The top 71 spots will earn a share of the guaranteed prize pool of €1,000,000 minus fees, and the min cash is worth €3,639 while the winner can look forward to a payday of €184,812.
On a board reading , Jose Ponce and Hossein Ensan were heads-up in a pot that saw around 75,000 chips in the middle already. Both players checked the turn and the completed the board.
Ponce checked again and Ensan tossed in around 38,000. Ponce immediately announced a call and Ensan pushed his cards face down to the muck. Ponce did not have to show his cards and the dealer pushed a huge pot towards him.
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier was having trouble getting anything to go his way to start the day as he dwindled down to under 50,000 chips. He managed to get his remaining 46,000 chips in the middle from the hijack and was called by the button. Grospellier tabled and had his opponent dominated with .
The board ran out and Grospellier's ace-king high was good enough to earn him a double up.
Joining the action on the turn, Georgios Zisimopoulos bet 8,000 out of the small blind and Viliyan Petleshkov called in the hijack. The river brought a bet of 7,000 by the Greek and Petleshkov folded.
One table over, Artan Dedusha saw a check by Vazha Kometiani and bet the flop for 8,000, Kometiani called. Both checked the turn and Kometiani check-called a bet of 22,000 after the river. "Ace," Dedusha announced and rolled over , which was good enough to win the pot.
Pedro Lamarca and Laszlo Toth got into a raising war that saw the latter four-bet to 35,000. Lamarca five-bet shoved with a stack of 110,000 and Toth snap-called for a reason.
Pedro Lamarca:
Laszlo Toth:
The board came and that was it for the Spaniard, while Toth became one of the current chip leaders.
Aviv Meiri got his stack of around 50,000 in preflop with the and Fahredin Mustafov quickly called with the . The board came and Meiri joined the rail. Below are further assorted chip counts from the tournament room near the end of the second level of the day.
Viktor Kovachev raised to 4,000 from middle position and was called by Phil Hellmuth in the small blind along with the big blind. The flop came and Hellmuth led out for 6,600. The big blind folded and Kovachev raised to 16,600. Hellmuth called and then checked blind.
The turn was the and Kovachev checked as well to see the on the turn. Hellmuth made a small bet of 7,000 and Kovachev raised to 41,500. Hellmuth bounced out of his chair and started talking to himself. He flashed a card to Kovachev sitting across the table and then tossed them to the muck.
"I knew you couldn't beat a queen, that's why I led out. I was baiting you!" Hellmuth starting spewing words but did not get a response. "I see you. We're going to play all day and I can see you," Hellmuth continued to rant as Kovachev quietly stack the chips.
The two players will be the centre of attention as their table will become the feature table on the live stream. The link is available under the live stream tab at the top of the page.
The first two hours have been played and the field has been reduced to the last 189 hopefuls, which were sent on a 15-minute break to get some fresh air, drinks or a snack at the free buffet.
According to Georgios Zisimopoulos, Jerome Sgorrano busted before the break against Marek Tatar while the seat of the Belgian was now filled with big stack Adriano Scagnetti. Sgorrano's raise was called by Tatar to see a flop of and Sgorrano check-called a bet before doing so again on the turn.
Sgorrano moved all in blind before the river and called the shove of Tatar with , Tatar had turned the straight with .
Tatar took a hit for his stack just now after losing a race with against the pocket fives of Peter Bstieler.
, Jose Ponce and Hossein Ensan were heads-up in a pot that saw around 75,000 chips in the middle already. Both players checked the turn and the 
completed the board.
and had his opponent dominated with 
.
and Grospellier's ace-king high was good enough to earn him a double up.
turn, Georgios Zisimopoulos bet 8,000 out of the small blind and Viliyan Petleshkov called in the hijack. The 
river brought a bet of 7,000 by the Greek and Petleshkov folded.
flop for 8,000, Kometiani called. Both checked the 
river. "Ace," Dedusha announced and rolled over 
and that was it for the Spaniard, while Toth became one of the current chip leaders.
and Fahredin Mustafov quickly called with the 
and Meiri joined the rail. Below are further assorted chip counts from the tournament room near the end of the second level of the day.
and Hellmuth led out for 6,600. The big blind folded and Kovachev raised to 16,600. Hellmuth called and then checked blind.
and Kovachev checked as well to see the 
and Sgorrano check-called a bet before doing so again on the 
turn.
river and called the shove of Tatar with 
against the pocket fives of Peter Bstieler.
