Carl Merkling

Carl Merkling is an American poker player from Eagle, Colorado. While he maintains a low profile in the poker community, his tournament results show a dedicated participant in World Series of Poker (WSOP) events, particularly those catering to senior players. Merkling has amassed six WSOP cashes since 2007, with total live earnings exceeding $33,000.

Merkling's first recorded WSOP cash came in 2007 during Event #49: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em. With 3,151 entrants, he finished in 54th place, earning $14,409—his largest single payout to date.

In 2010, he cashed in Event #11: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em, finishing 45th out of 2,563 players for $11,694. This event was notably covered by PokerNews, where Merkling was involved in a hand against eventual champion Jason Young; Young flopped a set of nines and Merkling tank-called with a pair of tens, ultimately losing the pot.

Merkling also cashed in the 2011 WSOP Event #30: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship, finishing 91st out of 3,752 for $3,613, and the 2024 WSOP Event #59: $1,000 SUPER SENIORS No-Limit Hold'em, finishing 173rd out of 3,362 for $2,664. Additionally, he had smaller cashes in WSOP Circuit events: a 65th-place finish in the 2012 Caesars Palace event ($689) and a 22nd-place finish in the 2009 Horseshoe Southern Indiana event ($526).

In 2025, Merkling played in Event #64: $1,000 Super Seniors at the WSOP but was eliminated before Day 2, as reported by PokerNews.

According to the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) database, Merkling has career earnings of $3,301 from MSPT events, though specific event details are not listed. His home location is consistently listed as Eagle, Colorado.

Based on limited available hands, Merkling appears to play solid starting hands but can be outdrawn, as seen in the 2010 WSOP hand where he called a pot-sized bet with tens on a coordinated board. No further stylistic analysis is possible from public sources.