WPT Marrakech presented by Chilipoker

Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

WPT Marrakech presented by Chilipoker

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
j9
Prize
€244,508
Event Info
Buy-in
€4,250
Entries
222
Level Info
Level
27
Blinds
25,000 / 50,000
Ante
5,000

Break Time

"Quinze minutes," came the announcement, prompting players from their seats. That's 15 minutes to enjoy the first break of the day.

Break Time Chip Counts

Here is an update from around the room:

Player Chips Progress
Profile photo of Manuel Bevand fr
Manuel Bevand
58,000
12,000
12,000
Profile photo of Joel Benzinou be
Joel Benzinou
46,000
16,000
16,000
Profile photo of Nicolas Levi fr
Nicolas Levi
35,000
2,000
2,000
Profile photo of Stephane Albertini fr
Stephane Albertini
33,000
3,000
3,000
Profile photo of Dominik Nitsche de
Dominik Nitsche
33,000
-2,000
-2,000
WPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Antonin Teisseire fr
Antonin Teisseire
28,000
-2,000
-2,000
Profile photo of Tristan Clemencon fr
Tristan Clemencon
28,000
-2,000
-2,000
Profile photo of Marc Inizan fr
Marc Inizan
27,000
-3,000
-3,000
Profile photo of Antoine Saout fr
Antoine Saout
26,000
-1,000
-1,000
Profile photo of Alexandre Gomes br
Alexandre Gomes
23,000
-4,500
-4,500
WPT 1X Winner
Profile photo of Toni Judet ro
Toni Judet
16,000
-19,500
-19,500

Level: 3

Blinds: 100/200

Ante: 0

Mars Doubles Through Roy

We arrived at the table and saw a pot brewing between Jean-Jacques Mars and Alain Roy. There was roughly 7,000 in the middle and the board read {K-Clubs}{6-Clubs}{3-Diamonds}{2-Spades}.

Roy bet 6,200 and Mars took his time contemplating his options before moving all in for 12,200 total. Roy quickly called and tabled {A-Clubs}{3-Clubs}, needing to improve against Mars' {K-Diamonds}{9-Hearts}. The river brought a safe {6-Hearts} for Mars and he doubled to about 32,000, while Roy slipped to about 13,000.

Tags: Jean-Jacques Mars

Talking Fast Food, Off to a Fast Start

Nicolas Levi has been entertaining his opponents with an uninterrupted stream of table talk -- all in French, of course, the language we are hearing most frequently at the tables here in Marrakech.

A brief interlude in English arose, however, when WPT Executive Tournament Director Matt Savage happened by Levi's table. "If you go to the McDonald's," said Levi to Savage, "get me a Big Mac." Indeed, one can find a Mickey D's not far from here, should one wish to.

"A Royal with Cheese?" replied Savage with a grin, and Levi laughed in response. He continued to smile as looked down at his stack, built up to about 36,000 thus far.

Tags: Nicolas Levi

Nice One for Nitsche

Dominik Nitsche was up against two other players on a board reading {j-Clubs}{7-Hearts}{6-Hearts}{q-Spades}{9-Clubs}. The small blind checked to Nitsche in the big blind, and he bet 3,300 into the 14,000-chip pot. The third player to act quickly folded, and after a moment, the small blind gave up his hand as well. Nitsche is up to 45,000.

Tags: Dominik Nitsche

Chips Collected from Kool

Bruno Lopes -- a.k.a. "Kool Shen," the French rap star -- is in the house. He fronts the popular NTM -- which, incidentally, stands for something not so friendly. The first couple of levels were friendly to Lopes, however, as he managed to build his stack up to around the 40,000-chip mark.

Just now we came upon a big hand involving Lopes. We caught the action during the key decision point, where it appeared Lopes' neighbor, sitting to his right, had made a preflop raise, Lopes had reraised to 1,525, then the table folded back around to Lopes' opponent who had pushed all in for 8,900 total. Lopes went deep into the tank, then emerged to make the call, showing {9-Clubs}{9-Hearts}. His opponent tabled {A-Diamonds}{K-Spades}.

The flop came {3-Diamonds}{A-Hearts}{10-Spades}, and Kool faintly winced as he noted his opponent had taken the lead. The turn was the {4-Spades} and the river the {7-Clubs}, and Lopes had lost a chunk to his neighbor. He still has about 27,000 at the moment.

Tags: Bruno Lopes

Benzinou Stays Out of Trouble

Joel Benzinou checked the river of a {q-Hearts}{q-Spades}{3-Hearts}{7-Spades}{3-Diamonds} board to his lone opponent. The player took a 5,000-chip stab at the 3,500-chip pot. Benzinou chatted in French with the guy for several minutes, trying to get a read out of him. Eventually, Benzinou decided the overbet meant danger and folded, leaving himself with a still-healthy 45,000.

Tags: Joel Benzinou

Level: 4

Blinds: 100/200

Ante: 25

Sunar Rebuilding

Surinder Sunar was in the small blind and saw a raise to 700 by a player in middle position. The player on the button called as well and Sunar put in a squeeze from the small blind to 2,200. Both players called and a {9-Hearts}{4-Clubs}{3-Spades} flop followed.

Sunar fired a continuation bet of 3,300 and chased out the middle-position player. The player on the button stayed around, though, and the turn delivered the {J-Spades}. Sunar quickly fired 6,500 and forced an even quicker fold from his opponent, increasing his stack to about 29,500.

Tags: Surinder Sunar