Chengyu Liao flew into North Cyprus for a weekend and left with a career best score, winning the 7,500 dollar High Roller at the Merit Poker NOIR Series for 300,000 dollars. Liao, who works a regular job in Istanbul and does not play poker for a living, busted his first entry before firing a second bullet that carried him all the way to the title.
A High Roller Built for a Short Trip
The event was part of the Merit Poker NOIR Series, running as part of a wider festival at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino and Spa in North Cyprus between July 27 and August 6. The 7,500 dollar buy-in High Roller reached its final table with nine players still in contention, and by the time the smoke cleared on August 3, it was Liao’s name on top of the field rather than any of the high stakes regulars who typically dominate buy-ins at that level.
Giorgiy Skhulukhiya of Georgia finished runner up for 203,000 dollars after leading for large stretches of the heads up battle. The gap between the two results, 300,000 dollars against 203,000 dollars, reflects just how top heavy the payout structure gets in High Roller fields once the table shrinks to two.
From a Bustout to a Second Bullet That Paid Off
Liao’s run almost did not happen. His first entry into the High Roller ended early, and rather than walking away he registered a second time, a decision that turned a wasted trip into the best result of his poker career. Re-entry tournaments reward exactly that kind of persistence, since a single bad beat or cooler in the early levels no longer has to end the day, provided a player is willing and able to fire again.
“I don’t play poker for a living,” Liao said after the win. “I work in Istanbul, so I just took this trip this weekend and flew to Cyprus to play poker.” The comment underscored how far Merit Poker’s short haul flight distance from Istanbul, Tel Aviv, and other regional hubs has helped the venue build a High Roller scene that draws players who are not full time professionals but can afford to fly in for a single marquee event.
A Flopped Set Turns the Tide Heads Up
Skhulukhiya held the advantage for much of the heads up match, and for a stretch it looked like Liao’s run might end one place short of the title. The turning point came on a draw heavy board, where Liao’s flopped set held up against Skhulukhiya’s combination draw, a result that shifted both the chip counts and the momentum decisively in Liao’s favor. From there, a preflop confrontation sealed the tournament in Liao’s favor and confirmed the 300,000 dollar first prize.
Hands like that are a reminder of why made hands with real equity, not just draws, tend to be favored in high pressure spots, and why understanding how different holdings rank against combination draws matters even at buy-ins well above what recreational players typically see on a felt.
Low Key Celebrations and a Flight Home
True to the backstory that made the win notable in the first place, Liao kept the celebrations modest. He planned to spend time with friends before flying back to Istanbul the day after the win, with no other events on his festival schedule. There was no talk of chasing another title in the NOIR Series or extending the trip. For Liao, the High Roller was the entire point of the weekend, and it delivered well beyond what a typical short getaway could offer.
What the Win Says About Merit Poker’s High Roller Appeal
Stories like Liao’s are becoming more common at Merit Poker’s Cyprus properties, where the combination of a resort setting, a compact flight radius from several major cities, and a packed festival schedule has made it possible for players without a full time grinding schedule to show up for a single event and leave with a result that would headline most amateurs’ entire year. The venue’s High Roller lineup, which also produced a separate Merit Poker Cup title for Ohad Geiger earlier in the festival, continues to attract a mix of touring professionals and one off visitors willing to take a shot at a marquee buy-in.
For Liao, a 300,000 dollar score from a tournament he almost did not re-enter is the kind of outcome that keeps recreational and semi-recreational players coming back to high buy-in events, even when the odds heavily favor the regulars who make their living at the tables.
