"Kenar" Bags Massive Chip Lead in Hunt for $1,300,000; Fahredin Mustafov in Second
The $25,750 SHRS Main Event at the 2025 Onyx Super High Roller Series presented by Onyx Club is down to its final table after another day of poker inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino and Spa. From a starting field of 227 entries, just nine players remain in contention for the $1,300,000 top prize from a $5,504,750 prize pool.
"Kenar" will return for tomorrow’s final day as the chip leader with a stack of 15,665,000 after eliminating Manuel Fritz on the final table bubble when his full house bested Fritz’s smaller full house. The survivng players bagged up their chips, with "Kenar" holding almost double the amount of his closest rival.
Final Table Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Kenar" | Turkey | 15,665,000 | 131 |
| 2 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 8,850,000 | 74 |
| 3 | Artur Martirosian | Russia | 7,410,000 | 62 |
| 4 | Rahul Byrraju | India | 6,895,000 | 57 |
| 5 | Viacheslav Buldygin | Russia | 6,670,000 | 56 |
| 6 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 4,410,000 | 37 |
| 7 | Vincent Huang | Australia | 2,845,000 | 24 |
| 8 | Matthew Wantman | United States | 2,790,000 | 23 |
| 9 | Roman Stoika | Russia | 1,230,000 | 10 |
The top three are rounded out by Fahredin Mustafov with 8,850,000 and Artur Martirosian with 7,410,000, both of whom bring plenty of experience to the final day. They are followed by Rahul Byrraju (6,895,000), Viacheslav Buldygin (6,670,000), Aren Bezhanyan (4,410,000), Vincent Huang (2,845,000), and Matthew Wantman (2,790,000), while Roman Stoika (1,230,000) will return in the danger zone with just ten big blinds.
The Road to the Final Table
The day began with 47 players returning to the felt and only 34 spots available in the money, and it didn’t take long for the eliminations to come. Among the early casualties were Jamil Wakil, Hassan Nashar, Ren Lin, and Danny Tang, all of whom fell short of the payout line.
It took just two hands of hand-for-hand play before the bubble burst in dramatic fashion, with two eliminations occurring at the same time. At one table, Martirosian’s Big Slick held against the king-queen of Christopher Puetz to send the German out empty-handed. Over at a second table, Fritz’s pocket queens stayed ahead of the ace-king of Ottomar Ladva. With Puetz and Ladva both hitting the rail, the remaining 34 players were guaranteed at least $43,000.
After everyone had locked up some money for their efforts, it didn’t take long for the tournament to be reduced to the final two tables. Along the way, some of the notable exits included Morten Klein, Aleksandr Chernikov, the 2019 WSOP Main Event Champion Hossein Ensan, Jovan Kenjic, and Leonard Maue.
Maue’s run ended in a huge pot against "Kenar" after getting pocket jacks in on a low paired board, only to find "Kenar" had been dealt pocket aces to start the hand. This pot propelled the stack of"Kenar" into eight-figure territory, making him the first player to hit that milestone.
Adrian Strobel fell in 13th place after his ace-queen couldn’t win a flip against the pocket nines of Mustafov, while Jesse Lonis was next out in 12th when Rahul Byrraju backdoored a flush. The aforementioned clash between "Kenar" and Fritz then brought the field down to the final table and ended play for the day.
The final day begins at noon 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, with all nine finalists guaranteed at least $121,750, but each will have their eyes firmly set on the seven-figure top prize.
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 |
Poker fans around the world can catch every hand of the final table, which will be broadcast with a 30-minute delay on the OnyxLiveTV YouTube channel, offering an unmissable look at the action as it unfolds.
Follow along with PokerNews tomorrow for live updates, chip counts, and all the action as the SHRS Main Event plays down to its champion.