Full House Expected as EPT Paris Main Event Heads Into Day 1b
The sun has risen above the French capital of Paris, meaning a new day of the 2026 PokerStars European Poker Tour Paris is on the horizon. All eyes today will be on Day 1b of the prestigious €5,300 EPT Main Event, which kicks off at noon local time.
During the record-setting 2024 edition of EPT Paris, Day 1b of the Main Event crossed the magical number of 1,000 entries. A bumper crowd is thus expected today at Le Palais des Congrès, adding to the 573 entries of Day 1a.
All who enter today will be chasing hometown player Thomas Cazayous, who captured the chip lead on Day 1a with 385,000, just shy of 13 starting stacks. Other notables who bagged big among the 180 survivors on Day 1a include Natan Chauskin, Adrian State and Nikita Kuznetsov.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Cazayous | France | 385,000 | 257 |
| 2 | Eduard Litskan | Ukraine | 315,000 | 210 |
| 3 | Yaman Nakdali | Spain | 295,000 | 197 |
| 4 | Natan Chauskin | Belarus | 281,000 | 187 |
| 5 | Adrian State | Romania | 262,500 | 175 |
| 6 | Nikita Kuznetsov | Russian Federation | 253,000 | 169 |
| 7 | Carlos Rocha | Brazil | 244,000 | 163 |
| 8 | Vincent Lavollee | France | 238,000 | 159 |
| 9 | Adnan Dahic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 210,000 | 140 |
| 10 | Lucas Scafini | Brazil | 208,000 | 139 |
Day 1b of the EPT Paris Main Event will follow the same structure as Day 1a, starting each player off with 30,000 chips and playing ten levels of 60 minutes. The blinds will kick off at 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante, ensuring deep-stacked play throughout the day. A small break is scheduled after every two levels, with an extended 65-minute dinner break taking place after Level 6, around 6:40 p.m. local time.
Late registration will remain open throughout Day 1b, closing at the start of Day 2. However, all players are allowed just two entries in total across the entire EPT Main Event, including Day 1a and Day 2.
Day 1b Schedule
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 min | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| 2 | 60 min | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 20 min break | ||||
| 3 | 60 min | 100 | 300 | 300 |
| 4 | 60 min | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 20 min break | ||||
| 5 | 60 min | 200 | 500 | 500 |
| 6 | 60 min | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 75 min dinner break | ||||
| 7 | 60 min | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| 8 | 60 min | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 20 min break | ||||
| 9 | 60 min | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| 10 | 60 min | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
PokerNews will be back on the floor for Day 1b from the very start, providing live coverage of exciting hands and chip count updates. Keep your eyes on this page as the EPT Paris Main Event will continue shortly.