each of his tablemates. "Quads," he added, slamming down 2?2? as he took the big pot.

Player Chips Progress
Ali El-Siblani lb
Ali El-Siblani
310,000
80,000
80,000
Vladimir Malyarchuk kz
Vladimir Malyarchuk
280,000
150,000
150,000
Fabio Peluso it
Fabio Peluso
275,000
165,000
165,000
Day 1B Chip Leader
WSOP 1X Winner

Tags: Ali El-SiblaniFabio PelusoVladimir Malyarchuk

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