The €880 Merit Poker Cup has crowned a new champion at the Merit Poker Montenegro Championship, with Vladimir Lappo securing the title and the €61,000 top prize inside the Merit Royal Splendid Casino in Budva. The Belarusian outlasted a competitive field of 415 entries, closing out the tournament on the final day to record one of the most significant victories of his career.
Lappo entered the final table with a middle-of-the-pack stack but showed resilience throughout the closing stages, surviving multiple all-in situations before building momentum at the perfect time. He ultimately defeated Nikolay Fal in heads-up play to seal the win, while Italy’s Fausto Tantillo finished third for €29,000.
Reflecting on the victory, Lappo kept things simple:
“It’s quite complicated to win this tournament without luck, and today I was a lucky boy.”
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vladimir Lappo | Belarus | €61,000 |
| 2 | Nikolay Fal | Russia | €42,500 |
| 3 | Fausto Tantillo | Italy | €29,000 |
| 4 | Bojan Berberovic | Serbia | €20,000 |
| 5 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russia | €15,000 |
| 6 | Genrik Alekian | Ukraine | €12,000 |
| 7 | Ali Moein | Iran | €9,500 |
| 8 | Rashad Iskandarov | Azerbaijan | €7,400 |
| 9 | Oleksii Shchukin | Ukraine | €5,790 |
Winner’s Reaction
It was an incredible experience for me to win this tournament,” Lappo said. “There were so many interesting hands and such strong opponents throughout.”
He went on to thank those closest to him, adding, “Thanks to my friends, my family, and to the wonderful country of Slovenia, where I’ve lived for the last couple of years.”
Lappo also shared a personal detail from the final day, revealing, “I had an origami talisman that my daughter made for me at Christmas. I think that’s why I won.”
Speaking about Montenegro, he added, “I lived in Montenegro for a couple of years. It’s a great country — mountains, sea, great people, and lots of sun. I really enjoy the food and the atmosphere here.”
When asked where the trophy would go, Lappo was clear:
“The trophy goes to Slovenia.”
Building Momentum at the Right Time
After grinding with a short stack early at the final table, Lappo found a crucial double-up against Fausto Tantillo, getting his chips in preflop with ace-king versus pocket sixes. An ace on the flop and a second pair by the turn pushed Lappo back into contention.
He then eliminated Rashad Iskandarov in eighth place, pairing his queen with king-queen against pocket jacks to score the knockout and further strengthen his position.
Momentum continued when Lappo sent Mikhail Zavoloka to the rail in fifth place. Zavoloka was all in with pocket eights, but Lappo’s ace-ten improved to two pair by the river, extending his run of winning key all-in confrontations.
Ace-Five Seals Tantillo’s Exit
Four-handed, one of the largest pots of the tournament saw Lappo eliminate Tantillo in third place. After calling preflop and check-calling on the flop and turn, Lappo faced a shove on the river and made the call with ace-five, which held against Tantillo’s ten-six, sending the Italian to the rail and giving Lappo the chip lead heading into heads-up play.
A Brief Heads-Up Finale
Heads-up play lasted just seven hands. In the final hand, Fal raised with ace-eight before Lappo applied pressure holding ace-four. After a series of raises, Lappo moved all in and Fal made the call.
The board delivered a four on the flop, improving to trips by the river, ending the tournament and confirming Vladimir Lappo as the €880 Merit Poker Cup champion in Budva.
