$3,300 Main Event
Day 4 Completed
2023 Merit Poker Carmen Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 4
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 4
2023 Merit Poker Carmen Series
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$2,111,400
Entries
765
Level
36
Blinds
300,000 / 600,000
Ante
600,000
Entries
19
Players Left
1
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
The character of Don Jose in Georges Bizet’s classic opera Carmen is a tragic figure, seduced by the eponymous gypsy as he abandons his career and childhood sweetheart before getting overcome by jealousy and rage.
Maxime Chilaud was not a tragic figure in the Merit Poker Carmen Series $3,300 Main Event. He was more like the dashing toreador Escamillo, acclaimed by the crowds and getting everything he wanted. Chilaud wanted chips, and he made it a mission to get every single one of them over the last three days.
Chilaud ended Day 2 as the chip leader. He was the chip leader following Day 3. He ended the tournament with every chip in play after beating Michael Magalashvili heads-up to win the Merit Poker trophy and $376,800 top prize, his largest career score.
“It was really crazy. I doubled my stack on Day 1 after ten minutes, and after that, I was always a top stack until the final table or right before. I had a really good three days. I had to be lucky a few times,” Chilaud said following his victory.
Success here at the exotic Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino along the Mediterranean shore of North Cyprus is nothing new to Chilaud. He won the High Roller at the Merit Poker Vintage Series in November for $184,000, the first six-figure cash in a career that dates back to 2013. He keeps returning here, and it paid off today when he bested the 765-player field to add another trophy to his collection.
“It means a lot because it’s my biggest win in a tournament live after ten years. It was already my biggest four months ago in the High Roller. Cyprus is really good for me,” Chilaud said. “I don’t do much live tournaments, but I go to Cyprus every time. There are really good tournaments here. It’s really fun to be here. I always have a good time in Cyprus. It’s nice to play, and I feel lucky.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maxime Chilaud | $376,800 |
| 2 | Michael Magalashvili | $277,500 |
| 3 | Yuksel Savsa | $170,300 |
| 4 | Simeon Spasov | $125,900 |
| 5 | Eduard Barsegian | $94,300 |
| 6 | Atanas Pavlov | $76,200 |
| 7 | Fausto Tantillo | $63,000 |
| 8 | Walter Treccarichi | $50,200 |
| 9 | Denis Kapustin | $37,700 |
Day 4 action
Day 4 began with 19 players remaining chasing the title. Boris Smuskevicius (17th), Davut Aydemir (16th), Roman Kolotiuk (15th), Nariman Yaghmai (12th), and Maroun Jazzar (11th) were all eliminated short of making the official nine-handed final table.
Chilaud went into the final table in fourth place, part of a tight bunch at the top of the leaderboard that saw five players separated by less than 2,000,000. He began his ascension back to the top early, flopping a set of queens to win a pot against Fausto Tantillo’s ace-king.
Eduard Barsegian, making his third final table appearance at the Merit Poker Carmen Series, earned a massive double up when his jacks survived against Walter Treccarichi’s ace-king of hearts, dodging overcards and the nut flush draw on the turn and river. Denis Kapustin was the first bustout at the final table, losing a race with eights to Tantillo’s ace-queen.
Treccarichi, who would’ve become chip leader if he won the pot against Barsegian, instead exited in eighth place after running king-queen into Atanas Pavlov’s ace-king. Chilaud won another big pot off Tantillo when he flopped trip threes and Tantillo called a bet of 2,200,000 on the turn with just ace-high before folding to a shove on the river.
Tantillo, who began the final table as chip leader, then defended his big blind with ten-seven and flopped top pair.
Yuksel Savsa, though, had ace-ten to bust him in seventh place. Pavlov soon joined him on the rail after Magalashvili made the nut flush to beat his two sevens.
Barsegian enjoyed a moment as chip leader before tangling in a pot against Chilaud, who overbet the pot on the river with two pair and Barsegian called with just a pair of sixes to drop to less than 10 big blinds. Barsegian then moved all in with queen-jack, Magalashvili called with ace-three, and the flop gave Magalashvili two pair.
Barsegian finished in fifth place in the Warmup earlier in this festival. He was fifth in the High Roller. He was also fifth in the Merit Poker Western Series Main Event in January. And he was fifth here today, making it an incredible four straight Merit Poker events the Armenian has finished in the same spot at the final table, a run that defies all odds.
