Day 3 of the $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series is officially in the books, with just 39 players remaining from the 157 who started the day at the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
This event drew a record-breaking 791 entries, generating a prize pool of $2,183,160. The winner will walk away with a massive $377,500 payday and the coveted Main Event trophy.
Leading the way after eight action-packed 60-minute levels of play is Russia’s Dmitry Gromov, who bagged a gigantic stack of 6,200,000, making him the only player to surpass the 6,000,000-chip mark. Second in the counts is Renars Skanis with 5,300,000, while Tamer Kamel rounds out the top three with an impressive 3,685,000 chips.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dmitry Gromov | Russia | 6,200,000 | 124 |
| 2 | Renars Skanis | Latvia | 5,300,000 | 106 |
| 3 | Tamer Kamel | United Kingdom | 3,685,000 | 74 |
| 4 | Mihai Niste | Romania | 3,660,000 | 73 |
| 5 | Ryan Mandara | United Kingdom | 3,500,000 | 70 |
| 6 | Umberto Ruggeri | Italy | 3,365,000 | 67 |
| 7 | Johan Guilbert | France | 2,895,000 | 58 |
| 8 | Mohamed Mokrani | France | 2,585,000 | 52 |
| 9 | Can Miral | Turkey | 2,545,000 | 51 |
| 10 | Ionut-Alexandru Moldovan | Romania | 2,510,000 | 50 |
Gromov could easily call Merit Poker Main Events his ‘bread and butter’ tournaments, as this marks his eleventh cash in one. Despite earning both bronze and silver finishes in previous Main Events, the elusive trophy for the most prestigious event of any Merit Poker series still slips through his fingers. However, with a commanding chip lead heading into the penultimate day, Gromov couldn’t ask for a better position to finally claim the title.
Starting the day fifth in chips, Gromov wasted no time putting his stack to work, relentlessly applying pressure on opponents he sensed were aiming to just sneak into the money. His dominance was solidified when he burst the bubble during Level 21, sending Mustafa Biz out one spot short of a payday and cementing himself as the player to beat.
Skanis is the only other player entering tomorrow with more than 100 big blinds, having steadily climbed the chip counts throughout the day. His biggest gains came during the final level, where he added significantly to his stack in two three-bet pots against Italy’s Candido Cappiello. In the first, Skanis double-barreled, forcing Cappiello to fold the turn. In the second, Skanis spiked an ace to crack Cappiello’s queens and rake in another sizable pot.
Ryan Mandara kept his impressive Merit Poker Main Event run alive, the Day 1d chip leader managed to finish the day with the fifth-largest stack of 3,500,000. Mandara, despite getting slightly short around the bubble, battled back to secure a healthy stack by day’s end. A big boost to his stack came during Level 22 when his ace-queen bested the ace-ten of Andreas Christoforou, sending the dangerous opponent to the rail and adding more ammunition to Mandara’s stack.
Other notable players advancing to Day 4 include Johan Guilbert (2,895,000), last year’s champion Mohamed Mokrani (2,585,000), Day 1a chip leader Edward Quinn (2,410,000), the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series winner Nichan Khorchidian (2,280,000), the Warm Up victor Georgios Skarparis (1,660,000), and short-stacked Maksim Shornikau (460,000)
Day 4 of the Main Event kicks off on Saturday, January 25, at 12 p.m. with blinds resuming at Level 26 (25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante). The average stack stands at just over 2,000,000, equating to 40 big blinds at the start of play. The objective for the day is to whittle the field down to the final table of nine players.
Remaining Payouts
All remaining players are now guaranteed a payout of $10,560, but the ultimate goal remains the $377,500 first-place prize. A spot at the final table ensures a minimum payday of $37,950, adding even more incentive as the competition heats up.
As always, stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates throughout the day to find out who will secure a coveted spot at the final table of the Merit Poker Main Event.