€5,200 PLO Opener
Day 1a Completed
2025 PLO Grand Slam
€5,200 PLO Opener
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2025 PLO Grand Slam
Buy-in
€5,200
Prize Pool
€1,057,500
Entries
225
Level
26
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Entries
106
Players Left
21
Level 11
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The latest edition of the PLO Grand Slam got underway in style after an action-packed Day 1a of the €5,200 Opener left only 21 players standing at Arena Casino Tirana. The 106 entries made during the first of two starting flights collected around half of the €1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool and improved upon the 95 entries of the last edition.
Ending Day 1a as chipleader is Youness Barakat. The Grand Slam Opener is familiar territory for Barakat, as he finished in third place in this event back in November. Ending Day 1a with 3,389,000 chips, nearly 17 starting stacks and good for 282 big blinds at the start of Day 2, he has made good strides for consecutive final table appearances.
Closely following Barakat in the counts is Dutchman Nino Pansier with 3,281,000 chips. Pansier made a late reentry on Day 1a but surged up the leaderboard as he won hand after hand. His neighbor, Tina Bajric, was the biggest victim of Pansier's rush as she went from chip multi-millionaire to being eliminated within the span of a level.
Harry Casagrande completes the top three with 2,435,000, being the only other player to cross ten starting stacks. Omaha bracelet winners Ronald Keijzer and Elie Nakache also found themselves in the upper half of the field, while the sole American representative so far Andrew Ige managed to squeeze into the top ten as well.
End of Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Youness Barakat | Italy | 3,389,000 | 282 |
| 2 | Nino Pansier | Netherlands | 3,281,000 | 273 |
| 3 | Harry Casagrande | Austria | 2,435,000 | 203 |
| 4 | Ronald Keijzer | Netherlands | 1,569,000 | 131 |
| 5 | Leonid Yanovski | Israel | 1,546,000 | 129 |
| 6 | Bernard Larabi | Hungary | 1,175,000 | 98 |
| 7 | Marco Di Persio | Italy | 1,011,000 | 84 |
| 8 | Spyridon Valakos | Greece | 1,004,000 | 84 |
| 9 | Elie Nakache | France | 909,000 | 76 |
| 10 | Andrew Ige | United States | 690,000 | 58 |
Nakache needed seven bullets to reach his stack, only being outdone by Tom-Aksel Bedell, who fired eight bullets on his way to bagging up 188,000. As a consolation, the two players were awarded a ticket to the €10,300 Championship later this festival. Interestingly, this marks the second time in a row Bedell has been awarded a ticket to the tournament, winning one by ending up as chipleader on Day 1a of the Opener in the previous edition.
Other notables making it through on Day 1a include bracelet winners Dario Alioto (618,000) and Lautaro Guerra (300,000), both of whom won their bracelet in the four-card game. Defending champion Aaron Pahlawani found a bag with 526,000 chips, while runner-up Pavel Izotov is hunting for revenge and ended up with 665,000.
In contrast, the likes of Fahredin Mustafov, Robert Cowen, Stanislav Zegal, Amir Mozaffarian and Hossein Ensan were among the many casualties on Day 1a and will have to try again on Day 1b.
The second and last starting flight will kick off tomorrow, Saturday, January 25, at 4 p.m. local time. The same 11 levels are scheduled then, with late registration not closing until the start of the second level on Day 2.
Tune back in then as PokerNews will continue to provide live updates from the PLO Grand Slam in the Albanian capital.
Level 11
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,389,000
111,000
|
111,000 |
|
||
|
3,281,000
3,281,000
|
3,281,000 |
|
2,435,000
1,185,000
|
1,185,000 |
|
1,569,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
||
|
1,546,000
89,000
|
89,000 |
|
1,175,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
1,011,000
376,000
|
376,000 |
|
1,004,000
162,000
|
162,000 |
|
909,000
809,000
|
809,000 |
|
|
||
|
690,000
910,000
|
910,000 |
|
665,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
|
632,000
429,500
|
429,500 |
|
618,000
439,000
|
439,000 |
|
|
||
|
597,000
178,000
|
178,000 |
|
550,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
526,000
31,000
|
31,000 |
|
||
|
475,000
275,000
|
275,000 |
|
300,000
175,000
|
175,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
253,000
197,000
|
197,000 |
|
188,000
188,000
|
188,000 |
|
|
145,000
145,000
|
145,000 |
Level 11
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The 21 remaining players are bagging up their chips as Day 1a has reached its finish.
Stay tuned for the chip counts and a recap of the day.
Level 11
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Aaron Pahlawani raised to 42,000 in the cutoff before Ronald Keijzer three-bet to 144,000 on the button.
Pahlawani called to the 9♣6♥6♣ flop, but quickly folded once Keijzer put in a small continuation-bet.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,575,000
204,000
|
204,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
495,000
262,000
|
262,000 |
|
|
||
Level 11
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
The floor has announced that each table will play three more hands before Day 1a concludes.
Level 11
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
After each player had put in 125,000 preflop, "Appie" shoved in his remaining 85,000 on a flop of 9♦6♥2♦. "Yamamoto" called off and the players showed down.
"Appie": J♣10♦9♠6♠ 
"Yamamoto": A♣J♦K♠10♣
"Yamamoto" needed to go runner-runner to best "Appie", and the K♥ turn provided him with some outs. The 5♣ river bricked off, however, and "Appie" doubled up late on Day 1a.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
450,000
450,000
|
450,000 |
|
|
450,000
426,000
|
426,000 |
Level 11
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Aaron Pahlawani checked on a turn of 4♣4♥3♥6♣ from the small blind, after which Ronald Keijzer made a bet of 100,000 into a pot of 122,000 in the big blind.
Pahlawani made the call before he led out for 100,000 on the A♠ river. Keijzer gave the situation some thought but ended up relinquishing his hand as the pot was shipped to the defending champion.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,371,000
129,000
|
129,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
757,000
57,000
|
57,000 |
|
|
||
Level 11
: Blinds 6,000/12,000, 12,000 ante
Catching the action on a turn of J♣A♥7♣9♣, "Yamamoto" checked to his opponent Lautaro Guerra, who fired a pot-sized bet of 270,000. "Yamamoto" then shoved for 303,000 and Guerra tossed in a few more chips for the call.
"Yamamoto": J♦10♦8♣7♦
Lautaro Guerra: A♦A♣10♥7♠
The 3♥ river did not pair the board, thus leaving "Yamamoto"s straight best against the set of Guerra, doubling the former up to more than 70 big blinds.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
876,000
631,000
|
631,000 |
|
|
125,000
95,000
|
95,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 11
Blinds: 6,000/12,000
Ante: 12,000
