$3,300 Main Event
Day 3 Completed
2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series
$3,300 Main Event
Day: 3
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 3
2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series
Buy-in
$3,300
Prize Pool
$1,694,640
Entries
614
Level
38
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
120
Players Left
29
Level 25
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Day 3 of the $3,300 Main Event at the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series has wrapped up, leaving just 29 players from the 120 who began the day at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
A total of 614 players coughed up the entry fee, which created a prize pool of $1,694,640, with the eventual champion taking home a cool $307,700.
After eight intense 60-minute levels, Nichan Khorchidian emerged as the chip leader, amassing an impressive stack of 6,900,000 chips, a significant climb from his starting stack of just over a million. Close on his heels is a familiar name, Andrey Pateychuk, who bagged 4,095,000, while Vedat Yilmaz rounds out the top three with 3,175,000.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nichan Khorchidian | Lebanon | 6,900,000 | 138 |
| 2 | Andrey Pateychuk | Russia | 4,095,000 | 82 |
| 3 | Vedat Yilmaz | Turkey | 3,975,000 | 80 |
| 4 | Dmitry Gromov | Russia | 3,780,000 | 76 |
| 5 | Pavel Shchitnikov | Russia | 3,305,000 | 66 |
| 6 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 3,170,000 | 63 |
| 7 | Adrian State | Romania | 2,800,000 | 56 |
| 8 | Ruslan Bakhtiev | Russia | 2,800,000 | 56 |
| 9 | Assyl Tleuzhanov | Kazakhstan | 2,700,000 | 54 |
| 10 | Iliyas Mukhamedzhanov | Russia | 2,585,000 | 52 |
Khorchidian is no stranger to success at Merit Poker events, boasting an impressive record of nine final table appearances on the tour. Among these highlights is a Turbo event victory in 2018, but his standout achievement came earlier this year when he finished as the runner-up in the Main Event, earning a career-best $292,000.
Pateychuk, another familiar name in the poker world, needs little introduction. Ranked ninth on Russia's all-time money list, Pateychuk has amassed nearly $6,000,000 in lifetime earnings. His Merit Poker resume includes three titles, one of which was a Main Event victory in 2018, where he pocketed $280,643.
One of the most dramatic moments of the day came during the closing level, when Pateychuk played a massive hand against Adrian State. Pateychuk flopped a set of nines and got his chips in as the favorite against State's pocket kings. The turn, however, delivered a king, flipping the lead to State and leaving Pateychuk on the brink of losing the tournament’s biggest pot thus far. But poker is never over until the final card, and a queen on the river brought a straight on board, forcing the two players to chop the pot in a stunning turn of events.
Felipe Ketzer continued his impressive run in the Merit Poker Main Event, bagging 3,170,000 chips as he pursues the title. Earlier this year, Ketzer showcased his consistency by reaching the final table twice: finishing third in January, just behind Khorchidian, and securing the runner-up position in March, narrowly missing the top spot to Elie Farah.
During the penultimate level, Ketzer earned himself a full double-up after flopping two pair and getting the chips in on the turn against Nicolae Paunescu's nut flush draw. The river bricked out, propelling Ketzer to one of the largest stacks by the end of the day.
Other notable players advancing to Day 4 include Tugce Hursoz (2,500,000), Anton Wigg (1,600,000), Dumitru Pora (1,045,000), and short-stacked Yaniv Shushan, who will face an uphill battle with 350,000.
Remaining Payouts
All remaining players are now guaranteed a payout of $10,160, but the ultimate goal remains the $307,700 first-place prize. A spot at the final table ensures a minimum payday of $30,770, adding even more incentive as the competition heats up.
Day 4 of the Main Event kicks off on Saturday, November 30, 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 2,100,000, equating to around 42 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.
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.
Level 25
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Vedat Yilmaz | Turkey | 3,975,000 | 80 |
| 1 | 2 | Abdelhakim Zoufri | Netherlands Antillies | 470,000 | 9 |
| 1 | 3 | Naji Tannoury | Lebanon | 1,665,000 | 33 |
| 1 | 4 | Dimitrios Barmpathanasis | Greece | 1,920,000 | 38 |
| 1 | 5 | Adrian State | Romania | 2,800,000 | 56 |
| 1 | 6 | Nichan Khorchidian | Lebanon | 6,900,000 | 138 |
| 1 | 7 | Alexandru Cinca | Romania | 795,000 | 16 |
| 1 | 8 | Dauren Zhaparov | Kazakhstan | 1,805,000 | 36 |
| 2 | 1 | Tugce Hursoz | North Cyprus | 2,500,000 | 50 |
| 2 | 2 | Fredrico Senno | Lebanon | 945,000 | 19 |
| 2 | 3 | Asaf Groofi | Israel | 1,080,000 | 22 |
| 2 | 4 | Dmitry Gromov | Russia | 3,780,000 | 76 |
| 2 | 5 | Pavel Shchitnikov | Russia | 3,305,000 | 66 |
| 2 | 6 | Ruslan Bakhtiev | Russia | 2,800,000 | 56 |
| 2 | 7 | Roman Gadzhiev | Russia | 600,000 | 12 |
| 3 | 1 | Dumitru Pora | Romania | 1,005,000 | 20 |
| 3 | 2 | Yaniv Shushan | Israel | 350,000 | 7 |
| 3 | 3 | Aleksei Gortikov | Russia | 1,090,000 | 22 |
| 3 | 4 | Charbel Salloum | Lebanon | 1,270,000 | 25 |
| 3 | 5 | Iliyas Mukhamedzhanov | Kazakhstan | 2,585,000 | 52 |
| 3 | 6 | Assyl Tleuzhanov | Kazakhstan | 2,700,000 | 54 |
| 3 | 7 | Grigoli Liklikadze | Georgia | 770,000 | 15 |
| 4 | 1 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 3,170,000 | 63 |
| 4 | 2 | Benjamin Winsor | United Kingdom | 2,250,000 | 45 |
| 4 | 3 | Ibrahim Cetiner | Turkey | 1,600,000 | 32 |
| 4 | 4 | Andrey Pateychuk | Russia | 4,095,000 | 82 |
| 4 | 5 | Bogdan Jontulovic | Serbia | 1,650,000 | 33 |
| 4 | 6 | Anton Wigg | Sweden | 1,600,000 | 32 |
| 4 | 7 | Evagoras Evagorou | Cyprus | 2,150,000 | 43 |
Level 25
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Life Outside Poker is a new podcast for PokerNews hosted by Connor Richards that seeks to pull back the curtain on poker players and allow viewers and listeners to get to know them on a personal level.
