Four queens helped Boris Smuskevicius win the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup.

Boris Smuskevicius won the 2026 Mediterranean Poker Party $3,500 Merit Poker Cup, taking home the biggest prize of his career, $217,000. He finished the final table with four queens and secured an ICM deal.

The 2026 Mediterranean Poker Party's $3,500 Merit Poker Cup has come to a successful close, with Boris Smuskevicius winning his career-high live prize of $217,000 at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel & Casino.

His previous biggest win was $39,800 at the Aria in Las Vegas in 2023. Smuskevicius broke that record and, amidst cheers from his enthusiastic family and friends, finally secured a major victory.

This Lithuanian legend swept his opponents at the final table, but also had some luck along the way.

The biggest turning point of the tournament came when Smuskevicius went all-in with pocket Jacks, only to run into Mehmet Dalkilic's pocket Queens, vying for a quarter of the chips on the table. The turn dealt a Jack, giving Smuskevicius trips, and he slammed his fist on the table in celebration. This became the catalyst for his eventual victory.

During the three-way match, Smuskevicius reached an ICM deal with Ekrem Sanioglu and Joseph Mouawad, but despite this, Smuskevicius ultimately took home only $3,000 less than the announced $220,000.

Smuskevicius then stylishly finished the game with a four-queen hand against second-place Sanioglu, claiming the Merit Poker Cup.

$3, 500 Merit Poker Cup Final Table Results

* Indicates that an ICM agreement has been reached.

Champion's reaction

"I think I'll enjoy everything tomorrow!" a tired Smuskevicius told PokerNews. "But I'm very happy; it's been a great tournament, lots of hard work, lots of fun, and lots of bluffing. The structure was perfect. I've been at Merit for ten years and have probably only missed one series."

"This is a great poker room, excellent staff, fantastic tournaments, delicious food, and a quiet, wonderful five-star hotel."

"I learned this game twenty years ago at the Olympic Casino in Lithuania, playing tournaments, family games, and cash games. I also played in Berlin and won my icebreaker in Tallinn. I don't play much in Lithuania now; I've won everything the Olympic Casino has to offer and am looking for bigger challenges."

Smuskevicius then paid tribute to his family: "I am very grateful to my family for their continued belief in me, and I also thank my friends for their support, who believed I could win a major tournament, which takes a lot of hard work."

Day 2 Match Results

A total of 63 players returned for Day 2, making for a fast-paced and intense day. Within the first two hours, 24 players were eliminated, most of them with stacks below ten big blinds. Early exits included Eugene Katchalov, Turkish player Selahaddin Bedir, and Adrian State.

Only one woman successfully advanced to Day Two: Chenxu Zhang. She performed consistently, ultimately finishing in 10th place. This rising Chinese talent displayed tremendous energy throughout the day and is definitely a player to watch.

Mehmet Dalkilic eliminated Zhang when her pocket tens ran into his KQ. The flop came a K, giving the Turkish player a bigger pair and eliminating Zhang from the final table.

The standout performer of the day was Darko Svesko from Serbia, who was one of the chip leaders for most of the time. Svesko's combination of aggression and getting the right hands at the right time was the perfect formula for eliminating multiple players and accumulating the largest chip stack by the time he reached the final table.

Unfortunately, he couldn't carry that momentum to the final table, finishing in fifth place after Mouawad flopped a straight that beat his pocket sixes.

Mouawad's journey was one of the stories of the day. The 2007 EPT London champion rediscovered his former glory, racking up his biggest live winnings since lifting the EPT trophy at The Vic casino. The Lebanese player displayed masterful short-stack play and seemed to be doubling up at the right time throughout the day.

But the day belonged to Lithuania’s Smuskevicius, who hinted that with the prize money increasing, he might try to enter the Triton One event in November at Crystal Cove’s sister property, Merit Diamond.

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