Felix Kretschmann Dominates to Take Substantial Lead into Final Day of €550 Colossus
Only 331 players, out of the total field of 2,765 entries, returned to King's Resort in Rozvadov today for Day 2 of Event #7: €550 No-Limit Hold’em Colossus at the World Series of Poker Europe. After the dust settled, Felix Kretschmann of Germany heads into the final day with a substantial lead over the remaining 23 players. He will have the best shot at the top prize of €158,350* out of the total prize pool of €1,292,637.
Kretschmann bagged 10,250,000, miles ahead of his closest challengers Miroslav Matula of Czechia (6,310,000), and Marcin Kacprzak of Poland (5,360,000).
Kretschmann is a regular at King's Resort, the vast majority of his recorded results of almost $100,000 coming here, and he will be eyeing a maiden bracelet, as well as aiming to surpass his current career-best score of €29,250 (according to The Hendon Mob).
Matula has no recorded live tournament record to speak of, and has already secured a career-best score of €5,500. Kacprzak is another player who enjoys King's Resort, with all but six of his 64 recorded live results coming here, among total recorded career earnings of $221,751.
End of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felix Kretschmann | Germany | 10,250,000 | 103 |
| 2 | Miroslav Matula | Czechia | 6,310,000 | 63 |
| 3 | Marcin Kacprzak | Poland | 5,360,000 | 54 |
| 4 | Jose Gomez Casillas | Spain | 5,150,000 | 52 |
| 5 | David Hu | Netherlands | 4,915,000 | 49 |
| 6 | Manig Loeser | Germany | 4,305,000 | 43 |
| 7 | Marius Gicovanu | Romania | 3,960,000 | 40 |
| 8 | Villiel Kordonskiy | Israel | 3,500,000 | 35 |
| 9 | Rifat Palevic | Sweden | 2,785,000 | 28 |
| 10 | Gabriel Rymar | Poland | 2,510,000 | 25 |
Plenty of accomplished players remain in the field ready to strike, including David Hu (4,915,000), boasting over $1,500,000 in recorded cashes, WSOP Online bracelet winner Manig Loeser (4,305,000), and 2017 WSOP bracelet winner Rifat Palevic (2,785,000).
Loeser, with over $12,000,000 in career earnings, has also captured titles at events at the Triton High Roller Series, the European Poker Tour and the World Poker Tour over the course of his career, and will be a dangerous foe in the final day.
Day 2 Action
All Day 2 players had secured a minimum cash, and the knockouts came thick and fast at the start of the day as the field was almost reduced by half by the first break. Players such as defending champion Michal Schuh, Dinesh Alt and Axel Bayout all made a relatively early exit.
Kretschmann's rise to the top of the standings started after he flopped quads and got paid by Peter Cieslik. From there, Kretschmann went on the rampage, knocking out numerous opponents. He took a chunk off Juan Velasco with a rivered straight, won a flip to bust Alexander Dick, and then eliminated Dorian Melchers.
Kretschmann wasn't finished there, as he wielded his stack expertly to pressure opponents, and then claimed a final knockout of Pavel Sergheiciuc just before the end of play.
Matula was always among the biggest stacks in Day 2, helped in part by turning the nuts in a three-way all-in, and he would make steady progress throughout the day. Kacprzak found some momentum towards the end of proceedings, claiming the knockouts of Antonello Ferraiuolo with an overpair and Marian Kubis with a dominating ace.
Alexey Mishuk was the last player to exit in Day 2, after losing a flip to Jose Gomez Casillas.
Remaining Payouts
| Place | Prize | Place | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €158,350* | 8 | €27,850* |
| 2 | €108,850* | 9 | €23,950* |
| 3 | €82,650* | 10-11 | €20,950* |
| 4 | €63,650* | 12 | €18,830* |
| 5 | €50,150* | 13 | €8,480 |
| 6 | €40,250* | 14-17 | €6,800 |
| 7 | €33,150* | 18-23 | €5,500 |
*1st-12th payouts include a seat to Day 1a of the WSOPE Main Event, worth €10,350.
The final 23 players will return at 1 p.m. local time on Monday, September 29, where play will continue until a winner is crowned and the bracelet is awarded, along with the top prize of €158,350.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of Event #7: €550 No-Limit Hold’em Colossus, and our ongoing coverage of WSOP Europe.