Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2015 Unibet Open Antwerp
Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2015 Unibet Open Antwerp
Buy-in
€1,000
Prize Pool
€321,000
Entries
321
Level
28
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
20,000
Ian Simpson Leads After Day 1b of 2015 Unibet Open Antwerp Main Event
Level 10
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
The second starting day of the €1,100 Unibet Open Antwerp Main Event attracted a field of 196 entries in "De Shop" to create an overall field of 321 entries for the first-ever stop in Belgium's "Diamond City." After 10 levels of 60 minutes each, only 65 players bagged up chips and resulted in exactly 100 survivors for Saturday's Day 2. The top 36 spots will get paid at least €2,087, and all eyes will be set on the Unibet trophy and first-place payout of €71,260.
Ian Simpson, champion of the 2013 Irish Open, bagged up 292,800 in chips for the lead after Day 1b, and he was closely followed by Mateusz Moolhuizen with 274,900. Moolhuizen, the Dutchman, was one of only two former Unibet Open champions that advanced to the second day. The other was Quentin Lecomte, but the Frenchman will be looking for an immediate double up when play resumes on Saturday because ehe finished on just 19,500 in chips.
It seemed like it was meant to be for Simpson, as he was responsible for the first elimination of the day after flopping a set of fives against Amit Girdhari's ace-queen. The money went in on the turn, and Girdhari was eliminated.
Other notables and big stacks that advanced through the second starting day included David Janssen (202,400), Krisztian Arvai (157,400), Tobias Peters (147,600), Laurens de Smet (128,300), Jonas ten Cate (126,700), Johan Verhagen (121,700), Jessy Marillaud (108,800), Marcel "The Flying Dutchman" Luske (101,000), Johan Goslings (74,700), Micha Hoedemaker (68,800), Rolf Slotboom (64,500), Ruben Visser (63,600), Philip Meulyzer (51,000), Raoul Refos (40,600), and Pascal Vos (27,400).
Kevin "Civel" Vandersmissen's two pair on the flop ended up second best to the 
of Davy de Cooman, who rivered a straight to bust the Belgian. Then, 2015 Master Classics of Poker fourth-place finisher Kees van Brugge ran 
into the pocket aces of Verhagen.
Pierre Neuville, a member of the recent World Series of Poker November Niner, had his pocket aces cracked by Arvai's 
. The Hungarian four-bet shoved into the short stack of Neuville and made a runner-runner flush.
Peter Harkes, one of the three former Unibet Open champions participating today, lost a flip over on the feature table with pocket sixes against the ace-king of Marc Dogge. Other notables that didn't make it included Raf de Wever, Paul Berende, Alina Volodina, Szymon Bujok, Dennis Lavrijsen, Anaras Alekberovas, Walter Buss, Niels van Leeuwen, Koen de Visscher, 2015 Cannes finalist Jussi Heikela, and Sam Grafton.
Day 1a chip leader Niko Koop remained as the overall leader and will headline the remaining 100 survivors on Saturday. Play will commence at 12 p.m. local time when action resumes in Level 11 at blinds 1,200/2,400 and a running ante of 300. The seat draw for Day 2 will be published in the morning and the paid places will be reached during Day2. All those that bust early can find some consolation in the Unibet players party next door.
That's all for now, but be sure to tune back into the PokerNews on Saturday for more live coverage.
End-of-Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 10
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
292,800 | 42,800 |
|
274,900 | 19,900 |
|
202,400 | 13,400 |
|
199,500 | 64,500 |
|
187,100 | 47,100 |
|
|
178,400 | 15,400 |
|
157,300 | 42,300 |
|
151,500 | 151,500 |
|
147,600 | -2,400 |
|
|
146,900 | 146,900 |
|
|
144,800 | 5,600 |
|
143,000 | 72,000 |
|
128,300 | 98,300 |
|
126,700 | 16,700 |
|
121,700 | 11,700 |
|
117,100 | -11,900 |
|
115,900 | 115,900 |
|
115,400 | 115,400 |
|
110,600 | 110,600 |
|
110,100 | 58,100 |
|
108,800 | -36,200 |
|
|
108,700 | 13,300 |
|
104,900 | 13,900 |
|
101,300 | 11,300 |
|
99,000 | 99,000 |
De Wever Last Casualty
Level 10
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Raf de Wever got his short stack into the middle of the table in the last hand with 
and Bogdan Adrian Avram called with the superior 
. The board ran out 
and the kicker played a crucial role to reduce the field for Day 1b to 65 survivors as it stands right now.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
86,200 | 86,200 |
|
|
Busted |
Four Hands to Go
Level 10
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
The clock has been stopped with 66 players remaining and four more hands will be played.
Moolhuizen Almost Unstoppable
Level 10
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Karen Safaryan, Matyas Csiszar and Kristian Grundal Gormsen won't be bagging up chips. The latter shoved the 
turn after a small bet by Mateusz Moolhuizen and the Dutchman snap-called.
"Oh, you have it? Now I need four sixes to win," the Norwegian joked.
Grundal Gormsen: 
Moolhuizen: 
The 
river was already meaningless and Grundal Gormsen hit the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
255,000 | 45,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted |
Two More Seat Open
Level 10
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Erik Sturkenboom had previously folded to aggression by Jonas ten Cate and now lost the remainder of his short stack.
Niko Kilpelainen lost a flip with 
against pocket nines and only three Finns remain, the field of Day 1b has been reduced to 70 hopefuls.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
Busted |
Moolhuizen Flushes Merkelis
Level 10
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Arnoldas Merkelis raised to 5,000 and Mateusz Moolhuizen called in the cutof seat. On the flop 
, Merkelis continued for 6,000 and Moolhuizen called before doing the very same on the 
turn for 11,000.
The dealer burned and turned the 
river, which Merkelis checked. Moolhuizen pushed forward a big stack of T-5,000 chips to put his opponent all in and Merkelis called with only to see Moolhuizen turn over 
for a flush.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
210,000 | 50,000 |
|
Busted |
Callens, Kalinowski and Kinket Gone
Level 10
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Ann-Roos Callens first had her pocket kings cracked after a four-bet pot and seven-high flop when her opponent with pocket queens found another queen on the turn. The remainder of the stack then vanished with 
versus on an ten-high board.
Aleksandar Kalinowski and Alexander Kinket have been sent to the rail as well.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted |
Simpson Takes Lead from Verbon
Level 10
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Over on the feature table, Ian Simpson and Tim Verbon got involved into a four-bet to 26,000 and Simpson called to see a flop of 
. Both players checked and Verbon then continued for 25,000 on the 
turn, again Simpson called.
The 
came on the river and that was the worst card for Verbon, who fired 50,000 with 
. Simpson snap-called with 
and raked in the huge pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
250,000 | 92,800 |
|
|
129,000 | -133,000 |