Fortuna Bags Day 1b Lead in EPT �5,300 Main Event
The last of two starting flights have concluded for the �5,300 Main Event here at the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) in Casino Barcelona with Sylwester Fortuna emerging as the chip leader of the 438 remaining players after bagging 328,000 in Day 1b.
Fortuna is a regular in European tournaments and is coming off a career-best cash of �40,000 after winning a Pokercode Festival event earlier this year. His best EPT cash dates back to 2014, when he got second place in a London event. However, Fortuna is now in prime position to make a deep run and will be looking to improve upon his live-tournament resume.
Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT | BIG BLINDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sylwester Fortuna | Poland | 328,000 | 218 | |
| 2 | Wongyu Kang | South Korea | 319,500 | 213 | |
| 3 | Younes Hammouchi | France | 287,000 | 191 | |
| 4 | Johnny Mendes | Brazil | 280,000 | 187 | |
| 5 | Claudio Di Giacomo | Italy | 266,500 | 177 | |
| 6 | Martin Zamani | United States | 243,500 | 162 | |
| 7 | Brandon Mifsud | Malta | 239,000 | 159 | |
| 8 | Franck Makaci | France | 231,500 | 154 | |
| 9 | Antoine Labat | France | 223,500 | 149 | |
| 10 | Alexandru Alman | Italy | 220,000 | 146 |
Day 1b drew 1,261 entrants, which brings the overall number of entrants (when combined with Day 1a) to 2,053. The standing record from last year is 2,294 entrants, but with late registration remaining open until the start of Day 2, we will have to wait and see if a new field record can be set.
There was no shortage of notables in the mix today, with Jason Wheeler (150,500) Niklas Astedt (143,000), Matthew Wantman (104,500), and Sam Grafton (69,000) all finding bags into Day 2. Joey Weissman also had a good day and was able to eliminate Marcel Brunner en route to bagging 140,000 before the end of the day.
PokerStars Team Pro Benjamin Spragg was also able to earn a Day-2 berth after chipping up nicely in a few of hands of the last level to end with 124,500. His better half, Marle Spragg, was also in attendance but was eliminated late in the day.
Other less fortunate players include Erik Seidel, Kevin Rabichow, Nacho Barbero, Kitty Kuo, Masato Yokosawa, Steve O'Dwyer, and Patrik Antonius �� all of whom busted before the day's end.
Defending champion Giuliano Bendinelli was also unable to pick up any momentum throughout the day and busted out shortly before the dinner break.
All the remaining players from Day 1a and Day 1b will reconvene for Day 2 on August 29 at 12 p.m. local time. Any player who has not entered more than once between Day 1a and Day 1b will be eligible to register up until the start of Day 2.
Play will resume on Level 11, which features 1,000/1,500 blinds and a 1,500 big blind ante. Levels from Day 2 onward will be lengthened to 90 minutes each.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we continue to bring you all the action from the tournament floor leading to the next EPT Main Event champion! For coverage of other events, check out the EPT Barcelona live reporting hub.