Warm Up Nears Its Climax with Nine Left to Chase the Title
After three days of intense action, the $2,200 Warm Up at the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series has reached its final stage, with just nine players remaining in the hunt for the $210,000 top prize. The original 646-entry field has been whittled down, and the remaining contenders will return for the ultimate showdown as they battle for the first major title of the series inside the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino.
Leading the final table is Alessio Isaia, who bagged an impressive 12,525,000 chips, closely followed by Atanas Malinov (12,450,000) and Humberto Lopes Galindo (11,025,000). With deep stacks, experienced pros, and rising stars all in contention, the stage is set for a thrilling finale. The pressure is on, the stakes are sky-high, and by the end of the day, one player will emerge victorious, etching their name into Carmen Series history.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alessio Isaia | Italy | 12,525,000 | 63 |
| 2 | Atanas Malinov | Bulgaria | 12,450,000 | 62 |
| 3 | Humberto Lopes Galindo | Spain | 11,250,000 | 56 |
| 4 | Daniel Abrahamsson | Sweden | 10,825,000 | 54 |
| 5 | Erdal Gulseven | Turkey | 6,425,000 | 32 |
| 6 | Dmitrii Kopyl | Russia | 4,500,000 | 23 |
| 7 | Atanas Georgiev Pavlov | Bulgaria | 4,500,000 | 23 |
| 8 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Russia | 3,100,000 | 16 |
| 9 | Rui Querido Martins | Portugal | 1,500,000 | 8 |
Day 3 Action
There were 105 players that returned for Day 3, and their first objective was to make it into the money as 87 spots were being paid. Some of the players who went home empty-handed included Milos Skrbic, Aliaksandr Hirs, Sergei Varnaev, and Cedric Schwaederle. As the field tightened and short stacks fought to survive, the tension grew with each passing hand.
One man, however, wasn't afraid to put his tournament life on the line. Hassan Nashar, unwilling to back down from a fight, took a stand in the small blind, but his queen-jack ran into the king-queen of Konstantin Kvashin. The board provided no help, and Nashar was eliminated just before hand-for-hand play could even begin, officially bursting the bubble and guaranteeing the remaining players a payout of $3,015.
Kvashin (31st), Alexandru Papazian (33rd), Dean Hutchinson (57th), Jakub Michalak (63rd), Fahredin Mustafov (69th), Simeon Spasov (78th), and Andrey Pateychuk (87th) all made a return on their initial investment.
Isaia’s rise to the top began with a key elimination of Danielle Noja in 17th place, when his ace-ten held strong against the Australian’s king-queen. He continued his charge by sending Andrii Novak to the rail, this time with ace-king in a dominating spot. His biggest moment, however, came just before the final table was set when Kirill Shcherbakov four-bet shoved ace-ten straight into Isaia’s pocket kings. A clean board locked up the pot for Isaia, vaulting him into the chip lead while Shcherbakov exited in 11th place.
Malinov followed a similar path, steadily building his stack with a string of knockouts. He won a crucial flip against Nikolay Ponomarev in 16th place, his pocket fours outlasting ace-queen. Later, he sent Daniel Gayer to the rail before delivering a devastating double knockout that saw Oleh Frantsevych’s jack-ten and Wojciech Frankowski’s ace-king both fall to his pocket nines, which improved to a full house. The huge pot gave Malinov the momentum he needed to secure his spot near the top of the leaderboard.
Dmitry Gromov’s tournament came to a brutal end in 10th place, as he ran headfirst into back-to-back premium hands at the worst possible time. His downfall began when he clashed with Dmitrii Kopyl, getting his pocket jacks in against pocket kings and watching the board run out clean for Kopyl. Left with just 700,000 chips, Gromov looked to find a double but ran straight into another monster, this time Erdal Gulseven’s pocket aces. Despite flopping a queen for some hope, the turn and river changed nothing, sending the Russian player to the rail just shy of the final table.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $210,000 |
| 2 | $142,100 |
| 3 | $98,575 |
| 4 | $71,030 |
| 5 | $52,530 |
| 6 | $42,020 |
| 7 | $35,015 |
| 8 | $28,015 |
| 9 | $21,010 |
All nine finalists have secured at least $21,010, but the real battle is just beginning as they chase the $210,000 top prize. A spot in the top three guarantees a six-figure payday, with $98,575 set aside for third place and $142,100 for the runner-up. However, all eyes are on the ultimate prize and the title of 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series Warm Up champion.
The final nine players will return tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. local time to battle for the $210,000 top prize and the first major title of the series. Stay locked in with PokerNews for all the action as we crown the Warm Up champion!