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The 2026 NOIR Poker Series $7,500 High Roller at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in North Cyprus concluded with a surprise winner. Chengyu Liao, who does not play poker professionally, outlasted a 16-player final field that included WSOP bracelet holders and EPT and WPT champions to claim the title and a career-high $300,000 prize.
Liao, who works in Istanbul, said he traveled to Cyprus specifically for the tournament and had no plans to enter other events in the series. Despite the massive score, he intends to fly back to Istanbul the day after his win.
The Chinese amateur admitted to feeling out of his depth throughout the final stages. “I feel like I was the weakest player at the final table,” he said, crediting a heavy dose of luck for his run. He also revealed he busted his first entry before re-entering the event, a decision that ultimately paid off.
The day began with 16 returning players, and the pace quickly picked up. Eliminations of Dmitry Gromov, Farkas Benedek and Tobias Peters triggered a rapid string of knockouts, reducing the field to a final table within the first two levels of play.
At the final table, players including Geoffrey Mooney, Julian Pineda Lozano, Leonid Orman, Yesset Aimukhanov, Daniil Kiselev, Zorlu Er and Gor Musinyan fell in quick succession, several via preflop all-ins with dominated hands, setting up a heads-up battle between Liao and Giorgiy Skhulukhiya.
Skhulukhiya held an early heads-up lead, but a key hand saw Liao’s flopped set defeat his opponent’s draw, shifting momentum decisively. Liao then closed out the match, securing the trophy and the top prize, and said he plans a low-key celebration with friends.
