Ruslan Volkov has just boosted his stack to more than one million after winning a three-way all-in.
As recalled by Sukhrat Massimov, who was seated at the table, there was plenty of preflop action involving Mert Hadioglu on the button, Volkov in the small blind, and Sergio Villalba in the big blind. In the end, all three players got their chips into the middle, with Volkov looking to score the double knockout.
Mert Hadioglu: 10x10x
Sergio Villalba: 9x9x
Ruslan Volkov: QxQx
It was a clash of pocket pairs, and Volkov took a huge step toward victory on the KxQx8x flop after improving to middle set.
A 10x on the turn changed things, as Villalba picked up a straight draw, while Hadioglu added the extremely unlikely possibility of making backdoor quads.
However, a brick fell on the river, and the stacks of both Hadioglu and Villalba were absorbed into Volkov's.
Volodymyr Drokin raised to 30,000 from middle position, and Hamad Almannai called from the cutoff. Dimitrios Kilintaris then squeezed all in from the small blind for 230,000, and only Drokin called.
When it folded to Selahaddin Bedir in the small blind, he completed, and Pavel Shchitnikov shoved from the big blind with his huge stack. Bedir snap-called for his final 600,000, and once play had concluded at the other tables, the cards were turned over.
Selahaddin Bedir: K♥K♦
Pavel Shchitnikov: A♦Q♦
Blind on blind, it was quite the cooler, and Bedir simply had to dodge an ace or some diamonds to double up.
The 9♥5♥5♠ flop was excellent for Bedir's cowboys, and the 9♦ turn changed nothing.
Only an ace on the river would see Bedir become the last player to leave empty-handed. The dealer burned a card before placing the brutal A♠ on the river, producing a chorus of groans and gasps from the crowd.
Shchitnikov won the pot with a pair of aces, sending Bedir to the rail on the bubble and guaranteeing the remaining 63 players a payday.
With around 350,000 already in the middle on a board of 7♥K♣4♣Q♥, Stefan-Sebastian Ionita bet 250,000 from the small blind, and Adrian State called from the big blind.
The 10♥ completed the board, and Ionita moved all in, easily covering the roughly 400,000 chips State had behind. Faced with a decision for his tournament life, State went deep into the tank.
After using four time banks, State began talking to his countryman seated directly to his right.
The dealer quickly intervened with, "English only, please."
State shot back, "I'm speaking English. It's bad English, but it's English," drawing plenty of laughter from the crowd gathered around the table.
A few more time banks disappeared before State finally released his hand, and Ionita dragged in the pot to further extend his position at the top, as the bubble continued.
On the first hand of the day, Daniel Braude jammed for 135,000 from under the gun, and Pavel Shchitnikov was the only caller from the button.
Daniel Braude: A♥K♦
Pavel Shchitnikov: Q♠Q♣
It was a crucial flip that Braude needed to win, and he did just that after pairing his ace on the A♠2♦8♠7♣7♦ runout, keeping the tournament on the bubble.
The final day of the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup gets underway today at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus, with just 64 players still in contention from a field of 428 entries in the opening event of the 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series. After three starting flights and a long Day 2, the tournament is now just one step away from crowning its first champion.
By the time late registration closed on Day 2, the field had grown comfortably beyond the tournament's $1,000,000 guarantee, generating a prize pool of $1,260,032. While only 63 players will get a payday, the money bubble is the first obstacle awaiting the returning players before the field is reduced to a champion later tonight.
Sitting at the top of the leaderboard is Vyacheslav Kardash, who returns for the final day with 2,090,000 after becoming one of only three players to break through the two-million-chip mark. Ali Al-Kubasi (2,050,000) and Stefan-Sebastian Ionita (2,035,000) are the other two players to achieve the feat and will start the day within touching distance of the chip lead.
Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Vyacheslav Kardash
Russian Federation
2,090,000
105
2
Ali Al-Kubasi
Iraq
2,050,000
103
3
Stefan-Sebastian Ionita
Romania
2,035,000
102
4
Huseyin Akgul
Turkey
1,800,000
90
5
Bogdan Jontulovic
Serbia
1,665,000
83
6
Evgenii Chernyi
Russian Federation
1,620,000
81
7
Ohad Geiger
Israel
1,555,000
78
8
Maksim Shornikau
Belarus
1,500,000
75
9
Yurii Zabrodotskyi
Ukraine
1,480,000
74
10
Pavel Shchitnikov
Russian Federation
1,265,000
63
Traian Stanciu and Adrian State
Plenty of familiar faces remain in the heading into the final day, including Wael Sarkis (1,055,000), Adrian State (950,000), Atilla Saracoglu (855,000), Pedro Ingles (810,000), Traian Stanciu (615,000), Xiaosheng Zheng (605,000), Simone Andrian (575,000), Felipe Ketzer (465,000), and Zoja Fleischer (435,000).
Also returning are Andras Matrai (680,000), Danielle Noja (680,000), Sukhrat Massimov (435,000), Tamazi Skhirtladze (400,000), Alisa Sibgatova (155,000), and Giorgiy Skhulukhiya (115,000), who started second in chips of Day 2, but has a lot of work to do on the final day if he wants to have a shot at hte title.
Alisa Sibgatova
Cards will be in the air at noon local time, with play resuming on Level 22 at blinds of 10,000/20,000 with a 20,000 big blind ante. The action will begin on the stone bubble, with just 63 players guaranteed a share of the prize pool, while a place on the podium will secure a six-figure payout. By the end of the night, one player will walk away with the title, the trophy, and the first-place prize of $240,000.
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on poker's biggest stars or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you.
No subscriptions, no paywalls, just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most. It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates, chip counts, and all the biggest hands as the Merit Poker Cup champion is crowned.
button in Safari
