Career Best Score for Bogdan Munteanu at the Merit Poker Vintage Series
Table Of Contents
The Merit Poker Vintage Series is in full swing at the luxurious Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Resort in North Cyprus. The all-inclusive resort, located on the seafront of one of the most beautiful bays in North Cyprus, is currently packed with poker players chasing their share of more than $3 million worth of guaranteed prize pools.
Romania's Bogdan Munteanu will fondly remember his time in North Cyprus, thanks to him taking down the $2,200 No-Limit Hold'em Warm-Up event. Some 624 players bought into the tournament and created an impressive prize pool tipping the scales at $1,148,160. Munteanu was the last man standing, and he banked $209,700, which is by far his largest-ever live poker tournament score.
$2,200 NL Warm Up Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bodgan Munteanu | Romania | $209,700 |
| 2 | Alessio Isaia | Italy | $154,400 |
| 3 | John Doe | Lebanon | $94,500 |
| 4 | Joshua Marquardt | Germany | $70,000 |
| 5 | Nina Krasilnikov | Russia | $52,400 |
| 6 | Basel Khabbazeh | Syria | $42,100 |
| 7 | Itzhak Ashkenazi | Israel | $35,000 |
| 8 | Ugur Secilmis | Turkey | $28,000 |
| 9 | Milad Langar | Iran | $20,975 |
The NL Warm Up paid out 71 places, and there were plenty of familiar names among those who saw a return on their $2,200 investment. Jessica Pilkington, Andreas Christoforou, Fahredin Mustafov, Yiannis Liperis, Ran Koller, and Dmitry Gromov all cashed, the latter falling in 15th place for $12,535.
Each of the nine finalists locked in $20,975 for their efforts, but the top two spots were awarded six-figure prizes. Munteanu went into the final table fifth in chips with 35 big blinds, yet ultimately came out on top.
Milad Langar ($20,975), Ugar Secilmis ($28,000), Itzhak Ashkenazi ($35,000), and Basel Khabbazeh ($42,100) were the first casualties of the final table. Russia's Nina Krasilnikov bowed out in fifth for $52,400 before Germany's Joshua Marquardt ($70,000) and an anonymous player from Lebanon ($94,500) left the NL Warm Up with only two players.
Munteanu locked horns with Italian veteran Alessio Isaia, a player with more than $2.5 million in live poker tournament winnings. Munteanu was not fazed by his experienced opponent and staged an impressive comeback to clinch the $209,700 top prize, blowing his previous largest haul of $50,855 out of the water.
Georges Sultamen Wins the $1K Mystery Bounty; Georgy Flippovich Snags Biggest Bounty
Mystery Bounty tournaments are all the rage right now, and Merit Poker got in on the action with a $1,100 buy-in event that drew in 423 opponents, who built a $389,160 prize pool. Half of that sum paid out in the traditional manner, with the remaining 50% split into sealed envelopes and awarded as mystery bounties.
Georges Sultamen started the final day on fire, eliminating an opponent and opening a mystery bounty containing a cool $20,000 prize. Sultamen went on to become the tournament's champion, which earned the Lebanese grinder an additional $18,700.
The final table was also the home to American Joseph Hebert, who you may recall won the 2020 WSOP Main Event Domestic Edition for more than $1.5 million. Hebert fell in fifth place in this tournament for $6,900, but he also collected $28,500 worth of bounties, including one worth $15,000!
Ninth-place finisher Elie Farah, also of Lebanon, was one of the luckiest bounty recipients. Farah pulled out a $25,000 and a $30,000 envelope, adding $55,000 to their $2,800 main prize pool prize.
Georgy Flippovich fell short of becoming this tournament's champion, falling in third for $10,500. However, Flippovich pulled the largest mystery bounty prize of the event, one worth a cool $40,000!
$1,100 NLHE Mystery Bounty Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georges Sultamen | Lebanon | $18,700 |
| 2 | Vitalii Pankov | Russia | $13,760 |
| 3 | Georgy Flippovich | Russia | $10,500 |
| 4 | Yosef Mizrahi | Israel | $8,500 |
| 5 | Joseph Hebert | United States | $6,900 |
| 6 | Yonatan Koko | Israel | $5,700 |
| 7 | Nicolas Vayssueres | Turkey | $4,500 |
| 8 | Anonymous | Lebanon | $3,500 |
| 9 | Elie Farah | Lebanon | $2,800 |
Merit Poker Vintage Series Remaining Schedule
Attention now turns to the $3,300 buy-in $1,500,000 guaranteed Main Event that runs from November 22-27. There is also another mystery bounty tournament, one costing $2,200 to enter, running from November 26-27, which is sure to be another huge hit with the Merit Poker players.
| Date | Time | Event | Buy-in | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 22 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | NLHE Main Event Day 1A | $3,300 | $1,500,000 |
| 5:30 p.m. | NLHE Hyper Turbo Deep Stack | $550 | $20,000 | |
| Wed 23 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | NLHE Main Event Day 1B | $3,300 | $1,500,000 |
| 10:00 p.m. | NLHE Mix-Max 9-Max Day 1 | $1,100 | $80,000 | |
| Thu 24 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | NLHE Main Event Day 1C | $3,300 | $1,500,000 |
| 3:00 p.m. | Pot Limit Omaha Bounty 8-Max ($500 KO) | $1,100 | $40,000 | |
| 8:00 p.m. | NLHE Main Event Day 1D Turbo | $3,300 | $1,500,000 | |
| 10:00 p.m. | Mix-Max Day 2 | |||
| Fri 25 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | Main Event Day 2 | ||
| 9:00 p.m. | NLHE Bounty ($400 KO) | $880 | $40,000 | |
| 10:00 p.m. | Mix-Max Final Day | |||
| Sat 26 Nov | 12:00 p.m. | Main Event Day 2 | ||
| 12:00 p.m. | NLHE Mystery Bounty Day 1A | $2,200 | $150,000 | |
| 7:00 p.m. | NLHE Mystery Bounty Day 1B | $2,200 | $150,000 | |
| 9:30 p.m. | NLHE Turbo Deep Stack | $660 | $25,000 | |
| Sun 27 Nov | 11:00 a.m. | NLHE Mystery Bounty Day 1C Turbo | $2,200 | $150,000 |
| 1:00 p.m. | Main Event Final Day | |||
| 1:00 p.m. | NLHE Deep Stack Bounty 6-Max ($300 KO) | $660 | $20,000 | |
| 5:00 p.m. | NLHE Meric Classic | $3,300 | ||
| 7:00 p.m. | Mystery Bounty Final Day | |||
| 7:00 p.m. | NLHE Turbo Deep Stack Bounty 6-Max ($200 KO) | $440 | $15,000 |
