Maher Achour raised to 100,000 in early position and George Tomescu called in the small blind. Mikhail Zavoloka then moved all in for 485,000 in the big blind and only Achour called.
Mikhail Zavoloka: K?Q?
Maher Achour: 3?3?
Zavoloka hit top pair on the K?10?6? flop and stayed in the lead through the 4?4? turn and river to double up, moving over 1,000,000 after being down to just 100,000 earlier this level.
In a preflop confrontation Damir Gabdullin was all in from the small blind for just over 900,000 and up against Aleksandr Ivanov Jr. from middle position who covered him.
Damir Gabdullin: K?J?
Aleksandr Ivanov Jr.: A?A?
Gabdullin couldn't catch up to Ivanov's aces on the 4?3?7?K?10? runout and was sent to the rail. Edgard Raffoul mentioned he had folded pocket queens preflop and that he was certain Ivanov had aces as the latter player scooped the pot.
Joseph Mouwad moved all in for 565,000 under the gun as action folded to Nikolay Fal in the big blind who tanked for a minute before calling.
Joseph Mouwad: K?K?
Nikolay Fal: 7?7?
Mouwad had woken up with kings and was a big favorite to double up as the flop came 2?9?K? to give him top set. Fal picked up a flush draw and hit it on the Q? turn, leaving Mouwad needing the board to pair on the river.
He instead saw the 10? fall as he was sent to the rail in 22nd place.
Aleksandr Ivanov moved all in from under the gun for 295,000 and was called by Nenad Dukic in the big blind who had a covering stack.
Aleksandr Ivanov: A?Q?
Nenad Dukic: A?K?
"Good luck" Dukic told his opponent before the 9?6?2? flop was dealt. The Q? turn gave Ivanov the lead and he remained ahead on the A? river to double up.
"Why did I say good luck?" Dukic joked as Ivanov scooped the pot.
George Tomescu raised to 100,000 in the hijack as action folded to Maher Achour in the small blind who moved all in. Matthew Davenport, with around 1,100,000 remaining, tanked for several minutes as he asked for a count of Tomescu's stack. He eventually folded, but Tomescu called for around 800,000.
George Tomescu: A?J?
Maher Achour: 7?7?
Tomescu was flipping for his tournament life, but Achour spiked a set on the 8?7?6? flop. The 8? turn improved Achour to a full house and Tomescu was already drawing dead by the 2? river and off to collect his 21st-place payout.
Georges Bizet’s classic opera Carmen is one of the greatest stories ever told on stage, how the luckless soldier Don Jose is seduced by the eponymous gypsy to his eventual ruin. Today on Day 3 of the Merit Poker Carmen Series Merit Poker Cup, two players put themselves in a position to write a classic story themselves.
Aleksandr Ivanov Jr. picked up aces to bust Damir Gabdullin near the end of the night to finish with 3,720,000 and firmly in the top five. And at the bottom of the leaderboard is his father, who needed a little luck against Nenad Dukic but still bagged up 665,000 as father-and-son find themselves among 20 surviving players out of a starting field of 459.
Day 3 Top 10 Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Toni Kaukua
Finland
4,695,000
78
2
Maher Achour
Tunisia
4,685,000
78
3
Ivan Zabiiakin
Russia
4,400,000
73
4
Aleksandr Ivanov Jr.
Russia
3,720,000
62
5
Nenad Dukic
Serbia
3,635,000
61
6
Simone Andrian
Italy
3,580,000
60
7
Milen Bakardjiev
Bulgaria
2,760,000
46
8
Boris Smuskevicius
Lithuania
2,690,000
45
9
Natan Chauskin
Belarus
2,090,000
35
10
Antonio Aversa
Italy
2,000,000
33
If they want to continue their story tomorrow, they’ll have to contend with a star-studded field that is left chasing the title. Toni Kaukua busted Yiannakis Papapetrou, Mehmet Demirkol, and Aleksandr Razinkovon his way to 4,695,000 and the tournament chip lead. Maher Achour is less than a big blind behind him after helping to burst the money bubble in spectacular fashion, spiking a two-outer on the river to bust Armand Matti. Achour then eliminated both Aleksandr Kirichenko and George Tomescu near the end of the night as he bagged up 4,685,000.
Maher Achour
Other players still in contention include start-of-day chip leader Ivan Zabiiakin (4,400,000), Dukic (3,635,000), Merit Poker Western Series Warm Up champion Simone Andrian (3,580,000), Natan Chauskin (2,090,000), Simeon Spasov (1,700,000), Giorgiy Skhulukhiya (1,505,000), and Matthew Davenport (1,435,000). Nikolay Fal (1,160,000) and Maksim Shornikau (720,000) are towards the bottom of the chip counts.
Day 3 began with 108 players remaining, each trying to make the money. Koray Korkmaz, High Roller champion Jakub Michalak, Felipe Ketzer, Aylar Lie, Alexandru Papazian, and Fausto Tantillo were among those who busted short of the money. After Matti’s cruel elimination in 56th place, the top 55 all guaranteed themselves a payday as Kacper Pyzara (52nd), Dmitry Gromov (48th), Jovan Kenjic (39th), Benjamin Hamnett (36th), Maxime Chilaud (33rd), and Yuliyan Kolev (28th) headed for the payout desk.
The action on Day 4 picks up on Level 25 with blinds of 30,000-60,000 and a 60,000 big blind ante. The top 20 are already guaranteed $7,600, with a spot at the final table worth $16,900. The eventual champion earns $167,100 and the prestigious Merit Poker title.
The curtain will fall on the Merit Poker Carmen Series tomorrow. One player will leave this Mediterranean paradise with a trophy. Stay tuned to PokerNews as 20 players return at 1 p.m. and battle until only one is left standing.
