After seeing 753 entrants jump into Day 1b, the entire Hilton Hotel Prague ballroom was filled with European Tour Prague Main Event tables, creating another jam-packed EPT €5,300 Main Event Day 1.
Just 255 made it through to Day 2 from the second flight, emerging from the field. These players join the 124 that bagged from Day 1a and will return on Wednesday, December 10 to battle through five 90-minute levels in hopes of advancing to Day 3.
So far, total entries stand at 1,174, pushing the prize pool just short of €6,000,000. But with late registration open until the start of play tomorrow, this figure is expected to climb even higher.
Dimitrios Kilintaris emerged atop the counts after ten levels of action. His rise began later in the day when he secured a key double-up with pocket sevens after turning a set. He then saw to the elimination of Reino Rasmussen after picking up kings, keeping him up in the counts.
Grzegorz Kozieja sits close behind in second after building a big stack early and maintaining his pace throughout the day. In the final level, Kozieja continued to climb after jamming and forcing Fabio Muhr to fold.
Rounding out the podium positions on Day 1b was Aram Sargsyan, who started strong and carried his momentum deep into the night. Although he appeared poised to finish as the chip leader, a few small late pots slipped away, leaving him to bag the third-largest stack.
Day 1b Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dimitrios Kilintaris | Greece | 282,000 | 188 |
| 2 | Grzegorz Kozieja | Poland | 270,000 | 180 |
| 3 | Aram Sargsyan | Armenia | 261,500 | 174 |
| 4 | Oleg Vasylchenko | Ukraine | 258,000 | 172 |
| 5 | Jon Sataoen | Norway | 240,500 | 160 |
| 6 | Terry Jordon | United Kingdom | 207,000 | 138 |
| 7 | Ghattas Kortas | Sweden | 200,000 | 133 |
| 8 | Mahmoud Bedoui | Germany | 197,500 | 132 |
| 9 | Roberto Manfredi | Italy | 192,500 | 128 |
| 10 | Roger Perez | Spain | 191,000 | 127 |
Notable names who also bagged for Day 2 include the UK’s Terry Jordon (207,000) and Leo Worthington-Leese (108,000). Regular EPT contenders Gal Naim (120,500) and Paawan Bansal (89,000) also secured respectable stacks.
Former EPT Main Event champions still chasing another title are Uri Gilboa (98,000), Jan Bendik (84,500), and Anton Wigg (39,500). Wigg will need an early chip-up to stay amongst the pack, returning with just over 20 big blinds for Day 2.
A number of players took multiple shots, including Kaan Ozdemir, who became the first player to bust and rebuy but ultimately couldn’t find a bag.
Former EPT champions Simon Brandstorm, Aliaksei Boika, and Padraig O’Neill were also among those chasing another Main Event title, but all fell short before Day 2. Dominik Panka joined them on the rail after busting in the final level of the night.
Day 2 will commence at noon local time on Wednesday, the 10th of December. Players will begin at Level 11 with blinds at 1,000/1,500 and a 1,500 big blind ante. The schedule features five 90-minute levels with a 15-minute break after each one, along with a 65-minute dinner break at the end of Level 14 (approximately 18:45 p.m. local time).
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 10 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| December 11 | Day 3 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| December 12 | Day 4 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| December 13 | Day 5 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| December 14 | Day 6 | 12:30 p.m. | 90 minutes |
Be sure to stay with PokerNews as we bring live updates from the tournament floor across the next five days of main event action.
