$2,200 Warm Up
Dia 1a Terminado
2025 Merit Poker Western Series
$2,200 Warm Up
Dia: 1a
Líderes
em Fichas
em Fichas
Nível 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The first of three highlight tournaments got underway today at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series, with Day 1a of the $2,200 Warm Up, which boasts a huge $1,000,000 guarantee inside the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
When all was said and done, just 25 players remained from the 55 entries, and it was Kazakhstan's Azamat Tulepbergenov who topped the counts after he amassed 637,000 chips — over six starting stacks!
Tulepbergenov got off to a blistering start in the opening level when he turned a gutshot straight draw with king-ten and got all the chips into the middle against Panayiotis Vassiliou, who had flopped bottom set. The Kazakhstani player also sent Paul Newey and Nichan Khorchidian to the sidelines in the later levels on his way to bagging the biggest stack.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azamat Tulepbergenov | Kazakhstan | 637,000 |
| 2 | Adlan Vikayev | Kazakhstan | 472,000 |
| 3 | Arian Kashani | Iran | 421,500 |
| 4 | Nikolay Ponomarev | Russia | 371,000 |
| 5 | Robbie Schiffbauer | United States | 340,000 |
| 6 | Mario Fata | France | 336,500 |
| 7 | Kianoosh Matin | Iran | 326,000 |
| 8 | Andrey Golubev | Russia | 310,500 |
| 9 | Danielle Noja | Lebanon | 251,500 |
| 10 | Tom Verbruggen | Netherlands | 230,500 |
Kazakhstan occupies the top two places on the leaderboard as Adlan Vikayev had 472,000 in his stack by the time the day was done. Vikayev scored an elimination of his countrymate Askar Bekbayev during Level 5, then won a huge flip when his ace-king rivered a pair against the pocket jacks of Fredrico Senno. It was smooth sailing from then on for Vikayev, who puts himself in a great spot for Thursday's Day 2.
Arian Kashani once again proved he knows how to navigate his way through a tournament field as he bagged up an impressive 421,500 chips in his pursuit of another major title. Kashani, who recently claimed victory in the UKIPT Nottingham Main Event, displayed the same poise and skill that led him to that success, methodically climbing his way to the top of the chip counts.
"Slow and Steady" seemed to be the theme of Kashani’s day as he consistently chipped up, taking down pot after pot with calculated precision. His patient approach paid off as he built his stack throughout the ten 40-minute levels, keeping him well-positioned for another deep run. Kashani has already shown he knows how to close out a tournament — and with a stack like this, he’s once again a name to watch as the action continues.
Other notables to make it through were Robbie Schiffbauer (340,000), Andrey Golubev (310,500), Danielle Noja (251,500), Tom Verbruggen (230,500), Grigorii Rodin (186,000), and Ran Ilani (127,000).
There are still three more flights that players can enter to try and run up a stack, and late registration is open until Level 15, which is around halfway through Day 2.
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 15 | Day 1b | 12:00 pm | 40 minutes |
| January 15 | Day 1c | 9:00 pm | 25 minutes |
| January 16 | Day 1d | 10:00 am | 15 minutes |
| January 16 | Day 2 | 12:30 pm | 40 minutes |
| January 17 | Day 3 | 12:00 pm | 40 minutes |
| January 18 | Day 4 | 12:00 pm | 40 minutes |
Be sure to follow PokerNews for all the latest action from Day 1b tomorrow and live updates every day throughout the rest of the series.
Nível 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
637,000
37,000
|
37,000 |
|
||
|
472,000
-3,000
|
-3,000 |
|
421,500
-78,500
|
-78,500 |
|
371,000
21,000
|
21,000 |
|
340,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
|
336,500
36,500
|
36,500 |
|
326,000
16,000
|
16,000 |
|
310,500
310,500
|
310,500 |
|
251,500
31,500
|
31,500 |
|
230,500
-44,500
|
-44,500 |
|
214,000
34,000
|
34,000 |
|
194,500
-500
|
-500 |
|
||
|
186,000
76,000
|
76,000 |
|
167,500
67,500
|
67,500 |
|
158,000
-12,000
|
-12,000 |
|
132,000
-8,000
|
-8,000 |
|
127,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
112,000
7,000
|
7,000 |
|
97,500
7,500
|
7,500 |
|
90,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
84,000
-36,000
|
-36,000 |
|
79,000
-6,000
|
-6,000 |
|
75,500
-24,500
|
-24,500 |
|
61,500
-33,500
|
-33,500 |
|
44,000
-1,000
|
-1,000 |
Nível 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
That's a wrap for Day 1a of the $2,200 Warm Up.
Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action plus the chip counts from the survivors.
Nível 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The clock has been stopped and the floor have announced that three more hands will be played before the survivors bag up for the evening.
Nível 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Ran Ilani opened the hijack to 4,000 and Musa Genc called from the cutoff. Felipe Ketzer then squeezed to 17,000 on the button, which only Genc called.
On the 2♠K♠3♥ flop, Genc check-called a small bet of 3,500 from Ketzer to see the A♦ turn, which went check-check.
A 6♦ dropped on the river and after Genc checked, Ketzer bet 32,000. Genc thought for a few seconds, but decided to fold, and Ketzer took the pot.
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
|
180,000
55,000
|
55,000 |
|
|
45,000
-85,000
|
-85,000 |
Nível 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Danielle Noja opened the cutoff to 4,000 and Arian Kashani made it 11,000 to go on the button. When it got back to Noja, he made the call.
"The two players that won a trophy at UKIPT Nottingham are both playing a hand together," said Noja.
On the 4♣5♣4♥ flop, Noja check-called a bet of 13,000 from Kashani to see the J♥ drop on the turn. Noja checked once again then folded after Kashani fired out 38,000.
"So what tournament did you win in Nottingham?" asked Kashani. "The Omaha!" replied Noja.
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
|
500,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
|
220,000
90,000
|
90,000 |
Nível 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
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Nível 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Oleg Ustinovich made it 4,000 to go from the hijack and Fabio Peluso defended his big blind.
They went to a flop of 8♠2♠5♦ where Peluso checked, and Ustinovich went with an almost pot-sized bet of 8,000. Peluso called.
A Q♠ on the turn brought in the front door flush draw and after Peluso checked, Ustinovich bet 14,000. That was enough to get the job done as Peluso quickly folded.
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
|
195,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
95,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
Nível 10
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The final level of the day has begun, and once these 40 minutes have elapsed, the survivors will bag up their chips ready for Day 2.