NOIR Poker Series｜Chengyu Liao's weekend trip turns into a $300,000 championship, a second appearance leads to a comeback victory

On August 3, 2026, the NOIR Poker Series $7,500 High Roller concluded its final battle at the Merit Royal Diamond Hotel Casino & Spa in Northern Cyprus. Chinese player Chengyu Liao emerged from the remaining 16 players on the final day, ultimately defeating Georgian player Giorgiy Skhulukhiya to claim the $300,000 champion prize, achieving his best result in a live tournament.

Unlike many of the other WSOP bracelet winners, EPT and WPT Main Event champions at the event, Liao is not a full-time professional poker player. He originally just flew from Istanbul, Turkey to Cyprus to compete over the weekend, but turned this short trip into the most important high roller title of his career.

Amateur poker player challenges highest level of tournament in his career

Chengyu Liao currently works in Istanbul and does not make a living from poker. His main purpose in traveling to Cyprus was to participate in the $7,500 High Roller. He had not originally planned to participate in any other events in the NOIR Poker Series and planned to return to Istanbul the day after the finals.

Liao admitted after the tournament that this was probably the highest buy-in tournament he had ever participated in. Facing opponents with extensive experience in high-stakes tournaments and large final tables, he was quite nervous during the final table, even believing that he might be the least experienced of the final nine.

However, the final result proved that he successfully seized this rare opportunity to compete. The $300,000 prize was not only the largest single prize of Liao's career, but also turned this weekend trip into a championship journey that could rewrite his poker resume.

Eliminated in the first competition, but became the starting point for the championship in the second entry.

Liao's journey in the competition has not been smooth sailing.

He was eliminated after his first appearance in the tournament, and his Cyprus trip was likely to end soon. However, Liao decided to re-enter, giving himself a second chance. It was this decision that brought him back to the poker table, and he made it all the way to the final championship.

Liao revealed that he still came close to elimination several times after his second appearance in the tournament. Facing the high-stakes field of high rollers, he did not maintain an absolute lead for long, but instead held on to his life in several key hands, ultimately reaching the final table.

$7,500 High Roller Final Table Results

Champion Liao took home $300,000, runner-up Skhulukhiya earned $203,000, and Gor Musinyan finished third with $142,000. All nine finalists earned at least $30,060.

The final day features a rapid elimination process, producing the final table (FT) within two levels.

When the final day began, 16 players remained. Although the nine-player final table was just around the corner, the participants did not tighten their playing style due to the prize money and the pressure of the final table; instead, the elimination rate increased rapidly.

Dmitry Gromov and Farkas Benedek were the first to leave the stage. The pace quickened further after Tobias Peters finished in 14th place; only about 15 minutes after his elimination, four more players were knocked out. With Arsenii Karmatckii finishing in 10th, the tournament had produced nine players in the final two levels within the first two levels of the final day.

The FT was locked in a tug-of-war for the first hour.

Compared to the rapid eliminations before the final table, the players became noticeably more cautious after the nine-player final table began.

In the first hour, the overall chip standings remained largely unchanged. It wasn't until nearly two hours into the final table that Australian player Geoffrey Mooney became the first to be eliminated, finishing in ninth place and earning $30,060.

Colombian athlete Julian Pineda Lozano then finished in eighth place, officially bringing the competition to the seven-person stage.

Five strong hands were held, and the final table quickly went to heads-up play.

Starting from the seven-person stage, the next five elimination rounds showed a similar trend.

Leonid Orman, Yesset Aimukhanov, Daniil Kiselev, Zorlu Er, and Gor Musinyan all went all-in pre-flop with underwhelming hands. None of them managed to turn the tide on the board, and the number of players in the final table quickly dropped from seven to two.

The final champion's one-on-one lineup is:

• Chengyu Liao

• Giorgiy Skhulukhiya

Skhulukhiya entered heads-up with a slight chip lead and gradually extended his lead by winning several small pots. Liao, lacking extensive head-up experience, had to look for opportunities to fight back when behind.

Holding three of a kind on the flop, a huge pot rewrote the championship trajectory.

The most important turning point of the entire heads-up match occurred on a board with multiple possible draws.

Both players eventually put all their chips into the pot. Liao had completed a set on the flop, while Skhulukhiya held a complex draw with a straight and other opportunities to improve his hand.

The turn and river failed to give Skhulukhiya the lead, and Liao successfully held on with a set on the flop. This huge pot not only doubled Liao's account but also directly changed the chip lead for both players.

Liao stated after the match that he didn't have much heads-up experience and made decisions mainly based on the rhythm of the game in the final stages. Although he attributed part of his victory to luck, his ability to hold on to crucial hands when behind was still the decisive turning point in the entire championship match.

The race ended with a front-flip collision, and Liao received $300,000.

After losing the lead, Skhulukhiya failed to regain control of the game. Liao won several pots in the following rounds, and the chip lead between the two players continued to widen.

The hand ended in an all-in pre-flop clash, with Liao emerging victorious. The original text did not disclose the complete starting hands and community cards for both players, therefore unconfirmed hand details will not be provided.

Liao successfully completed the final elimination, taking home the NOIR Poker Series High Roller championship trophy and $300,000. Skhulukhiya finished as runner-up and won $203,000.

After a low-key celebration, they returned to Istanbul.

Even after winning the biggest prize of his career, Liao did not plan a large celebration.

He stated that he would likely only spend some time with friends before returning to Istanbul as planned. For this part-time poker player, his work and daily life wouldn't be immediately and completely altered by a single championship.

From being eliminated early in his first tournament to choosing to take a second chance and then turning the tide from a losing position in heads-up play, Chengyu Liao turned a short weekend trip into a $300,000 high roller tournament victory.

This victory not only brought him the highest prize money of his career, but also proved once again that even when facing bracelet winners and world tour champions, non-full-time poker players can still seize opportunities in key hands and stand at the top of the international high roller tournament.

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