Day 1a of the $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series wrapped up after nine sixty-minute levels, with 182 entries recorded on the first of four starting flights. By the end of the day, 73 players had survived the action, led by Jersey’s Edward Quinn, who bagged an impressive 685,000 chips to claim the chip lead.
The $1,500,000 guarantee saw a sizeable chunk carved out inside the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, with three more starting flights still to come.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edward Quinn | Jersey | 685,000 |
| 2 | Antoine Vranken | Netherlands | 557,000 |
| 3 | Kamil Sokol | Poland | 540,000 |
| 4 | Stojan Vazic | Serbia | 522,500 |
| 5 | Boris Kolev | Bulgaria | 493,500 |
| 6 | Tommy Kemter | Netherlands | 478,000 |
| 7 | Menikos Panagiotou | Cyprus | 476,500 |
| 8 | Aliaksei Boika | Belarus | 403,500 |
| 9 | Wael Sarkis | Lebanon | 401,000 |
| 10 | Nicolae Paunescu | Romania | 395,500 |
Quinn catapulted to the top of the chip counts during Level 8, courtesy of a massive double-up. Holding pocket jacks, he turned quads and got maximum value from the Big Slick of Jinlong Hu. Speaking to PokerNews after the day concluded, Quinn reflected on his performance.
“It’s been a crazy series, I keep running up stacks but can’t convert anything,” said Quinn after the day ended. “I’ve had a few sick ones, especially the one-outer yesterday,” he added in reference to a hand he played in the Warm Up.
Despite running badly so far, Quinn has set himself up for a deep run here in the Main Event after a cracking effort in Day 1a.
Bracelet winner Antoine Vranken finished second in the counts with 557,000, but was challenging Quinn for the chip lead until the final moments. Poland’s Kamil Sokol rounds out the top three with 540,000.
Daniel Charlton is a player who wished tournaments had bad beat jackpots as he lost with quads to a straight flush by Aliaksei Boika. Charlton turned quad sevens and check-shoved the river, only to be shown a rivered straight flush of Boika, who held nine-eight of diamonds.
Other notables to make it through include Boris Kolev (493,500), Andrey Pateychuk (360,500), Dawid Smolka (347,000), and Jakub Michalak (249,000).
For those who fell short on Day 1a, there’s still hope, as three more starting flights remain. Day 1b kicks off tomorrow, January 21, at 12:00 p.m., followed by two flights on January 22. Late registration will remain open until the end of Level 14 on Day 2, giving players plenty of time to take another shot at building a stack.
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 21 | Day 1b | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| January 22 | Day 1c | 12:00 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| January 22 | Day 1d | 7:00 p.m. | 25 minutes |
| January 23 | Day 2 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| January 24 | Day 3 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| January 26 | Day 4 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| January 26 | Day 5 | 1:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews throughout the rest of the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series for live updates and exclusive coverage in the Main Event.