In the 21st episode, Connor speaks with Survivor legend Boston Rob, aka Rob Mariano, about growing up near Fenway Park, learning poker at the age of 6, studying psychology at Boston University, applying for Survivor and winning Season 22, his recent appearance on Deal or No Deal Island and filming an upcoming season of The Traitors.
Boston Rob also revealed a story about Costa Rican authorities a mansion known to host high-stakes poker games during a that included Daniel Negreanu, Josh Arieh, David Williams, Michael Mizrachi and actress Cheryl Hines.
"(Gambling mogul) Calvin (Ayre) had a big party at the house, and they came in guns drawn," he said. "And we were fine, but we all had to stay at the party until they checked our passports and everything. I think it was a little bit of a shakedown. But we had a good weekend."
The Life Outside Poker podcast is available on major streaming platforms including , , and . You can also watch the interview with Boston Rob by heading to the .
Level 25
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
6,900,000
150,000
|
150,000 |
|
||
|
4,095,000
-505,000
|
-505,000 |
|
||
|
3,975,000
3,175,000
|
3,175,000 |
|
3,780,000
280,000
|
280,000 |
|
|
||
|
3,305,000
505,000
|
505,000 |
|
3,170,000
-440,000
|
-440,000 |
|
2,800,000
500,000
|
500,000 |
|
2,800,000
-400,000
|
-400,000 |
|
2,700,000 | |
|
||
|
2,585,000
485,000
|
485,000 |
|
2,500,000
300,000
|
300,000 |
|
2,250,000
-450,000
|
-450,000 |
|
2,150,000
350,000
|
350,000 |
|
1,920,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
1,805,000
-95,000
|
-95,000 |
|
1,665,000
665,000
|
665,000 |
|
1,650,000
900,000
|
900,000 |
|
1,600,000
-200,000
|
-200,000 |
|
1,600,000
1,000,000
|
1,000,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,270,000
770,000
|
770,000 |
|
1,090,000
615,000
|
615,000 |
|
1,080,000
-400,000
|
-400,000 |
|
1,045,000
95,000
|
95,000 |
|
945,000
-5,000
|
-5,000 |
|
795,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
Level 25
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Day 3 has wrapped up with 29 players still in contention!
Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action.
Level 25
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
The floor have announced that three more hands will be played tonight, then the survivors will bag up for the evening.
Level 25
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
Level 25
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Tugce Hursoz opened the cutoff to 90,000 and Zhen Chen shoved for 470,000 from the small blind. When it got back to Hursoz, she quickly called.
Zhen Chen: A♣7♣ 
Tugce Hursoz: 10♥10♣
Hursoz had the lead with her pocket tens and remained in front after the Q♠J♣4♠ flop hit the baize. A 2♠ turn left Chen with one chance at survival, but the 9♦ wasn't the card he was looking for, and he was eliminated.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,200,000
750,000
|
750,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level 25
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
On a flop of 9♣10♠J♠ with around 1,700,000 already in the middle, Andrey Pateychuk checked it over to Adrian State, who fired out 450,000. Pateychuk then shoved, and State quickly called off his stack which totaled around 2,300,000.
Adrian State: K♠K♦
Andrey Pateychuk: 9♠9♥
Pateychuk revealed his set of nines and held a massive advantage over State's overpair. With the chance to soar into the chip lead, Pateychuk leaned forward with his eyes locked on the board. But poker is a game of cruel twists, and the turn delivered a dagger as the K♥ flipped the script and gave State a bigger set.
Suddenly, the roles reversed and only a nine on the river would see Pateychuk scoop the pot, or a queen would lead to an unlikely chop. Anything else, and State would not only scoop the pot but emerge as the tournament chip leader in the last level of the night.
The dealer burned and turned the river card, and as it landed, a collective gasp erupted as the Q♦ hit the felt, which put a straight on board. The pot was chopped, leaving both players to split their chips and regroup after that rollercoaster runout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,600,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
3,200,000
100,000
|
100,000 |