Zdenek Zizka raised to 1,400 in the cutoff. Saar Wilf then three-bet to 3,600 on the button, receiving a call from Zizka. Wilf continued for 4,000 on the 9♥J♥3♥ flop and Zizka check-called.
The Q♠ turn was checked through before the Zizka made a small bet of 2,500 on the A♥ river.
Wilf spent some minutes in the tank, cutting out raising chips and playing with them. Eventually, tough, he let his hand go and gifted the pot to Zizka.
Kai Herold raised to 800 from middle position with only Ivan Banic calling from the big blind.
The flop came down 3♥2♠4♣ and Banic checked. Herold fired out 600, which Banic called.
When the 5♠ came on the turn Banic check-called another bet from Herold, this time for 900.
The 2♥ appeared on the river and Banic checked for the last time. Herold thought it over before putting out a bet of 1,600. Banic snap-called and Herold instantly mucked his cards, meaning Banic won the pot without having to show his holding.
Zdenek Zizka had raised to 1,000 in middle position when Giorgio Donzelli tossed in a three-bet to 3,000 from the small blind. Zizka called to the 9♠6♠4♦ flop, where he called the continuation-bet of 4,000 that Donzelli put in.
Donzelli slowed down and checked the 5♠ turn. Zizka then bet 5,500 and Donzelli called. The 2♦ river completed the board, seeing Donzelli lead out for 11,000.
Zizka spent some time in the tank and then raised to 48,900. Donzelli snap called and tabled A♠K♠ for the nut flush.
However, it was no good against the 8♠7♠ of Zizka, who had turned a straight flush and raked in the massive pot. Donzelli could only shake his head and laugh at the huge cooler that had just occured.
Pasquale Di Ceglie raised from the cutoff to 700 and Viktor Blom made it 2,800 on the button. Once the blinds folded, Di Ceglie made the call.
They went to a flop of 5♦K♥K♠ where Di Ceglie checked dark, and Blom fired 1,600. Di Ceglie quickly made it 4,000, and Blom called.
An A♦ landed on the turn and Di Ceglie continued to tell a story that he was strong by firing 5,500, which Blom called.
When the 8♦ landed on the river, Di Ceglie slowed down with a check, then Blom gathered chips and dropped 28,600 into the pot. Di Ceglie thought for quite some time in what seemed to be an agonizing decision for the Croatian player, but eventually he slid his cards into the muck.
Ran Shahar raised to 700 in the cutoff and saw Aram Sargsyan call in the big blind. Sargsyan checked to Shahar on the 10♥K♦4♣ flop, after which the latter bet 600.
Sargsyan then raised to 1,300 and was called by his opponent. He put in another 2,200 on the 3♠ turn, which Shahar also called.
An additional 2,500 chips flew in on the 6♥ river. This time, Shahar let his hand go as he forfeited the early pot.
The second and final starting flight of the 2024 World Series of Poker Europe will begin at midday today. Event #13: €10,350 Main Event NLH European Championship's Day 1b is, unlike most other tournaments, expected to be much smaller than its first starting day. This is because King's Resort, where the event is held, traditionally includes Day 1a tickets in their prize pools throughout the year to give many low-stakes players a shot at Main Event glory.
However, it historically makes up for what it lacks in size with star power, with many high-stakes regulars making their first appearance or reentering after an unfortunate first attempt on Day 1a. Darko Svesko, on the other hand, will not be one of the players buying in today, as the Serbian obtained the chip lead in the first starting flight. He increased his 100,000 starting stack to 535,900 at the end of the day, resulting in him having 335 big blinds at the start of Day 2.
Darko Svesko
Other big stacks from Day 1a include hometown hero Patrik Jaros (497,200), and overseas crushers Alex Foxen (389,900) and David Dongwoo Ko (371,100).
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
Rank
Player
Country
Chip Count
Day 2 Big Blinds
1
Darko Svesko
Serbia
535,900
335
2
Bartolomeo Tato
Italy
504,100
315
3
Patrik Jaros
Czech Republic
497,200
311
4
Boris Kuzmanovic
Croatia
469,800
294
5
Birger Ohl
Germany
468,800
293
6
Cecile Ticherfatine
France
450,000
281
7
Lars Brodin
Sweden
393,900
246
8
Yaroslav Ohulchanskyi
Ukraine
392,700
245
9
Alex Foxen
United States
389,900
244
10
David Dongwoo Ko
Canada
371,100
232
However, players who register today need not despair. Last year, Levan Rcheulishvili accumulated 586,800 chips on Day 1b, so the overall chip lead is still within reach. All who enter today start their quest of doing so with the starting stack of 100,000. The first level is 100/300 with a big blind ante of 300 and all levels will have a duration of 90 minutes, resulting in deep-stacked play throughout the day.
There will be a break after every level, with a dinner break after Level 4. The day will conclude after Level 7, which has blinds of 600/1,200, after which the survivors will bag and tag for Day 2, which starts at noon tomorrow. One reentry is available for the players today, with an additional two entries allowed up until the end of Level 12, midway through Day 2.
WSOP Europe Main Event Day 1 Structure
Level
Small Blind
Big Blind
Big Blind Ante
1
100
300
300
2
200
400
400
3
300
500
500
4
300
600
600
5
400
800
800
6
500
1,000
1,000
7
600
1,200
1,200
Stay tuned for all the exciting Main Event action as PokerNews will be on the floor live reporting from the very first cards dealt up until the last table bags up.
