button in SafariHassan Nashar Bounces Back to Hold Current Chip Lead in Merit Poker Cup After Day 1b
The penultimate flight of the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup attracted a further 121 entries at the 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series inside the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus. After another ten 40-minute levels, 52 players secured their place in Day 2, bringing the field to 280 entries, with 138 players safely through from the first two starting flights.
Merit Regular Hassan Nashar did a complete U-turn after his last-hand elimination on Day 1a, ending the night atop the counts with 885,000 to become the current overall chip leader. Giorgiy Skhulukhiya also enjoyed a good day on the baize, finishing with 705,000, while Yahor Dambrouski completed the top three on 480,000.
With the turbo flight, Day 1c is already underway with late registration open throughout, there is still plenty of time for those who missed out in the opening flights to secure a big stack for Day 2. The combined field is expected to grow with the $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool not far away before play resumes tomorrow.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hassan Nashar | Guinea-Bissau | 885,000 | 354 |
| 2 | Giorgiy Skhulukhiya | Georgia | 705,000 | 282 |
| 3 | Yahor Dambrouski | Belarus | 480,000 | 192 |
| 4 | Huseyin Akgul | Turkey | 445,000 | 178 |
| 5 | Ahmed Sylla | France | 442,500 | 177 |
| 6 | Vitaly Kononenko | Ukraine | 416,000 | 166 |
| 7 | Dimitrios Kilintaris | Greece | 406,500 | 163 |
| 8 | Oleg Silin | Russian Federation | 368,000 | 147 |
| 9 | Caner Gunes | Turkey | 367,000 | 147 |
| 10 | Evren Coşkun | Turkey | 332,500 | 133 |
Never one to shy away from the action, Nashar wasted little time getting involved after registering around halfway through the day. He even windmilled a six-high bluff against Adrian State before using that image to get paid with trips after a river overbet, helping him climb to the overall chip lead. Skhulukhiya worked his way to second in the counts, including folding a full house in a blind-on-blind battle against Alexander Sokolovsky.
Some other players to make it through Day 1b include Dimitrios Kilintaris (406,500), Oleg Silin (368,000), Volodymyr Drokin (320,000), Elio Farah (311,500), Martins Adeniya (183,000), bracelet winner Nikolay Fal (159,500), fthe 2025 Merit Poker Dolce Vita Series Main Event winner Nicolas Chouity (131,000), and Alexander Lakhov (32,500).
Day 2 gets underway at 12 p.m. on Thursday July 30, with survivors from all three opening flights combining into a single field for the first time. Late registration will remain open for a further five levels, after which the official prize pool and payouts will be confirmed. Play resumes on Level 11 with blinds of 1,500/2,500 and a 2,500 big blind ante, while the day's end level will be announced once cards are in the air.
Remaining Merit Poker Cup Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 29 | Day 1c | 9 p.m. | 25 minutes |
| July 30 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
| July 31 | Final Day | 12 p.m. | 40 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for live updates, chip counts, and all the biggest hands as the Merit Poker Cup continues at the 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series.