Michael Allen Claims Day 1a Chip Lead as Onyx Super High Roller Series Debuts
The inaugural 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series Cyprus presented by Onyx Club got underway today at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa with the first starting flight of the $10,400 GG Million$. The opening event of the festival attracted 229 entries on Day 1a, putting the tournament well on the way to surpassing its massive $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.
After 15 levels of poker, 41 players bagged up chips and secured their spot in Day 2. At the top of the chip counts was Michael Allen of the United Kingdom, who finished with 1,430,000. Roman Stoika ended the night in second place with 1,200,000, helped by a big hand early in the day where his pocket kings held against Hassan Nashar’s suited ace for a full double-up.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Allen | United Kingdom | 1,430,000 | 89 |
| 2 | Roman Stoika | Russia | 1,200,000 | 75 |
| 3 | Sondre Stormyr | Norway | 1,111,000 | 69 |
| 4 | Christopher Putz | Germany | 1,047,000 | 65 |
| 5 | Weiran Pu | China | 1,026,000 | 64 |
| 6 | Moussa Ahmad | Lebanon | 869,000 | 54 |
| 7 | Robert Burlacu | Romania | 865,000 | 54 |
| 8 | Ivan Zabiiakin | Russia | 852,000 | 53 |
| 9 | Gilles Simon | Netherlands | 812,000 | 51 |
| 10 | Philip Joyce | United Kingdom | 779,000 | 49 |
The Day's Action
The 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series got off to an explosive start as Nashar scored the first elimination after just minutes of play. His Big Slick rivered a flush against Changyang Liu’s pocket jacks, sending Liu to the rail as the first casualty of the festival.
Several familiar names arrived before the close of late registration, including Jesse Lonis, Ren Lin, Nick Schulman, and Biao Ding. Lonis earned a big double-up after catching Artur Martirosian bluffing with a missed draw. Martirosian’s day ended a few levels later when Xiaosheng Zheng spiked a three-outer on the flop to send the Russian pro to the showers.
With such an allure of this series, it's no wonder so many big names were out today. Some of the notables to advance from Day 1a include Christopher Putz (1,047,000) and Werian Pu (1,026,000), who stayed alive after rivering a boat against Boris Kolev’s turned flush. Gilles Simon (812,000), Ohad Geiger (667,000), Aliaksei Boika (418,000), and Tommy Vedes (155,000) also locked up their places on the second day of this three-day affair.
Lonis bagged 750,000 when the dust settled, while Fahredin Mustafoc (635,000), Viktor Iarilov (533,000), Aliaksei Boika (418,000), and Matthew Wantman (292,000) also made it through. Wantman scored himself a big double-up just before the dinner break, when he correctly picked off Alexandr Chernikov’s triple-barrel bluff with two pair.
Day 1b kicks off at 12 p.m. and will follow the same structure as today. The final chance for players to reach Day 2 is through the Day 1 Turbo, which is a 6-max format with 20-minute levels, and begins at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. Survivors from all starting flights will combine for Day 2 on Monday, August 11.
Remaining $10,400 GG Million$ Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 10 | Day 1b | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes (Play 15 levels) |
| August 10 | Day 1 Turbo | 8:30 p.m. | 20 minutes (Play 15 levels) |
| August 11 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 50 minutes |
| August 12 | Final Day | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
Follow PokerNews for continued coverage of the $10,400 GG Million$, including live updates, chip counts, and drama from the tournament floor as the poker continues in Northern Cyprus.