Day 1a of the 2018 €1,650 WSOP International Circuit Main Event is in the books. In total there were 262 entries of which 94 players managed to bag and tag for Day 2 which will take place on Sunday, March 18. Chip Leader of the day is Alexander Romme with 310,500 in chips.
Second in the chip counts is Eyal Bensimhon with 250,500 who eliminated two other players in the last hand of the day. He already won a WSOP Circuit Ring earlier this week when he beat the rest in the Deep Stack Open for a payday of €16,580. Closing the podium for today is Ben Zech who grabbed a huge pot when he eliminated Ohana Shlomo with a flopped set of treys against the pair of kings on the turn.
Other notable chip counts are Thomas White (160,000), Timur Margolin (140,100), Jan Bednar (138,000), Robin Hegele (110,000), Makarios Avramidis (85,800), Paul Berende (62,200), and Jan Mach (45,900).
Unfortunately, not everyone was lucky enough to find a bag at the end of the day. Players including Fabian Gumz, Michal Mrakes, Rickie Silcock, Aleksandar Tomovic, Maksim Shulga, Stephen Ayres, Catalin Pop, Paul Lozano, Jakob Miegel, and Robert Auer for example. They will all have another shot at making Day 2 though as Day 1b is scheduled to start at 2 pm local time on Saturday, March 17.
PokerNews will be here from the start to provide you with all the updates to see who else will join the 94 remaining players of today on Day 2. So do come back!
Madalin Cornel Petraru in the under-the-gun position raised to 2,700 even though on his left, Claudio Di Giacomo, was seated who had already announced that he would go all-in every hand of the last six hands that still needed to be played. And indeed, Di Giacomo shoved for the sixth time for 47,500 in total. Rifat Gegic, sitting on the button, also shoved for even more. Petraru tanked with a stack shorter than Gegic's. The clock was called on him and when the floor came over, he open-folded .
Claudio Di Giacomo:
Rifat Gegic:
The board ran out - Gegic flopped two pair on the flop and that was more than enough to eliminate Di Giacomo from the tournament in the last hand of the day.
Thomas White raised to 1,500 from the cutoff, Achraf Ben Salah three-bet to 4,500 from the button and was called by both Andreas Hildebrand in the small blind and White.
The flop came , both Hildebrand and White checked. Ben Salah bet 4,500, Hildebrand raised to 13,500 and White shoved for about 60,000. Ben Salah thought about it for a while and then called. Hildebrand folded.
Thomas White:
Achraf Ben Salah:
White had flopped a set of eights and Ben Salah had two pair, aces and kings.
The rest of the board was completed with the on the turn and the on the river and White earned a big double-up.
Eyal Bensimhon just won a big hand and was kind enough to tell the live reporting team about it when we asked him.
The player in the under-the-gun position raised to 850. The player in the early position called. Eyal Bensimhon three-bet to 2,400 from the button. The blinds folded and the two other players both called.
The flop came with two clubs. Both of his opponents checked, Bensimhon continued with a bet of 4,500. The first player to act decided the call. The second player raised to 13,700. Bensimhon called and the first player folded so they would be heads-up.
The turn brought them the , Bensimhon's opponent shoved for about 25,000 and Bensimhon tank-called.
Early position:
Eyal Bensimhon:
Bensimhon had flopped a pair of sevens and his opponent had flopped the lower pair of fives.
The river completed the board with a and Bensimhon shipped the pot.
Fabian Gumz raised to 600, Andreas Hildebrand called. Dmitriy Kopyl three-bet to 2,200 from the cutoff and only Hildebrand called.
The flop came , Hildebrand check-called the 2,000 bet of Kopyl.
The turn brought them the on which they both checked.
The river completed the board with the , now Hildebrand decided to bet 7,500. Kopyl shoved with the smaller stack and Hildebrand snap-called. Kopyl had to show his for the bluff and couldn't win against the straight flush that Hildebrand had turned with the in his hand. Hildebrand is now sitting comfortably with a stack of over a ton.
Fabian Gumz has been having a pretty good two weeks here in Rozvadov with six cashes here, including three final tables, during the WSOP International Circuit. In fact, the whole group that is sharing the same Airbnb have been hitting the tables and payout desk for days. Gumz is sharing with Eyal Bensimhon and Jakob Miegel.
Bensimhon won the Deepstack Open for €16,580, came second in the Mini Event for €10,552 and another cash in the Monster Stack. Miegel won the Mini Event for €14,610 besting Bensimhon heads-up.
Gumz had lost some chips after the break but was just involved in a hand:
The player in the under-the-gun position raised to 625. Gumz, in mid-position, raised to 2,000. Action folded back to the under-the-gun player who asked how much Gumz still had. Gumz showed him his stack which was about 9,000. He called.
The flop came , Gumz's opponent checked, Gumz bet 1,550. His opponent put a big stack in to raise, effectively putting Gumz all-in. Gumz snap-called.
Fabian Gumz:
Under-the-gun Player:
The board was completed with the on the turn and the on the river. Gumz's queens held and he doubled up for the 9,200 he still had behind.
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Shirley AngHossein Ensan, 2017 WSOPC Rozvadov Main Event Champion
Welcome to Day 1a of the 2018 €1,650 WSOP International Circuit Main Event here in King’s Casino, Rozvadov. The defending champion is Germany’s Hossein Ensan who beat 671 others to claim the first prize of €184,812, the coveted WSOP Circuit Ring, and a ticket to the WSOP Global Casino Championship in Cherokee, USA. During this Spring Edition, Europe’s biggest poker arena has already been able to crown nine different WSOP Circuit Ring winners.
Jan Cerny was the first to win a WSOP Circuit Ring in the Opening Event.Jorg Peisert won the Senior Event, Thorsten Schuler grabbed the Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low title, and Jakob Miegel took down the Mini Event. Milad Oghabian conquered the Monster Stack and Marek Blasko scored in the Seven Card Stud. Valentin Schuler sniffed out his competition in the Bounty Hunter. Last night Georgios Koliofotis won the Pot-Limit Omaha High Roller and Stanislav Koleno walked away with the ring in the Freezeout.
The players will start at 2 pm local time with 30.000 in chips and play levels of 45 minutes each. There will be a 15-minute break after every three levels and in total twelve levels will be played for the Day 1s. A 45-minute dinner break is scheduled to take place once Level 6 is done. Late registration is possible until the start of Day 2, Sunday, March 18, at 2 pm local time. One reentry is allowed per flight when players bust or surrender their stack.
Stay around as PokerNews will be here to provide you with all the action from start till the end from the floor!
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- Gegic flopped two pair on the flop and that was more than enough to eliminate Di Giacomo from the tournament in the last hand of the day.
on the turn and the 
on the river and White earned a big double-up.
with two clubs. Both of his opponents checked, Bensimhon continued with a bet of 4,500. The first player to act decided the call. The second player raised to 13,700. Bensimhon called and the first player folded so they would be heads-up.
, Bensimhon's opponent shoved for about 25,000 and Bensimhon tank-called. 
and Bensimhon shipped the pot.
, Hildebrand check-called the 2,000 bet of Kopyl. 
, now Hildebrand decided to bet 7,500. Kopyl shoved with the smaller stack and Hildebrand snap-called. Kopyl had to show his 
on the turn and the 
on the river. Gumz's queens held and he doubled up for the 9,200 he still had behind.
