Ramdhane Ben Maamar Catches Fire to Lead into Day 4 of PokerStars Open Namur
A shortened Day 3 of six 75-minute levels didn't prevent over two thirds of the field falling by the wayside in the PokerStars Open Main Event Namur at Circus Casino Resort, with only 29 players progressing to Day 4 from 91 hopefuls, all of whom will have their sights firmly set on the €238,000 first-place prize.
Ramdhane Ben Maamar of France soared to the top of the standings, bagging up a 5,460,000 stack via a mixture of luck, fearless pressuring of opponents and some premium hands - a dangerous combination in any poker player.
He has a 45 big blind advantage over his nearest challenger, Jason Barton of the United Kingdom (4,095,000), who in turn holds a reasonable lead over Jozef Cibicek of Slovakia (3,270,000) in third.
Ben Maamar has recorded cashes of under $10,000 so this is certainly the biggest spot of his tournament career. Barton holds recorded cashes of over $115,000, while Cibicek is a rising star on the European scene, having racked up over $425,000 in tournament scores.
End of Day 3 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramdhane Ben Maamar | France | 5,460,000 | 182 |
| 2 | Jason Barton | United Kingdom | 4,095,000 | 137 |
| 3 | Jozef Cibicek | Slovakia | 3,270,000 | 109 |
| 4 | Hassan Sey | Finland | 3,245,000 | 108 |
| 5 | Luke Nieuwenhuis | Netherlands | 2,460,000 | 82 |
| 6 | Hakan Orduzu | Turkey | 2,305,000 | 77 |
| 7 | Alexandru Danes | France | 2,050,000 | 68 |
| 8 | Erwin Vu Duc | Belgium | 2,000,000 | 67 |
| 9 | Mathieu Gallois | France | 1,960,000 | 65 |
| 10 | Tobias Peters | Netherlands | 1,745,000 | 58 |
Day 3 Action
The action started at a frantic pace, and Yves Senterre was among the first players to head for the payout desk, while Grzegorz Kozieja was on the wrong end of a brutal cooler to also hit the showers early.
Ben Maamar started to catch heat when his light button three-bet worked out a treat versus a cold four-bet jam behind. From there he showed a bluff against Tobias Peters and knocked out Noortje Verstegen with a flopped set.
Barton spent all day battling against Alexandru Danes (2,050,000), who also bagged a top ten stack. Matters started to move in the right direction for Cibicek after he rivered a set to hold against Samuel Bovy and then had set over set against start of day chip leader Hassan Sey.
Sey had another solid day and stayed among the top of the standings for the entire session, finishing in fourth on 3,245,000, while WSOP bracelet winner Peters (1,745,000) is also well placed to make a run at the title. Dean Clay was the unfortunate player to bust last in the session.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €238,000 | 10–11 | €17,500 | |
| 2 | €153,500 | 12–13 | €14,560 | |
| 3 | €109,620 | 14–15 | €12,130 | |
| 4 | €84,320 | 16–17 | €10,110 | |
| 5 | €64,830 | 18–20 | €8,430 | |
| 6 | €49,950 | 21–23 | €7,020 | |
| 7 | €38,410 | 24–27 | €6,050 | |
| 8 | €29,580 | 28–29 | €5,250 | |
| 9 | €22,800 |
The players will return to Circus Casino Resort at noon on 7 june to 90-minute levels at Level 26, with blinds of 20,000/40,000, with a 40,000 big blind ante. The plan for the day will be confirmed tomorrow.
Stay tuned to PokerNews as we see who can navigate to the final table of the PokerStars Open Namur.