The legendary 1960 film La Dolce Vita by Federico Fellini brilliantly depicts the lavish “good life” of Italian café society and the ostensive lifestyle of Italy’s postwar aristocracy. Appropriate in homage to this opulent age, the Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series $2,200 final table Given four of the last five players are from Italy, La Notte Degli Assi Main Event seemed to be an Italian celebration. Nevertheless, an unexpected turn of events came in the form of an Israeli player known simply as “Dashinka,” who broke the Italian party and returned home with the much sought-after trophy and a top prize of $355,000.
Dashinka Claims Victory by Dominating Final Table
Dashinka’s path through the competition was remarkable. He showed early ability by regularly ranking among the top three on the scoreboard from Day 2. His outstanding play at the last table helped him to grab the chip lead early and methodically wipe his Italian rivals until he was the only winner. “I faced really strong opponent, and it was a difficult game,” Dashinka said following his victory. “I paid more attention to selecting my spots strategically and playing against my opponent than to the cards.”
$2,200 La Notte Degli Assi Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (USD) |
| 1 | Dashinka | Israel | $355,000 |
| 2 | Ermanno Pacini | Italy | $240,000 |
| 3 | Raffaele Castro | Italy | $160,000 |
| 4 | Simone Andrian | Italy | $115,000 |
| 5 | Fausto Tantillo | Italy | $90,000 |
| 6 | Fouad Toujani | France | $72,000 |
| 7 | Denis Stoma | Belarus | $57,700 |
| 8 | Kirill Burtin | Russia | $45,000 |
| 9 | Mohamad El-Sayed | Lebanon | $34,450 |
Final Table Action: The Drama And Thrills
Ready to fight for the title, the last nine players convened in the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino poker room at 1 p.m. local time. A familiar sight at Merit poker events, Fausto Tantillo, began strong with around 26,000,000 chips. His momentum carried on as he rived a straight against countryman Simone Andrian on the second hand of the day.
First eliminated was Mohamad El-Sayed’s top pair on a ten-high flop, which Dashinka’s pair of aces beat. Kirill Burtin shortly followed, passed out by Tantillo’s pair of eights. When Dashinka turned a straight against Raffaele Castro, Denis Stoma, saw his dreams crushed as Castro rumbled a higher straight to knock him out in eighth position.
Dashinka grabbed control of the chip lead from Tantillo with a forceful five-bet shove as the action developed. Though a miraculous running straight, let Simone Andrian double down, Tantillo folded ace-queen, and her all-in for 9,800,000 was no match for Fouad Toujani’s ace-jack.
The Turning Point And Ascent Of Dashinka
The turning point occurred when Dashinka’s trips—from a flopped nine— removed Tantillo, who had dropped to the bottom of the chip counts. In the final table dynamics, this vital hand signaled a tipping moment. Pacini doubled up off Andrian just before a break, having been building his stack, but his chip lead was fleeting. Dashinka kept ruling, flushing to grab a pot from Pacini and then flopped the nut straight. Playing aggressively, Dashinka raised and finally busted Castro in third place with an ace high.
Head-Up Fight And Dashinka’s Victory
Dashinka leads Pacini, 99,101,000 to 14,101,000 at the start of heads-up play, quite dominant. Pacini moved all-in with ace-seven in the first hand of heads-up play; Dashinka called with a pair of sevens. Dashinka’s pair held up, guaranteeing him the title and bringing the Italian Mediterranean poker celebration to a high point.
Dashinka loved the experience even though he primarily identifies as an online player with only one past recorded live cash. “Before coming here, I spent a lot of time online,” he said. “This was my first major live event, and it has been quite amazing.” Dashinka is ready to go back because of the beauty of North Cyprus and the excitement of success. Dashinka’s taste of the lovely life at this seaside paradise will undoubtedly be a memory he treasures as he lounges in the sun and enjoys the sandy beaches.
