The penultimate starting flight of the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series $3,300 Main Event has concluded here at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. Day 1c attracted 133 entrants, bringing the field size to 419 so far. By the end of the night, 72 players managed to find a bag and advance to Day 2.
Amir Hassan ended the day with the largest stack at 530,000, worth 212 big blinds going into Day 2. Hassan is most closely followed by Arian Kashani with 437,500 while Mustafa Biz rounds out the top three with 422,000.
Day 1c Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir Hassan | Tunisia | 530,000 | 212 |
| 2 | Arian Kashani | United Kingdom | 437,500 | 175 |
| 3 | Mustafa Biz | Turkey | 422,000 | 169 |
| 4 | Lavrentiy Ni | Kazakhstan | 365,000 | 146 |
| 5 | Marc Foggin | United Kingdom | 362,000 | 145 |
| 6 | Azamat Tulepbergenov | Kazakhstan | 355,500 | 142 |
| 7 | Mehdi Chaoui | Morocco | 342,500 | 137 |
| 8 | Hasan Basol | Germany | 341,000 | 136 |
| 9 | Maxim Son | Kazakhstan | 335,000 | 134 |
| 10 | Yiannakis Papapetrou | Cyprus | 333,000 | 133 |
Hassan has already been having a good series at Merit after making the final two tables of the $2,200 Warm Up, ultimately finishing 15th for a career-best live cash of $10,670. Kashani also has momentum on his side, after recently taking down the UKIPT Nottingham Main Event for a career-best score of £201,900.
Others to make it through Day 1c include 2023 Carmen Series Main Event Champion Elie Farah (265,500), 2024 Dolce Vita Series OPE Classic champion Walid Bou Habib (197,000), Alessio Isaia (143,000), Jeremy Saderne (135,000) and Darius Neagoe. Some notables who weren't as fortunate and fell before the end of the night include 2023 Western Series Main Event champion Mohamed Mokrani and Mihai Niste.
The final starting flight is already underway, with the turbo Day 1d having started at 7:00 p.m. After that, the fields will combine for Day 2 tomorrow, November 28 at noon local time. Late registration will remain open until Level 14, midway through Day 2 and a winner will be crowned on the fifth and final day, taking place December 01.
As always, stay tuned to Pokernews as we bring you all the action for the remainder of the 2024 Gatsby Gala Series.
