Georgios Tsouloftas Holds the Chip Lead After Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller
Day 1 of the $5,300 High Roller, featuring a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool, played out today at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino as part of the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series. So far, the event has attracted a talented field of 143 entries, each vying for a share of the prize money. Throughout eight 40-minute levels, players battled against one another, with only 96 survivors managing to bag up their chips for Day 2.
Georgios Tsouloftas leads the pack heading into tomorrow after bagging an impressive 594,500 chips. The Cypriot player was the only one to surpass the half-million mark, positioning himself as the clear frontrunner. A significant chunk of his stack came in a key hand where he flopped a set against Soraya Estrada’s pocket queens, dealing a major blow to Estrada’s stack. Tsouloftas has put himself in prime position, not just to make the money, but to make a deep run as the tournament unfolds.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgios Tsouloftas | Cyprus | 594,500 | 396 |
| 2 | Paul Lagan | Ireland | 440,000 | 293 |
| 3 | Tobias Peters | Netherlands | 428,000 | 285 |
| 4 | Vladislav Ivanov | Russia | 386,000 | 257 |
| 5 | Baltazar Five | Lebanon | 372,000 | 248 |
| 6 | Zoran Sesum | Serbia | 370,500 | 247 |
| 7 | Volodymyr Drokin | Ukraine | 356,000 | 237 |
| 8 | Siarhei Chudapal | Belarus | 355,000 | 237 |
| 9 | Yayun Liu | United States | 342,500 | 228 |
| 10 | Leonid Orman | Russia | 303,500 | 202 |
The closest rival to Tsouloftas is Paul Lagan from Ireland, who sits second in the standings with 440,000 chips heading into Day 2. Bracelet winner Tobias Peters rounds out the podium positions with a stack of 428,000. Peters added to his stack in the final level of the night after correctly picking off Zhen Chen's river bluff.
Other notables advancing to Day 2 include Johnny Lodden (289,500), Kirill Burtin (286,000), two-time bracelet winner Boris Kolev (281,000), and Samuel Ju (242,000), who was busy winning a side event here as the High Roller got underway. Joining them are Boris Angelov (222,500), Fahredin Mustafov (190,000), the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series High Roller winner Sergei Varnaev (86,000), and Chen (39,500).
Day 2 kicks off at 6 p.m. local time on Monday, March 17, and resumes at Level 9, featuring blinds of 1,000/1,500 with a 1,500 big blind ante. Unlimited reentries are available until late registration closes at the end of Level 12. The structure for the day will be confirmed shortly after play begins.
Remaining $5,300 High Roller Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 17 | Day 2 | 6 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| March 18 | Day 3 | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
Be sure to tune into PokerNews as Day 2 gets underway to see who can build their stack and progress toward the business end of the tournament.