The Winamax SISMIX Main Event Day 1b is Set to Kick Off
In a couple of hours from now, the second of three starting days of the 2017 Winamax SISMIX Main Event gets underway as of midday local time at Casino de Marrakech. Yesterday's heat drew an impressive field of 217 entries, exceeding expectations and making it the biggest SISMIX Day 1a in numerous years. 46 of those players succeeded in bagging up chips by the end of the night and will be back by the felt Saturday to continue their run for the title, but for those who didn't, today is another opportunity to secure advancement.
For the buy-in of 6,000 Moroccan Dirham (€550) participants will receive a starting stack of 50,000 chips; good for 250 big blinds during the first level. The three starting days will feature 13 levels of 40 minutes each, with late registration being open until the completion of level 10. For players busting, a single re-entry will be allowed during the first ten levels as well.
Day 1 Blind Structure
| Level | Ante | Small Blind | Big Blind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 100 | 200 |
| 2 | 25 | 150 | 300 |
| 3 | 50 | 200 | 400 |
| 4 | 75 | 250 | 500 |
| 5 | 100 | 300 | 600 |
| 6 | 100 | 400 | 800 |
| 7 | 100 | 500 | 1,000 |
| 8 | 200 | 600 | 1,200 |
| 9 | 200 | 800 | 1,600 |
| 10 | 300 | 1,000 | 2,000 |
| 11 | 400 | 1,200 | 2,400 |
| 12 | 500 | 1,500 | 3,000 |
| 13 | 500 | 2,000 | 4,000 |
The chipleader thus far, Jerome Sgorrano, is a former champion of this event, as the Belgian rose to the top in the 2015 edition and got 700,000 Dirham (€64,300) for his victory. By amassing a stack of 550,500 chips, more than 11 times the starting stack, Sgorrano is now in pole position to make another deep run at Casino de Marrakech. Close behind follows local player Daniel Cervan with 523,500, while former WPT National Belgium-finalist Quentin Roussey comes in third (504,000). They will be the crowd to catch for today's fighters of the felt.
For those already through Winamax offers plenty of options for entertainment today. For those craving some time out of the tournament area, it is Urban Sounds night by the Es Saadi Resort pool, while the yearly Winamax Beer Pong Open will kick off at 10 pm. For those who are up for a game of poker, there will be a 2,000 MAD (€185) progressive bounty tournament starting at 5 pm, while the night owls are invited to join the 1,500 MAD (€138) Iron Main Side Event by 9 pm.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor at Casino de Marrakech to provide updates for the entirety of the Main Event: From the very first Shuffle up and deal to the very last river card is dealt Sunday night.