Anas Tadini and Amine Moussallaoui Share the Chip Lead After Day 1a
With the success of the first ring events of the 2026 World Series of Poker Circuit Marrakech at the Es Saadi Marrakech Resort, it wasn’t hard to guess that the 16,000 MAD Main Event would attract a large number of players.
After the 584 entries recorded on Day 1a in 2025, this number increased to 645 entrants this year in the first of three starting flights. Out of this field, 97 players found a bag at the end of the day and already secured a spot in the money.
They are led not by one but by two players, who almost bagged the exact same stack. Officially, Amine Moussallaoui is first in chips with a massive 1,053,000. After already building a big stack during the early levels of the day, a one million-chip pot with queens against ace-king propelled him to the top of the counts after dinner break.
He shares the chip lead with none other than Anas Tadini. At the Casino de Marrakech like at home, he used his gift of the gab to build his stack as he always does. Hassan Fares (895,000), Bartlomiej Machon (843,000) and Emmanuelle Allory (797,000) complete the Top 5.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amine Moussallaoui | France | 1,053,000 | 105 |
| 2 | Anas Tadini | Morocco | 1,050,000 | 105 |
| 3 | Hassan Fares | France | 895,000 | 90 |
| 4 | Bartlomiej Machon | Poland | 843,000 | 84 |
| 5 | Emmanuelle Allory | France | 797,000 | 80 |
| 6 | Kamal Sefrioui | Morocco | 765,000 | 77 |
| 7 | Nathan Tetart | France | 722,000 | 72 |
| 8 | Malcolm Franchi | France | 705,000 | 71 |
| 9 | Gerard Armengaud | France | 672,000 | 67 |
| 10 | Maher Achour | Tunisia | 617,000 | 62 |
Good calls helped Malcolm Franchi reach 705,000. Orey Canarinho (582,000), Nolan Madene (579,000) and Marc Foggin (556,000) also built big stacks, along with Anthony Apicella (550,000) and Fabrice Bigot (484,000).
The 2019 WSOP Main Event champion Hossein Ensan moves on to Day 2 with 420,000 after sharing a table during the final levels with Alexandre Reard (357,000), Marc Bougaret (270,000) and Ramon Colillas (202,000).
After doubling up several times today, Leo Margets bagged 144,000, slightly more than last year’s runner-up Gandalf (136,000). Jean-Jack Chantalat (123,000) also qualified for Day 2 only a few hours after winning the Seniors’ Event ring and the Clash of Generations heads-up.
Meanwhile, players such as Hugues Girard (95,000) and Mario Fata (92,000) battled to reach the money and ultimately managed to do so.
For those who failed to qualify on Day 1a, it’s far from being over, with Day 1b kicking off this Friday, January 23 at noon local time. Unlimited re-entries are allowed until the end of the first 12 levels, and there will be a last chance with Day 1c Turbo at 9 p.m., featuring 15-minute levels.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the updates until a winner is crowned!