Yves Senterre Jumps into Overall Lead After Day 1b of the bwin.be WPT National Brussels
As expected, the second starting day of the 2015 bwin.be World Poker Tour National Brussels Main Event at the Grand Casino Brussels Viage attracted a larger field than Day 1a. Once the registration was closed at the end of Level 9, the screens showed 247 entries to boost the overall attendance to 391. Only 93 of the participants bagged up chips, joining the 52 Day 1a survivors.
When bagging and tagging occurred, it was Yves Senterre with an incredible 311,100 in chips to take the overall lead. According to his Hendon Mob profile, the Belgian has $26,859 in lifetime tournament earnings with the biggest cash of €4,450 coming from a 22nd-place finish in the Belgian Open Poker Championship in Namur back in October 2010. Niels Gybels (225,200) also eclipsed Day 1a chip leader Mike Gerry, and Gerry will return third in chips when play resumes at 2 p.m. local time in the capital of Belgium.
Other Day 1b big stacks include Sergio Benso (203,000), Kyne Elmouloua (197,200), World Series of Poker bracelet winner Barny Boatman (176,100), WPT National Cyprus fourth-place finisher Marco Della Tommasina (171,500) and Jussi Matilla (170,000). Among those that didn't bag up anything were Sinem Melin, Michiel Brummelhuis, Bernard de Breyne, Pascal Vos, Patrick Renkers, Niels van Leeuwen, Jonas Lauck, Martin Mulsow, Fabio Sperling, three-time WSOP bracelet winner George Danzer, Kenny Hallaert, Laurent Polito, and Guillaume Darcourt.
Former November Niner Brummelhuis ran into the full house of Jerome Sgorrano, but the Sgorrano also bowed out before the end of Level 12. Darcourt was off to a flying start and then lost two massive pots against PMU online qualifier Jean Michel Texier, who advanced to Day 2 with 148,000. As consolation prize, Darcourt won his ticket to the €2,200 High Roller Event in a €220 satellite, which attracted 90 entries and gave away eight tickets. Hallaert, now tournament director at the Casino de Namur, mis-clicked early on and lost to the pocket aces of 2014 WSOP Asia-Pacific Main Event finalist Henry Szmelcer.
The action will resume at 2 p.m. local in Level 13 at blinds of 1,000/2,000 and a running ante of 300, the level duration will increase to 60 minutes. There are 145 hopefuls left to battle for the trophy and title of WPT National champion. The prize pool hasn't been announced yet, but it will be published before the cards go into the air on Day 2.
Below is a chart of all WPT National Brussels stops thus far and where the current one ranks in terms of participation:
| Date | Buy-In | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | First-Place Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2015 | €1,200 | 391 | € 417,197 | --TBD-- | €88,000 |
| October 2014 | €750 | 330 | € 216,068 | [Removed:373] | €50,000 |
| July 2014 | €750 | 319 | € 208,865 | Mohamed El Bakkouri | €47,000 |
| March 2014 | €1,500 | 376 | € 492,372 | Lasse Frost | €102,000 |
| December 2013 | €750 | 440 | € 288,090 | Nicolas Pitte | €58,000 |
| February 2013 | €1,650 | 450 | € 675,000 | Yunoz Tuguz | €135,000 |
Be sure to follow along with the PokerNews Live Reporting team to find out who makes it into the money or has to leave the Grand Casino Viage empty-handed.