After an enthralling day of action in the $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Western Series, Umberto Ruggeri has been crowned the champion after overcoming a record-breaking field of 791 inside the stunning Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino. The Italian player battled through countless emotional highs and challenging moments to claim the coveted trophy after cutting an undisclosed deal with Mihai Niste and Muhtar Taysi when three players remained.
Ruggeri expressed joy after the victory, saying, “I’m very enthusiastic, and I think I played very well in key spots.” The final table was not without its difficulties, as Ruggeri acknowledged, “It was very hard. A single moment can change everything, but in the end, it all went very well.”
Despite the challenges, Ruggeri’s composed performance and ability to seize critical opportunities paved the way for his triumph. With his victory, Ruggeri added a Merit Poker Main Event title to his resume and cemented his place in poker history as the champion of this record-breaking event.
Western Series Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Umberto Ruggeri | Italy | $377,500 |
| 2 | Mihai Niste | Romania | $251,000 |
| 3 | Muhtar Taysi | Turkey | $180,300 |
| 4 | Mario Colavita | Italy | $130,200 |
| 5 | Xiaosheng Zheng | China | $94,600 |
| 6 | Alexander Sokolovsky | Serbia | $75,900 |
| 7 | Ryan Mandara | United Kingdom | $63,200 |
| 8 | Renars Skanis | Latvia | $50,500 |
| 9 | Edward Quinn | Jersey | $37,950 |
When asked how he planned to celebrate, Ruggeri admitted that he hadn’t made any specific plans yet, sharing, “For today, I rest, and tomorrow, we’ll see.” As for his future in poker, the Italian pro reaffirmed his passion for the game: “I play poker for life, and I want to continue.”
Ruggeri also spoke about his history with Merit Poker, revealing that he first visited Cyprus for an EPT event and has returned multiple times over the years. He praised the organization and the hospitality, saying, “The situation, the hotel, and the way they take care of the players — it’s all very, very good.”
While this victory stands as one of the highlights of his career, Ruggeri noted that it wasn’t his biggest cash to date. “I came third in the EPT Main Event in Prague,” he shared, reflecting on his past successes.
Final Table Action
The action was expected to be fast and furious, but it was anything but as nobody was eliminated after more than two hours of play, despite the average stack getting down to around twenty big blinds. By the time the first break came around, Taysi had found himself at the top of the chip counts, while Edward Quinn was in the danger zone with just six big blinds.
Quinn couldn’t survive much longer after the restart as he was committed from the big blind with jack-nine and fell to the rivered full house of Taysi, who held ace-eight. The start-of-day chip leader Renars Skanis was the surprising next exit as his stack dwindled after losing several big pots. The final nail in the coffin came when Mario Colavita raised with ace-seven, and Skanis had the majority of his stack invested with the same hand as Quinn departed with — jack-nine. An ace-high flop sealed the deal, and Skanis was out in eighth.
Ryan Mandara had put on a short-stack masterclass and managed to ladder up two payouts and build a decent stack. However, his run soon ended when his pocket deuces were counterfeited by the ace-jack of Taysi when the board ran out with two pair on it. Alexander Sokolovsky then lost a flip with ace-jack against the pocket sevens of the eventual champion, which meant just five remained in contention.
China’s Xiaosheng Zheng came back from the second break with around thirteen big blinds and soon found himself at risk with ace-jack against the queen-ten of Niste. A ten on the flop paired Niste, and Zheng couldn’t catch up on the turn or river, which meant he was eliminated in fifth.
Ruggeri took the chip lead when he flopped a flush draw holding eight-seven and got the chips in against Niste, who had flopped a pair and a smaller flush draw with five-four. An eight on the river ignited Ruggeri back into life and set him on his way to the title. The duo then clashed again in a similar situation, with them both flopping flush draws. Niste’s king-seven held against the queen-ten of Ruggeri, which again turned the tables.
Colavita then found himself very short-stacked but had a chance to get back into it when Ruggeri’s queen-ten called his shove with pocket tens. However, Ruggeri backdoored a straight, leaving Colavita out in fourth, just shy of the podium places.
The battle between Ruggeri and Niste reached a boiling point with two pivotal all-in confrontations. First, Ruggeri’s king-ten staged a dramatic river escape against Niste’s pocket eights, completing a straight to secure a crucial double-up. Shortly after, Ruggeri’s pocket kings squared off against Niste’s ace-queen in a pot that could have sealed the title. Despite Niste flopping an ace, a flush on the board led to an unexpected chop.
The mounting tension and relentless pressure of the escalating blinds ultimately led the remaining three players to strike an undisclosed deal, bringing the tournament to its conclusion. Ruggeri emerged as the champion, claiming the coveted trophy and the title, while Niste secured the runner-up spot, and Taysi rounded out the podium with a commendable third-place finish.
