button in SafariAction Awaits as Second Starting Flight of $10,400 Premiere Gets Underway at 1 p.m.
As the sun beams down on the coast of North Cyprus, attention in the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa shifts from the beaches to the felt for the second starting flight of the $10,400 Premiere.
Yesterday’s opening flight attracted 178 entries, with a hefty $5,000,000 guarantee highlighting the scale of the Onyx High Roller Series. After 16 levels of action, 27 players advanced to Day 2.
Those taking to the felt today need look no further than yesterday’s Day 1a flight for inspiration, where Sorel Mizzi emerged as the player to catch. The Canadian high-stakes regular bagged 1,720,000 and closed out the flight in style by bursting the bubble.
Closest behind was Timur Margolin, who finished the flight with 1,265,000, while four-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Artur Martirosian rounds out the top three with 1,105,000.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sorel Mizzi | Canada | 1,720,000 | 69 |
| 2 | Timur Margolin | Israel | 1,265,000 | 51 |
| 3 | Artur Martirosian | Russian Federation | 1,105,000 | 44 |
| 4 | Damir Gabdullin | Russian Federation | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 5 | Fahredin Mustafov | Bulgaria | 1,100,000 | 44 |
| 6 | Daniel Ghionoiu | Canada | 1,005,000 | 40 |
| 7 | Yilu Yuan | China | 945,000 | 38 |
| 8 | Caner Gunes | Turkey | 880,000 | 35 |
| 9 | Aren Bezhanyan | Armenia | 855,000 | 34 |
| 10 | Julian Pineda Lozano | Colombia | 845,000 | 34 |
Day 1b of the $10,400 Premiere gets underway at 1 p.m. local time, with each player starting with 100,000 chips. The opening flights will feature 40-minute levels, except for Day 1d, which will use a turbo structure of 20-minute levels. The pace slows to 60-minute levels on Day 2 and the final day.
Players can enter or re-enter at any point of the registration period, which runs until the start of Level 10 following the dinner break. There is no limit to the number of reentries, and players can reenter in any of the four starting flights.
The opening flights will not be played to a fixed number of levels. Instead, action will continue until approximately 15% of the field remains. At that point, the survivors will bag up for Day 2, with every player who advances having secured at least a min-cash. To reach the money, players must successfully survive their flight with chips still in play.
$10,400 Premiere Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 8 | Day 1b | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| August 9 | Day 1c | 1 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| August 9 | Day 1d | 9 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| August 10 | Day 2 | 1 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| August 11 | Final Day | 1 p.m. | 60 minutes/Hands per level |
Fans will be able to follow the action beyond the felt, with details of the Onyx streaming schedule expected to be announced once tournament play gets underway. The coverage is set to include the event’s final tables, while any high-stakes cash games that develop during the series could also feature, bringing plenty of familiar faces to the screens.
The streams can be watched on a delay via the OnyxLive YouTube channel, ensuring fans don't miss any of the action.
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Keep it locked into PokerNews, as we provide live updates from the tournament floor throughout the $10,400 Premiere event.