Viktor Kobzev raised to 4,500 in middle position and faced a three-bet of 12,000 from Konstantin Voronin one seat to his left. The action folded back to Kobzev, and he called.
Playing in flow, Kobzev checked to Voronin on a 10♠J♦3♦ flop, and called when he continued for 10,000. The J♣ turn saw Kobzev switch tactics, as he led out, betting 15,000. Voronin raised to 50,000, and Kobzev quickly let go of his cards.
When the action folded to Geoffrey Mooney in the small blind, he raised to 7,000, and Ivan Ilichev called in the big blind.
Mooney immediately fired another 7,000 into the pot on a monotone K♣10♣8♣ flop, and faced no further restistance and Ilichev returned his cards to the dealer.
The action was picked up with Kenar all in preflop for roughly 50,000 from the button, and at risk against hijack player Jad Dandachi.
Kenar: 10♠10♣ 
Jad Dandachi: A♣Q♠
The 8♣J♠9♣J♦5♠ board kept the preflop standings as they were, giving Kenar an early double-up.
The players have taken their seats, and cards are in the air for Day 2.
Level: 9
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 2,000
There is a slight delay to the restart while the players get situated. The action is expected to start shortly.
An all-action day awaits inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, as the $7,500 High Roller resumes at noon local time.
With late registration still open in the 2026 NOIR Poker Series' most expensive event, the 78-strong field is set to grow before the real drama begins, with the prize pool to be revealed, the money bubble potentially bursting, and the remaining players then battling to build the biggest stacks possible ahead of the showpiece final day.
Aliaksandr Hirs can afford to leave the considerations of rebuy options and the money bubble that may follow to those further down the counts, having ended Day 1 with an iron grip on the chip lead. His giant 562,000 stack sees him return over 100 big blinds clear of his nearest competitor.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aliaksandr Hirs | Belarus | 562,000 | 281 |
| 2 | Caner Gunes | Turkey | 343,000 | 172 |
| 3 | Gilles Simon | Netherlands | 340,000 | 170 |
| 4 | Ivan Ilichev | Russian Federation | 340,000 | 170 |
| 5 | Yesset Aimukhanov | Kazakhstan | 316,000 | 158 |
| 6 | Farkas Benedek | Hungary | 309,500 | 155 |
| 7 | Aleksandr Razinkov | Russian Federation | 297,500 | 149 |
| 8 | Martins Adeniya | United Kingdom | 292,000 | 146 |
| 9 | John Doe | n/a | 288,500 | 144 |
| 10 | Rayan Aljawhari | Lebanon | 279,000 | 140 |
Beginning Day 2 just a few spots behind the chip leader is Gilles Simon, a player who knows exactly what it takes to win big in Cyprus. Simon won the inaugural EPT Cyprus Main Event in 2023, a victory that thrust his career into the limelight and earned him a career-best $1,042,000 payday. He'll return among the chip leaders, having bagged 340,000 after eight levels of play.
Others returning having successfully navigated the opening flight include Merijn van Rooij (263,500), Martins Adeniya (292,000), Ryan Mandara (256,000), Natalia Nikitina (212,000), Alexander Lakhov (185,000), Tobias Peters (173,500) and Simone Andrian (113,500).
Players will return to the felt at noon local time, picking up on Level 9 with blinds of 1,000/2,000 and a 2,000 big blind ante. Late registration and unlimited reentries will remain available through the end of Level 12, before the field is locked in and the prize pool is announced. The exact schedule for Day 2 is yet to be confirmed, with further details expected once play gets underway.
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 1 | Day 2 | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| August 2 | Day 3 | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
Stay closer than ever to the action with MyPlayers. This brand new, free feature on PokerNews puts your favorite poker players front and center. Whether you're keeping tabs on poker's biggest stars or following a friend grinding their way through a Day 2, MyPlayers delivers real-time updates tailored just for you.
No subscriptions, no paywalls, just the hands, chip counts, and bustouts that matter most. It’s simple: log in, search for any player in our live coverage, hit the star, and they’ll be added to your personalized MyPlayers list. You’ll see their progress across all live-reported events, with chip counts and updates pinned right where you need them at the top.
From railbirds to backers, MyPlayers is the smarter way to stay connected to the game.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you all the major moments live from the tournament floor until a NOIR Poker Series High Roller champion is crowned.
$7,500 High Roller
Day 2 Started
button in Safari
