After Ran Ilani, under the gun, bet 15,100 and was called by Alen Sabic to his left, PokerStars Team Pro Barny Boatman in the small blind three-bet all in for 69,500. Ilani jammed with the 14,000 he had left and Sabic called, finding himself at risk for 53,500.
Ran Ilani: A♥K♣
Alen Sabic: K♦10♦
Barny Boatman: 8♠8♦
Sabic flopped two pair on 10♥K♠3♥, and the runout kept him in the lead so he tripled up while Ilani was eliminated. Moments later, Boatman was seen walking away as well.
On a flop of 9♠5♥2♥ with 7,800 in the pot, Kerryjane Craigie in the big blind moved all in for 22,900. Bruno Bernardino, who checked from the small blind, went into the tank and eventually made the call.
Kerryjane Craigie: 7♠5♠
Bruno Bernardino: A♥10♥
"Hold," Craigie said, with her pair against Bernardino's flush draw. The 3♦ didn't change anything, but the A♠ river gave the best pair to Bernardino, sending Craigie to the rail.
The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague rolled on today with Day 1a of the prestigious €5,300 Main Event, marking the final Main Event of the year on the circuit.
A total of 466 entrants took their seats inside the elegant Hilton Prague, reflecting a more than ten percent increase over last year’s Day 1a turnout of 412 entries.
Only 146 players managed to survive the day and bag chips for Day 2. Leading the pack is Italy’s Gianfranco Iaculli, who amassed an impressive stack of 294,000. Hot on his heels is France’s Christian Alilovic, finishing the day in second place with 272,000 chips, while Denmark’s Mikkel Nielsen rounds out the top three with 244,000.
Notably, the top ten chip counts are represented by players from ten different countries, highlighting the truly international field at this year’s EPT Prague.
Top Ten Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Gianfranco Iaculli
Italy
294,000
196
2
Christian Alilovic
France
272,000
181
3
Mikkel Nielsen
Denmark
244,000
163
4
Elvis Petcu
Romania
223,000
149
5
Alexander Sokolovsky
Serbia
222,500
148
6
Gab Yong Kim
South Korea
203,000
135
7
Alen Sabic
Bosnia and Herzegovina
202,500
135
8
Karl Sandoff
Sweden
201,500
134
9
Max Neugebauer
Austria
189,000
126
10
Vanessa Kade
Canada
188,000
125
Vanessa Kade once again finds herself in familiar territory — among the chip leaders in a major poker tournament. Kade boasts four EPT cashes, three of which were achieved during this series in Prague. A highlight of her career was winning the PokerStars Sunday Million 15th Anniversary event in March 2021, where she outlasted nearly 70,000 entries to claim a record-breaking prize of $1,514,920 — the largest ever awarded in the tournament's history.
Kade slowly built her stack throughout the day and eliminated Leo Worthington-Leese in the penultimate level with pocket queens to secure one of the top stacks in the room.
South Korea’s Gab Yong Kim capped off a solid Day 1a by bagging an impressive 203,000 chips. Kim, currently ranked third on South Korea's all-time money list with over $3 million in live tournament earnings, has built a reputation as one of the country’s top poker talents. Known for his deep runs on the international circuit, he’s well-positioned to make another strong showing as the tournament heads into Day 2.
Both Barny Boatman and Derk Van Luijk won't be back for more in the Main Event as they both dusted off their permitted two bullets over the course of the day. Kerryjane Craigie, the aforementioned Worthington-Leese, Leo Margets, Felix Schneiders, Padraig O'Neill, and Conor Beresford all went through one bullet and will undoubtedly be back for more when Day 1b gets underway.
Jon Kyte
Some notables to make it through include Max Neugebauer (189,000), Brandon Sheils (134,000), Grzegorz Glowny (124,000), Jon Kyte (75,000), and Morten Klein (56,500) just to name a few.
Remaining Schedule
Date
Day
Time
Blind Levels
December 10
Day 1b
12 p.m.
60 minutes
December 11
Day 2
12 p.m.
90 minutes
December 12
Day 3
12 p.m.
90 minutes
December 13
Day 4
12 p.m.
90 minutes
December 14
Day 5
12 p.m.
90 minutes
December 15
Day 6
12:30 p.m.
90 minutes
Day 1b, the final opportunity for players to secure a stack for Day 2, takes place on Tuesday, December 10. Survivors from both flights will merge on Wednesday, December 11, when Day 2 begins, and late registration officially closes.
Be sure to keep your eyes glued to PokerNews as the live reporting team continue to bring you coverage straight from the tournament floor.
