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€1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2026 WSOP Circuit Middelkerke
€1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event
Day: 1b
Players Left 40 / 259
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
If the bubble took a long time to burst on Day 1a of the World Series of Poker Circuit Middelkerke Main Event, it took even longer this Thursday on Day 1b. The main reason was the relatively small field of 32 entries, which left eight players in contention by the time late registration closed, with only five spots available for Day 2.
That number quickly dropped to six, but with a very high average stack and no real short stacks among them, especially after Bechara Koyess tripled up, the situation remained unchanged for two levels. It eventually took two hours for the bubble to burst, with Koyess being the one to hit the rail with top pair against Miguel Coussement's two pair.
The pot, however, propelled Coussement into the chip lead with 395,000, after seeing his stack cut in half over the previous hands.
End of Day 1b Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miguel Coussement | Belgium | 395,000 | 40 |
| 2 | Dmitry Dzhumachuk | Portugal | 378,000 | 38 |
| 3 | Jyri Merivirta | Finland | 354,000 | 35 |
| 4 | Artsiom Batsian | Belarus | 310,000 | 31 |
| 5 | Jeremie Gorge | France | 163,000 | 16 |
Coussement is closely followed by Dmitry Dzhumachuk (378,000), Jyri Merivirta (354,000) and Artsiom Batsian (310,000), even if Batsian had to reenter then doubled up with aces on the bubble.
Jeremie Gorge is the fifth player to reach the money tonight with 163,000. He seemed relieved at the end of the day, as he had one of the shortest stacks. Things, however, went much better for him before the dinner break, when he hit the nuts several times from the big blind.
The five remaining players join the eight who qualified through Day 1a. A total of 85 entries have been recorded so far, bringing the prize pool to just over €110,000. However, these numbers will continue to grow this Friday with the tournament's final two flights.
Day 1c kicks off at 12:30 p.m. local time with 40-minute levels, while Day 1d Turbo starts at 8 p.m. with 20-minute levels. On both flights, players will start with 50,000 chips and aim to reach the final 15% of the field to qualify for Day 2. Unlimited reentries are allowed during the first 12 levels.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be back at Casino Middelkerke tomorrow to follow all the action from the final two flights!
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
The five remaining players are now bagging their chips. They are in the money and qualified for Saturday's Day 2.
Stay tuned as PokerNews provides you chip counts and a recap of today's action!
Level 16
: Blinds 5,000/10,000, 10,000 ante
Miguel Coussement opened from the cutoff and was called by Miguel Coussement on the button and Dmitry Dzhumachuk in the big blind.
The dealer fanned a flop of A♥10♣J♦ which was checked by Dzhumachuk and Coussement. Koyess but 75,000, keeping only 66,000 behind. Dzhumachuk folded, Coussement raised all-in and Koyess called.
Bechara Koyess: A♠Q♣ 
Miguel Coussement: K♥Q♠
Koyess had top pair but Coussement already had a straight. The 9♦4♣ changed nothing and Koyess was eliminated on the bubble.
Level: 16
Blinds: 5,000/10,000
Ante: 10,000
Level 15
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
Artsiom Batsian opened to 16,000 from the button and faced Miguel Coussement who defended from the big blind.
The dealer fanned a flop of 9♥4♠2♠ and Batsian continued for 30,000. Coussement check-called.
Both players checked the 7♣ turn and the 8♥ river, so Coussement revealed 6♣4♦ for a pair. However Batsian had K♦8♠ for a better pair and won the pot.
Level 15
: Blinds 4,000/8,000, 8,000 ante
After Miguel Coussement opened from the cutoff, Bechara Koyess on the button jammed for 72,000 and he was called by both Dmitry Dzhumachuk in the big blind and Coussement.
Consument bet 65,000 on the 3♥10♥2♦ flop. Dzhumachuk check-called, then both players checked the 9♥ turn and the 10♣ river.
Bechara Koyess: Q♠10♦
Miguel Coussement: K♠Q♦
Dmitry Dzhumachuk: J♥J♣
Koyess managed to hit trips and tripled up.
Level: 15
Blinds: 4,000/8,000
Ante: 8,000
Level 14
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has released the full schedule for the 2026 WSOP Paradise, and it looks incredible. The 2026 WSOP Paradise takes place from December 2-17 at the Baha Mar Hotel & Resort, its new home in the Bahamas.
Twenty bracelet-awarding events adorn the schedule, giving players plenty of chances to end 2026 with a coveted WSOP bracelet on their wrist. Perhaps even more impressive is that all 20 bracelet events come with guaranteed prize pools, and with $50 million added compared to last year, the total guarantee has soared to an unprecedented $120 million.