Day 1b of the 2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series $3,300 Main Event here at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino is set to kick off today at noon local time. Russia's Dmitrii Kuzin leads the way from the first starting flight, finishing Day 1a with an impressive 647,500 chips. A new group of contenders will try to replicate that success in today's Day 1b flight.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dmitrii Kuzin | Russian Federation | 647,500 | 259 |
| 2 | Fausto Tantillo | Italy | 602,000 | 241 |
| 3 | Jovan Kenjic | Serbia | 547,500 | 219 |
| 4 | George Tomescu | Romania | 514,000 | 206 |
| 5 | Uladzimir Zhyharau | Belarus | 507,500 | 203 |
| 6 | Florian Guimond | France | 448,500 | 179 |
| 7 | Kacper Pyzara | Poland | 444,000 | 178 |
| 8 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 436,500 | 175 |
| 9 | Daniel Kyosev | Bulgaria | 417,000 | 167 |
| 10 | Maximilian Silz | Germany | 405,500 | 162 |
Other notables who survived yesterday's Day 1a flight include Simone Andrian (436,500), Milos Skrbic (404,000), Vladimir Bozinovic (388,000), Andrea Dato (276,000), Felipe Ketzer (164,500) and Victor Yugay (125,000).
Day 1b will feature the same structure as yesterday's Day 1a. Players will start with 100,000 chips and play nine 60-minute levels. There will be a break after every two levels. Unlimited reentries and late registration will be available until the end of Level 14 on Day 2.
Those who bag and tag at the end of the night will join the survivors from yesterday's flight in advancing to Day 2 on March 24. Before that, there will be two more starting flights, with Day 1c beginning at noon local time on March 23 and a turbo Day 1d set to begin at 7:00 p.m. the same day.
Day 1a attracted a total of 186 entrants vying to take home the title and lion's share of the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool. That number is expected to grow substantially starting today, with three more starting flights left to go. As always, stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you all the updates for this event from the moment cards are in the air until a winner is crowned on March 26.
