Rahul Byrraju Out Front After Day 1b of 2025 Onyx SHRS $25,750 Main Event
Day 1b of the $25,750 SHRS Main Event, part of the 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series hosted by Onyx Club, saw 14 players advance from a field of 93 entries. At the top of the leaderboard was Rahul Byrraju, who bagged 2,430,000 to lead the way into Day 2. Joining him on the podium were ”Kenar” with 2,290,000 and Adrian Strobel with 2,100,000, both well positioned for a deep run inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino and Spa.
Two of the top three were involved in a huge pot in the last level of the night, with Strobel's king-queen suited in bad shape against the aces of Byrraju and the pocket kings of Albert Daher. Two diamonds on the flop gave Strobel a flush draw, and he turned another diamond to triple up. Daher couldn't find the one-outer he needed, which meant the huge side pot was shipped Byrraju's way.
Close behind was ”Dubai Police” on 2,050,000 and Naryman Yaghmaie with 1,980,000, rounding out a tightly packed top five. Also earning healthy stacks were Aren Bezhanyan (1,935,000), Gregoire Auzoux (1,880,000), and Aleksandr Chernikov (1,520,000).
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rahul Byrraju | India | 2,430,000 | 61 |
| 2 | "Kenar" | Turkey | 2,290,000 | 57 |
| 3 | Adrian Strobel | Germany | 2,100,000 | 53 |
| 4 | "Dubai Police" | United Arab Emirates | 2,050,000 | 51 |
| 5 | Naryman Yaghmaie | Iran | 1,980,000 | 50 |
| 6 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 1,935,000 | 48 |
| 7 | Gregoire Auzoux | France | 1,880,000 | 47 |
| 8 | Aleksandr Chernikov | Russia | 1,520,000 | 38 |
| 9 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | 1,490,000 | 37 |
| 10 | Sirzat Hissou | Germany | 1,350,000 | 34 |
Other notable names making it through included Giorgiy Skhulukhiya (1,490,000), Sirzat Hissou (1,350,000), Sebastian Gahl (1,335,000), and high-stakes regular Mikita Badziakouski (1,160,000). The short stacks were Kayhan Mokri (965,000) and Vincent Huang (785,000), both still with room to maneuver when play resumes.
With 76 entries from Day 1a and 93 from Day 1b, the total field stands at 169, with the $5,000,000 guarantee in play. The Turbo Day 1 flight is still running at the time of writing, which was the final opportunity to secure a seat in Day 2, which kicks off August 14, at 12 p.m. local time.
The plan for Day 2 is to play to a final table, which will be streamed via the OnyxLiveTV YouTube channel with a 30-minute delay.
Follow PokerNews for complete Day 2 coverage of the 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series $25,750 SHRS Main Event starting tomorrow at 12 p.m. local time. We’ll bring you live chip counts, bustouts, and all the key hands as the remaining contenders, along with any Turbo qualifiers, return to battle for a spot at the streamed final table.