Out of a massive field of 1,433 entries, only 36 players remain heading into Day 3 of the €1,000 World Series of Poker Circuit Aix-en-Provence Main Event, hosted at the beautiful Pasino Grand. Each of them now has their eyes set on a single goal: reaching the final table for a shot at the €160,000 first-place prize and the prestigious WSOP Circuit gold ring.
But while the finish line is getting closer, there’s still a tough road ahead. Day 2 saw the money bubble burst, and by the end, Julien Bolimowski emerged as the chip leader with a towering stack of 5,900,000. He is followed closely by Cécile Ticherfatine (4,600,000), Axel Hallay (4,200,000), and Farid Diaf (4,160,000), who rounds out the top four.
Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julien Bolimowski | France | 5,900,000 | 148 |
| 2 | Cécile Ticherfatine | France | 4,600,000 | 115 |
| 3 | Axel Hallay | France | 4,200,000 | 105 |
| 4 | Farid Diaf | France | 4,160,000 | 104 |
| 5 | Cyril Monbrun-Massot | France | 3,335,000 | 83 |
| 6 | David Gradic | Slovenia | 3,100,000 | 78 |
| 7 | Julien Sitbon | France | 2,880,000 | 72 |
| 8 | Fabien Motte | France | 2,865,000 | 72 |
| 9 | Constantin Lau | France | 2,850,000 | 71 |
| 10 | Michael Dogliani | France | 2,660,000 | 67 |
Despite a shrinking field, many notable players are still in contention, including WSOP bracelet winner Julien Sitbon, who advanced with a stack of 2,880,000 chips. Fabien Motte (2,865,000) remains in the hunt as well, alongside Alban Beysson (2,650,000), Grégory Fournier (2,260,000), Cédric Chevalme (1,825,000), and Belgium’s Aliosha Staes (1,070,000).
Laurent Michot (920,000) came just short of the million-chip mark, as did Frédéric Delval (905,000), Pierre Merlin (830,000), and Philippe Ktorza (795,000). At the bottom of the leaderboard, Mercedes Osti holds the shortest stack with 410,000 and will need an early double-up to stay in the race for the title.
WSOP Circuit Aix-en-Provence Main Event Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €160,000 | 9 | €16,200 |
| 2 | €110,500 | 10-11 | €13,050 |
| 3 | €79,250 | 12-13 | €10,700 |
| 4 | €58,400 | 14-17 | €8,950 |
| 5 | €43,812 | 18-23 | €7,600 |
| 6 | €33,500 | 24-31 | €6,500 |
| 7 | €26,000 | 32-36 | €5,550 |
| 8 | €20,400 |
Day 3 is set to resume at 1 p.m. local time, with blinds at 25,000/50,000 and a big blind ante of 50,000 and 60-minute levels. All remaining players have already secured a minimum cash prize of €5,550, but the goal today is to reach the final table, which will be formed when either 6 or 8 players remain, depending on the pace of eliminations. This Day 3 will also be streamed live with a 30-minute delay.
Keep tuned to PokerNews as the excitement ramps up even further as the WSOP Circuit Aix-en-Provence Main Event approaches boiling point.
