Day 2 of the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series $ 3,300 Main Event has concluded with 120 players remaining from a 614-entrant field here at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
Leading the way after eight hour-long levels is Kirill Shcherbakov, who started the day with the second-largest stack and remained near the top from start to finish, ultimately finishing with 1,715,000. Mikhail Zavoloka, who started the day with the chip lead, is his closest rival after finishing with 1,542,000 while Ruslan Bakhtiev rounds out the top three with 1,323,000.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kirill Shcherbakov | Russia | 1,715,000 | 286 |
| 2 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russia | 1,542,000 | 257 |
| 3 | Ruslan Bakhtiev | Russia | 1,323,000 | 221 |
| 4 | Assyl Tleuzhanov | Kazakhstan | 1,203,000 | 201 |
| 5 | Baris Caliskan | Turkey | 1,192,000 | 199 |
| 6 | Dimitrios Barmpathanasis | Greece | 1,115,000 | 186 |
| 7 | Nichan Khorchidian | Lebanon | 1,025,000 | 171 |
| 8 | Ali Al-Kubasi | Iraq | 1,009,000 | 168 |
| 9 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 1,005,000 | 168 |
| 10 | Zhen Chen | China | 1,005,000 | 168 |
The day began with 213 survivors from the first four starting flights and with late registration open for the first five levels of the day, a further 155 entrants joined the fray, bringing the total field size to 614.
Also among the top ten are Nichan Khorchidian (1,025,000) and Felipe Ketzer (1,009,000), both of whom have come very close to capturing a Merit Poker Main Event title. Khorchidian came runner up to Mohamed Mokrani in the 2023 Merit Poker Western Series Main Event, ultimately finishing in second place for $252,000.
Ketzer, known for his accomplishments on both the live and online felts, came third in that event and then just two months later he outdid that performance with a runner up finish in the 2024 Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event for $249,200, ultimately losing to Elie Farah in heads-up play. With a stack worth over 150 big blinds going into Day 3 Ketzer will be in a great position for another deep run in this event. Mokrani and Farah also both advanced to Day 3 with 346,000 and 420,000 respectively.
Others to make it through to the end of Day 2 include Timur Margolin (871,000), Andrey Pateychuk (577,000), Nikolay Fal (546,000), Simone Andrian (506,000), Dmitry Yurasov (361,000) and Dmitry Gromov (361,000). Some notables who played Day 2 but fell before the end of the night include Fabio Peluso, Alessio Isaia and Darius Neagoe.
Day 3 picks up tomorrow at noon local time with the blinds at 4,000/8,000 and an 8,000 big blind ante, with the money bubble expected to burst midway through the day. As always, stay tuned to Pokernews as we bring you all the action from the moment cards are in the air until a winner is crowned on the final day, taking place December 01.