As you know, each flight is played down to the ITM zone.
Among the 300 players currently in Day 1C, we randomly spotted Anatoly Korochenskiy, who already advanced to Day 2 through 1B with a stack of 450K.
— Anatoly, did you already make it to the final day? Or is that a mistake?
— No, it’s correct. I did make it. Though the stack is short. And I love to play. In fact, I always try to play more.
After all, I could score two ITMs in the same tournament!
— You’re looking great, does poker keep you young?
— Naturally. I just turned 70.
— Are you still a “machine”?
— No, I don’t have that fire anymore. I’m not a machine. Now I’m just Anatoly.
— How do you like it here?
— I play a lot. In Europe, in Vegas. But Merit Poker and the MPP series — this is the best poker venue in the world. I’ll tell you later the 7 parameters I used to figure that out.
Now, we wait for the break.
According to the series rules — if you qualify through one flight and then play again and qualify once more, you’ll start Day 2 with the bigger stack. The smaller one is removed, and you receive a min-cash for it.
30 minutes later
Anatoly adds:
I always point things out as they are — no sugarcoating. I talk to younger guys, and sometimes they just don’t get it or appreciate how great things are at Merit.
Not in any particular order — just jot this down:
The poker room. Vegas doesn’t come close. The poker room is amazing. Adjustable chairs.
Well-trained dealers, excellent organization.
You can’t imagine what dealers are like in the U.S. — they can’t deal, can’t count.
I even like that here, the dealers follow themed styles depending on the series.
In Vegas, they’ll hire people a week before the series starts and you have no idea what kind of dealing you’ll get.
Here, I see people who’ve been working for 5–10 years — and they’re top professionals.
Let’s add food to the mix.
In Barcelona or Prague, food is a problem. You have to run, queue up, pay for everything — and it’s expensive. Even the bathrooms have queues.
Here, we live where we play.
No taxis, no need to travel anywhere. Step out or take the elevator — and you’re in the poker room.
The sea, the weather.
You’re not stuck in the middle of buildings and traffic. Look around — the vibe is unbeatable.
Beach, terraces, sunshine. Even if you don’t swim, you’re still having a great time.
By the way, I really like the new dealing format — how the cards are dealt along the table.
Before, they’d go flying, get exposed, or someone might peek. Now it’s cleaner.
And I like how all players sign the rules before the tournament.
You can see the structure, the system works.
Hardly anyone folds out of turn anymore. And the atmosphere at the tables stays positive.