After three days of high-level action inside the Merit Royal Splendid Casino in Budva, the €2,750 High Roller of the 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship has crowned its champion. Ukraine’s Nazar Buhaiov topped a competitive field of 128 entries to secure the title and the €75,000 first-place prize from the €294,400 prize pool.
Buhaiov sealed the victory following a swift heads-up encounter that lasted just five hands, defeating Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan to capture his second Merit Poker title.
Montenegro continues to be a memorable stop for Buhaiov. During the previous visit in 2022, he finished fifth in the High Roller and also claimed his maiden Merit Poker victory by winning the €777 Opening Event. With this latest triumph, Buhaiov has now recorded three final table appearances in Montenegro, adding another title to his growing résumé at the venue.
€2,750 High Roller – Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nazar Buhaiov | Ukraine | €75,000 |
| 2 | Andrey Golubev | Kazakhstan | €52,000 |
| 3 | Seref Anar | Turkey | €37,000 |
| 4 | Davor Pistalo | Croatia | €27,600 |
| 5 | Nemanja Tatar | Montenegro | €21,000 |
| 6 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | €16,300 |
| 7 | Bojan Berberovic | Serbia | €12,400 |
| 8 | Nikolai Ivanov | Russia | €9,400 |
Winner’s Reaction
Fresh off the win, Buhaiov reflected on what the victory meant to him.
“Any victory is very important for me,” he said. “I don’t have many trophies, so every win is a very special moment.”
He also spoke fondly of his past success in Montenegro:
“I won here before in the €777 event and also finished fifth in the High Roller. Montenegro has been good to me.”
Looking back on the tournament, Buhaiov admitted the path to victory was far from straightforward. After entering twice, he found himself down to around ten big blinds on Day 2 before turning things around.
“I managed a couple of double-ups, then applied pressure around the bubble. After that, everything went well, and heads-up was very fast. I’m really happy with how it finished.”
Buhaiov’s Timely Surge
Day 3 began with 17 players already in the money, and action quickly intensified as the shorter stacks looked to make their move. The final table bubble burst with a dramatic double elimination, setting the stage for a closely contested final table, where Golubev held the early chip lead and Buhaiov sat third in chips.
Momentum soon shifted. Buhaiov won a pivotal flip against Bojan Berberovic to eliminate the Serbian in seventh place, before increasing his aggression and steadily closing the gap on the leaders. A key hand against Nemanja Tatar, where Buhaiov’s pocket nines held strong, saw him take over the chip lead for the first time on the final day.
The field narrowed quickly from there. Davor Pistalo exited in fourth, and shortly after, Buhaiov sent Seref Anar to the rail to set up heads-up play against Golubev with a commanding advantage.
Heads-up lasted only a few hands. In the decisive pot, Buhaiov turned the nuts holding queen-ten, called Golubev’s shove, and avoided the chop on the river to clinch the title and the €75,000 top prize.
With the €2,750 High Roller now concluded, attention turns to the remaining events of the Merit Poker Montenegro Championship, as the festival continues in Budva.
