Mustafov Leads Onyx Main Event as Day 1b Starts
The defending champion bagged 3,555,000 after a 113-entry opener left 17 players in line for Day 2.
Day 1b of the Onyx High Roller Series $25,500 Main Event kicked off at 1 p.m. local time at Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa after the opening flight drew 113 entries and sent 17 players through to Day 2. Fahredin Mustafov led the survivors with 3,555,000, while Aliaksandr Shylko bagged 2,920,000 and Ali Al-Kubasi finished with 2,640,000.
Manuel Fritz also advanced with 1,610,000 after a tricky bubble run. Daniel Rezaei returned with 1,410,000, Raoul Kanme with 1,325,000, Arsenii Karmatckii with 725,000 and Weiran Pu with 665,000.
According to PokerNews, the opener ended when Julian Pineda Lozano moved all in preflop and ran into Mustafov’s pocket aces. The board did not help Lozano, and the 17 survivors bagged up after the bubble burst. The day also had a wild stretch where three players were at risk on three tables at the same time, and all three survived that sequence before Daniel Koloszar and Zorlu Er got their money on the bubble.
As reported yesterday, Mustafov entered the series as the defending champion after winning the 2025 Onyx High Roller Series Main Event for $1.3 million. The Main Event carries a $5 million guarantee, and each player starts with 200,000 chips at 500/1,000 with a 1,000 big blind ante. The first two flights use 40-minute levels, while the turbo flight switches to 20-minute levels.
Instead of ending after a set number of levels, each starting flight plays until just 15% of the field remains. At that point, players secure a place in the money and bag their chips for Day 2. Two more starting flights remained for players who missed the opener, with a 1 p.m. local-time flight on Aug. 12 and a turbo session at 9 p.m. that night. Survivors from all flights return for Day 2 on Aug. 13 at 1 p.m. local time, and the field is set to play to a champion on Aug. 14.