The remaining four players then took a break, with Magalashvili and Chilaud separating from Simeon Spasov and Savsa. On the first hand back, Chilaud won a race with ace-king against nines to bust Spasov in fourth place. He then collided with Magalashvili in what was the biggest pot of the tournament so far, flopping trip aces as Magalashvili called a bet of 9,000,000 on the river with two pair, aces and queens.
Chilaud then busted Savsa in third place with ace-ten to ace-nine and led 64,100,000 to 12,300,000 at the start of heads-up play. Magalashvili won most pots early in the heads-up match to narrow the gap before he jammed the flop for 23,800,000 with a flush draw. Chilaud called with a higher flush draw and spiked a king on the turn to make a pair and leave Magalashvili drawing dead.
The two opponents enjoyed a friendly rapport during the match. Magalashvili even posed for a picture with the new champion afterward as his impressive run ended in second place.
Chilaud was the last man standing. He wrote his own grand symphony here in North Cyprus, and it ended with him as the conquering hero.
That concludes PokerNews’ coverage of the Merit Poker Carmen Series. Stay tuned for more updates from tournaments around the world.
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Michael Magalashvili opened to 1,500,000 on the button with 
and was called by Maxime Chilaud in the big blind with 
.
The flop came 
to give both players a flush draw. Chilaud checked and then raised to 4,700,000 after Magalashvili continued for 1,500,000. Magalashvili responded by moving all in for 23,800,00 with Chilaud making the call to put his opponent at risk.
Michael Magalashvili:
Maxime Chilaud:
Chilaud was in excellent position to secure the tournament victory and did just that after the 
turn ensured there would be no sweat prior to the 
river .
Stay tuned for a full tournament recap and winner’s interview to follow.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
76,500,000
24,100,000
|
24,100,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Michael Magalashvili raised to 1,500,000 with 
and Maxime Chilaud called with 
.
Both players checked to the river on a board of 
when Chilaud led out for 1,500,000. Magalashvili quickly called with his ace-high to win yet another pot in this one-sided heads-up match so far.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
52,400,000
-4,800,000
|
-4,800,000 |
|
|
24,000,000
4,800,000
|
4,800,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Michael Magalashvili limped in with 
, then called when Maxime Chilaud raised to 1,900,000 holding 
.
The flop came 
and Chilaud bet 1,400,000 with his pair. Magalashvili called with just ten-high to see the 
turn.
Chilaud slowed down and checked and Magalashvili took the opportunity to bet 2,200,000. Chilaud quickly folded.
Magalashvili has won the majority of pots so far in the heads-up match and is again approaching 20,000,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
57,200,000
-6,900,000
|
-6,900,000 |
|
|
19,200,000
6,900,000
|
6,900,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Maxime Chilaud and Michael Magalashvili are taking a short break before the start of heads-up play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
64,100,000 | |
|
|
12,300,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Maxime Chilaud moved all in from the small blind with 
and Yuksel Savsa committed the rest of chips out of the big blind holding 
.
Yuksel Savsa:
Maxime Chilaud:
Savsa was pipped and would need to come from behind to win. In what was the first and only hand Savsa lost at showdown at the final table, the board ran out 
to end what has been an incredible display of ICM laddering from the player who came into the final table with just 14 big blinds.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
64,100,000
27,100,000
|
27,100,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
Michael Magalashvili limped in with Q?J? before Maxime Chilaud raised to 1,900,000 out of the big blind holding A?4?. Magalashvili called and they went heads-up to the A?A?Q? flop.
Magalashvili checked over to Chilaud, who continued for 1,200,000 with his trip aces. Magalashvili called as the turn came the J? and Chilaud bet another 5,000,000.
Magalashvili again called to see the 7? river and checked over to Chilaud, who announced a bet of 9,000,000. Magalashvili quickly called, then mucked his hand and surrendered the biggest pot of the tournament to Chilaud.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
55,300,000
18,300,000
|
18,300,000 |
|
|
12,300,000
-17,100,000
|
-17,100,000 |
Level 36
: Blinds 300,000/600,000, 600,000 ante
On the very first hand of the level, Simeon Spasov opened to 1,200,000 from under the gun with and then called off for his tournament life when Maxime Chilaud jammed out of the big blind holding 
.
Simeon Spasov:
Maxime Chilaud:
Spasov would need his pocket pair to hold to survive but could not do so as the board ran out 
to send him to the rail after an impressive performance in 4th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
37,000,000
12,300,000
|
12,300,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level: 36
Blinds: 300,000/600,000
Ante: 600,000