Nazar Buhaiov added another highlight to his poker résumé after emerging victorious in the €2,750 High Roller at the 2026 Merit Poker Montenegro Championship, held inside the Merit Royal Splendid Casino in Budva. The Ukrainian outlasted a competitive 128-entry field to secure the title and the €75,000 first-place prize, marking his second career Merit Poker victory.
The final showdown was short and decisive. Buhaiov needed just five hands to dispatch Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan in heads-up play, sealing the win in convincing fashion. Montenegro has clearly been a happy hunting ground for Buhaiov — during Merit Poker’s previous stop in Budva in 2022, he not only finished fifth in the High Roller but also captured his maiden Merit Poker title by winning the €777 Opening Event.
“Every Win Matters”
Despite the sizeable payout, Buhaiov emphasized the personal importance of the victory. “Any victory is very important for me,” he said after lifting the trophy. “I don’t have many trophies, so every win is a very pleasant moment. Montenegro has been good to me.”
The road to victory was far from smooth. After firing two bullets, Buhaiov found himself clinging to around ten big blinds on Day 2 before mounting a comeback. “I doubled a couple of times, then started applying pressure around the bubble,” he explained. “After that, everything went well, and heads-up was quite fast. I’m very happy with how it finished.”
Turning the Tournament Around
Day 3 began with 17 players remaining, all already in the money. Short stacks wasted little time making moves, with Lebanese duo Chady Ojeil and Charbel Salloum among the first to be eliminated.
The final table bubble burst in dramatic fashion with a double elimination. Illia Petrytsia fell after losing a 60/40 to Seref Anar, while Serhat Cetiner exited on the other table when his pocket fours couldn’t overcome Giorgiy Skhulukhiya’s pocket sixes. With the payouts split, the final table was set, Golubev holding the chip lead and Buhaiov sitting third.
Golubev initially tightened his grip at the final table by eliminating Nikolai Ivanov, but momentum swung when Buhaiov won a massive coin flip against Bojan Berberovic, a pot worth more than 45 big blinds. That hand sent Berberovic out in seventh and vaulted Buhaiov firmly into contention.
Seizing Control
After Skhulukhiya’s exit in sixth, Buhaiov shifted gears, increasing his aggression and applying constant pressure. He narrowed the gap on Golubev by getting paid with trips against Anar, then claimed the chip lead for the first time after eliminating Nemanja Tatar in fifth with pocket nines against a weaker ace.
Four-handed play saw Davor Pistalo eliminated when his pocket aces were cracked by Anar’s flopped set, leaving the final three tightly packed. On the very first hand after the break, Buhaiov squeezed from the big blind, then called Anar’s overbet shove on an ace-high flop with top pair. His hand held, and the tournament moved to heads-up play.
A Swift Finish
Buhaiov began heads-up with more than a 2:1 chip advantage and wasted little time converting it into a title. On the fifth hand, holding queen-ten, he turned the nuts and induced an overbet shove from Golubev. Buhaiov made the call, faded the river chop, and sealed the victory.
With €75,000 added to his bankroll and another Merit Poker trophy in hand, Nazar Buhaiov once again proved that Montenegro is the perfect stage for his biggest performances.
