button in SafariReigning Champion Daniel Thaller Bags on Day 1b of MPP Main Event
Day 1b of the 2026 Mediterranean Poker Party Main Event, running at Merit Crystal Cove, has concluded. Of the 267 players who entered the flight, 40 players bagged and tagged to return for Day 2.
Ondrej Drozd finished with the biggest stack out of Day 1b contenders, bagging 3,280,000 chips, although he couldn't quite surpass Day 1a chip leader Hao Zhu, who still has the overall lead with 3,650,000. Drozd is well on track for his biggest tournament score if he can carry that stack all the way in the $5 million guaranteed Main Event.
Aren Bezhanyan, who has over $6 million in live tournament winnings and has made several high roller final tables at the Merit Resort, bagged in second with 2,910,000. Tahsin Cankurtaranli rounds out the top three with 3,315,000.
Top Ten Day 1b Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ondrej Drozd | Czechia | 3,280,000 | 66 |
| 2 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 2,910,000 | 58 |
| 3 | Tahsin Cankurtaranli | Turkey | 2,515,000 | 50 |
| 4 | Ivan Bryksin | Russian Federation | 2,375,000 | 48 |
| 5 | Nuri Hadioglu | Turkey | 2,365,000 | 47 |
| 6 | Mehmet Biskin | Turkey | 2,360,000 | 47 |
| 7 | Raphael Schreiner | Austria | 2,320,000 | 46 |
| 8 | Danesh Zargaran | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 2,295,000 | 46 |
| 9 | Damir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | 2,115,000 | 42 |
| 10 | Volodymyr Drokin | Ukraine | 2,050,000 | 41 |
Last year's MPP Main Event champion Daniel Thaller also made it through the flight, bagging around the middle of the pack with 1,015,000. Thaller defeated Timothy Chung heads-up in the 2025 edition to take home the trophy and $786,670 in prize money. He's now on track for another deep run.
Aside from the reigning champion, it was an interesting mix of quality players who made it through the flight, including; Damir Gabdullin (2,115,000), who came second in the Onyx HRS Opener earlier in 2026; WSOP bracelet winner and Backgammon Grandmaster Zdenek Zizka (1,495,000); and two-time WSOP bracelet winner and tournament crusher Fahredin Mustafov (600,000).
The MPP Main Event continues with Day 1c, the third of four starting flights, running on September 26 at 1 p.m. local time. Players start with 200,000 stacks and blind levels run for 40-minutes, with a break every three levels. Late registration remains open until after the dinner break at the end of Level 9.
There's also a turbo Day 1d flight running, the last chance for players to bag for Day 2. All players who make it through one of the starting flights will return already in the money.
MPP Main Event Remaining Schedule
| Day | Date | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1b | Thursday 24 September | 1:00 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| Day 1c | Friday 25 September | 1:00 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| Day 1d | Friday 25 September | 8:30 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| Day 2 | Saturday 26 September | 1 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| Day 3 | Sunday 27 September | 1 p.m. | 60 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates straight from the tournament floor as reporters follow the Main Event all the way down to a winner.