button in SafariBastien Riviere Leads Day 1c of a Massive Estoril Poker Fest
With little idea of how big the event could get, Casino Estoril could only be delighted when the four starting flights of the €500 Estoril Poker Fest Main Event attracted a total of 2,011 entries.
“It is the biggest tournament ever hosted in Portugal,” Joao Vieira said before the start of play. That record-breaking figure was boosted by a massive Day 1c field of 840 entries, with only 139 players making it through to tomorrow’s Day 2 and securing a place in the money.
Those survivors are led by French player Bastien Riviere, who was propelled up the counts by a double up before the dinner break and eventually bagged 1,122,000 by the end of the night. Jimmy Irlat finished as the only other player above the million-chip mark with 1,044,000, while Thomas Betourne rounds out the podium with 967,000.
Just behind him is Kendji Charles (960,000), who had the opportunity to burst the bubble twice, but doubled up Nicolas Gerold (33,000) on both occasions instead.
Day 1c Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bastien Riviere | France | 1,122,000 | 112 |
| 2 | Marek Holer | Czechia | 1,047,000 | 105 |
| 3 | Jimmy Irlat | France | 1,044,000 | 104 |
| 4 | Hugo Blaison | France | 970,000 | 97 |
| 5 | Thomas Betourne | France | 967,000 | 97 |
| 6 | Kendji Charles | France | 960,000 | 96 |
| 7 | Etienne Ravet | France | 937,000 | 94 |
| 8 | Jose Quintas | Portugal | 930,000 | 93 |
| 9 | Luis Dias | Portugal | 913,000 | 91 |
| 10 | Jaime Diaz | Spain | 863,000 | 86 |
Portugal’s Jose Quintas (930,000) eliminated Leo Margets during the last levels and reached the top ten, alongside Etienne Ravet (937,000) and Luis Dias (913,000).
After flopping trips to burst the bubble, Manuel Borges boosted his stack to 636,000, moving ahead of players such as WSOP Main Event finalist Malo Latinois (478,000), Abel Pruchon (405,000), and Guillaume Molinod (400,000).
Further down the chip counts, Winamax Team Pro Joao Vieira spent the entire day under the lights of the feature table and bagged 276,000. In doing so, he secured only his first cash ever in Portugal.
Ilan Cukrowicz (232,000) is not far behind, while Lucien Cervettaz sits at the bottom of the counts and will return for Day 2 with just 4,000 chips.
While players in Day 1c were waiting for the bubble to burst, the 49 remaining runners in Day 1d bagged their chips, with a fully filled bag for the chip leader Marek Holer (1,047,000).
Among the 293 entries recorded, Hugo Blaison sits second in chips with 970,000, continuing his strong run after finishing 15th in the recent EPT Monte-Carlo Main Event.
French poker streamer Hugues Mazerolle (500,000), Dennis Bijen (286,000), WSOP bracelet winner Jonathan Therme (232,000), Aurelie Dassi (228,000), and Ernestas Taunys (175,000) also secured their seats for Day 2 through this final flight.
A total of 332 players will return at noon local time for Day 2 of the Main Event. Play should resume at blinds of 4,000/8,000 with an 8,000 big blind ante and 35-minute levels. The full payouts and prize pool will be revealed at the restart.
The PokerNews team will be on the floor in Estoril to follow Day 2 of the Estoril Poker Fest Main Event.