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Level 11
: 1,500/2,500, 2,500 ante
The players have taken their seats, and cards are in the air for Day 2.
2026 NOIR Poker Series
$3,500 Merit Poker Cup
Day: 2
Event Info
2026 NOIR Poker Series
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
Buy-in
$3,500
Prize Pool
$1,260,032
Total Entries
428
Level
36
Blinds
300,000 / 600,000
Ante
600,000
Entries
274
Players Left
64
Players Left 1 / 428
Filter
Level: 11
Blinds: 1,500/2,500
Ante: 2,500
There is a slight delay to the start of Day 2 as players head to their seats.
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.
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Paul Esau | Germany | 147,000 | 59 |
| 1 | 2 | Bogdan Jontulovic | Serbia | 307,500 | 123 |
| 1 | 3 | Martins Adeniya | United Kingdom | 183,000 | 73 |
| 1 | 4 | Boris Smuskevicius | Lithuania | 52,000 | 21 |
| 1 | 5 | Atilla Saracoglu | Turkey | 519,000 | 208 |
| 1 | 6 | Dimitrios Kilintaris | Greece | 406,500 | 163 |
| 2 | 1 | Mihai Niste | Romania | 414,500 | 166 |
| 2 | 2 | Mehmet Kolgu | Turkey | 178,000 | 71 |
| 2 | 3 | Hakan Kuscu | Turkey | 137,000 | 55 |
| 2 | 4 | Cai Zheng | China | 254,500 | 102 |
| 2 | 5 | Aleksei Opalikhin | Russian Federation | 211,500 | 85 |
| 2 | 6 | Patrick Brooks | United Kingdom | 255,000 | 102 |
| 3 | 1 | Tommy G | San Marino | 71,000 | 28 |
| 3 | 2 | Chengxu Hu | China | 202,000 | 81 |
| 3 | 3 | Pedro Ingles | Spain | 60,000 | 24 |
| 3 | 4 | Shyngis Satubayev | Kazakhstan | 236,500 | 95 |
| 3 | 5 | Chady Ojeil | Lebanon | 208,000 | 83 |
| 3 | 6 | Evren Coskun | Turkey | 332,500 | 133 |
| 4 | 1 | Hao Zhu | China | 102,000 | 41 |
| 4 | 2 | Vedat Yilmaz | Turkey | 316,000 | 126 |
| 4 | 3 | Ruslan Volkov | Russian Federation | 250,000 | 100 |
| 4 | 4 | Jun Yang | China | 119,000 | 48 |
| 4 | 5 | Raoul Kanme | Netherlands | 218,000 | 87 |
| 4 | 6 | Pavel Shchitnikov | Russian Federation | 233,000 | 93 |
| 5 | 1 | Kyriakos Damianoy | Cyprus | 61,500 | 25 |
| 5 | 2 | Miad Shakiba | Iran | 310,500 | 124 |
| 5 | 3 | Nina Krasilnikova | Russian Federation | 66,000 | 26 |
| 5 | 4 | Boris Tabiyev | Russian Federation | 82,000 | 33 |
| 5 | 5 | Aliaksandr Hirs | Belarus | 301,000 | 120 |
| 5 | 6 | Vadzim Godzdanker | Belarus | 154,500 | 62 |
| 6 | 1 | Zulfiya Kolgu | Kazakhstan | 133,000 | 53 |
| 6 | 2 | Ahmed Sylla | France | 442,500 | 177 |
| 6 | 3 | Danyel Boyaciyan | Turkey | 119,500 | 48 |
| 6 | 4 | Georges Ghossan | Lebanon | 301,000 | 120 |
| 6 | 5 | Rafael Aslanli | Azerbaijan | 64,000 | 26 |
| 6 | 6 | Eren Eroglu | Turkey | 171,000 | 68 |
| 7 | 1 | Traian Stanciu | Romania | 285,500 | 114 |
| 7 | 2 | Seref Anar | Turkey | 289,500 | 116 |
| 7 | 3 | Elie Farah | Lebanon | 387,500 | 155 |
| 7 | 4 | Sukhrat Massimov | Kazakhstan | 448,000 | 179 |
| 7 | 5 | Giorgii Shkulukhiia | Georgia | 705,000 | 282 |
| 7 | 6 | Volodymyr Drokin | Ukraine | 320,000 | 128 |
| 8 | 1 | Vitalii Pankov | Russian Federation | 277,500 | 111 |
