Ohl Tops Day 1b in Rozvadov; Trauer and Tantillo Among the Big Stacks
The second and final starting day of the 2022 WSOP International Circuit Rozvadov €1,700 Main Event has wrapped up. As expected, Day 1b attracted a bigger attendance than the previous flight and 292 entries increased the overall field of 553 entries. That is still quite short of meeting the €1,000,000 guarantee at the King's Resort in Rozvadov, as around 645 total entries are required.
All those wishing to take advantage of a potential overlay in Europe's biggest poker arena close to the border of Germany have another two levels into Day 2 to enter the fray as the action will recommence on Easter Sunday, April 17, at 2pm local time. All late entrants joining during the first two levels will start with 25 big blinds worth of ammunition.
A new chip leader was crowned during Day 1b as Birger Ohl leaped into the top spot during the final level of the night. He soared to 497,100 chips to pull well ahead of Pierre Trauer (413,000), while Luc Ta (398,400) completes the overnight podium. Another big stack is Italy's Fausto Tantillo, who already tasted success during the ongoing series as he won a WSOPC ring in the €2,200 High Roller and claimed a payday of €56,977.
2022 WSOPC Spring Edition €1,700 Main Event Day 1b Top 10 Counts
| Position | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds Day 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birger Ohl | Germany | 497,100 | 249 |
| 2 | Pierre Trauer | Germany | 413,000 | 207 |
| 3 | Luc Ta | Germany | 398,400 | 199 |
| 4 | Fausto Tantillo | Italy | 336,900 | 168 |
| 5 | Vincent De Neve | Germany | 329,000 | 165 |
| 6 | Mihai Ciprian Hanu | Romania | 303,700 | 152 |
| 7 | Nedeljko Todorovic | Slovenia | 289,000 | 145 |
| 8 | Kai Uwe Lach | Germany | 281,900 | 141 |
| 9 | Kevin Naegelen | Belgium | 278,600 | 139 |
| 10 | Michael Roe | United States | 268,900 | 134 |
Notables in the top ten also include Vincent De Neve, Mihai Ciprian Hanu, and Michael Roe. Claudio Di Giacomo (pictured below), who finished in 5th place in the last edition of the WSOP Circuit Main Event at King's Resort in January 2022, advanced with a very healthy stack of 261,600 while well-known local player Josef Snejberg (255,400) is close behind.
The WSOP bracelet winners Emil Bise (185,300), Dalibor Dula (182,400), Albert Hoekendijk (134,700), Antoine Vranken (74,700), Jason Wheeler (52,900), Sergiu Covrig (51,000), and GGPoker ambassador Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier (46,000) all made it through to Day 2 as well and will aim to another title to their poker resume.
Other well-known names such as Abdelhakim Zoufri, Vojtech Ruzicka, Thomas Bichon, Amar Begovic, David Taborsky, and Elias Abou Saleh were not as fortunate and came up short of securing a stack for Day 2. However, they can take advantage of the extended late registration and re-entry period to take another shot at the seven-figure prize pool.
While the first level of the day produced two seat open after fewer than half an hour, the overall action was slower compared to Day 1a. One of the early highlights included the successful flip of Antoine Vranken with ace-king against the pocket jacks of Daniele Lunario. Pierre Neuville was among the big stacks in the first few levels but his momentum didn't carry on as he fell on the wayside. It is expected that the former 2015 WSOP Main Event finalist will give it another shot during the first two levels on Day 2.
One of the candidates to potentially take another stab is Ermanno Di Nicola. The Italian soared to a big stack mid-way through the day but plummeted during the final stages to then bow out against fellow countryman Claudio Di Giacomo. The €2,200 High Roller runner-up Lorenzo Lavis saw one of his entries come to an end when he got it in preflop against Michael Roe and Dalibor Dula with both opponents hitting a set.
The pace of eliminations picked up mid-way through the day and especially during the final stages, former big stacks came and left without anything to show for. One of them was Tayfun Ozlu, who lost a massive pot to Birger Ohl in the final level of the night and paved the way for Ohl's overall lead. Pierre Trauer kept growing his stack on a consistent basis and his rise culminated with the knockout of Matthias Nachtigal when two flushes collided.
Ultimately, just over one third of the field made it through Day 1b and the 107 contenders will join the 87 Day 1a survivors. Day 2 will recommence at 2pm local time in Europe's biggest poker arena and the first two levels will feature identical blinds during the final two hours of the late registration period.
It is expected that Day 2 features ten levels of 60 minutes each, during which the field will likely reach and burst the money bubble. Another three days remain to crown a champion as the final table will be played on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. The PokerNews live reporting team will be right there to provide all the key hands until then.
