$5,300 High Roller
Day 1 Completed
2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series
$5,300 High Roller
Day: 1
Event Info
Top
Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller, featuring a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool, played out today at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino as part of the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series. So far, the event has attracted a talented field of 143 entries, each vying for a share of the prize money. Throughout eight 40-minute levels, players battled against one another, with only 96 survivors managing to bag up their chips for Day 2.
Georgios Tsouloftas leads the pack heading into tomorrow after bagging an impressive 594,500 chips. The Cypriot player was the only one to surpass the half-million mark, positioning himself as the clear frontrunner. A significant chunk of his stack came in a key hand where he flopped a set against Soraya Estrada’s pocket queens, dealing a major blow to Estrada’s stack. Tsouloftas has put himself in prime position, not just to make the money, but to make a deep run as the tournament unfolds.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgios Tsouloftas | Cyprus | 594,500 | 397 |
| 2 | Paul Lagan | Ireland | 440,000 | 293 |
| 3 | Tobias Peters | Netherlands | 428,000 | 285 |
| 4 | Vladislav Ivanov | Russia | 386,000 | 257 |
| 5 | Baltazar Five | Lebanon | 372,000 | 248 |
| 6 | Zoran Sesum | Serbia | 370,500 | 247 |
| 7 | Volodymyr Drokin | Ukraine | 356,000 | 237 |
| 8 | Siarhei Chudapal | Belarus | 355,000 | 237 |
| 9 | Yayun Liu | U.S.A | 342,500 | 229 |
| 10 | Leonid Orman | Russia | 303,500 | 202 |
The closest rival to Tsouloftas is Paul Lagan from Ireland, who sits second in the standings with 440,000 chips heading into Day 2. Bracelet winner Tobias Peters rounds out the podium positions with a stack of 428,000. Peters added to his stack in the final level of the night after correctly picking off Zhen Chen's river bluff.
Other notables advancing to Day 2 include Johnny Lodden (289,500), Kirill Burtin (286,000), two-time bracelet winner Boris Kolev (281,000), and Samuel Ju (242,000), who was busy winning a side event here as the High Roller got underway. Joining them are Boris Angelov (222,500), Fahredin Mustafov (190,000), the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series High Roller winner Sergei Varnaev (86,000), and Chen (39,500).
Day 2 kicks off at 6 p.m. local time on Monday, March 17, and resumes at Level 9, featuring blinds of 1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 big blind ante. Unlimited reentries are available until late registration closes at the end of Level 12. The structure for the day will be confirmed shortly after play begins.??
Remaining $5,300 High Roller Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 17 | Day 2 | 6 p.m. | 40 minutes? |
| March 18 | Day 3 | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
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Be sure to tune into?PokerNews?as Day 2 gets underway to see who can build their stack and progress toward the business end of the tournament.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
594,500
114,500
|
114,500 |
|
||
|
440,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
|
428,000
158,000
|
158,000 |
|
||
|
386,000
176,000
|
176,000 |
|
372,000
372,000
|
372,000 |
|
370,500
210,500
|
210,500 |
|
356,000
356,000
|
356,000 |
|
355,000
145,000
|
145,000 |
|
342,500
342,500
|
342,500 |
|
303,500
155,500
|
155,500 |
|
295,000
185,000
|
185,000 |
|
289,500
169,500
|
169,500 |
|
286,000
106,000
|
106,000 |
|
281,000
21,000
|
21,000 |
|
||
|
268,500
41,500
|
41,500 |
|
255,000
165,000
|
165,000 |
|
244,500
34,500
|
34,500 |
|
242,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
|
237,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
231,000
14,000
|
14,000 |
|
230,000
140,000
|
140,000 |
|
226,000
116,000
|
116,000 |
|
223,500
33,500
|
33,500 |
|
222,500
147,500
|
147,500 |
|
216,500
216,500
|
216,500 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Play has finished for Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller with 96 players managing to make it through to Day 2 tomorrow. Stay tuned for a full list of chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
On a flop of 6?2?7?, Navid Samavati bet 16,000 from the hijack and Iurii Grigorev called on the button. The two players saw the 4? land on the turn and Samavati checked. Grigorev bet 22,000, and was met by a raise to 48,000 from Samavati. Grigorev quickly called.
The 6? dropped on the river and after doing a bit of inventory, Samavati checked. Grigorev was happy to check behind and Samavati flipped up A?J? for ace-high. Grigorev showed a pair of tens with 10?10? and the pot was sent to him.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
310,000
165,000
|
165,000 |
|
100,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
The floor staff announced there will be 4 more hands before the remaining players bag up their chips and return for Day 2 tomorrow at 6 p.m.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Mario Colavita raised from early position to 3,000 with Samuel Ju calling from the small blind, and the big blind player also calling.
Three ways to a flop of 10?9?6? where the action checked around to see the 9? land on the turn. Ju took the betting lead by firing out 6,500. The big folded, but Colavita stuck around with a call.
When the 7? came on the river, Ju took a few moments, before putting out a big bet of roughly 75,000. Colavita instantly folded, and Ju pulled in the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
250,000 | |
|
200,000 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Tobias Peters raised from the cutoff to 3,000 and Zhen Chen defended his big blind.
Chen check-called a bet of 3,500 from Peters on the 8?3?2? flop.
The turn came the 4? and Chen led out this time for 7,000. Peters called and both players saw the A? land on the river. Chen fired out 31,000 and Peters quickly called.
Chen just had a pair of treys with 6?3?, which wasn't enough to beat the Q?Q? for a flush.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
270,000
160,000
|
160,000 |
|
|
||
|
50,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
Level 7
: Blinds 800/1,500, 1,500 ante
Back in January, the $3,300 Main Event of the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series saw Umberto Ruggeri crowned the champion after overcoming a record-breaking field of 791 inside the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
The Italian player battled through countless emotional highs and challenging moments to claim the coveted trophy after cutting an undisclosed deal with Mihai Niste and Muhtar Taysi when three players remained.
Ruggeri expressed his joy after the victory, stating, "I’m very enthusiastic, and I think I played very well in key spots." The final table was not without its difficulties, as Ruggeri acknowledged, "It was very hard. A single moment can change everything, but in the end, it all went very well."
2025 Merit Poker Western Series Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umberto Ruggeri | Italy | $377,500 |
| 2 | Mihai Niste | Romania | $251,000 |
| 3 | Muhtar Taysi | Turkey | $180,300 |
| 4 | Mario Colavita | Italy | $130,200 |
| 5 | Xiaosheng Zheng | China | $94,600 |
| 6 | Alexander Sokolovsky | Serbia | $75,900 |
| 7 | Ryan Mandara | United Kingdom | $63,200 |
| 8 | Renars Skanis | Latvia | $50,500 |
| 9 | Edward Quinn | Jersey | $37,950 |
Level: 8
Blinds: 1,000/1,500
Ante: 1,500
