Guy Finishes Top of Chip Counts
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After 403 players deposited their hard earned €5,000 yesterday, there were impressive scenes at the Casino de Barcelona today as around 670 more took part in today's proceedings to take the player number over the thousand mark and make this the biggest ever European Poker Tour in Spain.
After eight hard fought levels and with about 370 remaining the chip leader was Guy Bachar with 193,100 in chips. He leads ahead of Samir Hadad in second place (169,200) and Hila Dan Ionut in third (168,400). Bachar made a late charge to the top when took over the chip lead in the last level of the day knocking out Team PokerStars Pro Sandra Naujoks with 
against 
. But this means that the overall leader will be Day 1a's Aku Joentausta who will head into tomorrow's day 2 with 236,200.
Over twenty Team PokerStars Pros took part today, with the majority fairing very well. The ones making an early exit included Dario Minieri who ran into a set of nines early on. Jonathan Duhamel, Christophe De Meulder, Nacho Barbero and Bertrand “ElkY” Grospellier were also casualties during the later part of the day, the last of these feeling very unhappy when he got it all in on a flop with a set of eights only for his opponent's pocket aces to outdraw him by the river. Johnny Lodden was forced to grind a short stack for most of the day but fell right at the end when he lost with 
in a flip against 
.
Team Pros who did make it through include Theo Jorgensen (129,000), Ivan Demidov (100,800), Ville Wahlbeck (89,600), Joao Nunes (79,500), Daniel Negreanu (48,500), Ana Marquez (45,000), Luca Pagano (35,000), Martin Staszko (33,400), Rino Mathis (26,900), Barry Greenstein (20,800), Jude Ainsworth (12,100), and Jason Mercier (8,500), all of whom were very happy to navigate a minefield of a day. They'll be joined by SportStars Fatima Moreira De Melo (89,100) and Boris Becker (42,700) on Day 2.
Tomorrow the surviving players from the two starting fields (who combined number close to 600) will be starting at 1200 p.m. CET (0600 EST) once again with a plan to play six or seven levels. The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be there to bring you even more live updates on this record breaking EPT.
to make Bachar two-pair.
flop, five players were involved including Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier. After the first two players checked, Mercier checked. The fourth player to act bet 2,000 and the player behind him folded. Action folded back to Mercier and he called.
and Mercier checked again. His opponent fired 6,000 and Mercier took a few moments to think. Mercier had 14,850 left in his stack and moved them all into the middle with a check-shove. His opponent quickly called holding the 
. Mercier had him drawing dead, though, as he held the 
. The river completed the board with the 
and Mercier doubled up.
landed on the turn, Mercier checked to his opponent. Sternheimer bet 4,100 and Mercier folded.
