€5,300 EPT Main Event
Dia 1a Terminado
2024 PokerStars EPT Prague
€5,300 EPT Main Event
Dias: 1a
Líderes
em Fichas
em Fichas
Nível 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The 2024 PokerStars European Poker Tour Prague rolled on today with Day 1a of the prestigious €5,300 Main Event, marking the final Main Event of the year on the circuit.
A total of 466 entrants took their seats inside the elegant Hilton Prague, reflecting a more than ten percent increase over last year’s Day 1a turnout of 412 entries.
Only 146 players managed to survive the day and bag chips for Day 2. Leading the pack is Italy’s Gianfranco Iaculli, who amassed an impressive stack of 294,000. Hot on his heels is France’s Christian Alilovic, finishing the day in second place with 272,000 chips, while Denmark’s Mikkel Nielsen rounds out the top three with 244,000.
Notably, the top ten chip counts are represented by players from ten different countries, highlighting the truly international field at this year’s EPT Prague.
Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gianfranco Iaculli | Italy | 294,000 | 196 |
| 2 | Christian Alilovic | France | 272,000 | 181 |
| 3 | Mikkel Nielsen | Denmark | 244,000 | 163 |
| 4 | Elvis Petcu | Romania | 223,000 | 149 |
| 5 | Alexander Sokolovsky | Serbia | 222,500 | 148 |
| 6 | Gab Yong Kim | South Korea | 203,000 | 135 |
| 7 | Alen Sabic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 202,500 | 135 |
| 8 | Karl Sandoff | Sweden | 201,500 | 134 |
| 9 | Max Neugebauer | Austria | 189,000 | 126 |
| 10 | Vanessa Kade | Canada | 188,000 | 125 |
Vanessa Kade once again finds herself in familiar territory — among the chip leaders in a major poker tournament. Kade boasts four EPT cashes, three of which were achieved during this series in Prague. A highlight of her career was winning the PokerStars Sunday Million 15th Anniversary event in March 2021, where she outlasted nearly 70,000 entries to claim a record-breaking prize of $1,514,920 — the largest ever awarded in the tournament's history.
Kade slowly built her stack throughout the day and eliminated Leo Worthington-Leese in the penultimate level with pocket queens to secure one of the top stacks in the room.
South Korea’s Gab Yong Kim capped off a solid Day 1a by bagging an impressive 203,000 chips. Kim, currently ranked third on South Korea's all-time money list with over $3 million in live tournament earnings, has built a reputation as one of the country’s top poker talents. Known for his deep runs on the international circuit, he’s well-positioned to make another strong showing as the tournament heads into Day 2.
Both Barny Boatman and Derk Van Luijk won't be back for more in the Main Event as they both dusted off their permitted two bullets over the course of the day. Kerryjane Craigie, the aforementioned Worthington-Leese, Leo Margets, Felix Schneiders, Padraig O'Neill, and Conor Beresford all went through one bullet and will undoubtedly be back for more when Day 1b gets underway.
Some notables to make it through include Max Neugebauer (189,000), Brandon Sheils (134,000), Grzegorz Glowny (124,000), Jon Kyte (75,000), and Morten Klein (56,500) just to name a few.
Remaining Schedule
| Date | Day | Time | Blind Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 10 | Day 1b | 12 p.m. | 60 minutes |
| December 11 | Day 2 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| December 12 | Day 3 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| December 13 | Day 4 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| December 14 | Day 5 | 12 p.m. | 90 minutes |
| December 15 | Day 6 | 12:30 p.m. | 90 minutes |
Day 1b, the final opportunity for players to secure a stack for Day 2, takes place on Tuesday, December 10. Survivors from both flights will merge on Wednesday, December 11, when Day 2 begins, and late registration officially closes.
Be sure to keep your eyes glued to PokerNews as the live reporting team continue to bring you coverage straight from the tournament floor.
