Day 1b of �10,350 Main Event NLH European Championship Begins at Noon
The second of two starting flights for Event #13: �10,350 Main Event NLH European Championship gets underway at 12 p.m. today as the 2023 World Series of Poker Europe heads into its final stretch here at King's Casino in Rozvadov.
Day 1a saw 557 entrants take their seats, the most ever for a Day 1 of the WSOPE Main Event. Of those, only 360 made it through to Day 2, with Dumitru Pora bagging a solid lead after amassing 729,700 in chips. His next closest opposition is Axel Hallay, who finished the day with 577,000. Other notables who bagged big include Stephen Chidwick (378,900), Daniel Rezaei (303,800), Jessica Teusl (255,900) and Viktor Blom (228,200).
Although fewer players are expected to participate in Day 1b, the previous record of 763 players (set last year) is within reach. The guaranteed prize pool of �5,000,000 has already been surpassed based on Day 1a entries alone and currently sits at �5,291,500.
Defending champion Omar Eljach fired one bullet yesterday and, despite running up a stack early, busted out late in Day 1a. Eljach, along with all other players, are allowed one reentry should they choose.
WSOPE Main Event Champions
| Year | Buy-In | Entries | Prize Pool | Winner | Country | First Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | ��10,350 | 362 | ��3,676,990 | Annette Obrestad | Norway | ��1,000,000 |
| 2008 | ��10,350 | 362 | ��3,620,000 | John Juanda | United States | ��868,800 |
| 2009 | ��10,350 | 334 | ��3,340,000 | Barry Shulman | United States | ��801,603 |
| 2010 | ��10,350 | 346 | ��3,460,000 | James Bord | United Kingdom | ��830,401 |
| 2011 | �10,400 | 593 | �5,692,800 | Elio Fox | United States | �1,400,000 |
| 2012 | �10,450 | 420 | �4,032,000 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | �1,058,403 |
| 2013 | �10,450 | 375 | �3,600,000 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | �1,000,000 |
| 2015 | �10,450 | 313 | �3,067,400 | Kevin MacPhee | United States | �883,000 |
| 2017 | �10,300 | 529 | �5,025,500 | Marti Roca de Torres | Spain | �1,115,207 |
| 2018 | �10,350 | 534 | �5,073,000 | Jack Sinclair | United Kingdom | �1,122,239 |
| 2019 | �10,350 | 541 | �5,139,500 | Alexandros Kolonias | Greece | �1,133,678 |
| 2021 | �10,350 | 688 | �6,536,000 | Josef Gulas | Czechia | �1,276,712 |
| 2022 | �10,350 | 763 | �7,248,500 | Omar Eljach | Sweden | �1,380,129 |
As was the case in Day 1a, players will begin with 100,000 in chips and play seven 90-minute levels. The blinds start at 100/300 with a 300 big blind ante and players will get 15-minute breaks after each level. An extended 60-minute break will take place at the completion of Level 4. Late registration will remain open until the start of Level 13 on Day 2.
Be sure to follow PokerNews for continuing coverage of what could be a historic WSOPE Main Event right here at King's Resort in Rozvadov!