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The 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series continues today at Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa as Day 1b of the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup gets underway at 12:00 p.m. local time.
Following a strong opening flight that attracted 159 entries, the tournament now shifts into its second starting day with another sizeable field expected to join the action. A total of 86 players successfully advanced from Day 1a, while the race toward the tournament’s $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool is only just beginning.
Gilles Simon Leads the Field After Day 1a
The opening flight belonged to Gilles Simon, who finished Day 1a with 557,000 chips to claim the overnight chip lead.
Turkey’s Atilla Saracoglu ended the day in second place with 519,000, while Hungary’s Andras Matrai completed the top three after bagging 466,500.
Top Ten Chip Counts After Day 1a
| Rank | Player | Country | Chips |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gilles Simon | Netherlands | 557,000 |
| 2 | Atilla Saracoglu | Turkey | 519,000 |
| 3 | Andras Matrai | Hungary | 466,500 |
| 4 | Sukhrat Massimov | Kazakhstan | 448,000 |
| 5 | Nikola Radevic | Slovakia | 444,000 |
| 6 | Mehmet Dalkilic | Turkey | 435,000 |
| 7 | Mihai Niste | Romania | 414,500 |
| 8 | Elie Farah | Lebanon | 387,500 |
| 9 | Ryan Mandara | United Kingdom | 360,000 |
| 10 | Zoja Fleischer | Germany | 345,500 |
Several other notable players also secured their places in Day 2, including Sergey Voronin (322,500), Ivan Ilichev (320,000), Luciano Piaggesi (308,000), Bulent Aytekin (295,500), Konstantin Voronin (290,000), Volodymyr Pilyavsky (268,000), and Cai Zheng (254,500).
Another Two Flights Scheduled Today
Day 1b follows the same format as the opening flight, with players beginning with 100,000 chips and competing across ten 40-minute levels.
Later this evening, Day 1c begins at 9:00 p.m., featuring 25-minute blind levels and providing players with one final opportunity to build a stack before the remaining survivors combine for Day 2.
Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 16 on Day 2, giving players additional opportunities to enter the tournament.
Remaining Merit Poker Cup Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 29 | Day 1b | 12:00 p.m. | 40 Minutes |
| July 29 | Day 1c | 9:00 p.m. | 25 Minutes |
| July 30 | Day 2 | 12:00 p.m. | 40 Minutes |
| July 31 | Final Day | 12:00 p.m. | 40 Minutes |
With the field continuing to grow and plenty of familiar faces expected to join today’s action, the Merit Poker Cup is shaping up to be another standout event of the 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series.
Stay tuned to Merit Poker for live updates, chip counts, key hands, and complete coverage as the tournament progresses toward crowning its newest champion.