Gilles Simon completed from the small blind and Timur Margolin raised to 70,000 in the big blind. Simon called.
Both players checked to the river on a board of A♦5♦7♥Q♦6♦ before Simon bet 120,000. Margolin glanced over at Simon, who was sitting directly to his right, before raising to 340,000.
Simon took a few moments before folding, prompting Margolin to proudly turn over the stone-cold bluff with 10♠9♠ and add a few more chips to an already imposing tower.
Aren Bezhanyan raised from early position and Irina Zheleznyak jammed for 270,000 on the button. Bezhanyan got an exact count from the dealer before making the call.
Irina Zheleznyak: A♠A♣
Aren Bezhanyan: 3♥3♦
Zheleznyak woke up with aces, but disaster struck on the 3♠4♦8♥ flop as Bezhanyan improved to a set.
The rest of the board ran out Q♣7♣, and Zheleznyak tapped the table as her chips were pushed in Bezhanyan's direction.
With 769 players coming through the doors, the NOIR Poker Series Main Event has a prize pool of $3,608,148, to be shared among the top 113 players.
All players who advanced to Day 2 already have $10,000 locked up, with a six-figure score awaiting the top six places. Set aside for the eventual champion, $525,000 will be awarded alongside the Main Event trophy.
With Traian Stanciu already all in preflop, Martins Adeniya in the big blind and Jose Assorio under the gun continued playing for a side pot.
The board read 10♥2♥J♠10♠, and Adeniya checked to Assorio, who bet 125,000. Adeniya elected to continue via a call.
The 4♣ river checked through, and all three players tabled their cards.
Adeniya showed 3♠2♠ for a pair of deuces, while Stanciu held K♣J♥ for top pair. However, Assorio tabled Q♠Q♥ for an overpair to scoop the entire pot and eliminate Stanciu in the process.
On the very first shuffle, the action folded to Guy Gorelik in the small blind, who shoved for 195,000. Iurii Okolovich called from the big blind.
Guy Gorelik: Q♥7♥
Iurii Okolovich: K♣J♣
Okolovich was ahead with king-high, although Gorelik had two live cards working for him.
Okolovich took a commanding lead on the J♥2♦2♣ flop by pairing his jack.
The 7♠ turn gave Gorelik some additional outs, but the 8♣ river was a brick, and Gorelik became the first player of the day to venture to the payout desk.
A total of 113 players will return to the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus today for Day 2 of the $5,500 Merit Poker Main Event at the 2026 NOIR Poker Series, as play resumes at 1:00 p.m. local time following four action-packed starting flights that drew 769 entries.
The Main Event boasts a $3,000,000 guaranteed prize pool, and all returning players have earned a share of that, with each starting flight playing until the field was in the money. The full payouts are expected to be announced shortly after play begins.
In a tightly contested leaderboard, where just 20 big blinds separate the top seven stacks, Dmitrii Nazarov will return later today as the chip leader. Nazarov topped the charts of Day 1b, the second of the starting flights, and will start the day with 101 big blinds.
Rounding out the podium is fellow Day 1b chip survivor Aren Bezhanyan with 1,945,00, followed closely by Haydar Issa, carrying 1,780,000 from the final Day 1d flight.
Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Dmitrii Nazarov
Russian Federation
2,025,000
101
2
Aren Bezhanyan
Armenia
1,945,000
97
3
Haydar Issa
Lebanon
1,780,000
89
4
Timur Margolin
Israel
1,760,000
88
5
Ehsan Amiri
Australia
1,705,000
85
6
Farkas Benedek
Hungary
1,650,000
83
7
Ravid Garbi
Israel
1,620,000
81
8
Joris Ruijs
Netherlands
1,560,000
78
9
Jay O'leary
United Kingdom
1,525,000
76
10
Alexander Sokolovsky
Serbia
1,500,000
75
Gilles Simon
Entry to Day 2 doesn’t require you to be a chip leader, though, and there are plenty of players further down the leaderboard with abundant experience in poker's big occasions.
Players such as Gilles Simon (1,490,000), Merijn van Rooij (1,355,000), Fahredin Mustafov (1,100,000) Martins Adeniya (870,000), Ali Al-Kubasi (790,000), Adrian State (665,000), Patrick Brooks (505,000), Nicolas Chouity (450,000), Dietrich Fast (360,000), and Arsenii Karmatckii (275,000) all found safe passage into the penultimate day.
Day 2 action resumes at 1 p.m. with the remaining players returning to Level 17. The blinds will be 10,000/20,000, with a 20,000 big blind ante. Every player still in contention is guaranteed to finish in the money, with the official payout structure expected to be confirmed shortly after play gets underway. The schedule for the day is yet to be confirmed and will likely be decided once play begins.
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