Fath-Eddine Bags Huge Chip Lead; Defending Champion Tosques Advances from WPTDeepStacks Marrakech Day 1a
The WPTDeepStacks returned to the Es Saadi Resort in Marrakech in grand fashion with 213 players entering on Day 1a of the Main Event. This is up 32% from last year and means the tournament looks on track for record numbers.
After twelve levels of play here at the Casino de Marrakech, just 57 players advanced and there was a clear chip leader. Ismail Fath-Eddine moved up the counts, helped by the elimination of Moroccan Anas Tadini, to bag 448,500 in chips.
Other big stacks advancing included Fernando Suago (238,000), Robin Hegele (228,000) and Isabel Baltazar (204,000).
Tadini was one of several regulars here in Marrakech who played on Day 1a, and while he was unfortunate to bust, former Marrakech Poker Open High Roller champion Fadhil Farag (57,000), Sofian Benaissa (96,000) and former WSOP November Niner Fernando Pons (56,500) all bagged up stacks for Day 2.
Several big names joined the field late, including partypoker pros Bruno Fitoussi and Bertrand Grospellier. They were seated at the same table, with defending champion Francois Tosques sat in between them.
All three would bag up chips at the end of the Day, with Fitoussi (52,000) and Grospellier (74,000) behind Tosques (158,000) who doubled late on.
Join us on Friday 20th September right here on PokerNews from 13:00 local time for Day 1b to see who else can make it through to Day 2!
and he doubled up.
was out between Frederic Delval and two other players. Delval had bet 3,500 first to act on the river and the second player had raised to 15,100.
for a flush and won the pot, moving back above 50,000 in chips.
, three of which checked to Alexandre Reard who bet 2,000. Three players called and the turn was the 
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