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The poker world had better watch out, because The Great Dane Gus Hansen has declared he is getting his appetite back for the tournament format of the game, after at least ten years focusing on cash games.
The Winamax ambassador sits just outside the top ten on 6,500,000, after a huge Day 2 field of 422 players was whittled down to 18 survivors at Casino Grand Cercle d'Aix-les-Bains today, following 12 hours of battle in the record-breaking 2025 Winamax Poker Open Aix-les-Bains.
The field is led by Tristan Vernay (16,000,000), after he went on a rampage in the final session, claiming at least three knockouts, while Nassim Rais (11,300,000) and Mirand Murseli (10,000,000) complete the top three.
All player have locked up a €4,900 payday.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Count
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tristan Vernay | France | 16,000,000 | 80 |
| 2 | Nassim Rais | France | 11,300,000 | 57 |
| 3 | Mirand Murseli | Switzerland | 10,000,000 | 50 |
| 4 | Julien Gadanho | France | 9,600,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Jeremy Cauchard | France | 9,425,000 | 47 |
| 6 | Steven Lamalle | France | 8,725,000 | 44 |
| 7 | Adrien Burgniard | France | 8,675,000 | 43 |
| 8 | Amadou Gassama | France | 8,200,000 | 41 |
| 9 | Nino Bellenger | France | 8,200,000 | 41 |
| 10 | Yacine Adamon | France | 6,975,000 | 35 |
A total of 2,566 entries were obtained in the €500 buy-in event, creating a €1,083,878 prize-pool. Those figures represent the first seven-figure prize pool in the history of the Winamax Poker Open, and surpass the 2022 event in Bratislava.
Hansen is among those eyeing the €135,000 top prize, and he took some time to chat to PokerNews at the conclusion of play, revealing he may be readying to step back into the tournament arena.
Hansen is a true legend of the game, and a hero to many who fell in love with poker during the Moneymaker boom. Amongst his many achievements are a WSOP bracelet win and three World Poker Tour victories, amassing over $10,000,000 in earnings. His 'The Great Dane' nickname is not ironic.
While he acknowledged this event isn't a particularly big buy-in for him, nor would first-place money be life changing, he said "I've really enjoyed playing this week. I lost my appetite for tournaments for a while, maybe ten to fifteen years, I haven't really played them for a long time. It's a different game compared to cash, and my enthusiasm for it is back. It's always nice to be running deep in any poker tournament, and looking forward to the final day, I've got a chance anyway!"
On Aix-les-Bains and the Casino Grand Cercle, Hansen stated "It's my first time here, beautiful town and a great place to play poker. The atmosphere has been great all week, and I've enjoyed meeting everyone."
On his role as an ambassador for Winamax, which he began around 18 months ago, Hansen continued "I believe they are doing great things for the European poker market. They have a really strong group of players as ambassadors, and that appealed to me. Shout-out to my favorite girl, Leo Margets, WSOP final tablist. We have a study group, we all support each other, it’s really nice."
With that, Hansen had to bag his chips, and we'll see how he gets on in the final day.
Day 2 Action
Nearly half the field was gone by the first break, as the knockouts came as at a frantic pace, and players such as Clement Muller and Loic Sa had to endure an early exit.
Varney's stack arose in the final session, as he laid waste to his table. He had Romain Quarrit pipped preflop in a huge pot, and held to start his rise.
Varney then disposed of Pavel Ustinov with rockets, and shortly after sent Hermes Prencipe to the rail. Varney spoke to PokerNews briefly and said he was only here to play for the win, so there could be potential fireworks early tomorrow. With €16,000 in recorded cashes, he is not far off a career-best score.
Amadou Gassama (8,200,000) tangled alot with Hansen in the final stages, including one epic hand where you could cut the tension in the air with a knife, which went Hansen's way.
Brothers Julien Viel (2,930,000) and Eric Viel (2,250,000) have combined cashes of less than €7,000 and are amazingly both through to the final day. What a story it would be if the siblings could pull off a final table together. Their task will be made harder by the fact they have been drawn at the same table for Day 3.
Jose Pimentel Quintas was the last player to exit in Day 2 after busting at the streamed feature table.
The final day will take place at 12:30 p.m. on September 21, where blinds will increase to 40-minute levels, and play will continue until a winner is crowned.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
| 1 | €135,000 | 7 | €16,900 |
| 2 | €92 000 | 8-9 | €13,450 |
| 3 | €68,000 | 10-11 | €10,200 |
| 4 | €48,000 | 12-14 | €7,850 |
| 5 | €33,000 | 15-17 | €6.150 |
| 6 | €24,000 | 18 | €4,900 |
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of what is sure to be a thrilling final day of the Winamax Poker Open Aix-les-Bains.
