Lyudmil Ivanov Leads Final Nine of the $5,300 High Roller
Day 3 of the $5,300 High Roller at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series has drawn to a close after nearly ten thrilling 40-minute levels of action at the glamorous Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. The field of 46 players that started the day has been whittled down to just nine finalists, each vying for the coveted title and the $200,000 top prize.
Bulgaria’s Lyudmil Ivanov brings the biggest stack into the final day with 3,100,000 chips, the only player to surpass the three-million mark. This is Ivanov’s third Merit final table and second High Roller finale, having finished sixth in 2022. He now aims to improve on that result and claim the title tomorrow.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyudmil Ivanov | Bulgaria | 3,100,000 | 39 |
| 2 | Maxime Chilaud | France | 2,955,000 | 37 |
| 3 | Bogdan Jontulovic | Serbia | 2,770,000 | 35 |
| 4 | Sergei Varnaev | Russia | 2,320,000 | 29 |
| 5 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | 1,665,000 | 21 |
| 6 | Ludovic Uzan | France | 1,490,000 | 19 |
| 7 | Xin Tang | China | 1,290,000 | 16 |
| 8 | Mehmet Demirkol | Turkey | 1,120,000 | 14 |
| 9 | Sachin Joshi | United Kingdom | 675,000 | 8 |
Just behind Ivanov is France's Maxime Chilaud, who enters the final table with an impressive stack of 2,955,000. Close on his heels is Serbia's Bogdan Jontulovic, sitting in third place with 2,770,000. Jontulovic is a familiar face at Merit final tables, having recently claimed a career-best score of $211,400 for his runner-up finish at the 2024 Gatsby Gala Series in November.
Day 3 Action
The day began with 46 players and only 23 spots in the money, meaning half the field would leave empty-handed. Over the course of five levels, notable names like Aliaksei Boika, Adrian State, Luke Marsh, Uri Reichenstein, and Michel Molenaar saw their tournament dreams cut short before the bubble.
It would take seven hands of hand-for-hand play for the bubble to burst. Ultimately, Day 2 chip leader Gregoire Auzoux became the unfortunate bubble boy when his pocket tens ran straight into the pocket kings of Maher Achour. With no help on the board, Auzoux departed empty-handed, earning the unwanted title of bubble boy for the $5,300 High Roller.
Once the bubble burst, guaranteeing the remaining players at least $9,000, short stacks began making their moves. Day 1 chip leader Mircea Flutur was among the first casualties, busting in twenty-first place after Dmitry Gromov turned a straight with nine-eight. Another elimination came shortly after, as satellite qualifier Ramazan Akyel, who had been in survival mode all day, exited in nineteenth place, also at the hands of Achour.
Romania's Paul Runcan saw his tournament life end in fifteenth after his short stack couldn’t hold against Sergei Varnaev, who turned a flush. Not long after, Gaspare Sposato was on the wrong end of a cooler when his pocket kings were up against Varnaev’s pocket aces. The board did not assist, and Sposato was sent to the rail.
One of the most memorable moments came courtesy of Bogdan Jontulovic, who made an incredible call for his tournament life with just ace-high on a dangerously coordinated board against Achour, who held queen-high.
The night concluded with a heartbreaking elimination as Hala Karam, the last female player in the field. Karam three-bet jammed with a suited connector but couldn’t find the help she needed to beat Ludovic Uzan. Karam's departure in tenth set the final table and brought an end to an action-packed Day Three.
With that, the final nine were set, each guaranteed a $18,000 payday. However, all eyes remain fixed on the to prize of $200,000 from the $800,400 prize pool, and the prestigious High Roller title awaiting the champion tomorrow.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 |
| 2 | $134,000 |
| 3 | $89,900 |
| 4 | $65,000 |
| 5 | $50,000 |
| 6 | $39,000 |
| 7 | $30,000 |
| 8 | $23,000 |
| 9 | $18,000 |
The final table kicks off tomorrow, Monday, January 20, at 1 p.m. , with play resuming sixteen minutes into Level 26. Blinds will be set at 40,000/80,000 with an 80,000 big blind ante. The average stack sits at just over 1,900,000, providing players with 24 big blinds on average.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as the final nine prepare for an epic showdown, each aiming to etch their name in poker history and capture the prestigious trophy in the 2025 Merit Western Series High Roller finale!