Day 1b of the 2018 Winamax SISMIX Main Event has overtaken the 2016 mark of 294 players, with 306 players registered at the start of Level 3. There are still seven levels of late registration to go, but the tournament is over half way there to the mark of 1,078 set last year, a record for this tournament.
| Day 1a | Day 1b | Day 1c | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 179 | 294 | 428 | 901 |
| 2017 | 217 | 369 | 492 | 1,078 |
| 2018 | 276 | 306* | 582* |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
95,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
90,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
72,000
22,000
|
22,000 |
|
67,000
17,000
|
17,000 |
|
||
|
47,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
||
|
40,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
15,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
Level: 4
Blinds: 250/500
Ante: 75
Bruce Grannec used to play competitive FIFA in competitions all over the world. Nicknamed 'The Machine,' he played competitively for ten years, becoming FIFA Interactive World Cup Champion in 2009 & 2013.
By his own admission Grannec's only experience of poker so far, has been playing with his friends at home just for fun. He has also said he has watched poker streams online before.
After becoming world champion in 2009, he said that his victory proved that "if you work hard, you will have success." Today, however, Grannec will have to put all his hard work playing FIFA to one side as he battles the Winamax SISMIX Main Event.
"It's my first time playing in a big tournament!" admitted Grannec. "I really enjoy playing poker with my friends, but that's because there's no pressure. But in this tournament, there definitely is a little bit of pressure and naturally more tension."
Grannec is no stranger to pressure, having competed in numerous FIFA eSports competitions before retiring. However, He says that the mental strength he has gained through competing will only help him so far.
"The mental strength from FIFA competitions will help me, naturally, but in poker, there is that little something more. It will help, but poker is about more than just mental strength."
If Grannec needed any pointers on his first time at the felt, he has the perfect person to do so, as he is sat to the direct left of Spanish Winamax team Pro Leo Margets.
Stay tuned to see if Grannec can make it through to Day 2.
Yesterday we broke the record for biggest Winamax SISMIX Day 1a, with 276 players breaking the record of 217 set last year. This year the tournament has also broken the record for biggest Day 1b, with the clock currently showing 273 players, breaking last year's 369.
All of this means that the tournament is on course to smash the record of 1,078 set last year when Hugo Larachiche won the Winamax SISMIX Main Event.
Stay tuned to see whether the Day 1c and indeed the overall record can be smashed tomorrow.
Level: 5
Blinds: 300/600
Ante: 100
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
135,000 | |
|
130,000
130,000
|
130,000 |
|
|
120,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
90,000
43,000
|
43,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
85,000
18,000
|
18,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
68,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
58,000
58,000
|
58,000 |
|
|
||
|
55,000
55,000
|
55,000 |
|
52,000
52,000
|
52,000 |
|
|
50,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
50,000 | |
|
50,000
50,000
|
50,000 |
|
||
|
|
42,000
2,000
|
2,000 |
|
40,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
35,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
|
30,000 | |
On a 
board Sylvain Loosli bet 1,500 and Romain Faure called. The pair checked the 
turn and 
river and Faure showed 
to win with a pair of nines. Loosli rechecked his cards and raised an eyebrow at his opponent's flop peel, but then mucked.
Also in the field are Casino de Marrakech regulars Said El Yousfi, who cashed yesterday's High Roller and Abdelhadi Kondah.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
205,000 | |
|
92,000 | |
|
90,000 | |
|
|
42,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
|
|
||
|
16,000
16,000
|
16,000 |
|
|
||
Level: 6
Blinds: 400/800
Ante: 100
