button in SafariMerit Poker Cup Rolls On with Day 1b Kicks Off at Noon
The 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series continues inside the stunning Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus as Day 1b of the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup gets underway at noon. The opening flight attracted 159 entries with 86 punching their ticket into Day 2. Another healthy turnout is expected as the field continues to grow toward the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Currently occupying the top spot after Day 1a is Gilles Simon, who bagged 557,000 to put himself in pole position heading into Day 2. Turkey's Atilla Saracoglu finished close behind with 519,000, while Andras Matrai rounded out the top three with 466,500.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gilles Simon | Netherlands | 557,000 | 223 |
| 2 | Atilla Saracoglu | Turkey | 519,000 | 208 |
| 3 | Andras Matrai | Hungary | 466,500 | 187 |
| 4 | Sukhrat Massimov | Kazakhstan | 448,000 | 179 |
| 5 | Nikola Radevic | Slovakia | 444,000 | 178 |
| 6 | Mehmet Dalkilic | Turkey | 435,000 | 174 |
| 7 | Mihai Niste | Romania | 414,500 | 166 |
| 8 | Elie Farah | Lebanon | 387,500 | 155 |
| 9 | Ryan Mandara | United Kingdom | 360,000 | 144 |
| 10 | Zoja Fleischer | Germany | 345,500 | 138 |
Some other players to make it through the opening flight include Mihai Niste (414,500), Sergey Voronin (322,500), Ivan Ilichev (320,000), Luciano Piaggesi (308,000), Bulent Aytekin (295,500), Konstantin Voronin (290,000), who also recorded the tournament's first elimination, Volodymyr Pilyavsky (268,000), and Cai Zheng (254,500).
Day 1b starts at 12 p.m., following the same structure as the opening flight, with players receiving a 100,000 starting stack and playing ten 40-minute levels. Later in the evening, Day 1c gets underway at 9 p.m. with 25-minute levels, offering one final chance to build a big stack for Day 2 before the field combines. Late registration remains open until the start of Level 16 on Day 2.
Remaining Merit Poker Cup Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 29 | Day 1b | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| July 29 | Day 1c | 9 p.m. | 25 minutes |
| July 30 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| July 31 | Final Day | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
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Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates, chip counts, and all the biggest hands as the Merit Poker Cup continues from Northern Cyprus.