$5,300 High Roller
Day 1 Completed
2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series
$5,300 High Roller
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1
2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series
Buy-in
$5,300
Prize Pool
$473,800
Entries
103
Level
27
Blinds
50,000 / 100,000
Ante
100,000
Entries
54
Players Left
40
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller unfolded today at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino as part of the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series. A total of 54 entries were logged, with 40 players advancing through the eight 40-minute levels of the opening day.
Leading the pack is Russia's Kirill Shcherbakov who bagged up 364,500 chips at the culmination of the day, which puts him in a great spot to make a run for the money and beyond come Day 2.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russia | 364,500 |
| 2 | Atilla Saracoglu | Turkey | 333,500 |
| 3 | Nemo Koering | France | 305,000 |
| 4 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 250,500 |
| 5 | Mehmet Demirkol | Turkey | 237,500 |
| 6 | Aleksandr Chernikov | Russia | 213,500 |
| 7 | Ryan Mandara | United Kingdom | 213,500 |
| 8 | Mehdi Chaoui | Morocco | 207,500 |
| 9 | Candido Cappiello | Italy | 205,500 |
| 10 | Cheng Zhao | China | 191,500 |
Shcherbakov got off to a good start by stacking Alisa Sibgatova in the opening levels when he over-bet shoved the river with a flush, and got looked up by Sibgatova's two pair. It was smooth sailing from then onwards to the top of the pile, and only time will tell if he can convert this chip lead into something meaningful on Day 2.
Atilla Saracoglu bagged up the second-biggest stack of 333,500 chips, and Nemo Koering rounded out the podium places in third with a stack of 305,000.
Felipe Ketzer had a rollercoaster day as he started off well, but soon found himself on the wrong side of a cooler when his ace-king ran into the pocket aces of Ryan Mandara. However, he recovered well and bagged up 250,500, which is good for fourth, and Mandara occupies seventh in the counts with 213,500 chips.
The reigning champion Jakub Michalak couldn't get anything going and will bring 38,500 into Day 2 as he seeks to defend his title from earlier this year.
$5,300 High Roller Schedule
| Date | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 23 November | Day 2 | 8:00 p.m. |
| 24 November | Day 3 | 6:00 p.m. |
| 25 November | Day 4 | 1:00 p.m. |
Day 2 will get started at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 23 and registration remains open until the end of Level 12. Play begins at Level 9, and the plan for the day will be announced shortly after the day starts.
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
| Table | Seat | Full Name | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Antoine Talvard | France | 113,000 |
| 1 | 2 | Antonio Alfaia | Portugal | 138,500 |
| 1 | 3 | Boris Smuskevicius | Lithuania | 58,500 |
| 1 | 4 | Atilla Saracoglu | Turkey | 333,500 |
| 1 | 5 | Mustafa Ercan | Turkey | 74,500 |
| 1 | 6 | Timor Margolin | Israel | 57,500 |
| 2 | 1 | Ryan Mandara | United Kingdom | 213,500 |
| 2 | 2 | Clement Bonnant | France | 113,000 |
| 2 | 3 | Alisa Sibgatova | Russia | 108,000 |
| 2 | 4 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 250,500 |
| 2 | 5 | Dmitry Yurasov | Russia | 119,500 |
| 2 | 6 | Andrei Spataru | Romania | 141,500 |
| 3 | 1 | Lachezar Petkov | Slovenia | 109,500 |
| 3 | 2 | Jeremy Saderne | France | 117,000 |
| 3 | 3 | Joris Ruijs | Netherlands | 160,000 |
| 3 | 4 | Candido Cappiello | Italy | 205,500 |
| 3 | 5 | Bulut Celik | Turkey | 118,000 |
| 3 | 6 | Aleksandr Chernikov | Russia | 213,500 |
| 4 | 1 | Mehmet Demirkol | Turkey | 237,500 |
| 4 | 2 | Nikolay Fal | Russia | 75,500 |
| 4 | 3 | Dumitru Pora | Romania | 103,000 |
| 4 | 4 | Uladzimir Zhyharau | Belarus | 162,000 |
| 4 | 5 | Zhao Cheng | China | 191,500 |
| 4 | 6 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russia | 364,500 |
| 5 | 1 | Eyal Eshkar | Israel | 128,000 |
| 5 | 2 | Mehdi Chaoui | Morocco | 207,500 |
| 5 | 3 | Aylar Lie | Norway | 32,000 |
| 5 | 4 | Aleksandr Kirichenko | Russia | 76,000 |
| 5 | 5 | Oleg Ustinovich | Russia | 89,000 |
| 5 | 6 | Giorgii Shkulukhiia | Russia | 13,500 |
| 6 | 1 | Denis Kapustin | Russia | 13,500 |
| 6 | 2 | Aleksei Gortikov | Russia | 150,500 |
| 6 | 3 | Jakub Michalak | Poland | 38,500 |
| 6 | 4 | Ran Ilani | Israel | 97,500 |
| 6 | 5 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russia | 100,000 |
| 7 | 1 | Zhewen Hu | China | 136,500 |
| 7 | 2 | Nemo Koering | France | 305,000 |
| 7 | 3 | Dmitry Gromov | Russia | 57,000 |
| 7 | 4 | Sadik Alibeyoglu | Turkey | 56,000 |
| 7 | 5 | Fabio Peluso | Italy | 124,500 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
364,500
104,500
|
104,500 |
|
||
|
333,500
213,500
|
213,500 |
|
305,000
180,000
|
180,000 |
|
250,500
30,500
|
30,500 |
|
237,500
67,500
|
67,500 |
|
213,500
-6,500
|
-6,500 |
|
213,500
43,500
|
43,500 |
|
207,500
37,500
|
37,500 |
|
205,500
15,500
|
15,500 |
|
191,500
111,500
|
111,500 |
|
162,000
87,000
|
87,000 |
|
160,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
150,500
55,500
|
55,500 |
|
141,500
-18,500
|
-18,500 |
|
138,500
28,500
|
28,500 |
|
136,500
-13,500
|
-13,500 |
|
128,000
18,000
|
18,000 |
|
124,500
14,500
|
14,500 |
|
||
|
119,500 | |
|
||
|
118,000
18,000
|
18,000 |
|
117,000 | |
|
|
||
|
113,000
-12,000
|
-12,000 |
|
113,000
23,000
|
23,000 |
|
109,500 | |
|
||
|
108,000
-2,000
|
-2,000 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
The remaining players are now bagging up their chips.
Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
The floor have announced that five more hands will be played on Day 1.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
With around 10,000 chips in the middle on a flop of 7♥9♣Q♥, Joris Ruijs, who had just bought back in, check-called a bet of 5,000 from Felipe Ketzer.
The turn brought a J♠, which went check-check, as did the A♠ river. Ruijs showed J♥9♦ for two pair, which was good for the pot as Ketzer flashed a Q♠ before he mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
220,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
|
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
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Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Aleksandr Chernikov opened the button to 3,000 and was three-bet by the big blind to 12,000. Chernikov then made it 28,000, and the big blind called.
On the 9♥2♠4♣ flop, Chernikov shoved out of turn for over 100,000, and his opponent looked slightly bewildered.
"Why all-in?" said the big blind.
Eventually, the big blind folded and Chernikov revealed 4♥3♠ for middle pair as he raked in the pot.
"See, he wants to go to sleep!" said the big blind.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
170,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
Level 8 has just started, which is the last level that will be played tonight.
In around 25 minutes, the floor will draw a card which will reveal how many more hands will be played before the players can bag up.