Viacheslav Buldygin opened to 240,000 from early position and Roman Stoika shoved the hijack for 810,000. When it got back to Buldygin, he called.
Roman Stoika: 8♠8♣
Viacheslav Buldygin: A♠10♥
Boika needed to win a flip, and stayed in front through the K♦3♥J♥ flop. A 4♥ on the turn did give Buldygin a more outs with a flush draw, and he completed it when the 9♥ hit the river, which ended Stoika's run in ninth.
Rahul Byrraju opened to 250,000 from middle position with K♥9♦ and Aren Bezhanyan just called with A♣K♣ from the cutoff. Artur Martirosian was in the big blind with K♦Q♠ and after using some extra time, he squeezed to 1,150,000. Byrraju then reached for chips and four-bet to 2,050,000.
Bezhanyan used a time bank of his own before he shoved for 5,170,000. Martirosian and Byrraju snap-folded.
Rahul Byrraju opened to 300,000 from the button holding A♠6♦ and Aren Bezhanyan defended his big blind with K♣8♥.
On the 6♥2♣7♣ flop, Bezhanyan checked and Byrraju fired 185,000 with his pair of sixes. Bezhanyan floated to see the 8♣ on the turn give him top pair. Both checked to the 7♥ turn, and Bezhanyan bet 275,000. Byrraju snap-called and mucked when he saw the eight of Bezhanyan.
The $25,750 SHRS Main Event at the 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series presented by Onyx Club has reached its finale inside the stunning Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. From a starting field of 227 entries, just nine players remain, each guaranteed $121,750, but all with their sights set on the trophy, the $1,300,000 top prize from the $5,504,750 prize pool, and a major haul of Player of the Series points.
Leading the way is "Kenar", who returns with a massive stack of 15,665,000 after a huge final table bubble hand that vaulted him into a dominant position. Nearly doubling his closest challenger, Fahredin Mustafov (8,850,000), "Kenar" will be the player to catch when cards go in the air. Rounding out the podium is Russia’s Artur Martirosian, bringing a dangerous 7,410,000 stack to the table and plenty of experience in closing out high-stakes titles.
FInal Table Seat Draw
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Aren Bezhanyan
Armenia
4,410,000
37
2
Roman Stoika
Russia
1,230,000
10
3
Matthew Wantman
United States
2,790,000
23
4
Artur Martirosian
Russia
7,410,000
62
5
Vincent Huang
Australia
2,845,000
24
6
"Kenar"
Turkey
15,665,000
131
7
Fahredin Mustafov
Bulgaria
8,850,000
74
8
Rahul Byrraju
India
6,895,000
57
9
Viacheslav Buldygin
Russia
6,670,000
56
The rest of the lineup features a mix of proven crushers and emerging threats. Rahul Byrraju (6,895,000) and Viacheslav Buldygin both start within striking distance of the leaders, while Aren Bezhanyan (4,410,000) and Vincent Huang occupy the middle of the pack. Matthew Wantman (2,790,000) and Roman Stoika face the steepest climb, with Stoika beginning as the clear short stack on just ten big blinds.
Rahul Byrraju
The Player of the Series standings could also see a shake-up today, with several finalists in position to collect valuable points. A strong finish here would boost their totals and keep them in the mix heading into the closing events of the festival.
Cards go in the air at 12 p.m. local time on Level 21 with blinds at 60,000/120,000 and a 120,000 big blind ante. Play will continue until a champion is crowned, and every hand will be streamed with a 30-minute delay on the OnyxLiveTV YouTube channel.
Final Table Payouts
Place
Prize
1
$1,300,000
2
$820,000
3
$530,000
4
$420,000
5
$315,000
6
$250,000
7
$200,000
8
$155,000
9
$121,750
The nine remaining players have each secured a payout of $121,750, but there’s plenty more to play for. Reaching the final three spots will mean at least $530,000, while the runner-up is set to collect $820,000. Sitting at the top of the payout ladder is the $1,300,000 first-place prize, along with the trophy and the glory of winning the SHRS Main Event.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates, chip counts, and all the big moments as the SHRS Main Event plays down to a champion.
