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Rob Yong Among Final Nine Chasing $450,000 Onyx High Roller Championship Title
The $50,500 Onyx High Roller Championship returns for its final day at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, with nine players still in contention for a title at the 2026 Onyx High Roller Series schedule.
A field of 18 high-stakes regulars created a $864,000 prize pool, but only the top three will walk away with a share of it. The eventual champion will collect $450,000, with $250,000 awaiting the runner-up and $164,000 going to third place.
Leading the way is Alexey Borovkov, who enjoyed a steady rise throughout Day 1 before finishing with 1,289,000. One of his biggest pots came late in the day when he eliminated Paulius Vaitekunas.
Sitting close behind is Rob Yong, who only entered during the final moments of registration but wasted little time building a stack. Yong finished with 1,019,000 after an eventful few levels that included pulling off big bluffs against Alex Kulev and Mikita Badziakouski.
Final Table Seat Draw
| Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikita Badziakouski | Belarus | 227,000 | 19 |
| 2 | Zorlu Er | Turkey | 588,000 | 49 |
| 3 | Rob Yong | United Kingdom | 1,019,000 | 85 |
| 4 | Manuel Fritz | Austria | 497,000 | 41 |
| 5 | Artur Martirosian | Russian Federation | 518,000 | 43 |
| 6 | Aleksejs Ponakovs | Latvia | 208,000 | 17 |
| 7 | Mikalai Vaskaboinikau | Belarus | 770,000 | 64 |
| 8 | Thomas Alfred Mayer | Austria | 282,000 | 24 |
| 9 | Alexey Borovkov | Russian Federation | 1,289,000 | 107 |
Behind the two leaders, Mikalai Vaskaboinikau returns with 770,000, followed by Zorlu Er with 588,000. Artur Martirosian completes the top five with 518,000, while the likes of Manuel Fritz, Thomas Alfred Mayer, Badziakouski and Aleksejs Ponakovs remain in the mix.
$50,500 High Roller Championship Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | $450,000 |
| 2 | $250,000 |
| 3 | $164,000 |
The action resumes at 1 p.m. local time with three hands remaining in Level 11, with blinds of 6,000/12,000 and a 12,000 big blind ante. The tournament will move away from timed levels and instead play 16 hands per level until a champion is crowned. The final day will also be streamed on the OnyxLive YouTube Channel on a one-hour delay.
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PokerNews will be providing live updates throughout Day 2 as the final nine play down to the three paid places and, eventually, the $50,500 Onyx High Roller Championship winner.