| 8 | 2 | Cristinel Dumitru | Romania | 129,000 | 52 |
| 8 | 3 | Fadi Nakhoul | Lebanon | 151,000 | 60 |
| 8 | 4 | Viktor Utrobin | Russian Federation | 125,000 | 50 |
| 8 | 5 | Huseyin Akgul | Turkey | 445,000 | 178 |
| 8 | 6 | Bugra Yeral | Turkey | 187,500 | 75 |
| 9 | 1 | Aleksandras Rusinovas | Lithuania | 115,500 | 46 |
| 9 | 2 | Julian Lozano | Spain | 78,000 | 31 |
| 9 | 3 | Oleg Silin | Russian Federation | 368,000 | 147 |
| 9 | 4 | Yurii Zabrodotskyi | Ukraine | 119,000 | 48 |
| 9 | 5 | Ryan Mandara | United Kingdom | 360,000 | 144 |
| 9 | 6 | Konstantin Voronin | Russian Federation | 290,000 | 116 |
| 10 | 1 | Yahor Dambrouski | Belarus | 480,000 | 192 |
| 10 | 2 | Damir Zhugralin | Kazakhstan | 125,000 | 50 |
| 10 | 3 | Adrian Govea Quevedo | Mexico | 151,000 | 60 |
| 10 | 4 | Mehmet Dalkilic | Turkey | 435,000 | 174 |
| 10 | 5 | Alexander Lakhov | Russian Federation | 32,500 | 13 |
| 10 | 6 | Soufiane Ouadoudy | Morocco | 88,000 | 35 |
| 11 | 1 | Gilles Simon | France | 557,000 | 223 |
| 11 | 2 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 102,000 | 41 |
| 11 | 3 | John Doe K | San Marino | 244,500 | 98 |
| 11 | 4 | Dzhavanshyr Omarov | Azerbaijan | 108,000 | 43 |
| 11 | 5 | Navid Samavati | Iran | 143,500 | 57 |
| 11 | 6 | Tamer Abdelzaher | Egypt | 397,000 | 159 |
| 12 | 1 | Igor Abelmasov | Russian Federation | 164,000 | 66 |
| 12 | 2 | Leonid Orman | Israel | 109,500 | 44 |
| 12 | 3 | Umberto Ferrauto | Italy | 156,000 | 62 |
| 12 | 4 | Panagiotis Mavritsakis | Greece | 248,000 | 99 |
| 12 | 5 | Caner Gunes | Turkey | 367,000 | 147 |
| 12 | 6 | Carlos Cadavid | Colombia | 238,000 | 95 |
| 13 | 1 | Dmitrii Kravchenko | Russian Federation | 16,500 | 7 |
| 13 | 2 | George Phokas | Cyprus | 153,000 | 61 |
| 13 | 3 | Simone Andrian | Italy | 182,000 | 73 |
| 13 | 4 | Zekerriya Nizam | Turkey | 93,500 | 37 |
| 13 | 5 | Guy Gorelik | Israel | 64,500 | 26 |
| 13 | 6 | Sergio Garcia | Spain | 222,000 | 89 |
| 14 | 1 | Hanif Shafeghat | Iran | 58,000 | 23 |
| 14 | 2 | Timur Mukhamedaminov | Kazakhstan | 157,500 | 63 |
| 14 | 3 | Nicolas Chouity | Lebanon | 131,000 | 52 |
| 14 | 4 | Vitalii Kononenko | Ukraine | 416,000 | 166 |
| 14 | 5 | Musaab Gaem | Iraq | 267,000 | 107 |
| 14 | 6 | Illia Hurin | Ukraine | 185,500 | 74 |
| 15 | 1 | Felipe Ketzer | Brazil | 322,000 | 129 |
| 15 | 2 | Geoffrey Mooney | Ireland | 128,000 | 51 |
| 15 | 3 | Sebastian Henao | Colombia | 249,500 | 100 |
| 15 | 4 | Evgenii Chernyi | Russian Federation | 203,000 | 81 |
| 15 | 5 | Alisa Sibgatova | Russian Federation | 167,000 | 67 |
| 15 | 6 | Koray Korkmaz | Turkey | 150,000 | 60 |
| 16 | 1 | Tahsin Cankurtaranli | Turkey | 57,500 | 23 |
| 16 | 2 | Ahmad | Jordan | 91,000 | 36 |
| 16 | 3 | Andras Matrai | Hungary | 466,500 | 187 |
| 16 | 4 | Assorio' | San Marino | 83,500 | 33 |
| 16 | 5 | Gor Musinyan | Armenia | 107,500 | 43 |
| 16 | 6 | Gaspare Sposato | Italy | 170,000 | 68 |
