€500 La Finale
Day 1de Completed
€500 La Finale
Day 1de Completed
Day 1d of the 2026 Winamax Poker Tour Grand Finale at the Pasino Grand Partouche Aix-en-Provence was expected to be big, and it didn’t disappoint with a massive field of 946 entries recorded in this fourth flight. Combined with the 161 entries from the Day 1e Turbo, the total field has now reached 1,753 entries ahead of the final two flights, which are expected to nearly double that number.
On Day 1d, 157 players made it through to Day 2. While some were feeling the pressure on the bubble with short stacks, Thibaut Garcia was cruising with a massive stack of 1,174,000. Already the chip leader at the dinner break, he went on to double his stack afterward. “I lost a lot of chips after dinner and was down to around 250,000–300,000, but then I won a big pot with aces against jacks and managed things well with ICM,” he explained.
Amin Benfalami had a very different path, needing to wait until the final hands of the day to win a huge pot and nearly double up to 982,000. He is followed by Tristan Berrod (877,000) and Winamax Team Pro Bruno Lopes, the only member of his team to make it through Day 1d, bagging 873,000.
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thibaut Garcia | France | 1,174,000 | 84 |
| 2 | Amin Benfalami | France | 982,000 | 70 |
| 3 | Tristan Berrod | France | 877,000 | 63 |
| 4 | Bruno Lopes | France | 873,000 | 62 |
| 5 | Andy Colmuto | France | 848,000 | 61 |
| 6 | Julien Gadanho | France | 841,000 | 60 |
| 7 | Damien Mecheri | France | 839,000 | 60 |
| 8 | Fabien Graziani | France | 837,000 | 60 |
| 9 | Arthur Tullou | France | 835,000 | 60 |
| 10 | Nicolas Bareil | France | 722,000 | 52 |
Behind Julien Gadanho (841,000), Bastien Legret (712,000), and Antoine De Pechpeyrou (710,000), who both won key pots on the bubble to build big stacks. Samuel Fournier (675,000) was also pleased to bag a big stack, while Nicolas Burtin had hoped to finish the day with a million chips but ended up at 628,000 after a player doubled up with kings against his fours.
Aurelie Reard bagged 550,000 alongside last year’s finalists Jean-Yves Lestrade (508,000) and Florian Vachez (408,000). The defending champion Yoann Kaminisky, however, will have to return tomorrow after an unsuccessful bullet today.
Other qualifiers for Day 2 include Julien Mariani (414,000), Alban Beysson (198,000), WSOP bracelet winner Mourad Amokrane (154,000), and French streamers Jean “Juaniitoooo” Salaun (191,000), Hadrien “zChance44” Gallois (73,000), and Willy “Skyyart” Dias (66,000).
TV and radio host Erika Moulet thought she might be eliminated on the bubble but folded her big blind and secured a Day 2 seat with 54,000. She’s not even last in chips, a spot held by Phal-Vichit Soum with 29,000.
On Day 1e Turbo, Lithuania’s Titas Gancierius finished as the chip leader with 856,000 in a flight that also saw Sebastien Seguin (409,000), Winamax Team Pro Davidi Kitai (292,000), Partouche ambassador Antonin Teisseire (170,000), and Marvin Ben Haim (146,000) qualify for Day 2. A total of 27 players advanced through this flight.
All qualified players will be joined by a new wave of contenders who will advance through tomorrow’s Day 1f and Day 1g, the final two flights of the tournament. Day 1f starts at noon local time and follows the same structure as Day 1d, while Day 1g is a Turbo flight.
Will this Winamax Poker Tour Grand Finale reach 4,000 entries? PokerNews will be on the floor in Aix-en-Provence to find out!
