Field Expected to Grow Day 2 of $3,300 OPE Classic Cup
A new champion will be crowned today at the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series, as 46 returning players will be joined by new entries on Day 2 of the $3,300 OPE Classic Cup 8-Handed.
The dramatic final day will begin at 8 p.m. local time at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, where Cenk Ogun brings a big lead into action holding 416,800 chips. Ogun was the only player to collect more than 170 big blinds on the opening night of play.
Mohamad El-Sayed leads a strong Lebanese contingent, sitting second in chips with 332,500. He posted a top-40 finish earlier this year at the 2024 Merit Poker Western Series $2,200 Warm Up, looking for another deep run in this high roller field.
A total of 74 entries were recorded on Day 1, with the list expected to expand even further as play begins tonight. The event features unlimited reentries and late registration remains open through the first four levels of play.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cenk Ogun | Netherlands | 416,800 | 208 |
| 2 | Mohamad El-Sayed | Lebanon | 332,500 | 166 |
| 3 | Kemal Aslan | Turkey | 312,000 | 156 |
| 4 | Iurii Saiapin | Russian Federation | 299,500 | 150 |
| 5 | Fadi Nakhoul | Lebanon | 292,500 | 146 |
| 6 | Antoine Hasbani | Lebanon | 284,500 | 142 |
| 7 | Konstantin Voromin | Russian Federation | 283,000 | 142 |
| 8 | Zvezdan Tadic | Serbia | 256,000 | 128 |
| 9 | Iraklis Manikaros | Greece | 255,000 | 128 |
| 10 | Andrei Daniliuk | Russian Federation | 227,000 | 114 |
The current top five spots are rounded out by Kemal Aslan (312,000), Iurii Saiapin (299,500) and Fadi Nakhoul (292,500).
Other notables returning with more than 100 big blinds include Antoine Hasbani (284,500), Konstantin Voromin (283,000) and Iraklis Manikaros (255,000).
WSOP bracelet winner and EPT champion Maxim Lykov also remains firmly in contention, returning to action with 198,500 chips.
Play will resume on Level 9 with blinds of 1,000/2,000 and a 2,000 big blind ante, while new entries on Day 2 will sit down with a starting stack of 100,000 chips. Action is scheduled to continue with 40-minute levels until a the OPE Classic title is decided.
Official prize pool and payout information will be announced after late registration closes, so stay tuned as the PokerNews live reporting team provides full coverage from the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series.