button in SafariSoares and Chotec Lead the Way As 20 Players Remain for Day 3
From a record-breaking field of 2,011 entries, only 20 players still have a chance to lift the trophy after Day 2 of the €500 Estoril Poker Fest Main Event.
That remaining 1% is still in contention for the €100,000 first-place prize, which was revealed at the start of the day when 332 players returned in the money.
Among them was Hugo Soares, who had built the second-biggest stack during the final starting flight. And after a day that he described as “a roller coaster,” the Portuguese player bagged the chip lead with 11,320,000 chips.
During this Day 2, he won a massive pot against Winamax Team Pro Joao Vieira to take a commanding lead, which he extended later on.
However, he ran into Andoni Martinez, who doubled up with kings against Soares’ pocket threes during the final levels. But after dropping back to 8,000,000 chips, Soares said he “played postflop and applied pressure” to recover what he had lost and bag the chip lead.
Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hugo Soares | Portugal | 11,320,000 | 81 |
| 2 | Hugues Mazerolle | France | 11,175,000 | 80 |
| 3 | Andoni Martinez | Spain | 7,600,000 | 54 |
| 4 | Jose Quintas | Portugal | 6,615,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Dylan Lauret | France | 6,400,000 | 46 |
| 6 | Anthony Guilloud | France | 6,165,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Ramon Fernandez | Spain | 6,080,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Ilan Symchowicz | France | 5,410,000 | 39 |
| 9 | Jose Lopez | Spain | 4,540,000 | 32 |
| 10 | Joao Pedro Ferreira | Portugal | 4,390,000 | 31 |
Alongside Soares are his friends Jose Quintas (6,615,000) and Ivo Almeida (4,200,000), all members of the poker team “Nitrology,” which specializes in Expresso tournaments. “We are friends, but not at the table. Let’s see what the cards decide tomorrow,” Soares added.
Although Soares holds the chip lead, it is only by the slimmest of margins, as poker streamer Hugues "Chotec" Mazerolle sits just one big blind behind with 11,175,000 chips. For Mazerolle, everything changed during the two hours he spent at the feature table. “I’ve never run that good during the whole tournament as I did at the TV table. It’s nice, but people will think that I’m insanely lucky,” he joked.
He also had a smile on his face after reaching the final pay jump of the day, which allowed him to break even in the Main Event after firing a total of eight bullets.
Spain’s Andoni Martinez (7,600,000) sits third in chips, ahead of Dylan Lauret (6,400,000), Anthony Guilloud (6,165,000), and Ramon Fernandez, who doubled up just before the end of the day through Martynas Brazdzionis (2,015,000) to bag 6,080,000.
Christophe D’Angelo (3,940,000) and Day 1c chip leader Bastien Riviere (3,115,000) are also still in contention, along with Dennis Bijen (2,675,000), who already pulled two of the biggest envelopes in the Opener Mystery earlier this week.
Another player to keep an eye on is Moundir Zoughari. The former reality TV show contestant has since become an accomplished poker player and is still chasing a major live title, and this Estoril Poker Fest could be the breakthrough he has been waiting for. After doubling up on the final hand of the day, he ended with 2,620,000 chips, good for 20 big blinds heading into tomorrow.
Remaining payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €100,000 | 7 | €16,000 |
| 2 | €74,000 | 8-9 | €11,500 |
| 3 | €52,000 | 10-11 | €9,000 |
| 4 | €38,000 | 12-14 | €6,700 |
| 5 | €28,000 | 15-17 | €5,400 |
| 6 | €21,390 | 18-20 | €4,300 |
The third and final day of the Estoril Poker Fest Main Event kicks off this Sunday, May 17 at 12:30 p.m. local time, featuring blinds of 80,000/160,000 and a 160,000 big blind ante and 40-minute levels. The 20 remaining players have already secured a min-cash of €4,300, while the six finalists will lock up at least €21,390.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as our team in Estoril provides updates until the winner is crowned!