Serbian Star Shines as Nenad Dukic Wins Record-Breaking Main Event For $401,000
Serbia’s Nenad Dukic has etched his name into the history books, conquering a record-breaking field in the $3,300 Main Event at the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series to capture the trophy and the $401,000 top prize. After five intense days of poker inside the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino, Dukic emerged victorious from a 881-entry field—the largest ever recorded at a Carmen Series stop and one that generated a staggering $2,431,560 prize pool.
Dukic started the final table as chip leader and never let his foot off the gas, applying pressure at the right moments and making big calls when it counted. His run culminated in a heads-up battle with Turkey’s Akin Tuna, a well-known regular on the European circuit. Tuna fought hard and clawed his way into contention, but Dukic’s momentum was simply too strong to stop, and he closed it out in style to claim the biggest win of his career.
With the victory, Dukic adds a signature title to his poker resume and earns his first major live trophy. The final table featured a strong international lineup with players from seven different countries, but in the end, it was the Serbian who rose above them all and stood alone as champion of this historic event.
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nenad Dukic | Serbia | $401,000 |
| 2 | Akin Tuna | Turkey | $265,000 |
| 3 | Mikhail Zavoloka | Russia | $185,250 |
| 4 | Soraya Estrada | Spain | $132,100 |
| 5 | Han Han | San Marino | $99,050 |
| 6 | Chady Ojeil | Lebanon | $80,500 |
| 7 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | $65,700 |
| 8 | Daniil Kiselev | Russia | $52,200 |
| 9 | Leonid Orman | Russia | $39,600 |
Winner's Reaction
Following the trophy ceremony and photos, Dukic took a moment to reflect on the biggest victory of his poker career. “It was really amazing,” he said, visibly relieved and still soaking in the moment. “I just feel so relieved to finally close it.”
While he couldn’t single out one particular hand that sealed the deal, Dukic noted that the final table was far from easy. He pointed to Mikhail Zavoloka as one of the most challenging opponents at the table, though he was quick to give credit to the rest of the finalists as well. “Everyone played well. It was a real battle out there.”
The $401,000 payday marks Dukic’s largest live score to date—just narrowly edging out his previous best—but he did mention that he’s had some bigger results online. With this victory, Dukic now climbs into the top ten on Serbia’s all-time money list, currently sitting in ninth place with nearly $1,000,000 in live tournament earnings.
When asked about what keeps him coming back to Merit events, Dukic kept things low-key. “I like coming here. The tournaments are great, the atmosphere is always good,” he said, praising the environment at Merit Poker. “The people at the tables kept me going. It’s just a really good vibe.”
Dukic was also honest about the journey. “I wouldn’t recommend people do things the way I did,” he said with a laugh. “But if you’re chasing a big win, just keep grinding. Keep putting in positive effort and try to improve. That’s all you can really do.”
Despite the huge milestone, Dukic downplayed the idea of this win changing who he is as a player. “It’s not that important to me in that way,” he admitted. “It’s just one step. A big one, sure—but the grind continues.”
Dukic's Journey to the Title
Dukic wasted no time asserting his dominance at the final table, quickly building on his start-of-day chip lead. He claimed the first elimination of the day by sending Leonid Orman to the rail in ninth place, and by the time Daniil Kiselev bowed out in eighth, Dukic was already holding close to a third of the chips in play. Maher Achour was next to go in seventh after a mistimed hero call against Zavoloka, which ended his run prematurely.
Dukic then picked up pocket aces and scored another knockout, eliminating Chady Ojeil in sixth place. The Lebanese player had flopped top pair with king-queen in a three-bet pot and opted to check-call all three streets, only to run head-first into the overpair of Dukic. But the Serbian's momentum briefly stalled when he doubled up Tuna shortly after, allowing the runner-up to climb back and nearly even out the stacks.
Soraya Estrada surged into the chip lead after a pivotal clash with Zavoloka saw her river two pair with queen-jack against ace-queen on a queen-high board. Shortly after, Dukic claimed another elimination, winning a flip with pocket jacks against the king-queen of Han Han, leaving just four players left in the hunt for the title.
Zavoloka looked to be on his way out in fourth when he got ace-nine in against Estrada’s ace-jack, but a fortunate nine on the flop kept his hopes alive.
One of the defining hands of the tournament soon followed. Dukic limped in from the small blind and Estrada checked her option. On a queen-high flop, the chips flew in after a big turn bet from Dukic was met with an unexpected shove from Estrada. Dukic made the call with top two pair, which had Estrada’s queen-seven crushed. The river changed nothing, and Estrada was left with mere crumbs before bowing out moments later in fourth.
Zavoloka looked poised to climb back into contention when he got ace-queen in ahead of Dukic’s ace-eight. But the runout had other plans. After outdrawing Estrada earlier with the worse hand, Zavoloka found himself on the wrong end this time—Dukic made a straight on the turn, cracking the superior ace and ending Zavoloka’s run in third place.
Heads Up
The final two players returned from a short break with Dukic holding a commanding two-to-one chip lead—and it didn’t take long to wrap things up. After receiving a walk in the first hand, Dukic moved all in on the very next holding pocket threes. Tuna quickly called with ace-nine, but the flop brought disaster for him as Dukic flopped a full house. Although Tuna paired his nine on the turn, there was no miracle river in sight. With that, Dukic sealed the victory and Tuna was forced to settle for second.
With that dramatic finish, the 2025 Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event comes to an end. It’s been a record-breaking ride, from a historic 881 entries to an unforgettable final table. Congratulations once again to Nenad Dukic, who walks away with the $401,000 top prize and the coveted title.
That concludes our coverage from the Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino—thanks for following along with PokerNews, and we’ll see you at the next Merit Poker adventure.