button in Safari
$7,500 High Roller
Day 1 Completed
2026 NOIR Poker Series
$7,500 High Roller
Day: 1
Players Left 78 / 114
Filter
Top
Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
A quick-fire Day 1 of the $7,500 High Roller has come to an end inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus. Just eight 40-minute levels were played, with 78 players navigating the day and advancing to Day 2.
The highest-buy-in event of the 2026 Merit Poker NOIR Series drew 114 players to the grand hall, with the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool helping attract a strong field when play kicked off at 6 p.m. local time.
Standing head and shoulders above the rest of the field, Aliaksandr Hirs enjoyed a remarkable opening day, bagging 562,000 chips to take a commanding overnight lead. His stack will be worth 281 big blinds when play resumes, putting him more than 100 big blinds clear of his nearest challenger heading into Day 2.
Behind him, it is Caner Gunes who finished the day closest to the chip leader, bagging 343,000 to sit second on the leaderboard. Gilles Simon and Ivan Ilichev share the final spot on the podium, with both players ending the day on 340,000.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aliaksandr Hirs | Belarus | 562,000 | 281 |
| 2 | Caner Gunes | Turkey | 343,000 | 172 |
| 3 | Gilles Simon | Netherlands | 340,000 | 170 |
| 4 | Ivan Ilichev | Russian Federation | 340,000 | 170 |
| 5 | Yesset Aimukhanov | Kazakhstan | 316,000 | 158 |
| 6 | Farkas Benedek | Hungary | 309,500 | 155 |
| 7 | Aleksandr Razinkov | Russian Federation | 297,500 | 149 |
| 8 | Martins Adeniya | United Kingdom | 292,000 | 146 |
| 9 | John Doe | n/a | 288,500 | 144 |
| 10 | Rayan Aljawhari | Lebanon | 279,000 | 140 |
The strength of the field extends well beyond the top of the leaderboard, with plenty of quality still lurking further down the counts. Merijn van Rooij (263,500), Martins Adeniya (292,000), Ryan Mandara (256,000), Natalia Nikitina (212,000), Alexander Lakhov (185,000), Tobias Peters (173,500) and Simone Andrian (113,500) are among those returning for Day 2.
Not everybody enjoyed such a prosperous day, with Joris Ruijs, Paul Esau, Manig Loeser, Raoul Kanme, Mihai Niste, Arsenii Karmatckii, Bogdan Jontulovic, Ali Al-Kubasi and Andras Matrai among those unable to find a way through the field.
Their tournament is not necessarily over, however, with unlimited reentries available and late registration remaining open until the end of Level 12.
The action resumes tomorrow, Saturday, August 1, at 1:00 p.m. local time, with play recommencing on Level 9 with blinds of 1,000/2,000 and a 2,000 big blind ante. The schedule for Day 2 has yet to be confirmed but is expected to be announced shortly after play gets underway.
Remaining $7,500 High Roller Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 1 | Day 2 | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| August 2 | Day 3 | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
Be sure to tune back into PokerNews and follow all the action until a $7,500 High Roller champion is crowned.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The final hand has been dealt on Day 1 of the $7,500 High Roller, with 78 players surviving the flight and advancing to Day 2.
Stay tuned for the full chip counts as well as a recap of the day's action.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Jay O'Leary opened to 5,200 from under the gun, which Merijn van Rooij called in the cutoff. Ali Al-Kubasi came along in the small blind before Andras Matrai moved all in from the big blind for 21,100. O'Leary folded, but Van Rooij responded with a four-bet to 106,000. Al-Kubasi gave it serious consideration before deciding to risk his own 95,000.
Andras Matrai: J♦9♦ 
Ali Al-Kubasi: Q♥6♥
Merijn van Rooij: A♥Q♦
Van Rooij was the only player involved who didn't stand up to watch the runout. Remaining seated, he watched as his ace-queen held on to the lead over the Q♠K♠3♦2♠8♦ runout, seeing him eliminate two as the day came to a close.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The tournament clock has been paused, and the dealers have been instructed to deal three more hands. Upon the completion of those, the surviving players will bag their chips and advance to Day 2.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Aleksandras Rusinovas moved all in for roughly 10,000 from the hijack, and Hassan Nashar called in the small blind, once again without looking at his cards.
Aleksandras Rusinovas: A♣Q♠
Hassan Nashar: 8♠6♥
"That's a good start", Rusinovas told Nashar upon seeing the K♣K♦6♠ flop.
It didn't get any better for Rusinovas, as the J♠ turn and 5♠ river completed the board, sending him to the rail.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Hassan Nashar raised to 8,000 in the hijack, and, having not realised the size of the raise, Aleksandras Rusinovas announced a call in the big blind. The floor was called, and Rusinovas was forced to call, leaving himself just 1,300 behind.
Both players checked on the Q♦9♥8♠ flop, and again on the J♦ turn.
When Rusinovas checked a third time on the 9♣ river, Nashar moved all in. Rusinovas called and tabled 7♥6♠. Remarkably, it was good enough for half of the pot, as Nashar revealed he had 6♣4♦.
Level: 8
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 2,000
Level 7
: Blinds 1,000/1,500, 1,500 ante
One shuffle after raising blind from under the gun and getting folds from the whole table, Hassan Nashar put all his chips in from the big blind. This time, his 102,500 was at risk against Aleksandras Rusinovas, who called in the cutoff after raising.
Hassan Nashar: Q♠J♦
Aleksandras Rusinovas: 10♠10♥
Rusinovas held the lead all the way to the K♦K♣A♣2♥J♠ river, but Nashar found a better pair with the last card to ensure his survival, giving him more chips to splash around with.
