The prestigious Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series has come to a close with the $2,200 La Notte Degli Assi main event crowning a champion in Israel’s Dashinka, who overcame a field of 1,133 entries and Italy’s Ermanno Pacini in the heads-up, claiming a career-high $355,000 and a special LNDA bracelet.
The final table of this mega event was dominated by Italian players. The table had four players from Italy, and it looked like an Italian party but Dashinka seized the chip lead in early going and outlasted the Italians one by one until he was left as the last man standing in the tournament.
Final Table Action
The final table occurred on the fourth and final day of the event, with Fausto Tantillo leading the final 9 players returning to the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino poker room for their quest for the title. He wasted no time to climb up near 30,000,000 as he rivered a straight against Simone Andrian.
The first elimination from the final table came when Mohamad El-Sayed ran his queen-ten into the pocket aces of Dashinka. While he flopped a top pair but found no help on the turn and river, exiting in ninth place. The next player to fall was Kirill Burtin. Down to 2,750,000, he jammed with pocket sixes and was called by Tantillo who held pocket eights. No help for Burtin and he hit the rail in eighth place.
Later, Fouad Toujani lost it with an ace-jack to Andrian who caught a running straight to miraculously double up and leave Toujani on fumes. Forced all in from the small blind in the next hand, Toujani was busted in a three-way action.
The next to fall was Denis Stoma who put 2,500,000 in the middle and Ermanno Pansini called in the big blind. Pansini held Ac 7d against Kh 3h of Stoma who lost on the Jh 10h 7h Jd 3c runout to exit in seventh place. A few hands later, Dashinka took the chip lead when he five-bet shoved with ace-jack and Tantillo folded with ace-queen. He then jammed after a three-bet of 10,000,000 by Fausto Tantillo. He held Ah 9h, while Tantillo held Ad Js. The eventual champion rivered trips with nines and Tantillo and busted the start of the chip leader Tantillo from Italy in fifth place.
Dashinka continued his domination and then eliminated the second Italian in fourth place. He opened in the small blind and then called an all-in from Simone Andrian out of the big blind with pocket kings. Andrian had king-queen and lost on the runout of 5h Jd 10d 7s Jh to exit in fourth place for $115,000.
Dashinka’s next victim was Raffaele Castro who ran his king-jack into the ace-ten of Dashinka and exited in third place as he found no help from the board.
The heads-up began with Dashinka leading Pacini 99,100,000 to 14,100,000. On the very first hand of the duel, Pacini jammed with Ad 7s, and Dashinka called with 7c 7h. The board ran out 5d 4h Qd 10h 9d where Dashinka held on to win the title and spoiled the Italian Mediterranean poker party.
$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi Final Table Results (USD)
1-Dashinka $355,000
2-Ermanno Pacini $240,000
3-Raffaele Castro $160,000
4-Simone Andrian $115,000
5-Fausto Tantillo $90,000
6-Fouad Toujani $72,000
7-Denis Stoma $57,700
8-Kirill Burtin $45,000
9-Mohamad El-Sayed $34,450
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Image Credit: MeritPoker
