Merit Poker Main Event Day 1b Starts
The $5,500 event continues its four-flight opening with 100,000-chip stacks, 40-minute levels and late registration open through Level 11.
- Day 1b of the $5,500 Merit Poker Main Event began at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa with 100,000-chip starting stacks and 40-minute levels.
- The flight is the second of four starting days in the Merit Poker Noir Series, with late registration open until Level 11 and play continuing until 15% of the field remains.
- Day 1a drew 216 entries, with 32 players bagging chips after more than 12 hours of play.
- Three-time bracelet winner Timur Margolin led Day 1a with 1,760,000 chips, ahead of Joris Ruijs and Jay O’Leary.
- Days 1c and 1d are scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 4, followed by Day 2 on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Day 1b of the $5,500 Merit Poker Main Event got underway at noon at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa. Players started with 100,000 chips and played 40-minute levels.
According to PokerNews, the flight is the second of four starting days in the Merit Poker Noir Series. Late registration remains open until the start of Level 11, and the structure runs until only 15% of the field is left, at which point every surviving player is in the money.
The move into Day 1b comes after a busy opening flight. Day 1a drew 216 entries and ran for more than twelve hours before 32 players bagged chips.
That first flight ended with 21 minutes left in Level 17, with blinds at 10,000/20,000 and a 20,000 big blind ante. It also produced a clear leader in three-time bracelet winner Timur Margolin, who finished on 1,760,000.
Joris Ruijs was second with 1,560,000, while Jay O’Leary followed on 1,525,000. Dmitrii Kravchenko bagged 1,495,000 and Gilles Simon ended on 1,490,000. Merijn van Rooij and Oleg Silin both finished with 1,355,000.
The remaining starting flights are Day 1c and Day 1d on Tuesday, Aug. 4, with 30-minute and 25-minute blind levels. All survivors from the four flights return for Day 2 on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
Sources
Earlier coverage
- Merit Poker Noir Series Opens in North Cyprus Jul 28, 2026
- Hassan Nashar Takes Merit Poker Cup Lead After Day 1b Jul 29, 2026
