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$5,500 Main Event
Day 2 Completed
2026 NOIR Poker Series
$5,500 Main Event
Day: 2
Players Left 3 / 769
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Final Table
2
12,800,000
Level 26
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
After ten levels of play inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, the start-of-day field of 113 players in the $5,500 Merit Poker Main Event has been reduced to just 13.
The flagship event of the 2026 NOIR Poker Series drew a field of 769 entries, creating a prize pool of $3,608,148. Shortly after play began, the payouts were announced, revealing that the remaining players were now chasing a top prize of $525,000, alongside the coveted Main Event title.
Returning to the final day closest to that target are two players who prefer to remain anonymous. They were also the only two players to end the day with eight-figure stacks. 'Kenar' ended the day holding onto the overnight chip lead with 15,050,000, while 'Tarzan' sits close behind on 12,800,000.
Completing the podium is high-stakes regular Manuel Fritz. Boasting close to $7,000,000 in lifetime earnings, according to The Hendon Mob, the Austrian sits well within striking distance of the two chip leaders, with 8,775,000 chips, worth 44 big blinds, when play resumes.
Main Event Top Ten Chip Counts
| 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 |
Further down the leaderboard, plenty of firepower remains, with Fabian Gumz (5,700,000), Selahaddin Bedir (3,475,000), Xiaosheng Zheng (3,375,000) and High Roller final tablist Leonid Orman (3,125,000) all still in contention.
However, arguably the most accomplished player remaining, Fahredin Mustafov, finds himself at the bottom of the leaderboard heading into the final day with 1,800,000.
The Bulgarian professional boasts more than $12 million in lifetime earnings, according to The Hendon Mob, and currently sits second on Bulgaria’s all-time money list.
Chip Leaders No More
One of the day’s more remarkable storylines was the complete disappearance of the Day 1 starting-flight chip leaders, with none of the four advancing to the final day.
First to fall was Timur Margolin in 68th place. The Day 1a chip leader ran his Broadway straight into a full house, bringing his Main Event dreams to an early end.
Shortly after, Day 1c chip leader Ehsan Amiri joined him on the rail. Earlier in the day, Amiri had collided with another of the starting-flight leaders, Dmitrii Nazarov. After coming off second best in that encounter, his tournament soon unravelled, and he was eliminated in 58th place.
As the field thinned towards the final few tables, Day 1d chip leader Haydar Issa was next to fall, with Nazarov soon following. When Day 1b chip leader Nazarov was eliminated in 30th place, the unlikely fate of all four starting-flight leaders was sealed, with none of them making it to the final day.
Alongside those notable eliminations, a host of big names also saw their Main Event runs come to an end. EPT Main Event champions Nicolas Chouity (22nd), Arsenii Karmatckii (37th) and Gilles Simon (56th) were joined on the rail by high-stakes regulars Aren Bezhanyan (15th), Felipe Ketzer (18th) and Joris Ruijs (59th).
WSOP bracelet winners Ravid Garbi (24th) and Dietrich Fast (78th) also fell, while GGPoker Pro Yuxi Huang was eliminated in 27th place.
Those who did survive will return for Day 3 on Thursday, August 6 at 1 p.m., with the remaining players returning to Level 27. The blinds will recommence at 100,000/200,000, with a 200,000 big blind ante. The schedule for the day has yet to be confirmed and is likely to be determined once play gets underway.
Each returning player is guaranteed a minimum payout of $46,200, but with just 12 players standing between them and Merit Poker Series Main Event glory, the first-place prize of $525,000 is now firmly in sight.
Main Event Remaining Payouts
| 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 |
Stay tuned to PokerNews, as we bring you all the action live from the felt until a Noir Poker Series Main Event champion is crowned.
Level 26
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
Level 26
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
The 13 players have bagged up their chips and will return tomorrow to play down to a winner.
Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the penultimate day's action.
Level 26
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
On the final hand of the night, Anton Danilov raised to 300,000 from under the gun, with Konstantin Voronin calling from the next seat and 'Tarzan' coming along from the hijack.
Danilov checked the 9♣8♦6♣ flop, and Voronin fired 600,000. Both 'Tarzan' and Danilov called.
The 3♥ turn saw Danilov and Voronin check before 'Tarzan' bet 950,000. Both players called.
All three players checked the 2♥ river before the cards were tabled. Danilov showed A♣8♣ for a pair of eights, while Voronin revealed 7♣7♦ for a pair of sevens, but both players were beaten by the A♦9♦ of 'Tarzan', good for a pair of nines.
Level 26
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
'Tarzan' raised to 325,000 from middle position, and Fahredin Mustafov was the only caller on the button.
'Tarzan' fired for 300,000 on the J♠8♣10♠ flop, and Mustafov called.
The 8♦ arrived on the turn, and 'Tarzan' bet again, this time for 225,000. Once more, Mustafov called.
The 2♠ completed the board, and 'Tarzan' checked. Mustafov slid out a bet of 1,200,000, sending 'Tarzan' into the tank. After looking over at Mustafov a few times and using a time bank, 'Tarzan' called.
Mustafov tabled A♦9♦ for a missed straight draw, and lost the pot to 'Tarzan's A♥10♥ for just a pair of tens.
Level 26
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
Dmitrii Kravchenko moved all in from under the gun for 700,000, but when Miroslav Rizov called in the small blind, it was the worst possible news.
Dmitrii Kravchenko: A♠5♥ 
Miroslav Rizov: A♥A♣
There was no miracle to be found for Kravchenko, as the A♦3♠8♠2♦7♦ could only improve his opponent to top set.
Level 26
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
Leonid Orman raised to 300,000 from middle position, and 'Tarzan' defended from the big blind.
'Tarzan' checked the 3♦A♠10♣ flop, and Orman continued for 275,000. 'Tarzan' called.
A second check came from 'Tarzan' when the Q♥ arrived on the turn. Orman announced a bet of 900,000, and after using a time bank, 'Tarzan' check-raised to 2,500,000.
Orman took some time to think before electing to fold, surrendering the pot to 'Tarzan'.
Level 26
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
'Kenar' opened to 300,000 on the button and faced a three-bet shove of 1,175,000 from Aleksei Gortikov in the big blind.
"This would be a big gamble, gamble" 'Kenar' said before choosing to call.
Aleksei Gortikov: A♣K♠
'Kenar': 5♥4♦
The preflop favourite, Gortikov held on as the dealer provided a J♥10♠7♣8♦K♦ board.
Level 26
: Blinds 75,000/150,000, 150,000 ante
When the action folded to Aren Bezhanyan in the small blind, he jammed for around 1,300,000. 'Kenar' looked down at his cards in the big blind and immediately flicked in the call.
Aren Bezhanyan: Q♣2♠
'Kenar': A♦K♦
Bezhanyan had run into a monster, although he at least had two live cards with five to come.
The 9♠J♦9♥ flop kept the ace-high of 'Kenar' in front, and the A♠ turn ended Bezhanyan's Main Event run as 'Kenar' improved to top pair.
The 4♥ river was merely a formality, and Bezhanyan headed to the cashier's desk to collect his 15th-place payout.
