Rob Yong Bags Biggest Stack After Day 2 of $102,000 Onyx NLH Invitational
The$102,000 Onyx SHRS NLH Invitational at the 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series presented by Onyx Club played through another eight levels today, whittling the field down from 88 entries to just 13 players, who will return for the final day. The prize pool reached $8,536,000, with the winner set to walk away with a massive $2,000,000 first prize.
Ending the day as the big stack is the United Kingdom’s Rob Yong, who bagged up an impressive 15,625,000 to finish well clear of the rest. Trailing behind is Rahul Byrraju with 10,850,000, and Jamil Wakil on 10,100,000, while eleven-time WSOP bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Famer Phil Ivey rounds out the top four with 10,650,000 heading into the final day.
End of Day 2 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rob Yong | United Kingdom | 15,625,000 | 78 |
| 2 | Rahul Byrraju | India | 10,850,000 | 54 |
| 3 | Jamil Wakil | Canada | 10,100,000 | 51 |
| 4 | Phil Ivey | United States | 10,065,000 | 50 |
| 5 | Jesse Lonis | United States | 7,425,000 | 37 |
| 6 | Matt Moss | United Kingdom | 5,850,000 | 29 |
| 7 | Markkos Ladev | Estonia | 5,750,000 | 29 |
| 8 | Dejan Kaladjurdjevic | Montenegro | 5,150,000 | 26 |
| 9 | Mikita Badziakouski | Belarus | 5,075,000 | 25 |
| 10 | Albert Daher | Lebanon | 3,925,000 | 20 |
| 11 | Eric Wasserson | United States | 3,075,000 | 15 |
| 12 | Maher Nouira | Tunisia | 2,875,000 | 14 |
| 13 | Morten Klein | Norway | 1,150,000 | 6 |
Penultimate Day's Action
When play began, Yong’s stack shot upward straight away after his pocket queens earned a full double-up through Byrraju. Ivey also got off to a dream start, winning a three-way all-in that sent Artur Martirosian to the rail and left Samuel Mullur in a position that he wasn't able to recover from, exiting the tournament soon after.
Once late registration closed at the end of Level 10, the action slowed as the pros knew they only needed to survive two more hours before the full redraw, when invitees and pros would finally combine. Henrik Hecklen, Bryn Kenney, Nick Schulman, and Matthias Eibinger fell short of that mark, leaving just 24 players when the field came together.
With the money bubble now on the horizon and a cash of at least $200,000 within reach. Leon Sturm was among the first casualties after the redraw. Sturm tank-called off his stack on the turn with top pair top kicker, only to be shown an overpair by Yong. The river changed nothing, sending Sturm to the rail and putting Yong near the top of the chip counts for the first time in the event.
Ivey's stack got a huge boost thanks to a string of hands that saw him dispatch multiple opponents in quick succession. He first doubled through Dejan Kaladjurdjevic with a set of fives against a flush draw, then won a flip with two Snowmen to bust Tamas Adamszki. Lastly, Ivey’s Big Slick spiked a king on the river to eliminate both “Loopoo” and Daniel Dvoress, vaulting him to the top of the counts and taking the tournament into hand-for-hand play.
It didn’t take long for the bubble to burst, with Turkey’s Sinan Unlu being the last to leave empty-handed. Short on chips, Unlu called off his stack in the big blind after Matt Moss jammed from the small blind. Unlu had ace-queen, but Moss spiked a seven on the flop with nine-seven, which sent Unlu to the rail, leaving the remaining 14 players in the money. Just before the end of Day 2, Jessica Teusl was the first in the money casualty, when her two Broadway cards couldn't improve against Wakil's ace-high.
Play resumes on Monday, August 18, at 1 p.m. local time inside the Onyx Club. Action starts at 100,000/200,000 blinds with a 200,000 big blind ante, and the plan is to play down to a winner. Each of the 13 survivors has secured $200,000, but the focus now shifts to the final table, where podium finishes guarantee seven-figure paydays, and the last player standing takes home $2,000,000.
Remianing Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000,000 |
| 2 | $1,450,000 |
| 3 | $1,080,000 |
| 4 | $856,000 |
| 5 | $670,000 |
| 6 | $520,000 |
| 7 | $400,000 |
| 8 | $310,000 |
| 9 | $250,000 |
| 10-13 | $200,000 |
Once the final table is reached, the cards will be in the air under the spotlight with every hand streamed on a 30-minute delay on the OnyxLiveTV YouTube channel.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates, chip counts, and exclusive coverage from the final day of this special event.