The Merit Poker Carmen Series $3,300 Main Event is already well underway here at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino in North Cyprus, with two starting flights already complete and two more still to go. The event has featured a total of 351 entrants so far with 157 players advancing to Day 2.
Top Ten Chip Counts from Day 1a and Day 1b
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alisa Sibgatova | Russian Federation | 661,000 | 264 |
| 2 | Dmitrii Kuzin | Russian Federation | 647,500 | 259 |
| 3 | Fausto Tantillo | Italy | 602,000 | 241 |
| 4 | Aleksandar Tot | Montenegro | 559,000 | 224 |
| 5 | Jovan Kenjic | Serbia | 547,500 | 219 |
| 6 | George Tomescu | Romania | 514,000 | 206 |
| 7 | Uladzimir Zhyharau | Belarus | 507,500 | 203 |
| 8 | Mihai Tusnea | Romania | 487,000 | 195 |
| 9 | Ruslan Bakhtiev | Russian Federation | 454,000 | 182 |
| 10 | Florian Guimond | France | 448,500 | 179 |
Alisa Sibgatova currently holds the biggest stack from the first two starting flights, finishing Day 1b with 661,000, worth 264 big blinds going into Day 2. Sibgatova is one of only three players to surpass 600,000 chips so far and is most closely followed by Day 1a chip leader Dmitrii Kuzin (647,500) and Fausto Tantillo (602,000).
Other notables to make it to Day 2 so far include Simone Andrian (436,500), Milos Skrbic (404,000), Vladimir Bozinovic (388,000), Andrey Pateychuk (304,000), Andrea Dato (276,000), Felipe Ketzer (164,500), Fabio Peluso (146,000), Halil Tasyurek (52,500) and Aylar Lie (32,500).
Day 1c begins at noon local time and will feature a similar, albeit slightly faster structure as the first two starting flights. Players will start with 100,000 chips and play nine 40-minute levels. There will be a break after every three levels. Unlimited reentries and late registration will be available until the end of Level 14 on Day 2. There will also be a turbo Day 1d starting flight featuring 25-minute levels beginning today at 7:00 p.m. local time.
As always, PokerNews will be on-site to cover all the action today from when cards are in the air until players bag and tag at the end of the night.
