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$10,400 Premiere
Day 1b Completed
2026 Onyx High Roller Series
$10,400 Premiere
Day: 1b
Players Left 99 / 455
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 16
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
The action continued today at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, as the Onyx High Roller Series moved into its second starting flight of the $5,000,000 guaranteed $10,400 Premiere. Day 1b once again offered players the chance to secure their place in the money and advance to Day 2, with 125 entrants coming through the doors to try and do just that.
Play continued until just 15 per cent of the field remained, and when the bubble burst, leaving just 19 players, they each bagged their chips for Day 2, all having locked up a payday in the process.
Leading the 19 survivors is Alex Kulev, who has already amassed nearly $7,000,000 in tournament earnings in 2026 alone, according to The Hendon Mob. A significant portion of that haul came from his victory in the inaugural European Poker Tour (EPT) €250,000 Super High Roller in Monte-Carlo, where he collected more than $3,250,000.
Cutting a cool, calm and collected figure at the table, Kulev spent much of the day receiving a massage and engaging in conversation with his tablemates. When it came to business, however, Kulev was all focus, finishing the flight with 1,840,000.
Closest to Kulev is 'Tommy G', the only other player to finish the flight with a seven-figure stack, having accumulated 1,680,000. The final spot on the podium is shared by Austria's Daniel Montagnolli and Iraq's Ali Al-Kubasi, who both finished on 990,000.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Kulev | Bulgaria | 1,840,000 | 74 |
| 2 | Tommy G | San Marino | 1,680,000 | 67 |
| 3 | Daniel Montagnolli | Austria | 990,000 | 40 |
| 4 | Ali Al-Kubasi | Iraq | 990,000 | 40 |
| 5 | Johannes Lehner | Austria | 900,000 | 36 |
| 6 | Oliver Weis | Germany | 870,000 | 35 |
| 7 | Cristinel Dumitru | Romania | 765,000 | 31 |
| 8 | Sergio Aido | Spain | 655,000 | 26 |
| 9 | Enzo Enzo | United Kingdom | 605,000 | 24 |
| 10 | Lars Kamphues | Germany | 525,000 | 21 |
There is plenty of pedigree among those advancing alongside the chip leaders, including World Series of Poker bracelet winners Oliver Weis (870,000), Sergio Aido (655,000) and Dietrich Fast (240,000). Weis is also no stranger to success around these parts, having won the EPT Cyprus Main Event in 2024.
High Roller regular Aliaksandr Shylko (510,000) also made it through, spending much of the latter part of the day seated beside chip leader Kulev and chatting away at the table.
Further down the counts, Manuel Fritz (335,000), Geoffrey Mooney (285,000) and Selahaddin Bedir (215,000) also remain in contention.
While plenty of big names will be returning for Day 2, the same cannot be said for a host of familiar faces who fell short during the flight. Among those to hit the rail were Ravid Garbi, Jamil Wakil, Daniel Rezaei, Dominik Panka, Adrian State, Andrey Pateychuk, Mehdi Chaoui, Nicolas Chouity, Simone Andrian, Aleksejs Ponakovs, Jessica Teusl, Manig Loeser and Arsenii Karmatckii.
It was always going to be the case that one player would play the whole flight, right to the last hand, but not make the money or bag any chips.
When the tournament reached the stone bubble and hand-for-hand play began, there was very little drama. Dietrich Fast was all in and at risk, but holding a higher pocket pair than his opponent, he was never in much trouble, improving to a full house survive comfortably.
A few hands later, Bogdan Jontulovic was the second player at risk of bubbling, but unfortunately for him, he didn't survive the encounter. Having moved all-in holding ace-king, he ran into the pocket kings of Lars Kamphues, and with the hand going Kamphues' way, all Jontulovic could do was watch on as the other players bagged their chips for Day 2.
Fortunately for Jontulovic and all those who failed to make it through, there are still two more starting flights available. Day 1c gets underway at 1 p.m. local time tomorrow, Sunday, August 9, followed by the turbo Day 1d flight at 9 p.m., with 20-minute levels.
With unlimited reentries permitted across both remaining flights, there is still plenty of time for those players to make their way into Day 2.
$10,400 Premiere Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Be sure to keep it locked in with PokerNews, as we bring you all the action from the 2026 Onyx High Roller Series live from the tournament floor.
Level 16
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Level 16
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
The most recent elimination brought the field down to 19 players, and each player is now in the money and advancing to Day 2.
Stay tuned for the full chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 16
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Bogdan Jontulovic moved all in for 180,000 in the cutoff and was put at risk by Lars Kamphues on the button.
Bogdan Jontulovic: A♣K♠ 
Lars Kamphues: K♦K♣
The 5♥J♥7♠6♣3♠ board left Jontulovic unimproved, leaving him with the unfortunate distinction of being the Day 1b bubble boy.
Level: 16
Blinds: 10,000/25,000
Ante: 25,000
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
With the tournament delicately balanced on the bubble, the remaining 20 players are taking a ten-minute break.
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Sergio Aido opened in middle position and called when Dietrich Fast moved all in for 120,000 on the button.
Dietrich Fast: J♦J♣
Sergio Aido: 9♠9♦
There was nothing for Fast to sweat, as the 7♠2♠J♠Q♥Q♠ gave him a full house and a double up.
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
Following a raise to 40,000 from Oliver Weis under the gun, Ravil Khamatgareev moved all in for 225,000. The action returned to Weis, who folded.
The very next shuffle on the same table, Geoffrey Mooney moved all in for 200,000 and also received no action.
Level 15
: Blinds 10,000/20,000, 20,000 ante
With the recent elimination of two players, the tournament is now on the stone bubble. The clock has been paused, and play will resume hand for hand until the bubble bursts.
