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Hassan Nashar Leads the Field Into Penultimate Day of Merit Poker Cup
The 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series continues inside the stunning Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus as Day 2 of the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup gets underway at 12 p.m.. With the tournament now moving beyond the Day 1s, players will be looking to build a stack ahead of the money bubble to give themselves a shot at the title.
The opening three starting flights attracted a combined 303 entries, with 149 players advancing to Day 2. However, those numbers are expected to climb as late registration remains open for the first five 40-minute levels before the final number is set and the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool is likely surpassed.
Hassan Nashar returns with the chip lead after topping the Day 1b counts with 885,000. Giorgiy Skhulukhiya sits second overall with 705,000, while Day 1a chip leader Gilles Simon takes the third spot with 557,000. The turbo flight belonged to Tamer Abdelzaher, who bagged 397,000 to take the number one position on the Day 1c leaderboard.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hassan Nashar | Guinea-Bissau | 885,000 | 354 |
| 2 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | 705,000 | 282 |
| 3 | Gilles Simon | Netherlands | 557,000 | 223 |
| 4 | Atilla Saracoglu | Turkey | 519,000 | 208 |
| 5 | Yahor Dambrouski | Belarus | 480,000 | 192 |
| 6 | Andras Matrai | Hungary | 466,500 | 187 |
| 7 | Sukhrat Massimov | Kazakhstan | 448,000 | 179 |
| 8 | Huseyin Akgul | Turkey | 445,000 | 178 |
| 9 | Nikola Radevic | Slovakia | 444,000 | 178 |
| 10 | Ahmed Sylla | France | 442,500 | 177 |
Other players returning near the top of the counts include Atilla Saracoglu (519,000), Yahor Dambrouski (480,000), Andras Matrai (466,500), Sukhrat Massimov (448,000), Huseyin Akgul (445,000), Ahmed Sylla (442,500), Mehmet Dalkilic (435,000), Vitalii Kononenko (416,000), Mihai Niste (414,500), and Dimitrios Kilintaris (406,500).
Among those still chasing the title are Simone Andrian, the only bracelet winner remaining in the field, having won the Main Event in Europe in 2024. Along with former Merit Poker Carmen Series Main Event champion Elie Farah and Merit Poker Dolce Vita IPO Master champion Xiaosheng Zheng.
Play resumes at noon with blinds at 1,000/2,500 and a 2,500 big blind ante. Players who enter before the close of registration at the start of Level 16 will receive the full 100,000 starting stack. Once registration closes, the official prize pool and payouts will be announced along with the plan for the day, which is likely to reach the money.
Opening Flight Entries
| Day | Entries | Survivors |
|---|---|---|
| 1a | 159 | 86 |
| 1b | 121 | 52 |
| 1c | 23 | 11 |
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Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates, chip counts, and all the biggest hands from Day 2 of the Merit Poker Cup, which continues from Northern Cyprus.