$5,300 High Roller
Day 2 Completed
2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series
$5,300 High Roller
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
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
89
Players Left
31
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Day 2 of the $5,300 High Roller at the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series concluded with 31 players remaining from the 103-entry field that packed the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino today.
The field nearly doubled in size from the 54 entries on Day 1 by the time late registration closed at the end of Level 12. Leading the charge into Day 3 is Elie Saad of Lebanon, who bagged a commanding 795,000 chips — nearly eight starting stacks.
Mehmet Demirkol secured the second spot with 636,000, while Eyal Eshkar rounded out the top three with 586,000 chips..
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elie Saad | Lebanon | 795,000 | 80 |
| 2 | Mehmet Demirkol | Turkey | 636,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Eyal Eshkar | Israel | 586,000 | 59 |
| 4 | Nichan Khorchidian | Lebanon | 541,000 | 54 |
| 5 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 531,000 | 53 |
| 6 | Zhewen Hu | China | 492,000 | 49 |
| 7 | Zhen Chen | China | 484,000 | 48 |
| 8 | Ali Al-Kubasi | Iraq | 471,000 | 47 |
| 9 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 460,000 | 46 |
| 10 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 373,000 | 37 |
Saad is no stranger to Merit Poker events, having captured the Main Event title in 2018 for $85,000. With six additional Merit final tables on his resume, Saad is a strong contender to watch heading into Day 3.
Demirkol, meanwhile, scored a significant boost late in the day when his pocket aces crushed the pocket kings of Dumitru Pora during a pivotal hand which left the former on the rail.
Simone Andrian became the fifth player to surpass the half-million chip mark, bagging an impressive 531,000 heading into Day 3. The Italian standout already notched a cash in the $2,200 Warm-Up earlier this series and now has his sights set on adding to his bankroll as the High Roller approaches the money bubble.
Other notable stacks include Simone Andrian (531,000), Fahredin Mustafov (460,000), Felipe Ketzer (373,000), Mehdi Chaoui (294,000), Nemo Koering (284,000), and Adrian State (260,000), all of whom remain in contention for the title.
$5,300 High Roller Schedule
| Date | Event | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 24 November | Day 3 | 6:00 p.m. |
| 25 November | Day 4 | 1:00 p.m. |
Day 3 begins at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 24, with blinds resuming at Level 17 (5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante). The plan is to play down to the final table, but this could change depending on the pace of play.
The tournament boasts a $473,800 prize pool, with the eventual champion taking home $132,300. A min-cash of $9,500 awaits players who finish in 10th–13th place.
Payouts
As always, PokerNews will provide live updates from the tournament floor as players battle it out to secure a spot at the final table and beyond. Stay tuned for all the action!
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Danielle Noja | Lebanon | 229,000 | 23 |
| 1 | 2 | Mehmet Muratli | Turkey | 292,000 | 29 |
| 1 | 3 | Lachezar Petkov | Slovenia | 337,000 | 34 |
| 1 | 4 | Adrian State | Romania | 260,000 | 26 |
| 1 | 5 | Aleksandr Chernikov | Russia | 305,000 | 31 |
| 1 | 6 | Bulut Celik | Turkey | 116,000 | 12 |
| 1 | 7 | Razvan Belea | Romania | 196,000 | 20 |
| 1 | 8 | Traian Stanciu | Romania | 246,000 | 25 |
| 2 | 1 | Michael Angelos | Cyprus | 357,000 | 36 |
| 2 | 2 | Mehmet Demirkol | Turkey | 636,000 | 64 |
| 2 | 3 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 531,000 | 53 |
| 2 | 4 | Zhen Chen | China | 484,000 | 48 |
| 2 | 5 | Zhewen Hu | China | 492,000 | 49 |
| 2 | 6 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russia | 253,000 | 25 |
| 2 | 7 | Ali Al-Kubasi | Iraq | 471,000 | 47 |
| 2 | 8 | Eyal Eshkar | Israel | 586,000 | 59 |
| 3 | 1 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 373,000 | 37 |
