With 1,305 registrations on Day 1B (unique entries plus single re-entries), the European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona Main Event has reached 1,903 total entries through both Day 1 flights, already eviscerating the record for the tournament. The now-former largest field for the WPT Barcelona Main Event was 1,785, set in 2016. And registration is open until the start of today’s Day 2, so expect a few more players to join the fun. Only 535 players made it through the flight, with Anthony Chimkovich emerging as the Day 1B chip leader, ending the night with 390,000, a total that puts him 60,000 ahead of Day 1A leader, Ben Wilinofsky.
Chimkovich has about $135,000 in live tournament earnings, his most sizable cash coming in this very same event two years ago when he finished in 20th place for $55,661.
As we often see in these large-field tournaments, someone uses a key hand late to vault themselves into the chip lead. Chimkovitch was no exception yesterday. Just about at the end of the night, he found himself with A-Q of hearts and raised pre-flop, as one is wont to do with a hand like that, especially when you already have one of the tallest chip stacks in the room. Dean Clay and Pierre Merlin both called. The flop was J-T-8 and after Merlin checked, Chimkovitch bet 3,600. Clay then called, Merlin check-raised it up to 14,400. Chimkovitch made the call, but Clay folded.
When a King was dealt on the turn, Merlin bet 25,500. Chimkovitch, who had now made the nut straight, moved all-in and Merlin called. It’s no wonder he called, as he had Q-9 and had flopped what was at the time the nut straight. He was unable to manage a chopped pot on the river and moments after he was loving life with that flop, he was out of the tournament. Chimkovitch had his stack up to 350,000 chips.
That’s it for the starting flights. Now the 737 survivors from Days 1A and 1B will meet on Wednesday, along with any late entrants, for Day 2. We won’t know the payout structure until the final numbers are announced, but expect somewhere in the vicinity of 300 players to make the money in this event.
2018 European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event – Day 1B Chip Leaders
1. Anthony Chimkovitch – 390,000
2. Patrick Clarke – 321,500
3. Fabien Motte – 233,000
4. Pavel Plesuv – 221,400
5. Justin Ligeri – 221,300
6. Dominik Panka – 217,000
7. Andres Korn – 212,600
8. Niall Farrell – 209,000
9. Patrik Hansen – 207,700
10. Raul Martinez – 205,800
2018 European Poker Tour Barcelona Main Event – Overall Chip Leaders
1. Anthony Chimkovitch – 390,000
2. Ben Wilinofsky – 330,000
3. Patrick Clarke – 321,500
4. Haoxiang Wang – 239,300
5. Fabien Motte – 233,000
6. Miguel Use – 228,900
7. Lawrence Bayley – 224,200
8. Pavel Plesuv – 221,400
9. Justin Ligeri – 221,300
10. Kalidou Sow – 220,000
