button in SafariLorenzo van der Delde Leads Day 1a After Tense Bubble
It took roughly two hours at Casino Middelkerke to eliminate two players and finally burst the bubble on Day 1a of the WSOPC Middelkerke Main Event. But a long bubble doesn't necessarily mean a boring one, as almost all of the eight remaining players came close to elimination at one point or another during those two hours.
Raf de Wever eventually became the unfortunate bubble boy, falling to Toby Roots (451,000). However, it could also have been Lorenzo van der Velde.
After an early elimination, van der Velde re-entered and made his way into the final nine with an above-average stack. Then, on the bubble, he found himself involved in a massive pot against Samy Barka holding ace-king against queens. Van der Velde fired two barrels and paired his king on the turn, allowing him to scoop the pot. Losing that hand could have left him among the shortest stacks, but instead, it propelled him to the top of the counts. He eventually bagged the chip lead with 875,000.
Barka managed to double up a few hands later and finished the day second in chips with 486,000.
Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lorenzo van der Velde | Netherlands | 875,000 | 73 |
| 2 | Samy Barka | France | 486,000 | 41 |
| 3 | Dylan Dereuddre | Belgium | 460,000 | 38 |
| 4 | Toby Roots | Belgium | 451,000 | 38 |
| 5 | Hesham Ayoub | Netherlands | 150,000 | 13 |
| 6 | Ben Devers | Belgium | 104,000 | 9 |
| 7 | Anthony van Walleghem | Belgium | 76,000 | 7 |
| 8 | Daan Vandewalle | Belgium | 48,000 | 4 |
Dylan Dereuddre also found himself in trouble shortly before the bubble. He was at risk with pocket kings but managed to double up. His stack continued to grow thanks to what he described as a "good run," and he eventually bagged 460,000.
Behind him, there is a significant gap to the other players who qualified, all of whom finished with 13 big blinds or fewer. Hesham Ayoub leads this group with 150,000 after tripling up and then doubling up twice during the bubble. Despite his short stack, he also doubled up Ben Devers on the bubble, allowing the Belgian player to bag 104,000.
Anthony van Walleghem follows with just four chips in the bag for a total of 76,000. He even considered playing another flight to build a bigger stack for Day 2, as the rules allow players to do so.
Daan Vandewalle might have the same idea with just four big blinds (48,000). He had reason to hope for much more, having held a commanding chip lead when late registration closed. However, a bluff that got picked off and several opponents doubling through him cost him most of his chips during the final hands.
After this first flight, the Main Event continues this Thursday, November 12 at 12:30 p.m. local time with Day 1b. From a 50,000 starting stack, players will try the reach the final 15% of the field which will reach the money and qualify for Day 2. Late registration remains open for 12 levels and unlimited reentries are allowed.
PokerNews will be on site tomorrow from the North Sea shore to follow all the action of this second flight!