PokerStars Open Returns with Huge Namur Stop; Ferdinando D'Alessio Leads at Start of Day 2
PokerStars brand new flagship series, The PokerStars Open, returns for its second standalone stop to the Circus Casino Resort in the picturesque city of Namur, Belgium, after the hugely successful inaugural edition in Campione, Italy.
Adrian State of Romania walked away with the title and a cheque for €363,000 after besting a 2,423 entry field in Campione, while Norwegian Jon Kyte banked €340,000 after triumphing in the version held within EPT Monte Carlo.
PokerStars announced recently that the buy-in for PokerStars Open Main Events within EPT's will be increased to €1,650 going forward to reduce waiting times for players, with the buy-in for standalone events remaining at €1,100.
PokerStars Open Campione Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian State | Romania | €363,000 |
| 2 | Giorgio Soceanu | Italy | €225,200 |
| 3 | Barnaba Perone | Italy | €160,880 |
| 4 | Manel Montalban | Spain | €123,760 |
| 5 | Salvatore Russo | Italy | €95,190 |
| 6 | Jakub Sterba | Czechia | €73,210 |
| 7 | Gaspare Sposato | Italy | €56,330 |
| 8 | Andreas Putz | Austria | €43,340 |
The €1,100 buy-in, €1,000,000 guaranteed PokerStars Open Main Event here in Namur is already well underway. PokerNews joins the action in Day 2 after the completion of seven starting flights, with a total of 1,523 entries logged, generating a current total prize pool of €1,445,327.
Late registration remains open until the start of Day 2, with a 30,000 starting stack available for players to have a last shot at the title.
A total of 433 players still have dreams of taking the title after surviving 11 Day 1 levels, with Belgian Ferdinando D'Alessio (473,500) leading the way at the start of play from Dutchman Gertjan Albers (428,500) and Djamal Boutaleb of France (396,000).
D'Alessio, a Namur regular, boats recorded earnings of over $750,000, his biggest score being a €415,000 payday for finishing runner-up in the 2023 EPT Barcelona Main Event, and he'll be hoping to go one better here to capture the coveted spade trophy.
PokerStars ambassadors Kenny Hallaert (120,000) and Barny Boatman (38,000) are both still in the mix, along with many other luminaries of European poker such as Dan Wilson (136,000), Felix Schneiders (324,000) and 2024 Irish Open champ Tero Laurila (151,000).
Prize pool and payout information will be published once they are confirmed after the close of late registration.
Start of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferdinando D'Alessio | Belgium | 473,500 |
| 2 | Gertjan Albers | Netherlands | 428,500 |
| 3 | Djamal Boutaleb | France | 396,000 |
| 4 | Noortje Verstegen | Switzerland | 394,000 |
| 5 | Hassan Sey | Finland | 372,000 |
| 6 | Aleksander Da Silva Boski | Portugal | 357,000 |
| 7 | Manuel Neiva de Sousa | Portugal | 342,000 |
| 8 | Axel Hallay | France | 337,000 |
| 9 | Felix Schneiders | Germany | 324,500 |
| 10 | Mehdi Mouhoubi | France | 315,000 |
The players will be returning to Level 12, with blinds of 1,000/1,500, with a 1,500 big blind ante. The clock is set to 75-minute levels, with the current intention being to play eight levels in Day 2, with a 75-minute dinner break scheduled after the end of Level 17.
Day 3 kicks off at noon local time on 6 June, with levels increased to 90 minutes on Day 4 at noon on 7 June. The final day then takes place on 8 June, where play will continue until a champion is crowned.
There have also been plenty of activities off the felt for the players to enjoy, with a raucous players party taking place last night. A Crazy Fries and Fricadelle Day takes place today from 13:00 at the Casino Terrace, and a Waffle Day on 6 June from 13:00 at the same location are still remaining on the schedule.
Be sure to stay locked into PokerNews for all your coverage of a big upcoming day of poker.