Main Event
Day 1a Started
2019 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech
Main Event
Day: 1a
Day 1A of the 2019 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Kicks Off at 1 P.M.
The World Series of Poker Circuit has landed in beautiful Morocco for the 2019 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech. The event takes place in the stunning Casino de Marrakech, next to the luxurious Es Saadi Resort - Palace. Vladimir Shabalin took the tournament down the 15,000 MAD (€1,350) Main Event in 2018 and he picked up 1,300,000 MAD (€118,182) for his victory. We will be looking for a winner over the next four days.
The schedule features ten WSOP Circuit ring events and today marks the start of the 15,000 MAD (€1,350) Main Event. The Main Event features two starting flights with levels of 45 minutes. The second starting flight takes place on January 18 and the field will combine for Day 2 on January 19. The levels on Day 2 will be 60 minutes long to provide for a nice deep structure. The final day of the tournament, Day 3 on January 20, will feature 75 minutes levels.
Former Champions
| Year | Entries | Champion | Country | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 486 | Vladimir Shabalin | Russia | €118,182 |
| 2017 | 511 | Arron Fletcher | United Kingdom | €130,755 |
| 2016 | 446 | Mathieu Selides | France | €95,479 |
| 2015 | 484 | Ricardo Manquant | France | €122,330 |
Two WSOP Circuit rings have already been awarded at the Marrakech festival. Evangelos Bechrakis from Greece took down the 4,500 MAD (€410) WSOP Circuit Opener for 120,000 MAD (€11,029) while Kuwait's Abdullah Ameen Alawadhi took down the 3,000 MAD (€275) WSOP Circuit Turbo for 120,000 MAD (€11,029).
The tournament will run for twelve 45-minute levels today and registration remains open until the end of level nine. There will be a break after every three levels with a one-hour dinner break after level nine.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor providing updates throughout the tournament from start to finish.
Late Start
The tournament is starting a little late than the scheduled 1 p.m. start. Players are slowly taking their seats in Casino de Marrakech.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Shuffle Up and Deal
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The inaugural 'shuffle up and deal' has been announced and cards are officially in the air for Day 1A of the 2019 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech at Casino de Marrakech. There are 34 players on the clock but that number is expected to grow significantly.
First Names
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 |
Not Everyone is Playing
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
There are ten tables with players on it, but cards are only in the air at six of them. There are four tables with four players on there and two tables with three players. The other four tables are waiting for more players to join so they can start play three-handed.
Ball Keeping it Small
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The players all started with 30,000 chips in front of them and the first blind level of the day features a big blind of 100. This means there is plenty of room to play with a starting stack of 300 big blinds.
Danny Ball opened from the small blind to 300 and the player in the big blind called. The flop fell 
and Ball continued with a bet of 200. His opponent called again and the 
turn was dealt.
Both players checked this time to see the 
river come off the deck. Ball put in a 500 chip while announcing 400 and that was enough to make the player in the big blind fold.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
29,300 | 29,300 |
More Entries
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 |
Legrand Makes Big Call
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Patrick Legrand raised from the cutoff to 300 and Lucien Cohen three-bet from the button to 850. The player in the small blind called and the big blind got out of the way. Legrand called as well and they went three-way to the flop.
The flop came down 
and all three players checked. The turn was the 
and it checked to Cohen on the button. He decided to take a stab at it and he fired a pot-sized bet of 2,650. The player in the small blind folded rather quickly but Legrand called.
The 
river completed the board and Legrand checked again. Cohen put in a sizeable bet of 5,250 and Legrand went into the tank. He called after a while and took down the pot when he showed 
. Cohen mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
43,500 | 13,500 |
|
|
22,100 | -7,900 |