| 17 | 1 | Elena Iakovleva | Russian Federation | 185,500 | 74 |
| 17 | 2 | Bulent Aytekin | Turkey | 295,500 | 118 |
| 17 | 3 | Serkan Solak | Turkey | 132,500 | 53 |
| 17 | 4 | Wael Sarkis | Lebanon | 167,500 | 67 |
| 17 | 5 | Volodymyr Pilyavsky | Ukraine | 268,000 | 107 |
| 17 | 6 | Alexander Sokolovsky | Ukraine | 247,500 | 99 |
| 18 | 1 | Ivan Ilichev | Russian Federation | 320,000 | 128 |
| 18 | 2 | Natan Chauskin | Belarus | 134,500 | 54 |
| 18 | 3 | Ioannis Panagiotopoulos | Greece | 125,000 | 50 |
| 18 | 4 | Osman Aksu | Turkey | 135,000 | 54 |
| 18 | 5 | Sergei Moiseev | Russian Federation | 41,000 | 16 |
| 18 | 6 | Musa Genc | Turkey | 145,500 | 58 |
| 19 | 1 | Orhan Ates | Turkey | 210,000 | 84 |
| 19 | 2 | Nikolay Fal | Belarus | 159,500 | 64 |
| 19 | 3 | Hassan Barakat | Lebanon | 30,000 | 12 |
| 19 | 4 | Selahaddin Bedir | Turkey | 163,500 | 65 |
| 19 | 5 | Lennart Beumelburg | Netherlands | 134,000 | 54 |
| 19 | 6 | Ali Muthana Al-Kubasi | Iraq | 152,500 | 61 |
| 20 | 1 | Viacheslav Kardash | Ukraine | 201,500 | 81 |
| 20 | 2 | Hulya Seckin | Turkey | 226,500 | 91 |
| 20 | 3 | Mihai Trofim | Romania | 103,000 | 41 |
| 20 | 4 | Farkas Benedek | Hungary | 109,000 | 44 |
| 20 | 5 | Davit Mikhanashvili | Georgia | 185,000 | 74 |
| 20 | 6 | Kenar | Turkey | 160,000 | 64 |
| 21 | 1 | Luciano Piaggesi | Italy | 308,000 | 123 |
| 21 | 2 | Mert Hadioglu | Turkey | 116,000 | 46 |
| 21 | 3 | Mustafa Simsek | Turkey | 98,000 | 39 |
| 21 | 4 | Ivan Zabiiakin | Russian Federation | 117,500 | 47 |
| 21 | 5 | Mounim Kaddouri | Morocco | 36,000 | 14 |
| 21 | 6 | Yilu Yuan | China | 81,000 | 32 |
| 22 | 1 | Golam Ali Lakkhosravi | Iran | 18,000 | 7 |
| 22 | 2 | Ghassan Khalil | Lebanon | 141,500 | 57 |
| 22 | 3 | Gerardo Ulloa | Mexico | 154,000 | 62 |
| 22 | 4 | Yevhen Buhaichuk | Ukraine | 63,000 | 25 |
| 22 | 5 | Kadir Altinbasak | Turkey | 36,000 | 14 |
| 22 | 6 | Sergey Voronin | Russian Federation | 322,500 | 129 |
| 23 | 1 | Hamad Almannai | Bahrain | 217,500 | 87 |
| 23 | 2 | Damir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | 92,000 | 37 |
| 23 | 3 | Nikola Radevic | Montenegro | 444,000 | 178 |
| 23 | 4 | Rayan Aljawhari | Saudi Arabia | 112,500 | 45 |
| 23 | 5 | Eyal Eshkar | Israel | 147,500 | 59 |
| 23 | 6 | Xiaosheng Zheng | China | 232,000 | 93 |
| 24 | 1 | Jordan Fisch | United States | 268,000 | 107 |
| 24 | 2 | Lev Voronin | Russian Federation | 197,000 | 79 |
| 24 | 3 | Zoja Fleischer | Austria | 345,500 | 138 |
| 24 | 4 | Anton Danilov | Russian Federation | 228,000 | 91 |
| 24 | 5 | Adrian State | Romania | 270,000 | 108 |
| 24 | 6 | 'Player' | San Marino | 106,500 | 43 |
| 25 | 1 | Jad Dandachi | Lebanon | 186,000 | 74 |
| 25 | 2 | Hassan Nashar | Lebanon | 885,000 | 354 |
| 25 | 3 | Danielle Noja | Italy | 143,000 | 57 |
| 25 | 4 | Goofy | San Marino | 178,000 | 71 |
| 25 | 5 | Elio Farah | Lebanon | 311,500 | 125 |
$3,500 Merit Poker Cup
Day 2 Started
