Second Chance for Kirichenko in Final Day of Merit Poker Western Series $5,300 High Roller
The 2023 Merit Poker Western Series $5,300 High Roller has been reduced from a field of 153 entrants to just 30 remaining players here at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. All 30 will have their sights set on taking home the title and lion's share of the $703,800 prize pool.
Russia's Aleksandr Kirichenko holds the overall chip lead after Day 2, bagging 1,480,000 chips worth 93 big blinds. Kirichenko made the final table of the last Merit Poker $5,300 high roller event at the Gangster Series this past October, making it all the way to heads up play against Giorgiy Skhulukhiya before falling in second place. Today Kirichenko has a chance to avenge that runner up finish with another shot at a high roller title here in Cyprus. Kirichenko is most closely followed by Germany's Justus Held (1,390,000) and Maksim Shornikau of Belarus (1,320,000).
Merit Poker Western Series $5,300 High Roller Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleksandr Kirichenko | Russian Federation | 1,480,000 | 93 |
| 2 | Justus Held | Germany | 1,390,000 | 87 |
| 3 | Maksim Shornikau | Belarus | 1,320,000 | 83 |
| 4 | Xixiang Luo | China | 1,250,000 | 78 |
| 5 | John Doe | N/A | 907,000 | 57 |
| 6 | Shuang Luo | China | 821,000 | 51 |
| 7 | Joseph Sabe | Lebanon | 728,000 | 46 |
| 8 | Aleksandar Tot | Montenegro | 684,000 | 43 |
| 9 | Guoliang Wei | China | 591,000 | 37 |
| 10 | Frederic Popot | France | 426,000 | 27 |
Others to make it to the final day include Day 1 chip leader John Doe (907,000), bracelet winner Guoliang Wei (591,000), Skhulukhiya (345,000), Skirbic (334,000), ACR team pro Monika Zukowicz (236,000) and Andrey Pateychuk (204,000).
Players will begin at 2:00 p.m. local time just ten spots shy of the money bubble, with blinds at 8,000/16,000 and a 16,000 big blind ante. The top 20 players will all be guaranteed at least a min-cash of $7,800 but all will be seeking the top prize of $177,500.The event is scheduled to play down to a winner today and will be streamed on the Merit Poker YouTube channel. PokerNews will be posting on a 60-minute delay to avoid spoiling the results of the stream.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you all the action from the final day of this event as well as the $3,300 Main Event which is set to begin today.