Dawid Smolka is the winner of the $2,200 Warm-Up included in the 2024 Merit Poker Gatsby Gala Series held at the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. Smolka has been one of the best performers in all the Merit Poker events after the year 2022 and managed to win his first title when he overcame the head of the day, Daniele Grasso at heads-up. On top of the trophy, The winner bagged $179,650 as the top prize.
The success is very significant for Smolka in his quest to conquer the international poker scene after finishing 3rd and 2nd twice at the Merit Poker events where he recently advanced to the final . It was an impressive display of skill as there were early uncertainties in his game. He commenced play in the second chip position for day 3 and was in the chip lead for the majority of the final table.
$2,200 Warm-Up Final Table Results
Place Player Country Prize
1 Dawid Smolka Poland $179,650
2 Daniele Grasso Italy $125,500
3 Hadi Khordbin Iran $80,300
4 Bogdan Munteanu Romania $60,300
5 Georges Chehade Lebanon $45,150
6 Ruslan Bakhtiev Russia $36,200
7 Sandra Cotescu Romania $30,150
8 Ziad Menhem Lebanon $24,100
9 Victor Iarilov Russia $18,050
The Journey to Victory
The day began with 14 players, whittled down from a field of 463 entrants. It was Victor Fryda’s day, but he was eliminated early when a pair of tens held by Viktor Iarilov triumphed over his ace-queen. Another key moment saw Sandra Cotescu crack pocket kings to stay in the game, but she eventually fell in seventh place.
Smolka faced a critical hand early on when his ace-queen beat Julien Rouquet’s ace-king in a dramatic preflop showdown. A queen on the flop secured the win, doubling Smolka’s stack and eliminating Rouquet. This pivotal moment set the stage for Smolka’s deep run.
At the final table, Bogdan Munteanu made a strong start, knocking out Iarilov with a Broadway straight. However, Munteanu eventually lost momentum, finishing fourth after Smolka flopped a full house against his pocket sevens.
Hadi Khordbin, who began the day as the shortest stack, made an impressive climb to third place but couldn’t withstand Grasso’s aggression. This left Smolka and Grasso to face off in a brief heads-up battle.
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