Welcome to Day 2 of the 2021 PokerStars EPT Prague €5,300 Main Event
The return of the PokerStars European Poker Tour to European soil has been a thorough success with record-breaking numbers throughout the festival already. For the third year in a row, the marquee EPT Prague €5,300 Main Event has attracted a field of more than 1,150 entries in the King's Casino at the Hilton Hotel in Prague.
A potential record in the capital of the Czech Republic is still in sight as the late registration remains open until the start of Day 2 at noon local time. Back in 2016, Jasper Meijer van Putten defeated a field of 1,192 entries and claimed a top prize of €699,300 after cutting a deal with Marton Czuczor. Two years later, Paul Michaelis came out on top of 1,174 entries to claim the coveted trophy while Mikalai Pobal became the second two-time champion of the series in 2019 after defeating a field of 1,154 entries.
While Michaelis and Pobal were not spotted at the tables, van Putten was one of several former EPT champions in contention on Day 1a and Day 1b but failed to advance. The same also applied to former Prague winner Kalidou Sow, who entered twice without success. Hossein Ensan (135,000), and Salvatore Bonavena (49,800) have their hopes alive to lift the trophy in Prague once more.
Top 10 Chip Counts for Day 2
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Sinclair | United Kingdom | 317,900 | 199 |
| 2 | Sharon Sade | Israel | 312,200 | 195 |
| 3 | Mihai Ciprian Hanu | Romania | 304,700 | 190 |
| 4 | Ezequiel Waigel | Argentina | 258,800 | 162 |
| 5 | Giuliano Bendinelli | Italy | 245,300 | 153 |
| 6 | Daniel Dvoress | Canada | 237,200 | 148 |
| 7 | Boaz Madhala | Israel | 227,700 | 142 |
| 8 | Juan Pardo | Spain | 225,000 | 141 |
| 9 | Manuel Fischer | Germany | 211,600 | 132 |
| 10 | Shai Arbel | Israel | 209,400 | 131 |
Leading the 422 survivors into Day 2 is the UK's Jack Sinclair with 317,900, closely followed by Sharon Sade (312,200) and Mihai Ciprian Hanu (304,700). The trio at the top of the leaderboard has nearly 200 big blinds at their disposal for the returning blinds of 800-1,600 and a big blind ante of 1,600. Other well-known notables in the top ten include Ezequiel Waigel, Daniel Dvoress, and Juan Pardo while the 2018 EPT Barcelona Main Event winner Piotr Nurzynski narrowly missed the top ten with a stack of 208,300.
The team of PokerStars ambassadors for Day 2 is led by Ramon Colillas with a stack of 147,000 and €1,100 Eureka Main Event winner Alejandro "Papo MC" Lococo is right behind the Spaniard with 139,200 in chips. Steve Enriquez (53,300) and Rafael Moraes (27,800) will also return to the action as well.
Due to the large field size, Day 2 will feature a total of six levels of 90 minutes each with a break every level and a 75-minute dinner break after the fourth level. While the money bubble is not expected to burst, poker enthusiasts from all over the world can look forward to the live stream coverage on the PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channels once the cards go back in the air.
Day 2 Level Structure and Schedule
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 90 min | 800 | 1,600 | 1,600 |
| Break | 15 min | |||
| 12 | 90 min | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
| Break | 15 min | |||
| 13 | 90 min | 1,000 | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| Break | 15 min | |||
| 14 | 90 min | 1,500 | 3,000 | 3,000 |
| Dinner Break | 75 min | |||
| 15 | 90 min | 2,000 | 4,000 | 4,000 |
| Break | 15 min | |||
| 16 | 90 min | 2,000 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
The late registration will close at the start of the day at noon local time and the prize pool information will be published soon thereafter. Stay tuned for yet another exciting day of live poker action right here on PokerNews as the live reporting team will be on the floor from start to finish.