EPT regular Jasper Wetemans played a rather big pot with pocket aces. Unfortunately for him, his opponent had aces as well. To make mathers worst things got kinda scary for Wetemans when his opponent picked up a flush draw. The pot didn't end in a catastrophe for Wetemans as the river blanked out. The Dutchman is still doing fine, with 55,000 he's playing well above average.
On the other end of the tournament room his friend Joep van den Bijgaart is playing. Van den Bijgaart, who made the EPT final table in Berlin the year Ben Wilinofsky won (seventh for €100,000), three bet a player with off suit. His opponent made the call and open shoved for about two and a half times the pot on with two clubs. Van den Bijgaart called with his top pair and was up against .
According to the PokerNews Poker Odds Calculator Van den Bijgaart was actually slightly behind with his top pair, but he managed to dodge his opponents outs and won the hand. Van den Bijgaart now plays 50,000.
They've crossed the midpoint of Day 1B at EPT10 Deauville, site of the famous annual American Film Festival that has come to the seaside city for nearly four decades. So far the Day 1B cast numbers more than 420 players, a big jump over Day 1A's field of 234. Patrick Bruel — who as an actor has starred in dozens of films and television shows — is among the group of players who have chipped up thus far today in an attempt to land a leading role in the tournament.
Check the PokerStars blog for a synopsis of today's heroes and heroines, the supporting cast, and those failing to make it beyond the event's first reel.
If PokerStars' plethora of regional tours are meant to be breeding grounds for players to step up to the EPT then step forward exhibit No. 723, also known as Daniel Stacey.
The Brit, who lives in Stoke-on-Trent, is a 23-year-old professional poker player who finished fourth in the Sunday Million back in September. In October of 2013 he qualified to UKIPT London for $100 and turned that into £8,480 when he finished 11th. He knocked out Barry Greenstein but didn't get a copy of his book, however he did see him in Burger King the night after and shook his hand!
His performance at UKIPT London earned him a free seat to UKIPT Isle of Man and he did even better there, finishing sixth and earning a £21,250 pay day in November 2013.
He's playing today in Deauville having qualified online and he has dropped a bit from his starting stack to just 21,500. When he's not traveling the circuit he plays Omaha Zoom and tournaments.
Now, stick with this because this involves some serious plot action and enough twists to tire out a professional salsa dancer.
*deep breath*
Omar Lakhdari limped from under the gun and FPS Deauville winner Niels van Leeuwen limped behind him. Pierre Antona then made it 2,000 and was called by Ludovic Geilich (EPT London finalist).
Jeremy Nock then moved all-in for not too much more and it was passed back around to Lakhdari who made the call. Van Leeuwen then came in with a backraise to 8,100 but Antona reraised all in for about 27,000. Geilich folded, as did Lakhdari but van Leeuwen instantly called.
Nock:
Antona:
van Leeuwen:
The flop was , Nock flopped a set but Antona had picked up a straight flush draw. The turn was the and Antona gained another three outs to win the entire pot. The on the river meant Nock picked up the main pot, more than trebling up while van Leeuwen eliminated Antona in the larger side pot.
After 234 runners on Day 1a of the PokerStars.fr European Poker Tour Deauville Main Event and Chris Day emerging as the early frontrunner, it was almost predetermined that Day 1b would be a lot busier. It turned out exactly that way as a big field showed up for the second of two starting flights.
Late registration remained open the entire day. In fact, players will be allowed to sign up until the beginning of Day 2, so a final number of entrants won't be available until registration closes. It's going to be hard to break last year's number (782), though, but an impressive showing was still had. At the completion of Day 1b, the tournament clock indicated 433 players had signed up.
On Day 1a, just two Team PokerStars Pros entered and both survived after the first eight seventy-five minute levels. Day 1b saw a whole lot more Team Pros who tried their luck at the tables, but not all of them will join Marcin Horecki and Eugene Katchalov moving forward.