| 3 | 2 | Dmitry Yurasov | Russia | 199,000 | 20 |
| 3 | 3 | Atilla Saracoglu | Turkey | 140,000 | 14 |
| 3 | 4 | Antoine Talvard | France | 184,000 | 18 |
| 3 | 5 | Nichan Khorchidian | Lebanon | 541,000 | 54 |
| 3 | 6 | Andrey Pateychuk | Russia | 193,000 | 19 |
| 3 | 7 | Uladzimir Zhyharau | Belarus | 268,000 | 27 |
| 3 | 8 | Walid Bou Habib | Lebanon | 240,000 | 24 |
| 4 | 1 | Jeremy Saderne | France | 220,000 | 22 |
| 4 | 2 | Timor Margolin | Israel | 210,000 | 21 |
| 4 | 3 | Nemo Koering | France | 284,000 | 28 |
| 4 | 4 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 460,000 | 46 |
| 4 | 5 | Elie Saad | Lebanon | 795,000 | 80 |
| 4 | 6 | Alisa Sibgatova | Russia | 163,000 | 16 |
| 4 | 7 | Mehdi Chaoui | Morocco | 294,000 | 29 |
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
795,000
525,000
|
525,000 |
|
||
|
636,000
-14,000
|
-14,000 |
|
586,000
-14,000
|
-14,000 |
|
541,000
151,000
|
151,000 |
|
531,000
31,000
|
31,000 |
|
||
|
492,000
92,000
|
92,000 |
|
484,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
471,000 | |
|
460,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
373,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
357,000
-343,000
|
-343,000 |
|
||
|
337,000
157,000
|
157,000 |
|
||
|
305,000
-45,000
|
-45,000 |
|
294,000
109,000
|
109,000 |
|
292,000
292,000
|
292,000 |
|
284,000
-116,000
|
-116,000 |
|
268,000
58,000
|
58,000 |
|
260,000
260,000
|
260,000 |
|
253,000
153,000
|
153,000 |
|
246,000
46,000
|
46,000 |
|
240,000
145,000
|
145,000 |
|
229,000
164,000
|
164,000 |
|
220,000
103,000
|
103,000 |
|
||
|
210,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
||
|
199,000
-91,000
|
-91,000 |
|
|
||
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Day 2 has come to a close and the survivors are currently bagging up their chips.
Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action.
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
The floor have announced that three more hands will be played before the survivors bag up for the evening.
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Fabio Peluso raised the button to 16,000 and Angelos Michael three-bet the big blind to 68,000. When the action was back on Peluso, he shipped for around 175,000, and Michael quickly called.
Fabio Peluso: A♦J♣ 
Angelos Michael: A♣Q♥
Peluso was in trouble and was dominated by the hand of Michael, and the runout of 8♣3♣6♦K♥8♥ didn't change a thing, which meant Peluso was eliminated just shy of Day 3.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
700,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Samuel Dray had his stack of around 140,000 in the middle, but wasn't too pleased to see the hand of his opponent.
Samuel Dray: A♦Q♣
Zhen Chen: A♣A♠
Chen had the rockets and wanted to see his stack lift off in the last level of the night. Dray needed a miracle and did pick up some backdoor draws on the 8♥J♦8♦ flop, but it was all over by the time the J♣ hit the turn. A meaningless K♦ filled out the board, and Dray headed to the exit as Chen stacked the chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
480,000
120,000
|
120,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
600,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
500,000
120,000
|
120,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
400,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
|
|
370,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
|
|
360,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
|
210,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
200,000
-50,000
|
-50,000 |
|
|
200,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
|
|
||
|
190,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
185,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
110,000
-80,000
|
-80,000 |
|
|
110,000
-40,000
|
-40,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
95,000
95,000
|
95,000 |
Level 16
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Level 16 has just begun, which is the final level the players will play tonight.
When this level is over, the survivors will bag up their chips ready for Day 3 tomorrow.