$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi
Day 1b Completed
2024 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
2024 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series
Buy-in
$2,200
Prize Pool
$2,084,720
Entries
1,133
Level
40
Blinds
600,000 / 1,200,000
Ante
1,200,000
Entries
369
Players Left
136
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Another action-packed day at the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series saw 369 entrants take their shot at building a stack in the $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi. Day 1b of the event filled the poker room at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino for most of the day, leaving just 137 players bagging for Day 2 on Thursday, August 1.
Leading the way after the second flight is Symeon Alexandridis, a well-travelled poker pro from Athens, Greece. Alexandridis boasts career earnings of more than $1.2 million, and he’s already well-positioned for another deep run here in Cyprus bagging a massive stack of 917,500 chips. France's Gregory Luttke finished up close behind, the only other player to collect more than 300 big blinds on the day.
Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Symeon Alexandridis | Greece | 917,500 | 367 |
| 2 | Gregory Luttke | France | 897,000 | 359 |
| 3 | Yassin Mahmoud | Jordan | 747,000 | 299 |
| 4 | Zvezdan Tadic | Serbia | 694,000 | 278 |
| 5 | Caner Gunes | Turkey | 671,500 | 269 |
| 6 | Maroun Jazzar | Lebanon | 664,000 | 266 |
| 7 | Dashinka | Israel | 650,000 | 260 |
| 8 | Daniyar Aubakirov | Kazakhstan | 639,000 | 256 |
| 9 | Hamza Ali | Tunisia | 590,500 | 236 |
| 10 | Matteo Zanardi | Italy | 588,000 | 235 |
The event features a guaranteed prize pool of $1,500,000, which is clearly on track to be exceeded after two starting flights. Monday’s Day 1a saw 237 entries, which was surpassed today by the end of the third level of play. The total field has now climbed to 606 entries, with two more flights to come on Wednesday, July 31.
To this point, 224 players have qualified for Day 2, with Alexandridis in the driver’s seat. He was able to build a big stack early in the day thanks to a double knockout with pocket kings, continuing to add chips from there and finish with 367 big blinds.
Other notable names to collect a big stack on Day 1b include Shalev Halfa (540,500) Maher Achour (527,500), Viktor Yugay (449,000), Slaven Popov (431,000) and Jeremie Zouari (410,000).
The list of other players to bag more than a starting stack of 100,000 includes Nikolay Fal (145,500), Claudiu Burlacu (137,000), Simone Andrian (117,500) and Fabio Peluso (114,000).
$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Wed. July 31 | Day 1c | 12:00 p.m. |
| Wed. July 31 | Day 1d | 7:00 p.m. |
| Thu. August 1 | Day 2 | 12:00 p.m. |
| Fri. August 2 | Day 3 | 12:00 p.m. |
| Sat. August 3 | Day 4 | 12:00 p.m. |
| Sun. August 4 | Final Day | 12:00 p.m. |
Action continues on Day 1c at 12:00 p.m. local time, where players will navigate through 40-minute levels. That will be followed by the turbo Day 1d flight, which features 25-minute levels. All surviving players will then join together for Day 2 and battle towards the money.
The event features unlimited reentries, and late registration remains available until the end of Level 14 on Day 2.
Don’t miss any of the action, as the PokerNews live reporting team continues to provide full coverage until a champion is crowned on Sunday night.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
917,500
45,500
|
45,500 |
|
||
|
897,000
897,000
|
897,000 |
|
747,000
554,000
|
554,000 |
|
694,000
496,000
|
496,000 |
|
671,500
671,500
|
671,500 |
|
664,000
564,000
|
564,000 |
|
650,000 | |
|
||
|
639,000
639,000
|
639,000 |
|
590,500
590,500
|
590,500 |
|
588,000
588,000
|
588,000 |
|
577,500
577,500
|
577,500 |
|
573,000
573,000
|
573,000 |
|
553,000
301,000
|
301,000 |
|
544,000
544,000
|
544,000 |
|
540,500
84,500
|
84,500 |
|
527,500
495,500
|
495,500 |
|
|
523,500
523,500
|
523,500 |
|
460,500
460,500
|
460,500 |
|
452,000
214,000
|
214,000 |
|
449,000 | |
|
|
439,000
439,000
|
439,000 |
|
432,500
310,500
|
310,500 |
|
||
|
431,000
331,000
|
331,000 |
|
416,000
316,000
|
316,000 |
|
415,000
415,000
|
415,000 |
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Action has wrapped up for the night, with 138 players remaining.
Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of the day.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
The tournament director has announced that three more hands will be played.
All remaining players will then bag up for Day 2.
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Symeon Alexandridis and Levon Bedzhanyan were heads up to the 3♠K♣Q♦2♥9♥ river.
Bedzhanyan bet 30,000 from middle position and action was on Alexandridis. The chip leader took some time before tossing out a raise to 110,000.
After a moment, Bedzhanyan made the call. Alexandridis showed down J♥10♥ for a straight on the river, claiming another sizeable pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
872,000
34,000
|
34,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
84,000
-386,000
|
-386,000 |
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Daniele Casino moved all in from the small blind and was at risk when Meisam Emami made the call.
Daniele Casino: 6♠6♣ 
Meisam Emami: A♦J♥
Emami missed on the 4♥Q♥2♣Q♣4♠ runout, giving Casino the double up on the last level of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
285,000
-50,000
|
-50,000 |
|
112,000
-4,000
|
-4,000 |
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Konstantin Voronin limped in from under the gun before Gabriel Akiki raised to 7,000 in middle position. Ali Yilmaz called in the small blind, with Voronin coming along.
Voronin checked the 8♠4♥3♥ flop and Akiki continued for 15,000. Yilmaz called while Voronin folded.
Both players checked the 7♥ turn, with action repeating on the 6♥ river.
Akiki showed 9♥9♦ for a flush, taking down the pot as Yilmaz mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
252,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
162,000
-44,000
|
-44,000 |
|
|
160,000 |
Level 9
: Blinds 1,000/2,500, 2,500 ante
Shalev Halfa raised in middle position and Carlos Cruz defended his big blind.
The dealer fanned out the 8♠8♦3♦ flop, with Cruz quick to check. Halfa continued with a bet of 2,500, adding more chips to his growing stack as Cruz folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
456,000 | |
|
74,000
-26,000
|
-26,000 |
Level: 9
Blinds: 1,000/2,500
Ante: 2,500