button in SafariGilles Simon Returns Among the Big Stacks with $7,500 High Roller Resuming at Noon
An all-action day awaits inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, as the $7,500 High Roller resumes at noon local time.
With late registration still open in the 2026 NOIR Poker Series' most expensive event, the 78-strong field is set to grow before the real drama begins, with the prize pool to be revealed, the money bubble potentially bursting, and the remaining players then battling to build the biggest stacks possible ahead of the showpiece final day.
Aliaksandr Hirs can afford to leave the considerations of rebuy options and the money bubble that may follow to those further down the counts, having ended Day 1 with an iron grip on the chip lead. His giant 562,000 stack sees him return over 100 big blinds clear of his nearest competitor.
Start of Day 2 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 |
Beginning Day 2 just a few spots behind the chip leader is Gilles Simon, a player who knows exactly what it takes to win big in Cyprus. Simon won the inaugural EPT Cyprus Main Event in 2023, a victory that thrust his career into the limelight and earned him a career-best $1,042,000 payday. He'll return among the chip leaders, having bagged 340,000 after eight levels of play.
Others returning having successfully navigated the opening flight include 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).
Players will return to the felt at noon local time, picking up on Level 9 with blinds of 1,000/2,000 and a 2,000 big blind ante. Late registration and unlimited reentries will remain available through the end of Level 12, before the field is locked in and the prize pool is announced. The exact schedule for Day 2 is yet to be confirmed, with further details expected once 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 |
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