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
856,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
612,000 | |
|
|
482,000 | |
|
|
458,000 | |
|
|
444,000 | |
|
|
437,000 | |
|
|
409,000
409,000
|
409,000 |
|
|
394,000 | |
|
|
351,000 | |
|
|
349,000 | |
|
|
339,000 | |
|
|
339,000 | |
|
|
292,000
292,000
|
292,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
272,000 | |
|
|
244,000 | |
|
|
224,000 | |
|
|
203,000 | |
|
|
190,000 | |
|
|
177,000 | |
|
|
176,000 | |
|
|
170,000 | |
|
|
170,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
146,000 | |
|
|
101,000 | |
|
|
90,000 | |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,174,000
214,000
|
214,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
982,000
712,000
|
712,000 |
|
|
877,000
877,000
|
877,000 |
|
|
873,000
328,000
|
328,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
848,000
478,000
|
478,000 |
|
|
841,000
774,000
|
774,000 |
|
|
839,000
489,000
|
489,000 |
|
|
837,000
307,000
|
307,000 |
|
|
835,000
445,000
|
445,000 |
|
|
722,000
722,000
|
722,000 |
|
|
712,000 | |
|
|
710,000 | |
|
|
680,000
230,000
|
230,000 |
|
|
675,000
565,000
|
565,000 |
|
|
670,000 | |
|
|
665,000
135,000
|
135,000 |
|
|
659,000
659,000
|
659,000 |
|
|
632,000
222,000
|
222,000 |
|
|
628,000
292,000
|
292,000 |
|
|
622,000
332,000
|
332,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
604,000
324,000
|
324,000 |
|
|
580,000
580,000
|
580,000 |
|
|
576,000
576,000
|
576,000 |
|
|
550,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
|
508,000
208,000
|
208,000 |
The bubble has burst so Day 1d has come to an end. The 157 players remaining players are now qualified for Saturday's Day 2and secured a spot in the money.
Stay tuned as PokerNews provides you chip counts and a recap of today's action!
It was then Franck Lusine's turn to move all-in from the big blind for 59,000. He was called by Antoine De Pechpeyrou who opened from the hijack.
Franck Lusine: K♥7♣
Antoine De Pechpeyrou: A♠4♣
Lusine found no help on a board of 3♦10♠4♥10♦J♣ and was eliminated on the bubble.
Meanwhile, Cyril Gaudot doubled his 107,000-chip stack with Q♥Q♣ against Jeremy Peixoto's K♥4♥ on J♦4♣3♦7♣A♥.
Frederic Pignol with only 27,000 in the cutoff doubled up as well with A♦K♥ against Salim El Mamouni's 9♥4♣ on K♣10♥5♥A♥A♣.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
710,000
710,000
|
710,000 |
|
|
670,000
670,000
|
670,000 |
|
|
367,000
47,000
|
47,000 |
|
|
249,000
249,000
|
249,000 |
|
|
75,000
75,000
|
75,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Two all-in and call situation occurred, the first one involving Philippe Vert at risk for 29,000 from the small blind against Guillaume Anthonioz in the cutoff.
Philippe Vert: A♣K♦
Guillaume Anthonioz: 10♦8♥
Vert kept the lead on a board of Q♠J♥Q♦5♣3♣ and doubled up.
It was then Bastien Legret's turn to double with K♥K♣ on a board of 9♥J♠4♦10♠Q♠. According to him, he limped preflop, Julian Freund to his left three-bet and fired three barrels with 7♦5♥ for absolutely nothing and Legret called to catch him and double.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
712,000
712,000
|
712,000 |
|
|
350,000
350,000
|
350,000 |
|
|
330,000
330,000
|
330,000 |
|
|
101,000
101,000
|
101,000 |
Level: 23
Blinds: 7,000/14,000
Ante: 14,000
With now 158 remaining players for 157 players in the money, the clock was stopped to start the hand for hand procedure.
After Chris da-Silva lost a 830,000-chip pot to be eliminated, Hugo Jouve moved all-in for 29,000 from early position and was called by Marc Bonnard in middle position.
Hugo Jouve: A♦9♠
Marc Bonnard: A♣K♦
Jouve found no help on a board of 3♦2♦2♣2♠5♠ and was eliminated two places away from the money.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
210,000
210,000
|
210,000 |
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted |