Lupascu Leads The Way From Day 1d of FPS Main Event
Day 1d of the EPT Paris FPS Main Event has now concluded here at the Le Palais de Congres, after a marathon 11-hour session.
Only 80 players out of the 540 Day 1d entries have secured their spot for Day 2 and are guaranteed to be in the money, joining the 259 players who booked their places after surviving Days 1a-1c.
After a record-breaking day here at EPT Paris the prize pool currently stands at €2,258,880 with two flights still to come. Final payouts will be confirmed after all Day 1 flights are completed and the total prize pool is known.
Matei Lupascu (736,000) led the way in Day 1d, with Jon Vallinas (639,000) and Istvan Pilhofer (608,000) rounding out the top three, with nine different countries represented in the top ten stacks.
Lupascu surged to the top of the standings when he knocked out Slim Gabsi towards the end of the day with a set of sevens, having been in the tank for almost five minutes and having the clock called on him after the river brought a potential flush and his opponent moved all in.
At present the overall chip leader is Day 1c chip leader, Alexandre Correia (895,000).
Day 1d Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matei Lupascu | Romania | 736,000 |
| 2 | Jon Vallinas | Spain | 639,000 |
| 3 | Istvan Pilhofer | Hungary | 608,000 |
| 4 | Johan Creutz | Sweden | 521,000 |
| 5 | Mohamed Mamouni | Algeria | 502,000 |
| 6 | Clement Bonnant | France | 494,000 |
| 7 | Grigorii Rodin | Russia | 493,000 |
| 8 | Jamie Dwan | United Kingdom | 481,000 |
| 9 | Radek Jantos | Czechia | 425,000 |
| 10 | Joseph Querleux | France | 414,000 |
The venue was absolutely packed today and after late registration closed at the end of level 10, around 290 entrants were left from the 540 strong field, each vying for a place in the top 15 percent to progress.
The knockouts came quickly and players such as Andrew Hulme, PokerStars Ambassador Parker Talbot, Steve O'Dwyer and Benny Glaser all failed to make the cut.
Play then slowed down and tightened up significantly once the field reached 95, the tournament director being kept extremely busy as the clock was called regularly and on numerous different tables. At a couple of points clocks were called on tables almost simultaneously.
The bubble eventually burst when Kalidou Sow lost a flip with jacks against Clement Bonnant's ace-king.
Players now have two final opportunities to progress to Day 2, with Days 1e and 1f due to begin on Friday, February 16 at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. local time, featuring 30-minute and 20-minute levels respectively, but otherwise following the same structure as previous flights.
All players who advance to Day 2 will return on Saturday, February 17 at noon local time to 60-minute levels.
Stay tuned to PokerNews for all your coverage of the FPS Main Event at EPT Paris.