Main Event Day 1a | 2018 Winamax Poker Open Dublin

09-19-2018 16:49 UTC

Kooij Moves Up to Around 100k in Chips

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Will Shillibier

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Teunis Kooij has moved up the chip counts to join the six-figure club with a stack of just over 100,000.

"They thought that his Aces were good against my flush," Kooij said by way of explaining. "They weren't good."

"That was the biggest one; there were some further small ones."

Kooij finished fifth in last year's Winamax Poker Open Dublin, and he's now seated on a table alongside Winamax Team Pro Gaelle Baumann. Each Winamax Team Pro has a commemorative button to give away to the person that busts them.

"I didn't manage to get one last year!" said Kooij eyeing it up. "I made the final table you know."

Player	Chips	Progress
Teunis Kooij	100,000 50,000	50,000

Tags: Gaelle Baumann Teunis Kooij

09-19-2018 16:46 UTC

2017 Runner-up Franco in the Field

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Will Shillibier

Level 10 : 500/1,000, 1,000 ante

Last year Sonny Franco lost out to Otto Richard heads-up for the Winamax Poker Open Dublin Main Event crown, and he's back in the field this year midway through Day 1a.

From the small blind, he checked a flop to the player in the big blind who bet 3,000. Another player folded and Franco called.

The river was the and both players checked. His opponent flung open for two pair and chopped the pot as Franco calmly turned over , with the ace playing for both players.

Player	Chips	Progress
Sonny Franco	40,000 40,000	40,000

Tags: Otto Richard Sonny Franco

Level: 10

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 1,000

09-19-2018 16:22 UTC

Updated Chip Counts

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Will Shillibier

Level 9 : 400/800, 800 ante

Sander van Wesemael has joined the Main Event field from the High Roller, and he joins fellow Dutchman Wermer Lootsma in the field.

Another Dutchman still in his Teunis Kooij, who finished fifth in this event last year. Michael O'Sullivan finished seventh, and he is sat just under starting stack.

Marc Macdonnell and Mark Buckley are already up over six figures, while Leo Margets has become the latest player to bust and re-enter.

Player	Chips	Progress
Marc Macdonnell	145,000 25,000	25,000
Mark Buckley	110,000 73,000	73,000
Franck Besnard	75,000 6,000	6,000
Wermer Lootsma	60,000
Gaelle Baumann	60,000 37,000	37,000

Teunis Kooij	50,000
Leo Margets	50,000 1,000	1,000

Michael O'Sullivan	48,000 2,000	2,000
Otto Richard	45,000 5,000	5,000
Sander van Wesemael	38,000

Tags: Leo Margets Marc MacDonnell Mark Buckley Michael O'Sullivan Sander van Wesemael Teunis Kooij

09-19-2018 16:00 UTC

Defending Champion Richard Hopes for More Success...For His Girlfriend!

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Will Shillibier

Level 9 : 400/800, 800 ante

It's always interesting to see how defending champions approach returning to the site of quite possibly their finest hour in poker, and Otto Richard is no exception.

"I was a bit stressed today I have to say," he told us on break in the Main Event. "I mean, I do for most tournaments, but more so today than for the High Roller yesterday for some reason.

"Maybe it's because I had a bit to drink yesterday, I'm not sure!"

Already on his second bullet, Richard says that he's "not even disappointed" after losing out in a hand against Franck Besnard aka Captain Vodka. In fact, Richard was spotted taking a selfie with Besnard as the pair headed out on break.

"I still have six entries [total] and I'm quite happy to lose against someone like Captain Vodka rather than anyone else. I know that he played the hand well and I didn't so he deserves it."

Richard says that he's here in Dublin with his girlfriend, so any off-the-felt activities such as the Beer Pong tournament might be kept on the down-low. Instead, he'll be cheering on his girlfriend at the tables.

"I'd really like for her to win something," he said. "She's just starting as a player; new blood with the money from last year! I've seen her play quite a few times and she's intelligent and has a good chance."

Player	Chips	Progress
Otto Richard	50,000

Tags: Franck Besnard Otto Richard

Level: 9

Blinds: 400/800

Ante: 800

09-19-2018 15:41 UTC

Break

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Will Shillibier

Level 8 : 350/700, 700 ante

Players are going on their second 20-minute break of the day.

09-19-2018 15:41 UTC

Former Champion Calamusa On "Good Memories" in Dublin

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Will Shillibier

Level 8 : 350/700, 700 ante

Pierre Calamusa was spotted heading to the cage to re-enter and we caught up with the former Winamax Poker Open Dublin champion.

"In 6-Max there's a lot of variance," he said. "My first bullet was vs . When you're 50 blinds deep there's nothing that you can do; you just have to get the chips in and pray!"

Calamusa took down the WPO Dublin title in 2015 and says he has a bunch of good memories here in the Irish capital.

"It's good to see all the players from online, as well as the amateurs that qualified for free. The WPO and the SISMIX are very special tournaments and I enjoy playing them.

"I like having fun, meeting new people and creating new friendships. That's really what Winamax tournaments are all about. You're here to maybe win money but if you don't and you bust you still have a lot of things to do and have fun."

Earlier this year at the Winamax SISMIX in Marrakech, Calamusa enjoyed a deep run of a different vareity - in the Beer Pong tournament. Will we see him in this week's competition?

"Hopefully yes!" he said, laughing. "The only problem is that I don't drink beer; I play vodka pong. So by the end of it I don't see anything, so I need a good partner!"