Konstantin Voronin raised to 1,200 on the button and Alisa Sibgatova called from the small blind before 'Jose Assorio' squeezed to 7,500 from the big blind. Only Voronin made the call.
'Assorio' continued for 4,000 on the 6♦6♠7♦ flop and was met by a raise to 15,000 from Voronin. 'Assorio' used a time bank before making the call.
'Assorio' checked the A♦ turn over to Voronin, who quickly slid out a bet totalling 37,500. 'Assorio' used another time bank before deciding to jam for around 70,400, and Voronin snapped him off.
'Assorio': A♥4♠
Konstantin Voronin: A♣6♣
Voronin had a boat, and 'Assorio' needed an ace on the river or he would become the first elimination of the Merit Poker Cup.
Sergey Voronin, Konstantin's brother, came over from a nearby table and began to clap after seeing Voronin's full house. The 9♣ river was no help for 'Assorio', who became the first player to head to the rail.
With around 17,000 in the pot on a board of J♦6♣6♥9♠, Konstantin Voronin checked from the small blind and faced a bet of 6,000 from Alisa Sibgatova in the big blind. Voronin continued via a call.
Both players checked the 8♠ river and Voronin tabled Q♦J♠ for a pair of jacks, which was enough to take down the pot.
At the same time on an adjacent table, there were around 100,000 chips in the middle on a completed board of 7♦7♥6♣8♥6♥. Dmitri Chinis checked from the small blind and Leonid Orman moved all in from the hijack for around 60,000.
Chinis didn't need long to fold, flashing QxQx as he surrendered the pot to Orman, leaving himself with just over half of the starting stack.
Paul Esau came in for a raise to 1,200 from the cutoff and Jose Assorio defended from the big blind.
Assorio checked to Esau on the 6♥10♦8♦ flop, and Esau fired a continuation-bet of 700. Assorio continued via a call.
Both players checked the 3♣ turn before the A♦ rolled off on the river. Assorio checked, and Esau bet 2,800. Assorio called, but was forced to muck after Esau tabled A♠9♥ for top pair.
The 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series gets underway today as players arrive for almost two weeks of poker in Northern Cyprus. Replacing the Dolce Vita Series, the inaugural Noir Series marks the festival's new home at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa, with its identity drawing inspiration from old Hollywood glamour and cinematic nightlife. More than $6,000,000 in guaranteed prize pools will be awarded across the series.
PokerNews will be on the floor throughout the series, bringing live updates from the three marquee tournaments, beginning with the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup. The opening event features a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool, with the buy-in increased from last year's $2,200 opener, which attracted 730 entries.
That event was won by China's Xiaosheng Zheng, who bested the field to claim the biggest title of his career and the $225,000 top prize. Zheng defeated Gerard Carbo Santamaria of Spain heads-up, while Mahmut Sanli rounded out the podium positions in third place.
Xiaosheng Zheng
2025 Merit Poker Cup Final Table Results
Place
Player
Country
Prize
1
Xiaosheng Zheng
China
$225,000
2
Gerard Carbo Santamaria
Spain
$150,000
3
Mahmut Sanli
Turkey
$100,600
4
Damir Zhugralin
Kazakhstan
$74,000
5
Joan Crespi
Spain
$58,000
6
Khalil Jabra
Lebanon
$45,500
7
Benjamin LeBlond
Canada
$36,500
8
Adem Agoudjil
France
$29,500
9
David Boyaciyan
Netherlands
$23,500
The three-day event features three opening flights, each playing ten levels. Day 1a gets underway today at 12 p.m. with 40-minute blind levels and a 100,000 starting stack, while Day 1b follows at the same time on July 29. Players looking for a faster route to Day 2 can take their seat in the Day 1c turbo flight on the evening of July 29, where blind levels are reduced to 25 minutes.
Late registration remains open until the end of Level 15, five levels into Day 2, with unlimited reentries permitted, giving players plenty of chances to build a stack. From there, the tournament continues with 40-minute blind levels through to the conclusion on Friday, July 31, when another Merit Poker champion will be crowned.
Merit Poker Cup Schedule
Date
Day
Time
Blind Levels
July 28
Day 1a
12 p.m.
40 minutes
July 29
Day 1b
12 p.m.
40 minutes
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 throughout the Merit Poker Noir Series for live updates, chip counts, and stories as they unfold from the tournament floor.
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