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$5,400 Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2026 Mediterranean Poker Party
$5,400 Main Event
Day: 1b
Players Left 220 / 806
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 17
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
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.
Level 17
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Level 17
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Day 1b of the MPP Main Event has now concluded. Of the 267 entries to the flight, 40 players have bagged and tagged to return in the money for Day 2. Standby for the full chip counts and recap on PokerNews.
Level 17
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
On the same table as the shortest stack Tom Talboom, Oshri Lahmani shoved from the button for 420,000. Talboom folded in the small blind, and Volodymyr Drokin called in the big blind.
It clearly wasn't Lahmani's plan to get called by a covering stack, but he said, "It is what it is" as the floor came over to run the hand. Players flipped their cards, with Lahmani at risk.
Oshri Lahmani: J♦J♠ 
Volodymyr Drokin: K♦Q♥
Drokin paired his queen on the Q♠5♣3♠ flop, leaving Lahmani drawing thin. The 10♠ turn and 3♦ river sealed the deal. Drokin won the pot, while Lahmani was eliminated on the stone bubble.
Level 17
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
After losing all but a single chip in a previous hand, Tom Talboom had folded a few hands in a row on the bubble to try to make it through. He was under the gun when he threw in his last 25,000. The button iso-shoved and players waited for the floor as the crowds gathered.
"Everyone wants you to win," joked a tablemate to Talboom.
Tom Talboom: A♥10♠
Button: K♦Q♣
The board ran out A♣3♦8♠K♥8♦ and Talboom made the higher two pair with aces and eights to win the pot. He then folded in the blinds while the bubble was going on.
Level 17
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Day 1b of the MPP Main Event has gone hand for hand with 41 players remaining and 40 set to find the bag.
Level 17
: Blinds 25,000/50,000, 50,000 ante
Tom Talboom pushed nearly all in for 500,000 from the button, leaving a single 25,000 chip behind. Zdenek Zizka used a time bank before putting in the call from the big blind.
Both players checked it down on the K♣2♦7♥ flop and again on the A♠ turn.
Talboom was hoping to see another check, but Zizka shoved on the Q♥ river. Talboom threw all of his time bank cards into the middle, trying to let other players bust. His time ran out and he folded with just 25,000 behind.
On another table, a player open-shoved a short stack and was called by Damir Gabdullin. The all-in player had A♣5♠, while Gabdullin had him dominated with A♠K♦.
The board ran out 2♠8♠3♣9♣J♣ and Gabdullin held with ace-king high to win the pot, sending his opponent to the exit in 42nd place. With that, the tournament reached the stone bubble.
Level: 17
Blinds: 25,000/50,000
Ante: 50,000
Level 16
: Blinds 20,000/40,000, 40,000 ante
Arman Bezhanyan was all in for just 120,000 from the hijack, worth just three big blinds. The small blind made the call and Bezhanyan was in danger. Players flipped their cards.
Arman Bezhanyan: K♠3♠
Small Blind: A♣5♣
Neither player improved on the 4♦9♦9♠6♠2♦ runout, so the small blind's ace-high held along with the nines on board. He won the pot and Bezhanyan was the next to be eliminated.
