Kaukua Leads Heading into Day 2 of �5,300 Main Event
Welcome back to the PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) here at Casino Barcelona, where players will soon be gathering for Day 2 of the �5,300 Main Event. Toni Kaukua is the current chip leader after ending with 346,000 on Day 1a. Not far behind him is Sylwester Fortuna, who managed to bag up 328,000 last night for Day 1b.
Also in the top ten is poker pro Martin Zamani, who already has three cashes in Barcelona this tour, including a ninth-place finish in the Mystery Bounty event just a few days ago. A win for Zamani would be his first in any EPT event.
Overall Chip Leaders From Day 1a and Day 1b
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT | BIG BLINDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toni Kaukua | Finland | 346,000 | 231 | |
| 2 | Sylwester Fortuna | Poland | 328,000 | 218 | |
| 3 | Wongyu Kang | South Korea | 319,500 | 213 | |
| 4 | Julio Chia Cabrera | Peru | 290,000 | 193 | |
| 5 | Younes Hammouchi | France | 287,000 | 191 | |
| 6 | Johnny Mendes | Brazil | 280,000 | 187 | |
| 7 | Claudio Di Giacomo | Italy | 266,500 | 177 | |
| 8 | Stanislou Shylkou | Belarus | 247,000 | 165 | |
| 9 | Martin Zamani | United States | 243,500 | 162 | |
| 10 | Brandon Mifsud | Malta | 239,000 | 159 |
Thus far, there have been 2,053 entrants between Day 1a and Day 1b. Of those, 698 will return for Day 2. Late registration will remain open until the start of play, so we expect that number to go up by a considerable amount before late registration ends.
Many notables are still in the hunt, including Anton Wigg (214,000), Stephen Song (151,000), Jason Wheeler (150,500), Niklas Astedt (143,000), Joey Weissman (140,000), and Team PokerStars Pros Benjamin Spragg (124,500) and Parker Talbot (21,000).
Day 2 is set to begin at noon local time on level 11, which features 1,000/1,500 blinds with a 1,500 big blind ante. Levels will be lengthened to 90 minutes each and players will get a 20-minute break after each level with one 30-minute break after Level 14. Play will continue on Day 2 for at least five levels, but may be extended if the money bubble is close to bursting.
Be sure to stick with PokerNews as we bring you the action from the tournament floor for Day 2 of what is sure to be an action-packed day of poker here in Barcelona!