After a short day of action on Day 3 of the $5,300 High Roller at the2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series, just nine players remain from the 31 who started the day at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
It took less than six 40-minute levels to trim the field down to the final table, where Angelos Michael sits in pole position after a stellar performance on the felt.
FInal Table Seat Draw and Chip Counts
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angelos Michael | Cyprus | 2,975,000 | 99 |
| 2 | Zhen Chen | China | 2,345,000 | 78 |
| 3 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 875,000 | 29 |
| 4 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 820,000 | 27 |
| 5 | Adrian State | Romania | 530,000 | 18 |
| 6 | Mehmet Demirkol | Turkey | 205,000 | 7 |
| 7 | Elie Saad | Lebanon | 490,000 | 16 |
| 8 | Aleksandr Chernikov | Russia | 605,000 | 20 |
| 9 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 1,470,000 | 49 |
The likes of Andrey Pateychuk, Timur Margolin, Nemo Koering, and Alisa Sibgatova all fell short of the money. The unfortunate title of bubble boy went to Razvan Belea when he called a shove with ace-king and was up against the queen-ten of Michael. The flop gave Michael a pair on a flush draw, and Belea was dead on turn, which meant he was the last player to leave empty-handed.
Michael then sent Dmitry Yurasov out in 13th, and Eyal Eshkar in 11th which helped him finish as the chip leader. Zhewen Hu then bubbled the final table when his ace-nine was out-kicked by the ace-jack of his countrymate Zhen Chen, which brought around the final nine.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $132,300 |
| 2 | $91,500 |
| 3 | $58,800 |
| 4 | $43,600 |
| 5 | $32,000 |
| 6 | $26,000 |
| 7 | $21,400 |
| 8 | $17,100 |
| 9 | $13,100 |
Day 4 resumes at 1 p.m. on Monday, November 25, with play picking up in Level 22 (15,000/30,000 with a 30,000 big blind ante). Just under 10 minutes remain in the level, and the average stack sits at nearly 1,150,000, approximately 38 big blinds.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates, key moments, and the crowning of the $5,300 High Roller champion!
