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$1,000 APC Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2026 African Poker Championship Tanzania
$1,000 APC Main Event
Day: 1b
Players Left 39 / 256
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
5
479,000
8
242,000
9
222,000
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The second of three starting days for the inaugural edition of the African Poker Championship Main Event in Tanzania has wrapped up with 16 players out of 46 entries advancing to Day 2. They are joining the 23 survivors of the previous flight, which had attracted 51 entries to bring the overall tally to 98 entries. That brings the $1,000 buy-in nearly half-way to meeting the $200,000 guarantee at the Le Grande Casino in Dar Es Salaam with one more starting day to follow on Friday, October 2, 2026.
However, the late registration and re-entry period will be open for another five levels on Day 2 before the final field size will be set.
South Africa's Franco Da Matta was singing "happy birthday" multiple times after the frantic action at the tables had propelled Banks Solomons (645,000) and Mattia Festa (580,500) to the top of the leaderboard, most notably during the final two levels of the night.
The fiesta for Festa continued after his triumph in the $3,000 APC High Roller the previous day as he ran up one starting stack after six levels to nearly six, while Panayiotis Giannakopoulos went from chip leader to bustout during the very same period. Da Matta himself would have liked to bag up more chips but will have to do with 128,000 after a roller coaster day.
As the sole player from the nearby island of Mauritius, Patrice Ah-Nien finished strong and bagged up 570,500 while Imran Bhojani (545,000) also advanced with a larger stack than the Day 1a chip leader Todd Hellyar. It was the logical result of an incredibly exhilarating first two levels that saw multiple all-in showdowns in rapid fashion.
Top 10 Chip Counts After Day 1b
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds Day 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banks Solomons | South Africa | 645,000 | 258 |
| 2 | Mattia Festa | Italy | 580,500 | 232 |
| 3 | Patrice Ah-Nien | Mauritius | 570,500 | 228 |
| 4 | Imran Bhojani | South Africa | 545,000 | 218 |
| 5 | Raphael Bsiri | France | 479,000 | 192 |
| 6 | Ivan Govorov | Russian Federation | 357,000 | 143 |
| 7 | Obi Zhang | China | 303,000 | 121 |
| 8 | Mr KING | China | 242,000 | 97 |
| 9 | Thomas Ye | China | 222,000 | 89 |
| 10 | Muzamil Gothey | Tanzania | 152,000 | 61 |
During the first ten minutes, Harold Brooks had already doubled up his stack before losing most of his stack in a three-way all-in when two flush draws collided with middle pair.
These two hands may perhaps not even make the top five of the most insane hands the second flight witnessed, as the craziness continued without too much remorse. Early front runner Dan Zvonaru then lost another memorable three-way all-in that sent Solomons to the top of the leaderboard, where he stayed for almost the entire remainder of the day - this was still in level one, by the way.
In the second level, Le Grande Casino owner Costa Giannakopoulos went from hero to zero in two hands when his pocket aces were cracked by the pocket kings of Solomons.
His son Panayiotis Giannakopoulos was running riot at the tables and went from short stack to near chip leader, even taking the overall lead on the live stream table after the dinner break thereafter.
The most memorable all-in showdown produced a triple knockout for Bhojani before Zvonaru then predicted a "straight flush in progress" on the flop which indeed became reality for Rajeev Poonhath.
Bsiri ran with ace-king for top two pair into the set of kings of Ivan Govorov but came back with a vengeance to score multiple knockouts en route to bagging up a big stack. Bhojani added to his tally with another double KO before Giannakopoulos went from first in chips at the start of level seven to the rail.
It was that kind of day, as the chips went flying left and right with barely any dull moment as the Day 1b field was cut into almost one third in extraordinary fashion. Whether or not the final starting day will produce the same fireworks remains to be seen.
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Day 1c is the last chance for poker enthusiasts from near and far to take advantage of the deep structure in the early levels to splash and dash the chips with a 2 p.m. starting time in Tanzania.
The very same eight levels of 60 minutes each with an extended dinner break are scheduled then and the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide as many exciting showdowns as possible.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
There was no more late carnage and the final 16 players bagged up their chips. Full counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
What started with a limp was then raised to 10,000 by Imran Bhojani, who picked up calls by Jason Zhuang and Mr King. On the Q♦J♠6♥ flop, it checked to Mr King who bet 20,000. Bhojani called and Zhuang folded.
The Q♥ turn saw Mr King check-call for 30,000 and he then bet the 8♦ river for 35,000, Bhojani folded.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Dusko Radosavljevic had been chipped down to around the starting stack but didn't get to bag up as Imran Bhojani scooped them to further grow his massive stack.
Over on table three, Thomas Ye three-bet only to get shoved on by Obi Zhang and folded albeit with some words in Chinese and a smirk on the face.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
With 17 players remaining and 14 minutes left on the clock, the last hands of the night were drawn - another five of them will take place before bagging and tagging.
As that was announced, the board showed 8♥6♣3♥4♥9♣ and Mattia Festa had checked from the small blind. Rajeev Poonhath bet 22,000 on the button and festa mulled it over, then glanced at his opponent.
"Up to you," Poonhath told him and Festa called a few seconds later via single chip.
Poonhath tabled the A♠Q♣ and Festa won the pot with the A♦4♦ for a pair of fours only.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Four ways with 6,000 each invested to the 7♦6♥5♣ flop, the action checked to Jean Pierre Sgiaravello and he bet 16,000. Jason Zhuang called before Mr King in the small blind check-raised to 51,000. Muzamil Gothey folded from the big blind let go and Sgiaravello used one time bank before he folded, Zhuang followed suit.
Sgiaravello exposed the A♦A♣ for the overpair.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Xuecheng Mi jammed at the wrong time preflop as Mattia Festa snapped him off for a very reason.
"Happy birthday," Franco Da Matta started singing and APC founder Marc Joseph asked "whose birthday is it?"
Festa replied "me" as his A♥A♣ were up against Mi's A♠K♣.
The K♥Q♥2♦A♦10♥ board sent Mi to the rail.
Level 8
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Theuns Prinsloo was all-in for only 10,000 out of the blinds and Panayiotis Giannakopoulos called as both already exposed their cards. Prinsloo's 10♣6♦ and the K♥4♥ for Giannakopoulos.
There was just one problem. Ioannis Panagiopopoulos was still to act and then called, knowing both cards. The two active players checked down the A♠Q♠J♠A♣7♠ board and Panagiopopoulos won the pot with the A♦10♠ for the flush.
Soon after the field was balanced to only three tables of six players each as Giannakopoulos had disappeared. Franco Da Matta was jokingly singing happy birthday to Banks Solomons in the one seat, who gave a brief rundown of what had happened.
Giannakopoulos triple-barreled through a ten-high board with seven-high for a missed gutshot and ran right into Solomons' pocket tens for tens full.
