Bold Bluff Propels Atoui to Day 1b Lead at WPTDeepStacks Marrakech
On the second starting day of the 2018 WPTDeepStacks Marrakech Main Event, Karim Atoui made a name for himself by running a massive bluff during the final portion of the night to claim the overnight — and overall — chip lead with 334,000, far more than his nearest challengers.
Holding ace-queen of clubs in a three-bet pot, Atoui check-raised an eight-high flop with two spades and no clubs, then check-raised again when a king landed on the turn before shoving all in when the ace of spades landed on the river. Krijn Broskij, opponent in the hand, laid down ace-king and got shown the inferior hand in the biggest hand of the day.
While the ballsy play by Atoui was certainly the poker highlight of the day, Day 1b showed once again that players are able to find their way — and enjoy themselves — in the luxurious Casino de Marrakech, part of the five star Es Saadi Resort in the vibrant Moroccan city of Marrakech. Last year, the field attracted 433 players and with 431 players in 2018, nearly the same amount of entries was made. The total prize pool and payouts will be finalized and published at the start of Day 2.
In the wake of Atoui, players like Mathieu Chevalier (193,000), Jean-François Bertrand (182,000), and Frederic Delval (172,500) also amassed sizable stacks on the second starting day. Notables such as Mehdi Hsissen (160,500), Imad Derwiche (160,000), Tsunamy (122,000), and Jean Montury (80,000) also punched their tickets to the second day. Broskij, who played over 200k not long before the end, survived Atoui's onslaught but will have to work himself back up from 46,000.
270 players showed up for the second of two starting days, and a total of 147 out of 431 entries overall will be back on Day 2, which means over half the field has already been shed. Hopefuls such as Isabel Baltazar, Abdelhadi Kondah, Selim Oulmekki, Paul Tedeschi, and Anas Tadini fell along the way. The survivors return on Saturday at noon local time to play on as the money stages will be reached.
PokerNews covers this event start to finish until a winner has been crowned on Sunday night, so make sure to check back regularly who will lift the WPTDeepStacks trophy in Casino de Marrakech.
Today, Day 2 will kick off at 12 p.m. local time, combining the 147 survivors from Day 1a and Day 1b. Levels will be bumped up to 60 minutes, players will reach the money and play until the final two tables are reached.
PokerNews will be right back in Casino de Marrakech to cover the action until a new WPTDeepStacks winner is crowned on Sunday, September 30. Follow along in the PokerNews live reporting section.
A former professional poker player with a background in sports marketing and journalism. Yori has been a part of PokerNews since 2016 and manages the content team.
