button in SafariMerit Poker Cup Delicately Poised as Vyacheslav Kardash Holds Chip Lead on Stone Bubble
The penultimate day of the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup has come to a close, with 64 players left standing and the money bubble still to burst at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus.
The day began with 129 players who had navigated one of the three opening flights taking their seats, but by the time late registration closed five levels into the day, a further 125 had joined the field. That brought the total number of entries to 428 and swelled the prize pool to $1,260,032, comfortably eclipsing the $1 million guarantee.
Of those 428 entries, 63 will make the money, meaning the final day is set to begin with the bubble bursting and end with the 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series crowning its latest champion.
Leading the charge into the final day is Vyacheslav Kardash, one of just three players to surpass the two-million-chip mark, with 2,090,000. Ali Al-Kubasi and Stefan-Sebastian Ionita follow close behind, having bagged 2,050,000 and 2,035,000 respectively.
Merit Poker Cup Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vyacheslav Kardash | Russian Federation | 2,090,000 | 105 |
| 2 | Ali Al-Kubasi | Iraq | 2,050,000 | 103 |
| 3 | Stefan-Sebastian Ionita | Romania | 2,035,000 | 102 |
| 4 | Huseyin Akgul | Turkey | 1,800,000 | 90 |
| 5 | Bogdan Jontulovic | Serbia | 1,665,000 | 83 |
| 6 | Evgenii Chernyi | Russian Federation | 1,620,000 | 81 |
| 7 | Ohad Geiger | Israel | 1,555,000 | 78 |
| 8 | Maksim Shornikau | Belarus | 1,500,000 | 75 |
| 9 | Yurii Zabrodotskyi | Ukraine | 1,480,000 | 74 |
| 10 | Pavel Shchitnikov | Russian Federation | 1,265,000 | 63 |
There is plenty of firepower further down the leaderboard, with Ohad Geiger (1,555,000), Dmitry Gromov (960,000), Adrian State (950,000), Xiaosheng Zheng (605,000), Simone Andrian (575,000), and Felipe Ketzer (465,000) all still in contention.
Among those falling short of the money, Shyngis Satubayev was unable to bag a single chip despite making a Royal Flush earlier in the day. Frequent high-roller Joris Ruijs, start-of-day chip leader Hassan Nashar, Martins Adeniya, Aren Bezhanyan, and Paul Esau were also among those unable to survive the day.
The surviving players will return on Friday, July 31 at noon local time, and play will resume on Level 22 with blinds of 10,000/20,000 and a 20,000 big blind ante. The tournament will restart on the stone bubble, with the action continuing until a champion is crowned and $240,000 and the tournament trophy are claimed.
$3,500 Merit Poker Cup Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $240,000 | 12-13 | $16,900 |
| 2 | $168,000 | 14-15 | $14,400 |
| 3 | $115,000 | 16-17 | $12,400 |
| 4 | $80,300 | 18-20 | $10,800 |
| 5 | $60,500 | 21-23 | $9,500 |
| 6 | $49,000 | 24-31 | $8,200 |
| 7 | $40,500 | 32-39 | $7,200 |
| 8 | $32,400 | 40-47 | $6,300 |
| 9 | $24,432 | 48-63 | $5,500 |
| 10-11 | $20,000 |
Be sure to tune into PokerNews and follow all the action as it unfolds until a 2026 Merit Poker Cup champion is crowned.