The 2025 Western Poker Series at Merit Crystal Cove Hotel options quite a few huge tournaments, together with the continued $1.5 million assured $3,300 buy-in most important occasion. While that occasion has but to crown a champion, the $5,000 excessive curler wrapped up earlier this week with Russia’s Sergei Varnaev popping out on prime.
This was the biggest rating but for Varnaev, topping the $156,808 he earned because the third-place finisher within the 22024 World Series of Poker Online $1,500 monster stack occasion. He now has almost $509,000 in recorded scores to his title.
The win additionally got here with 624 Card Player Player of the Year factors, which have been sufficient to maneuver Varnaev inside the highest 50 within the 2025 POY standings introduced by Global Poker.
This occasion drew 174 whole entries, surpassing the $500,000 assure to create a ultimate prize pool of $800,400.
Merit Poker common Maxime Chilaud additionally made a deep run on this occasion. The Frenchman, who has secured 4 of his 5 largest event paydays at this venue, completed third for $89,900. As a end result, he now has almost $1.9 million in whole cashes on his résumé.
Check out a video from Merit Poker highlighting the ultimate desk of this excessive curler occasion:
Here is a take a look at the payouts and POY factors awarded on the ultimate desk:
| Place | Player | Earnings | POY Points |
| 1 | Sergei Varnaev | $200,000 | 624 |
| 2 | Lyudmil Ivanov | $134,000 | 520 |
| 3 | Maxime Chilaud | $89,900 | 416 |
| 4 | Maher Achour | $65,000 | 312 |
| 5 | Bogdan Jontulovic | $50,000 | 260 |
| 6 | Mehmet Demirkol | $39,000 | 208 |
| 7 | Ludovic Uzan | $30,000 | 156 |
| 8 | Sachin Joshi | $23,000 | 104 |
| 9 | Xin Tang | $18,000 | 52 |
Photo credit score: Merit Poker Facebook web page.