Hometown favorite Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier sat in the spotlight the entire day, not just because of his excellent card-playing skills, but more so because of his outfit. Grospellier showed up as the character Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the video game Assassin's Creed. A lot less spectacular than his outfit were his cards. Nothing much happened for the French superstar, and he ended the day with a mere 9,900 in chips.
Grospellier wasn't the only one dressing up for the occasion, either. French poker pro Guillaume Diaz showed up in a shark costume, presumably because he's also a shark at the tables. Today he wasn't the one feeding on the small little fish, though, as he was fodder for other players when he busted quite early on.
After Mike McDonald fell short in the Bahamas for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure title, the elusive achievement for the first two-time EPT winner remains up for grabs. Defending EPT Deauville champ Remi Castaignon won't be that person, though, as he busted some time before the dinner break. Castaignon was already rather short when he four-bet with pocket sevens to 3,500. One of his opponents made the call, then also called the remaining 6,100 that Castaignon pushed forward on a flop for an all-in shove. The flop contained two diamonds, and Castaignon's opponent had . The player made a flush and busted the French EPT champion.
Other former EPT winners would fall as well. EPT Monte Carlo winner Steve O'Dwyer didn't feel well this morning, but decided to play anyway. His day would be as he felt, not that good. O'Dwyer played for a little over two hours and after getting coolered not once, but twice, it was time to hit the showers.
Team PokerStars Pro Luca Pagano was the one responsible for O'Dwyer's early exit. Pagano wouldn't do much good with the newly acquired chips as he ran into aces in a rather big hand and busted in the last level of the day.
Team PokerStars Pro and EPT Deauville Season 6 winner Jake Cody followed not much later. A hero call went terribly wrong as his opponent held the goods with a full house in what would be Cody's last hand.
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During level six, Dave "Dubai" Shallow went from being potential chip leader, with almost 100,000 or so, to out in short order. Apparently he lost two big pots in succession in nasty spots to bust, and Sunny Chattha informed us of the action.
"He lost about 50,000 with against aces on an board," said Chattha. "And then on a king-high board, his opponent jammed the turn with pocket fives, [Shallow] called with , and the river was a five."
The main beneficiary of Shallow's demise appeared to have been Ayman Zbib, who built to a monstrous stack of 144,000. Zbib would end the day with 181,400, which makes him the overall chip leader going into Day 2.
When the final level of the day began, people started to loosen up. Table 12 was home to the tea-drinking Brits with Team PokerStars Pro Vicky Coren leading the chatter. A couple of tables over, other drinks were being ordered.
One more player that deserves a mention is a French singer, actor, and poker player with a massive social media following and over $1,000,000 in cashes. World Series of Poker gold bracelet winner Patrick Bruel was sitting comfortable all day as he gathered chips left and right. He ends the day with 92,300.
Dutch EPT debutant Niels van Leeuwen impressed himself and everyone else by winning the French Poker Series Main Event before the EPT started, topping a final table consisting of French players to land him the first prize of €175,000. He continued to impress on the first day of his first EPT with a rather spectacular hand where he overlimped aces. Long story short, he did get the money in pre flop, although he didn't win the main pot.
Day 2 will be no different, and for the first time all the players will be playing in the same room. The money is not in sight yet, but Day 2 will again be filled with familiar faces, big pots, and insane bluffs. PokerNews will be covering the action from start to finish, so get your refreshing finger ready for dozens of updates, photos, and interviews with all your favorite players! We'll be back live from the tournament floor once again at 12 p.m. local time for another exciting starting day to Season 10's EPT Deauville. Be sure to join us then!
While you wait for Day 2 to come around, be sure to check out the following interview with the lovely Natalie Hof:
off suit. His opponent made the call and open shoved for about two and a half times the pot on 
with two clubs. Van den Bijgaart called with his top pair and was up against 
.
![[user38338]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
, Nock flopped a set but Antona had picked up a straight flush draw. The turn was the 
and Antona gained another three outs to win the entire pot. The 
on the river meant Nock picked up the main pot, more than trebling up while van Leeuwen eliminated Antona in the larger side pot.
. The player made a flush and busted the French EPT champion.
against aces on an 