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Ohad Geiger has won the $3,500 Merit Poker Cup at the 2026 Merit Poker Noir Series, defeating a field of 428 entries to capture his first Merit Poker title and the largest cash of his career. The victory earned him $240,000 from a $1,260,032 prize pool.
Geiger, who normally plays cash games, said he entered the tournament almost on a whim to change up his routine. The decision paid off after a swing-filled three-day run that saw him move between average and above-average stacks before catching fire late in the event.
The Israeli credited part of his turnaround to the arrival of five friends who joined him on the rail during the final stages. He said that once they showed up, his all-in decisions consistently worked out in his favor.
The final table began with Vyacheslav Kardash as chip leader, though Yilu Yuan later took control after eliminating several opponents, at one point holding more than half the chips in play. Geiger’s run continued when his ace-ten rivered a ten to beat Yuan’s pocket nines, keeping him alive.
A pivotal hand followed when Geiger’s pocket tens rivered a full house against Yuan’s all-in with suited ace-six, swinging momentum firmly in his favor. Yuan was eliminated in fourth place shortly after by Dmitrii Kravchenko, who went on to face Geiger heads-up.
Despite entering heads-up play with a roughly 5:1 chip lead, Geiger saw Kravchenko fight back before ultimately sealing the win when his queen-ten held against Kravchenko’s eight-deuce, completing his run to become the inaugural Merit Poker Noir Cup champion.
