Papo MC, Hallaert, Bojang Among Leaders of 103 Day 1a Survivors
They needed to play into an extra level in the opening flight of the EPT Prague €1,100 Eureka Main Event to reach the money, but after a bit of bonus time, 103 players advanced to Day 2, led by Poland's Mateusz Szymanski (606,000).
The day featured plenty more star power as well, with PokerStars ambassador “Papo MC” Alejandro Lococo (508,000) not far behind. Kenny Hallaert (318,000) and Ismael Bojang (297,000) are also among those advancing on to Day 2.
Top 10 Chip Counts
| RANK | PLAYER | COUNTRY | CHIP COUNT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mateusz Szymanski | Poland | 606,000 |
| 2 | Gabriel Nedelcu | Romania | 522,000 |
| 3 | João Roque Mestre Ferreira | Portugal | 520,000 |
| 4 | Alejandro Lococo | Argentina | 508,000 |
| 5 | Quentin Guivarch | Malta | 470,000 |
| 6 | Dan Borlan | Romania | 464,000 |
| 7 | Andreas Boelling | Germany | 452,000 |
| 8 | Jean Fontaine | France | 403,000 |
| 9 | Radoslaw Koziol | Poland | 401,000 |
| 10 | Firat Baltaci | Netherlands | 400,000 |
The tournament’s opening flight saw 694 entries in the field with the final 15% making the money. Players were allowed one re-entry and also had the opportunity to join one of the other three flights, should they bust.
Among those that busted day 1a and hopped into the evening 1b turbo flight were Masato Yokosawa and Ori Hasson.
Hallaert and Bojang Make Noise
Hallaert was nursing a short stack in the early levels of play but managed to turn it into a contender with a series of double-ups and eliminations.
Bojang, who said he was excited to be playing his first EPT Prague in four years steadily grew his stack throughout the day before finishing with a healthy 297,000.
What’s Next?
The final 103 players from this flight will combine with the survivors of flights B, C, and D on Tuesday, March 8 for Day 2. The total prize pool will be announced then, but this flight alone generated over €660,000 toward that final total.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the action from this event and every EPT Prague event here at King’s Casino Prague.