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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.
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.