After two starting days with a total of 484 entries, including 125 re-entries, the 15,000 Dirhams Main Event of the 2015 World Series of Poker International Circuit in the Casino de Marrakech has been reduced to 172 players. In about half an hour from now on at 2 p.m. local time, the event resumes with blinds at 800-1,600 and a running ante of 200.
Day 1a chip leader Frederic Rizzo is still sitting atop with his impressive 264,000 followed by Jorge Coello Esmoris with 239,800 whereas Day 1b top dog Omar Lakhdari is in third overall with 234,600. 2011 World Poker Tour Marrakech runner-up Toufik Ourini (221,700) as well as recent Winamax Poker Tour Paris third-place finisher El Mostafa Ederoua (216,300) complete the current top five.
After the first three 45-minute levels, the duration increases to 60 minutes as of level 16 on Day 2, giving the short stacks more time to spin up their stack. Notables to keep an eye on with above-average stacks include Mostafa Boukri (154,000), Matas Cimbolas (149,200), Miroslav Alilovic (138,000), PMU Poker Team Pro Brian Benhamou (131,300), Winamax Team Pro Guillaume Diaz (119,000), 2011 WPT Marrakech champion Houssam Mohamed Ali (100,300) and Guillaume Darcourt (91,800).
The prize pool distribution will be announced before action resumes and the money should definitely be reached on the penultimate day of the tournament. Expect a long day as at least 10 levels are on the schedule. As usual, the PokerNews live reporting team will be there to provide all good and bad beats from the tables until a winner is crowned on Sunday.
Soufiane Abbouti raised to 4,200 from early position and called the three-bet of Paul Francois Tedeschi to 12,000 out of the small blind. On a flop of , the Frenchman fired a continuation bet of 12,500 and was called before checking the turn.
Abbouti announced all in with the superior stack and Tedeschi snap-called for his last 55,000 with . The Belgian was way behind with but scored the lucky punch thanks to the river.
Manuel Makiadi is the new chip leader after winning three big pots in a row, eliminating Guillaume Darcourt and Julien Sitbon as a result. In the first hand, Makiadi three-bet with and flopped a straight. Darcourt paid off two barrels on an eight-high board with and lost more than half his stack.
Then, Julien Sitbon raised to 4,000 and called the three-bet of Makiadi to 12,000, heading to a jack-high flop. Sitbon shoved with pocket nines and Makiadi scored the knockout with pocket aces.
Fast forward a few more minutes and Makiadi raised with and received three callers to see a flop of . Darcourt put the remainder on his stack into but no more diamond showed up.
In the first big pot, Soufiane Abbouti had spiked a set of deuces on a board of but Laura Gallardo received a full double up with .
Shortly after, Abbouti three-bet an open raise from 11,000 to 27,000 and tank-called all in when Anouar Mehlil shoved for around 160,000 in chips. The Belgian was way ahead with Qs] but his opponent's improved on the turn of a board.
Kamal Sefrioui open-shoved for 49,000 from the cutoff and Abdel Omais called out of the small blind. Once all other tables were finished, the cards were turned over:
Sefrioui:
Omais:
The board ran out and that was it for the Moroccan. All other players have at least €2,353 guaranteed for their efforts and play continues until the end of level 23 today.
Matas Cimbolas raised to 22,000 and received a three-bet from Jay Santos one seat over for 51,000. Cimbolas called and they saw the heads-up flop of . Cimbolas check-raised fro 42,000 to 122,000 and was called by the Portuguese before the fell on the turn.
The Lithuanian moved all in for 374,000 and Santos eventually called off after some consideration. As soon as he had done so, Cimbolas flipped over his and Santos already pushed over stacks to his opponent as he was drawing dead with . The meaningless river saw Cimbolas move up to more than a million whereas Santos is now short.
Miroslav Alilovic called a raise by Abdel Omais to 30,000 out of middle position and the two of them saw a flop of . A continuation bet of 30,000 chips is called and the turn then set fireworks.
Omais check-raised to 117,000 and then called the shove of Alilovic with only to see his opponent turn over . The river was a typical blank and Alilovic jumped into the chip lead.
Ondrej Milabersky raised from the cutoff and then snap-called the shove of Frederic Rizzo out of the big blind for 300,000 in chips with . Rizzo only had pocket sevens and the board provided no help.
It was a drama in three acts that saw Mehdi Senhaji run out of chips. First he paid off the of Jay Santos on a board of and fell below 200,000 in chips. Then, Fahd Kaabat moved all in for 184,000 chips and Santos called on the button, but was thinking he was the small blind.
The Portuguese thought he heard Senhaji say "pass" and exposed his but then Senhaji said call with almost the same stack as Kaabat. The floor was called and ultimately it was ruled as a call by Santos, as Senhaji only had 6,000 more and the player in the big blind mucked his cards.
Kaabat:
Senhaji:
The board ran out and Kaabat tripled up. Senhaji's last few chips then vanished with versus after a board of .
It was a coin flip between Antoine Rahal and Jay Santos that sent the Portuguese to the rail in 25th place. Santos was unable to improve with against pocket jacks and ended a roller coaster day with a consolation prize of €3,952.
, the Frenchman fired a continuation bet of 12,500 and was called before checking the 
turn.
. The Belgian was way behind with 
but scored the lucky punch thanks to the 
river.
and flopped a straight. Darcourt paid off two barrels on an eight-high board with 
and lost more than half his stack.
and received three callers to see a flop of 
. Darcourt put the remainder on his stack into 
but no more diamond showed up.
but Laura Gallardo received a full double up with 
but his opponent's 
improved on the turn of a 
board.
and that was it for the Moroccan. All other players have at least €2,353 guaranteed for their efforts and play continues until the end of level 23 today.
river saw Cimbolas move up to more than a million whereas Santos is now short.
only to see his opponent turn over 
board provided no help.
and fell below 200,000 in chips. Then, Fahd Kaabat moved all in for 184,000 chips and Santos called on the button, but was thinking he was the small blind.
