€1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event
Day 1e Completed
€1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event
Day 1e Completed
The biggest starting flight so far of the €1,100 Estrellas Poker Tour Main Event at the 2023 PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona wrapped up late tonight with 220 players remaining of the 1,467 runners who registered the Day 1e flight. Leading those remaining players is Israel's Avihai Smadga, who scored back-to-back eliminations to burst the money bubble and end the day.
Other players who found bags on Day 1e include PokerStars ambassadors Benjamin Spragg and Ramon Colillas, along with Adam Hendrix who is after another big score in Barcelona after finishing runner-up in the 2019 €1,100 EPT National for $384,231. They will join the few hundred players who bagged the first four starting flights, as well as those who find bags in the 1f, 1g and 1h flights.
RANK | NAME | COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Avihai Smadga | Israel | 983,000 | |
2 | Emmanuel Lopez | Argentina | 829,000 | |
3 | James Akenhead | United Kingdom | 804,000 | |
4 | Oleksii Natoptanyi | Ukraine | 781,000 | |
5 | Nabil Benchaouch | France | 729,000 | |
6 | Vasyl Laba | Ukraine | 671,000 | |
7 | Marcos Antolin | Spain | 570,000 | |
8 | Byeolram Yu | South Korea | 561,000 | |
9 | Andrej Desset | Slovakia | 557,000 | |
10 | Sandro Pitzanti | Netherlands | 531,000 |
As the biggest of the four starting flights that have taken place so far, there was no shortage of action across the more than 12 hours of play on Day 1e.
The notable hands came early as Timur Margolin scored a double knockout when his Broadway held up against the flush draw of Eugen Pop and the top two pair of Deddi Or-Paz.
A few levels later, EPT villain Will Kassouf had a bluff picked off by Ramiro Gonzalez, who called with ace-high on a double paired board to beat out Kassouf's queen-high.
Kassouf wasn't the only recognizable face in the massive Day 1e field as PokerStars ambassador Alejandro Lococo was in contention before bowing out late in the evening with top pair against the two pair of Gabriel Nobrega.
Other notable players who were in the Day 1e field include PokerStars online pro Sebastian Huber, Britain's David Docherty and American pro Jason Wheeler.
Day 2 action will pick up on August 25 at noon local time. Before that, Days 1g and 1h will take place on August 24 and will follow a similar structure as previous flights.
Stay tuned as the PokerNews team will be back tomorrow for continued coverage of the Estrellas Main Event action here on the Barcelona coast. Check out the EPT Barcelona live reporting hub in the meantime.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Avihai Smadga | 983,000 | |
|
||
Emmanuel Lopez |
829,000
829,000
|
829,000 |
James Akenhead |
804,000
804,000
|
804,000 |
Oleksii Natoptanyi |
781,000
481,000
|
481,000 |
Nabil Benchaouch |
729,000
729,000
|
729,000 |
Vasyl Laba |
671,000
371,000
|
371,000 |
Marcos Antolin |
570,000
570,000
|
570,000 |
Byeolram Yu |
561,000
561,000
|
561,000 |
Andrej Desset |
557,000
486,000
|
486,000 |
Sandro Pitzanti |
531,000
31,000
|
31,000 |
Sergio Lopez |
524,000
524,000
|
524,000 |
Iulian-Costel Strugaru |
515,000
515,000
|
515,000 |
Yassine Nabih |
508,000
508,000
|
508,000 |
Farid Afakir |
478,000
478,000
|
478,000 |
Peter Tordai |
469,000
149,000
|
149,000 |
Matthias De Meulder |
465,000
465,000
|
465,000 |
Tsugunari Toma |
464,000
464,000
|
464,000 |
Elias Fisz |
459,000
459,000
|
459,000 |
Arik Filstein |
450,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
Fabian Bartuschk |
445,000
445,000
|
445,000 |
Cedric Schwaederle |
427,000
212,000
|
212,000 |
Michel Karim |
425,000
215,000
|
215,000 |
Alexandros Dimogiorgis |
422,000
12,000
|
12,000 |
Yuya Kita |
398,000
148,000
|
148,000 |
Dan Petrea |
390,000
390,000
|
390,000 |
Day 1e has ended with 219 players advancing to Day 2. Stay tuned for a full recap of the day's action.
Herve Mary, in the big blind, found himself all in and at risk for his last 137,000 against Avihai Smadga, in the middle position.
Herve Mary: A♠A♦
Avihai Smadga: 9♠5♠
The board ran out 6♣7♣9♥5♣3♦. Smadga cracked aces to score back-to-back eliminations and burst the bubble.
Meanwhile, at another table, Antoine Labat was forced all in from the big blind against Alessio Cesare across the table.
Antoine Labat: 4♣2♦
Alessio Cesare: A♣Q♥
The French crusher couldn't pull ahead and was eliminated as the board ran out 7♣10♦8♠9♦8♥. The two bubble boys will split a minimum cash.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Avihai Smadga |
983,000
233,000
|
233,000 |
|
||
Alessio Cesare
|
275,000
275,000
|
275,000 |
Herve Mary | Busted | |
Antoine Labat | Busted |
Luciano Macchiarelli was all in and at risk for around 130,000 against table chip leader Avihai Smadga.
Luciano Macchiarelli: A♣8♦
Avihai Smadga: K♥10♦
Smadga took the lead as the flop landed 2♣4♥10♣ to pair his ten, but the 8♣ turn gave Macchiarelli plenty of hope with a pair and flush draw. Unfortunately for him, the river brought a brick with the 9♠ to mark his elimination on the soft money bubble.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Avihai Smadga |
750,000
290,500
|
290,500 |
|
||
Luciano Macchiarelli | Busted |
With 222 players remaining and 220 spots getting paid and making it through to Day 2, play is now hand for hand.
Nabil Benchaouch opened to 19,000 from middle position and Farhad Mohajerani three-bet to 55,000 from the next seat before Fernando Garces four-bet jammed a stack of 110,000 behind him. Benchaouch folded and Mohajerani called with a bigger stack.
Fernando Garces: A♥A♠
Farhad Mohajerani: K♣K♥
Garces was on the right end of the cooler and stayed alive on the soft bubble as the board ran out 7♠2♦2♥6♦J♠.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Fernando Garces
|
250,000 | |
Farhad Mohajerani | 55,000 |
Level: 18
Blinds: 4,000/8,000
Ante: 8,000
Marius Gicovanu opened from early position to 13,000, Salvatore Camarda three-bet to 39,000 and Gicovanu moved all in for 215,000. Camarda called.
Marius Gicovanu: A♥Q♥
Salvatore Camarda: A♦K♠
The board ran out 10♣9♣7♠3♣Q♠. A rivered queen saved Gicovanu's tournament life as the bubble looms.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Salvatore Camarda |
205,000
-275,000
|
-275,000 |
Marius Gicovanu | 44,000 |