Filip Aleksic Runs Over the Field as 34 Players Advance on Day 1 of the Diamond Poker Series €10,300 Championship
In a room full of the best Pot-Limit Omaha specialists across Europe, Filip Aleksic managed to stand out on Day 1 of the Diamond Poker Series PLO Grand Slam Tallinn €10,300 Championship.
Aleksic dominated the field on the opening day, building up a massive stack of 2,384,000 that puts him nearly 1,000,000 clear of his closest challenger. The Dutch pro and Run It Once poker coach began his ascent early when he made a straight to beat Joni Jouhkimainen’s trips and score the knockout. He then eliminated Pavel Izotov, showing down top pair with the nut flush draw. “That’s illegal,” tablemate Dario Alioto said, in awe of Aleksic’s run.
Day 1 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Filip Aleksic | Netherlands | 2,384,000 | 298 |
| 2 | Hans Thumann | Czech Republic | 1,422,000 | 178 |
| 3 | "Gypsy Baron" | 1,386,000 | 173 | |
| 4 | Anton Suarez | Sweden | 1,190,000 | 149 |
| 5 | Joni Jouhkimainen | Finland | 1,114,000 | 139 |
| 6 | Erik Bystrom | Sweden | 1,110,000 | 139 |
| 7 | Vivian Saliba | Austria | 1,096,000 | 137 |
| 8 | Aaron Pahlawani | Austria | 1,006,000 | 126 |
| 9 | Florian Kraft | Germany | 922,000 | 115 |
| 10 | Imad Derwiche | France | 907,000 | 113 |
Bullet No. 3 proved lucky for Jouhkimainen, who joined Aleksic in the top five with 1,114,000. Other top stacks include Hans Thumann (1,422,000), "Gypsy Baron" (1,386,000), Anton Suarez (1,190,000), Erik Bystrom (1,110,000), and Vivian Saliba (1,096,000). Aaron Pahlawani, who won the €5,200 Opener during the first Diamond Poker Series stop in Tirana in November, was the last member of the million-chip club by bagging 1,006,000.
Further down the leaderboard are Imad Derwiche (907,000), Farid Jattin (862,000), Jens Kyllonen (342,000), Lautaro Guerra (265,000), Alioto (207,000), €5,200 Million champion Youness Barakat (200,000), and Hossein Ensan (71,000). The award for most perseverant player goes to Alexander Petersen, who busted six times but finally made his seventh try count, finishing with 736,000. Fredrik Lindstrom, already with two final table appearances this series, is in position for another deep run as he takes 679,000 into Day 2.
Those who couldn't survive the day and will have to try again tomorrow include defending champion Tom-Aksel Bedell, German soccer star Max Kruse, Henry Kilbane, Amir Mozaffarian, and Damjan Radanov.
Day 1 attracted 108 total entries to the Chesterfield Poker Club, with 34 players advancing to Day 2. Late registration remains open for the first two levels of Day 2, so the field can potentially grow much larger on the way to matching the €1,500,000 guaranteed prize pool. All surviving players return tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time, with action picking up on Level 10 with blinds of 4,000-8,000 and an 8,000 big blind ante.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow as the search for the next PLO champion continues on Day 2.