Main Event Day 1a | 2018 Winamax Poker Open Dublin

09-19-2018 16:22 UTC

Updated Chip Counts

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

Level: 10

Blinds: 500/1,000

Ante: 1,000

09-19-2018 16:46 UTC

2017 Runner-up Franco in the Field

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

09-19-2018 16:49 UTC

Kooij Moves Up to Around 100k in Chips

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

Level: 11

Blinds: 600/1,200

Ante: 1,200

09-19-2018 17:12 UTC

Checking in on the Big Stacks

Will Shillibier

Level 11 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

Mark Buckley has stormed ahead to move over 200,000 chips with dinner break approaching in under 45 minutes.

Pierre Calamusa just lost a pot but still has a respectable stack. He saw a flop of with an opponent. His opponent bet 5,000 and Calamusa raised to 15,000. His opponent snap-called and the turn was the . The pair checked.

The river was the and Calamusa quickly folded to a shove.

Player	Chips	Progress
Mark Buckley	215,000 105,000	105,000
Marc Macdonnell	175,000 30,000	30,000
Pierre Calamusa	115,000 65,000	65,000

Tags: Mark Buckley Pierre Calamusa

09-19-2018 17:22 UTC

De Silva Second in Chips at High Roller Unofficial Final Table

Will Shillibier

Level 11 : 600/1,200, 1,200 ante

The unofficial final table of the Winamax Poker Open Dublin €1,500 High Roller has been reached, with Peter Jaskland leading the way with just under 1,000,000 in chips. The remaining seven players are all still battling it out for the €31,635 first prize

Here's how the final seven line up

Seat	Name	Country	Chip Count	Big Blinds
1	Pierre Lelandais	France	350,000	29
2	Cathal Shine	Ireland	171,000	14
3	Peter Jaskland	Denmark	932,000	78
4	Upeshka De Silva	United States	878,000	73
5	Mateusz Wozniak	Poland	852,000	71
6	Damien Le Goff	France	585,000	49
7	Jerome L'Hostis	France	485,000	40

Just 11 players from a field of 85 were paid. Notables in the money included Max Silver (10th - €2,360) and 2017 WPO Main Event final tablist Jason Tompkins (8th - €3,000).

The €1,500 High Roller at the feature table

Tags: Adrien Delmas Jason Tompkins Max Silver

Level: 12

Blinds: 700/1,400

Ante: 1,400

09-19-2018 17:29 UTC

Captain Vodka's Bottle Runs Dry

Will Shillibier

Level 12 : 700/1,400, 1,400 ante

Sad news for any fans of Captain Vodka as he has been eliminated from the Winamax Poker Open Dublin Main Event. However, in an interview earlier today with Winamax, he explained that he had qualified three times over for the Main Event, so we can expect to see him back in the tournament soon.

Another recent elimination was Nick Newport.

Player	Chips	Progress
Franck Besnard	Busted
Nicholas Newport	Busted

09-19-2018 17:44 UTC

Much More Fun to Come at the WPO Dublin

Will Shillibier

Level 12 : 700/1,400, 1,400 ante

It's not just the atmosphere that attracts so many people to the Winamax Poker Open in Dublin year after year, but the exciting array of side events and off-the-felt activities.

Yesterday there was a footgolf competition. Tomorrow is the Beer Pong Open. On Saturday evening there is Human-sized "Hungry Hungry Hippos," and a lot more besides that.

Meanwhile, the first of several different new formats got underway today with the Double Hold'em tournament where the pot is split between two boards. There are also plenty of turbos, hyper turbos, SNGs and satellites to keep everyone satisfied if that's what they want to.

On Friday there is the Sniper tournament, with certain players gaining a bigger and bigger bounty on their heads depending on how many players they have eliminated.

The weekend is where the excitement really kicks into action. On Saturday, as well as a Ladies Event, there is a Five Card Draw tournament; a format not commonly seen around Europe. Then on Sunday, as the Main Event plays to a finish, there is the Sunday Surprise, where after every elimination the winner receive a random prize; Face the Pros, where amateurs can face up against the Winamax Team Pros; and then the 'Famous WPO Irish' where players are dealt four cards and discard two on the flop.

Basically, if you thought this tournament was just about the Main Event, or even just "boring" two-card No-Limit Hold'em - think again!