Nível 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
294,000
65,000
|
65,000 |
|
||
|
272,000
98,000
|
98,000 |
|
244,000
101,000
|
101,000 |
|
223,000
133,000
|
133,000 |
|
222,500
42,500
|
42,500 |
|
203,000
191,000
|
191,000 |
|
202,500
38,000
|
38,000 |
|
201,500
61,500
|
61,500 |
|
189,000
189,000
|
189,000 |
|
188,000
-2,000
|
-2,000 |
|
186,500
72,500
|
72,500 |
|
183,500
148,500
|
148,500 |
|
180,000 | |
|
||
|
172,500
15,500
|
15,500 |
|
170,000
155,000
|
155,000 |
|
165,500
55,500
|
55,500 |
|
163,500
163,500
|
163,500 |
|
162,500
162,500
|
162,500 |
|
161,500
161,500
|
161,500 |
|
159,000
29,000
|
29,000 |
|
154,500
4,500
|
4,500 |
|
153,000
53,000
|
53,000 |
|
153,000
38,000
|
38,000 |
|
149,500
106,500
|
106,500 |
|
|
148,000
148,000
|
148,000 |
Nível 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The survivors are now bagging up their chips as Day 1a has come to a close.
Stay tuned for a recap of the day's action.
Nível 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Yoash Trokman moved all in for late position with a stack of around 20,000 and Keith Johnson looked down at his cards and said, "That will do," before making the call with the bigger stack.
Yoash Trokman: 8♥2♦ 
Keith Johnson: A♦K♦
Trokman didn't want to bag with a small stack and so had shoved any two cards. The board ran out 2♥10♦9♥7♥10♣ and Trokman paired his deuce on the flop, making two pair with the tens on board.
"You better have me covered," said Johnson, "because I'm not coming back here with 1,000 chips."
Johnson then bagged 500 chips and the tournament concluded.
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
|
45,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
500
500
|
500 |
Nível 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Pierre Calamusa raised to 2,400 from middle position and Mengshi Tian three-bet to 8,400 from the big blind, which Calamusa called.
The flop came J♣8♣6♥ and Tian bet 5,600. Calamusa called and action went to the turn, which fell the 7♥. Tian bet 30,000 and Calamusa moved all in. Tian folded with less than 40,000 behind and Calamusa scooped in the pot.
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
|
180,000
45,000
|
45,000 |
|
|
||
|
35,500
-16,500
|
-16,500 |
Nível 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
The tournament director has made the announcement. There will be five more hands played today before remaining players bag and tag for Day 2.
Nível 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Mengshi Tian open-raised from middle position and Paolo Fantini three-bet to 6,500 from the next seat, which Tian called.
Both players checked it back on the A♥K♣8♠ flop. The turn was the 3♠ and Tian led out for 5,100. Fantini then raised to 14,000 and Tian folded to give him the pot.
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
93,000
18,000
|
18,000 |
|
|
52,000
-88,000
|
-88,000 |
Nível 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
After Tero Laurila and Alexis Andre checked from the blinds on a flop of 8♣3♥5♠, Lucjan Jankowski bet 3,000 from the cutoff. Laurila check-raised to 12,000 from the small blind and Andre went deep into the tank in the big blind.
After doing some inventory and thinking for around a minute, Andre shoved for roughly 38,000. Jankowski and Laurila instantly folded and Andre pulled in the pot.
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
127,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
|
55,000
33,000
|
33,000 |
|
30,000
-120,000
|
-120,000 |
Nível 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 1,200 ante
Steve O'Dwyer jammed for 3,700 from middle position. Justin Steinbrenner didn't look at his cards and called.
Steve O'Dwyer: K♣10♠
Justin Steinbrenner: K♠K♥
Everybody laughed when Steinbrenner flipped over his kings. The board of 7♣4♦A♠3♣7♥ was no help for O'Dwyer, who was eliminated.
| Jogador | Fichas | Progresso |
|---|---|---|
|
32,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
Eliminado | |
|
||