Hassan Sey Makes Serene Progress to Lead into Day 3 of Record-Breaking PokerStars Open Namur
After nine 75-minute levels of play, the dust has settled on Day 2 of the PokerStars Open, held at the Circus Casino Resort, Namur, with only 91 players still in the running for the trophy and €238,000 first-place prize.
Hassan Sey of Finland took the chip lead by the first break in Day 2, and never looked back from that point, going on to amass a stack of 2,380,000 by the end of play to lead the way into Day 3. Sey was responsible for bursting the money bubble, winning a flip against Sabare Atmani in a huge pot to send him well over seven figures.
The Finn holds a 800,000 lead over his closest challenger, Dutchman Gertjan Albers (1,580,000), who picked off a bluff by Jozef Cibicek in one of the final hands of the day, while Erwin Vu Duc of Belgium (1,438,000) completes the podium places. Start of Day 2 chip leader Ferdinando D'Alessio is also still riding high (1,152,000).
Sey holds recorded cashes of almost $700,000, his biggest score being victory in the 2019 Masters Classic of Poker in Amsterdam for just under $85,000.
Albers biggest score is a €31,000 payday for a third place finish in the High Roller Championship at the 2022 Belgian Poker Challenge here in Namur, while Vu Duc is also a Circus Casino regular, all of his $43,000 of recorded cashes coming at the venue on the banks of the Sambre river.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hassan Sey | Finland | 2,380,000 | 238 |
| 2 | Gertjan Albers | Netherlands | 1,580,000 | 158 |
| 3 | Erwin Vu Duc | Belgium | 1,438,000 | 143 |
| 4 | Ramdhane Ben Maamar | France | 1,209,000 | 120 |
| 5 | Eduard Stefan | Romania | 1,172,000 | 117 |
| 6 | Ferdinando D'Alessio | Belgium | 1,152,000 | 115 |
| 7 | Sasa Maksic | Serbia | 1,138,000 | 113 |
| 8 | Djamal Boutaleb | France | 1,061,000 | 106 |
| 9 | Jean-Vincent Lehut | France | 1,022,000 | 102 |
| 10 | Saman Ziarati | Belgium | 1,005,000 | 100 |
Day 2 Action
A total of 49 players took advantage of Day 2 late registration, bumping up the start of day field to 482 hopefuls. Those players brought the total field to 1,572 entrants and the total prize pool to €1,491,828, a record for a live event in Belgium.
The loot was to be shared between 223 players, with a minimum cash good for €1,840, but all combatants had their eyes on the money up top. The knockouts came quickly at the start of the day in pursuit of that goal, with players such as PokerStars ambassador Barny Boatman, Jack Hardcastle and Heni Mokni all departing in relatively rapid fashion.
Sey came to the fore early and moved close to seven figures with the bubble approaching when his Big Slick held versus Jonathan Bonnin. He then cracked Atmani to have the room applauding as the bubble was burst after around five hands of hand-for-hand play.
Players such as EPT winner Giuliano Bendinelli, Michel Karim and Florian Duta all departed with a min cash.
David Docherty had the misfortune of falling ill overnight and was unable to take his seat, but his blinded away stack managed to bag him a pay jump in his pursuit of PokerStars League points. PokerNews sends David our best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Play slowed down as the clock ticked down towards the end of Level 19, with 91 players bagging and tagging at the end of play.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €238,000 | 18-20 | €8,430 | |
| 2 | €153,500 | 21-23 | €7,020 | |
| 3 | €109,620 | 24-27 | €6,050 | |
| 4 | €84,320 | 28-31 | €5,250 | |
| 5 | €64,830 | 32-39 | €4,560 | |
| 6 | €49,950 | 40-55 | €3,960 | |
| 7 | €38,410 | 56-71 | €3,450 | |
| 8 | €29,850 | 72-91 | €3,030 | |
| 9 | €22,800 |
The players will return at noon local time to Circus Casino Resort on 6 June for Day 3 to Level 20, with blinds of 5,000/10,000, with a 10,000 big blind ante, with the current intention being to play until the end of Level 27.
Levels are set to be 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.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage, as we see who can move into prime position to take the coveted PokerStars Open trophy.