Main Event
Day 1a Started
2018 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech
Buy-in
15,000 MAD
Entries
486
Level
33
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
25,000
The WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event starts today!
Welcome to Day 1a of the World Series of Poker International Circuit 15,000 MAD (€1,350) Main Event here in Marrakech! This is the fourth time that the amazing Casino de Marrakech is hosting this tournament for the WSOP and it looks like it will be another great event. Last year Arron Fletcher bested the other 510 players and won 1,400,000 MAD (€130,755) for first place.
Ricardo Manquant reached the final table last year in hopes to win the tournament again but was sent to the rail in ninth place. The last Frenchman,Mohamed El Bakkouri, was looking to secure another win for France but he finished in seventh place. The French players will be heavily represented again this year to take the title and a WSOP Circuit Ring back home.
Former Champions
| Year | Entries | Champion | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 511 | Arron Fletcher | United Kingdom | €130,755 |
| 2016 | 446 | Mathieu Selides | France | €95,479 |
| 2015 | 484 | Ricardo Manquant | France | €122,330 |
Earlier this week Reda Benjelloun won the 4,000 MAD (€365) WSOP Circuit Opener and Matiss Celmins took down the 3,000 MAD (€275) WSOP Circuit Turbo tournament so they’ll definitely be looking to add another win to their resume. The WSOP Circuit Deepstack event had a record breaking 404 entries with the final players finishing the tournament today as they unexpectedly needed an extra day. More players expected to enter the main event include Jerome Sgorrano, Barny Boatman, Alexandre Reard, Fabian Gumz, Mateusz Moolhuizen, Pierre Calamusa, Cheng-Wei Yin, Michael Lech, Gaelle Baumann, Romain Lewis, and Ben Bensimhon (WSOP International Circuit Rotterdam Main Event Winner).
This four-day event features two starting days. Day 1a will be starting at 1 p.m. local time today. Players will start with 30,000 in chips and levels will be 45 minutes throughout the day. Late registration and unlimited reentries will be allowed up until the end of level 9 with a total of 12 levels that are being played today. A 15-minute break will take place after Level 3 & 6 with a one-hour dinner break after Level 9.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be here to provide you with all the updates of this WSOP International Circuit Main Event.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
After a short delay to allow more players to take their seat, the tournament director has welcomed the players to the Main Event and explained the structure for today. He then proceeded to instruct the dealers to shuffle up and deal.
First Notables
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
There are currently 35 players registered for the Main Event. According to some of the regular players here, tournaments here usually tend to have a later start time than 1 pm so the expectation is that a lot of the local players will be registering late.
But Gaelle Baumann, Barny Boatman, and Ben Bensimon were here on time and are seated at their tables.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 |
Bensimhon Wins Some Back
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Ben Bensimhon raised to 300 from the hijack and was called by the players in the cutoff and blinds.
The flop came 
and they all checked through to the 
on the turn. The player in the small blind bet 500, the big blind folded, Bensimhon called and the player in the cutoff folded.
The player in the small blind checked blind before the dealer completed the board with the 
on the river. Bensimhon looked at his chips and grabbed 1,200 for a bet and put that over the line. His opponent counted out chips to make the call, hesitated for a bit and then called. Bensimhon showed 
for two pair, aces and sixes, which was enough for his opponent to muck his hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
28,000 | -2,000 |
My Stack App Activated
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
PokerNews has activated the My Stack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
Click here to download the My Stack app for iPhone, or click here to download the My Stack app for Android.
[Removed:250] Doubles Up to Take the Chip Lead
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The flop read 
and Luis Jose checked in the small blind. Laurent [Removed:250] bet 2,300 from the button. Jose raised to 7,700 and [Removed:250] shoved as a response for 30,175 in total.
"It's time to go to bed" [Removed:250] said to his opponent.
Jose took some time to think, looked at his cards again and then decided to call.
Laurent [Removed:250]: 
Luis Jose: 
[Removed:250] had flopped two pair and Jose was sitting on a flush draw. The turn brought them the 
which didn't change the situation much and the 
on the river came to complete the board. No danger for [Removed:250] as he doubled up to leave Jose behind. with 6,500
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
63,000 | 63,000 |
|
6,500 | 6,500 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 75/150
Ante: 0
Jose Loses it All
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
The players in the under-the-gun position and middle position limped in. Luis Jose raised to 850 from the hijack with about 5,000 still behind. Ben El Hassane raised to 26,000 from the small blind. Ben Bensimhon folded from the big blind. Jose called with his remaining chips.
Ben El Hassane: 
Luis Jose: 
The board ran out 
- El Hassane hit his queens on the flop and that was enough to eliminate Jose from the tournament for now. As players can reenter for an unlimited amount of times, he might be back later today or tomorrow on Day 1b.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
34,000 | 34,000 |
|
|
Busted |