That’s a wrap on the starting flights for the Unibet DeepStack Open (UDSO) Marrakech Main Event inside Casino de Marrakech.
Day 1c brought a massive 380 entries, while the late-night turbo (Day 1d) added another 90 to the mix. That surge carried the total to a record-breaking 937 entries, the biggest Main Event field in UDSO Marrakech history!
From those final two flights, 95 players punched their tickets from Day 1c, while 23 survivors bagged chips in Day 1d. All told, the prize pool has soared to 4,960,800 MAD (approx. €467,581), with payouts to be confirmed on Day 2.
Sebastien Guinand was the only player to bag a seven-figure stack. In the final level of the night, he coolered Patrick Bornicke in a 1.2 million-chip pot. In a three-bet pot with both players more than 200 big blinds deep, Guinand flopped a set of jacks against Bornicke’s aces. The chips went in on the turn, and Guinand collected the spoils.
Abdou Zizi finished second in chips for the flight — and second overall — while Mehdi Senhaji also bagged strong, ending third in both Day 1c and the overall standings. Both Moroccans will be carrying plenty of chips into Day 2.
Day 1d belonged to Hassan Atigh of Mauritania, who finished as the flight’s chip leader. He secured the final elimination of the starting flights when his pocket nines held against Ordi Rostann’s king-nine, booking his place in the top ten overall.
Unibet ambassador Aurelie Reard also made it through Day 1d, ending with 175,000. She'll be joining her husband and fellow ambassador Alexandre Reard, who qualified in Day 1a. Another notable who made it over the first hurdle was Chris Dowling, who bagged 112,500.
End of Day 1cd Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastien Guinand | France | 1,208,000 | 483 |
| 2 | Abdou Zizi | Morocco | 797,000 | 319 |
| 3 | Mehdi Senhaji | Morocco | 572,000 | 229 |
| 4 | Romain Morin | France | 464,000 | 186 |
| 5 | Benjamin Hammann | France | 451,500 | 181 |
| 6 | Azeddine Chamma | France | 411,000 | 164 |
| 7 | Yaye El Hadj | Mauritania | 406,000 | 162 |
| 8 | Houssam El Bassunie | Morocco | 403,000 | 161 |
| 9 | Hassan Atigh | Mauritania | 399,000 | 160 |
| 10 | Emmanuelle Allory | France | 390,000 | 156 |
Day 2 gets underway at 1 p.m. local time on Saturday, September 20, with the combined Day 1 fields bringing back 233 players. The goal will be to navigate through the money bubble and play down until just 16 players remain.
Action resumes at Level 12 with blinds at 1,000/2,500 and a 2,500 big blind ante.
As always, PokerNews will be on hand with live updates as the record-breaking field chases a spot in Monday’s finale.
