Manuel Fritz raised to 400,000 in the hijack, and only Konstantin Voronin called in the big blind.
Voronin check-called another 400,000 on a J♣A♠7♠ flop, before the 10♦ checked through.
The 9♣ river saw Voronin lead out for 900,000, which Fritz called. Voronin tabled J♠8♣ for a straight, and Fritz mucked his cards.
Kenar raised to 400,000 in the hijack, and Xiaosheng Zheng called in the big blind.
Zheng check-called another 400,000 bet on a 9♦A♥J♣ flop, but the K♥ turn saw him deciding for his tournament life when 'Kenar' jammed for 1,775,000 effective. After some time in the tank, Zheng elected to call.
Xiaosheng Zheng: J♥3♥ 
Kenar: A♦3♣
Zheng was looking for any jack or a heart, but the 7♠ river was no use, ending his Main Event in 13th place.
Konstantin Voronin moved all in for 2,600,000 in early position, with his shove going uncalled.
The very next hand, he did the same, moving all in for 3,100,000. Once again, nobody was interested, seeing Voronin scoop the blinds for a second hand running.
Manuel Fritz raised to 400,000 under the gun, and Tarzan defended his big blind.
'Tarzan' check-called a bet of 550,000 on an A♦5♦10♣ flop, but when Fritz continued for 1,800,000 on the 8♥ turn, 'Tarzan' check-raised all in, and Fritz called, putting his 7,825,000 at risk.
Manuel Fritz: A♥10♥
Tarzan: A♠Q♥
The 7♦ river was a brick for 'Tarzan', seeing the majority of his stack move one seat to his left.
The returning 13 players have taken their seats, and cards are in the air for the final day!
Level: 27
Blinds: 100,000/200,000
Ante: 200,000
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 1,800,000 | 9 |
| 1 | 2 | Miroslav Rizov | Bulgaria | 7,050,000 | 35 |
| 1 | 3 | Selahaddin Bedir | Turkey | 3,475,000 | 17 |
| 1 | 4 | Xiaosheng Zheng | China | 3,375,000 | 17 |
| 1 | 5 | Anton Danilov | Russian Federation | 6,200,000 | 31 |
| 1 | 6 | Viktor Siegle | Germany | 3,300,000 | 17 |
| 1 | 7 | Kenar | Turkey | 15,050,000 | 75 |
| 2 | 1 | Fabian Gumz | Germany | 5,700,000 | 29 |
| 2 | 2 | Aleksei Gortikov | Russian Federation | 4,925,000 | 25 |
| 2 | 3 | Leonid Orman | Russian Federation | 3,125,000 | 16 |
| 2 | 4 | Konstantin Voronin | Russian Federation | 2,500,000 | 13 |
| 2 | 5 | Tarzan | San Marino | 12,800,000 | 64 |
| 2 | 6 | Manuel Fritz | Austria | 8,775,000 | 44 |
The 2026 NOIR Poker Series is set to reach its climax with the crowning of the $5,500 Merit Poker Main Event champion.
An event that began with 769 players taking their seats inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, creating a $3,608,148 prize pool, will now resume at 1:00 p.m. local time with just 13 players still in contention for the title and the $525,000 first-place prize.
Entering the day atop the leaderboard are two mystery players. Both 'Kenar' and 'Tarzan' will sit down with eight-figure stacks in front of them after pulling clear of the field on Day 2.
Returning at the bottom of the pack with a stack of 1,800,000, Bulgarian Fahredin Mustafov is looking to close the gap on the one player in front of him on his country's all-time money list, where he currently sits in second place with just north of $12,000,000 in live tournament earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenar | Turkey | 15,050,000 | 75 |
| 2 | Tarzan | San Marino | 12,800,000 | 64 |
| 3 | Manuel Fritz | Austria | 8,775,000 | 44 |
| 4 | Miroslav Rizov | Bulgaria | 7,050,000 | 35 |
| 5 | Anton Danilov | Russian Federation | 6,200,000 | 31 |
| 6 | Fabian Gumz | Germany | 5,700,000 | 29 |
| 7 | Aleksei Gortikov | Russian Federation | 4,925,000 | 25 |
| 8 | Selahaddin Bedir | Turkey | 3,475,000 | 17 |
| 9 | Xiaosheng Zheng | China | 3,375,000 | 17 |
| 10 | Viktor Siegle | Germany | 3,300,000 | 17 |
In between the chip leaders and Mustafov, a wealth of poker experience remains in the pack. Returning inside the top five with 5,700,000 chips, Fabian Gumz is a WPT Prime champion who boasts more than $4,000,000 in career earnings, according to The Hendon Mob.
Selahaddin Bedir (3,475,000), Xiaosheng Zheng (3,375,000), Leonid Orman (3,125,000), and Konstantin Voronin (2,500,000) are also among those in the chasing pack.
The remaining 13 players will return at 1 p.m. local time for Day 3, picking up the action at Level 27 with blinds of 100,000/200,000 and a 200,000 big blind ante. The schedule for the day remains unconfirmed and is expected to take shape once play gets underway.
All returning players have locked up at least $46,200, but with just 12 eliminations separating them from the title, the focus now shifts firmly towards the $525,000 first-place prize and the NOIR Poker Series Main Event trophy.
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $525,000 |
| 2 | $375,000 |
| 3 | $257,000 |
| 4 | $181,000 |
| 5 | $129,000 |
| 6 | $100,000 |
| 7 | $81,000 |
| 8 | $66,700 |
| 9 | $57,048 |
| 10-11 | $51,000 |
| 12-13 | $46,200 |
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$5,500 Main Event
Day 3 Started
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