The Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event continues today at Merit Crystal Cove Hotel Casino & Spa, with Day 1b marking the second of four starting flights in the $5,400 Main Event, which features a massive $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
The opening flight attracted 247 entries, with only 37 players surviving Day 1a and securing their places in Day 2. With every starting flight playing down to the money, all players who successfully bag chips will return for Day 2 already guaranteed a payout.
Hao Zhu Sets the Early Benchmark
China’s Hao Zhu emerged as the Day 1a chip leader after finishing the opening flight with an impressive 3,650,000 chips, setting the benchmark for the remaining starting flights.
Merit Poker regular Ali Al-Kubasi finished close behind with 3,455,000, while Lithuania’s Sergej Babincev secured third place in the standings with 3,315,000.
Leonid Orman also finished above the three-million mark, bagging 3,300,000, while Kirill Solovev rounded out the top five with 2,900,000.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hao Zhu | China | 3,650,000 | 73 |
| 2 | Ali Al-Kubasi | Iraq | 3,455,000 | 69 |
| 3 | Sergej Babincev | Lithuania | 3,315,000 | 66 |
| 4 | Leonid Orman | Russia | 3,300,000 | 66 |
| 5 | Kirill Solovev | Russia | 2,900,000 | 58 |
| 6 | Panayiotis Panayi | Cyprus | 2,680,000 | 54 |
| 7 | Campbell Ashton | Australia | 2,605,000 | 52 |
| 8 | Robert Mcadam | United Kingdom | 2,515,000 | 50 |
| 9 | Jordan Woodall | Germany | 1,910,000 | 38 |
| 10 | Emad Zarghami | Australia | 1,665,000 | 33 |
Day 1b Gets Underway at 1:00 p.m.
Day 1b begins today at 1:00 p.m. local time, with players receiving a 200,000 starting stack and competing through 40-minute blind levels. A break will take place after every three levels, while late registration remains available until the start of Level 10, following the dinner break.
As with Day 1a, play will continue until the flight reaches the money. Every player who bags chips at the end of the day will therefore secure both a payout and a place in the combined Day 2 field.
Two further opportunities will remain after today’s flight. Day 1c takes place on Friday afternoon with another 40-minute structure, followed by the faster Day 1d at 8:30 p.m. with 20-minute levels.
MPP Main Event Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1b | September 24 | 1:00 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| Day 1c | September 25 | 1:00 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| Day 1d | September 25 | 8:30 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| Day 2 | September 26 | 1:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Day 3 | September 27 | 1:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
With $5 million guaranteed and three starting flights still to play, the field is set to continue growing as the Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event moves toward its decisive stages at Merit Crystal Cove.
Stay connected with Merit Poker for the latest chip counts, tournament updates, key hands, and results throughout the MPP Main Event.
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