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The Casino Grand Cercle d'Aix-les-Bains was absolutely packed today for Day 1a of the 2025 Winamax Poker Open Aix-les-Bains, with a total of 361 players whittled down to 59 survivors by the end of play, with nine minutes remaining in Level 21.
Selim Zegour soared to the top of the standings after bagging up a huge stack of 1,125,000, the only player to break the seven-figure mark. He is closely followed by Franck Romero (999,000), while Vincent De La Porte (707,000) rounds out the podium places in an all-French top three.
Zegour has no apparent recorded live tournament resume, and he will be aiming to make his first entry on The Hendon Mob a big one. Romero and De La Porte both have recorded tournament results of under $5,000, and will be dreaming of a career-best score.
End of Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Selim Zegour | France | 1,125,000 | 113 |
| 2 | Franck Romero | France | 999,000 | 100 |
| 3 | Vincent De La Porte | France | 707,000 | 71 |
| 4 | Kourosh Adeli | France | 635,000 | 64 |
| 5 | Arnaud Charoulet | France | 635,000 | 64 |
| 6 | Julien Chanas | France | 628,000 | 63 |
| 7 | Alexandre Mebs | France | 605,000 | 61 |
| 8 | Adrien Dumont | France | 596,000 | 60 |
| 9 | Matthieu Vizioz | France | 517,000 | 52 |
| 10 | Adrien Straub | France | 511,000 | 51 |
Day 1a Action
The Victoria Room at Casino Grand Cercle was absolutely heaving from the outset today, with 169 players seated for the first hand, and there were fireworks from the off as Rudy Noel busted Alexis Machabert in an early cooler.
Winamax ambassadors Gus Hansen and Leo Margets took advantage of late registration to join the field late on, but Hansen would make a quick exit, and Margets busted to Zegour on the soft bubble at the feature table.
Zegour moved towards the 500,000 mark after winning a flip against Mathieu Annequin, and was then at the feature table for a large portion of the remainder of the day. He reported to PokerNews that it was relatively plain sailing for him throughout Day 1a, gradually building his stack to gain the chip lead.
Romero chipped up after finding a huge call on the river on the bubble against Winamax streamer Ilan Cukrowicz. Cukrowicz still bagged for Day 2, and he is joined by fellow Winamax streamer Adrien Dumont (596,000).
De La Porte meanwhile brought play to a close in Day 1a, when he flopped a set to bust Florian Caillou on the bubble.
Other notable players to fire Day 1a but who failed to make the Day 2 cut include Jean Salaun, Hadrien Gallois and Mathieu Choffardet.
There are three further starting flights remaining for players to attempt to book their ticket for Day 2, with the remaining schedule set out below.
2025 Winamax Poker Open Aix-Les-Bains Main Event Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 18 | Day 1b | Noon | 30 minutes |
| September 19 | Day 1c | Noon | 30 minutes |
| September 19 | Day 1d | 7 p.m. | 15 minutes |
| September 20 | Day 2 | Noon | 35 minutes |
| September 21 | Day 3 | 12:30 p.m. | 40 minutes |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of the 2025 Winamax Poker Open Aix-Les-Bains.
