Ilari Sahamies Returns to Prague; Daisuke Ogita in Top Form on Day 1c
A massive 1,211 entries turned out for Day 1c of the Eureka Main Event at the Hilton Prague, part of the 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague. By the end of the day, only 182 players secured spots in Day 2, each already in the money.
Leading the pack was Italy's Stefano Puccilli, who bagged an impressive 655,000 chips. Close behind in second place was Athanasios Kostouros with 622,000, while Germany's Andreas Walter rounded out the top three with a stack of 583,000.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stefano Puccilli | Italy | 655,000 |
| 2 | Athanasios Kostouros | Greece | 622,000 |
| 3 | Andreas Walter | Germany | 583,000 |
| 4 | Jan Jorgensen | Denmark | 580,000 |
| 5 | Daisuke Ogita | Japan | 572,000 |
| 6 | Valeriu Pelinschii | Moldova | 551,000 |
| 7 | David Savocka | Czech Republic | 538,000 |
| 8 | Iraklis Manikaros | Greece | 530,000 |
| 9 | Nicklas Krohn Dehli | Denmark | 500,000 |
| 10 | Andreas Scheelen | Germany | 491,000 |
Daisuke Ogita, who sits fourth on Japan's all-time money list, bagged up 572,000 chips, which is good for fifth in the counts. Ogita is no stranger to this event and got his hands on the trophy in Monte Carlo last year, which at the time was his career-best score of €307,160. There's no doubt that Ogita will be one to watch when Day 2 gets going on Saturday, December 7.
Benjamin Spragg ran up the biggest stack of any PokerStars Ambassador with 341,000 chips in his possession by the time the final bell rang. His wife, Marle Spragg, also made it through the day and into the money with 127,000 chips. Simon Wiciak, albeit short-stacked with 58,000, was the last member of the gang to make it through, and will have his work cut out for him come Saturday.
A familiar name to many poker fans, Ilari Sahamies, ended the day with an impressive 398,000 in chips. In recent years, Sahamies has been a frequent presence at the poker tables in Tallinn. His last notable EPT cash came right here in Prague back in 2019, when he made the final table of a PLO event. For those who may not know, the Finnish poker star, better known online as "Ziigmund," was a dominant force during the golden era of online poker. Renowned for his fearless and aggressive play, he was a regular at the nosebleed stakes, where he took on some of the best in the world.
Sweden's Tomas Jauring suffered the unfortunate fate of being the day's bubble player. He went all-in with pocket jacks against Nikolaos Oikonomou's king-queen, only to see a queen land on the river, ending his tournament and wrapping up play for the day. While it’s little consolation for Jauring, his elimination brought joy to 182 players who secured their spots in the money.
Max Neugebauer scraped into the money with just 15,000 chips, which was less than two big blinds when Day 1c drew its curtains in Level 18. Other notables to make it through were Klemens Roiter (350,000), Sebastien Compte (345,000), Nils Pudel (325,000), Jeremie Zouari (287,000, and Gerard Rubiralta (159,500) just to name a few.
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 6 | Day 1e | 11:00 a.m. | 30 minutes |
| December 6 | Day 1f | 5:00 p.m. | 20 minutes |
| December 7 | Day 2 | 11:00 a.m. | 60 minutes |
| December 8 | Day 3 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| December 9 | Day 4 | 12:00 p.m. | 60 minutes |
The action continues on Friday, December 6, with the final two starting flights of the Main Event. Day 1e kicks off at 11 a.m. with 30-minute levels, while Day 1f, a faster-paced turbo flight, begins at 5 p.m. with 20-minute levels. This is the last chance for players to secure a stack and a spot in the money.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the updates and highlights from the tournament floor as the 2024 EPT Prague unfolds!