After a two-year hiatus, we can say these words again.
The European Poker Tour is back in action with one of their preeminent events, the 2022 EPT Prague. Although this version is taking place at the King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, due to continued COVID regulations, that does not mean the players are staying away. In fact, the field has zoomed past the 1000 player mark and will continue to grow as late registration continues until Saturday morning’s Day Two start.
Day 1A Bests 2019 Performance
Day 1A on Thursday saw the players flood the King’s Casino, ready for action on the felt. In fact, the numbers were so good that they were able to eclipse those figures from 2019 – the last time this event was held live. 377 singular players also ponied up 41 reentries (players have a single re-entry they can utilize in this tournament) to make for a 418-entry field. This bested the 391 total entries that came out in 2019 and, along with the Day 1B throng, demonstrated the desire for poker on the European continent.
One thing that didn’t change, however, is the crème rising to the top of the leaderboard. 2018 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event champion Jack Sinclair would finish the day at the top of the standings, holding a nice stack of 317,900 in chips to move on to Day 2. There was only one player that was close to Sinclair in the standings, Sharon Sade, who also topped the 300K mark with her 312,200 in chips.
The rest of the pack was scrambling to keep up with Sinclair and Sade. These were the Top Ten players to come out of the 134 players who survived the action:
1. Jack Sinclair, 317,900
2. Sharon Sade, 312,200
3. Ezequiel Waigel, 258,800
4. Daniel Dvoress, 237,200
5. Boaz Madhala, 227,700
6. Manuel Fischer, 211,600
7. Shai Arbel, 209,400
8. Gergely Kulcsar, 183,300
9. Duco ten Haven, 177,200
10. Daniele Lunario, 175,600
Day 1B Shatters Expectations
If the numbers were considered outstanding for Thursday’s Day 1A, then Day 1B shattered expectations on the way to delivering one of the largest tournaments in EPT history. Preliminary counts from the Day 1B action show that 740 entries were received for Day 1B, pushing the overall figure for the tournament to 1158 entries overall. Players will still have a chance to utilize their singular re-entry during the opening of Day 2 on Saturday, so it is possible that the field will continue to grow.
With such a throng of players, survival was the key to success on the day. 288 players were able to do just that on Friday, making for an overall total of 422 players remaining in the tournament – not counting any stragglers who come in Saturday. That currently sits the prize pool at €5.606 million and the possibility exists that the top prize might crack the €1 million mark. The leaderboard for Day 1B is a bit of an unknown:
1. Mihai Ciprian Hanu, 304,700
2. Giuliano Bendinelli, 245,300
3. Juan Pardo, 225,000
4. Piotr Nurzynski, 208,300
5. Leonardo Romeo, 208,000
6. Matteo Calzoni, 203,100
7. Peter Tschernigg, 201,800
8. Rafael Wacha, 191,000
9. First Baltaci, 190,000
10. George Hanna, 189,100
But one thing that IS known is that Sinclair will rule supreme at the 2022 EPT Prague when Day 2 starts on Saturday:
1. Jack Sinclair, 317,900*
2. Sharon Sade, 312,200*
3. Mihai Ciprian Hanu, 304,700
4. Ezequiel Waigel, 258,800*
5. Giuliano Bendinelli, 245,300
6. Daniel Dvoress, 237,200*
7. Boaz Madhala, 227,700*
8. Juan Pardo, 225,000
9. Manuel Fischer, 211,600*
10. Shai Arbel, 209,400*
(* – Day 1A player)
On tap for the players on Saturday’s Day 2 will be six, 90-minute levels that should take the field near the 100-player mark. The official numbers for the tournament will be known once the cards hit the air on Saturday and late registration closes. PokerStars TV will have the streaming action on a 30-minute delay beginning at 12:30PM CET (approximately 6:30AM Eastern U. S.).
