Things certainly picked up Tuesday at the European Poker Tour (EPT) Copenhagen Main Event. Monday’s Day 1A, with just 83 players showing up, looked like your local casino’s Thursday nooner. Fortunately, Day 1B resembled the EPT tournament that it should be, as 216 runners sat down at the tables at the SAS Radisson Hotel to take their shot at an EPT title. Topping the 131 survivors was Denmark’s Mads Wissing with 127,575 chips.
Despite his strong day, Wissing still sits behind two players from Day 1A: Steve O’Dwyer (190,975 chips) and Lauri Varonen (165,150). Overall, though, Day 1B trumped Day 1A, placing six players in the top ten chip leaders going into Day 2. Then again, with so many more entrants on Day 1B, that’s probably to be expected.
With 299 players handing over the 35,000 + 2,250 Danish kroner to play, the total prize pool for EPT Copenhagen is DKK 10,046,400 (before you question the math, 4 percent has been removed for the dealers). 48 players will earn a payday with the winner pocketing DKK 2,515,000. For those in most of the rest of Europe, that’s the equivalent of about €338,129 based on today’s exchange rate, or for those of you reading in the United States, that’s $448,267.
Mads Wissing is primarily an online player (he won the Party Poker $300,000 tourney twice in 2007), but has had a nice run of late on the live tournament circuit. In September 2011, he finished 9th in the Partouche Poker Tour Main Event, claiming €100,000 ($136,467) and in December, he placed 8th in the EPT Prague Main Event for €66,700 ($89,306). As a Copenhagen native, Wissing is no stranger to this week’s event, having placed 11th in the 2010 EPT Copenhagen Main Event, winning DKK 155,000 ($28,377). Those in the States may recognize him the best from his 25th place finish in the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, a run that earned him $317,161.
The EPT Copenhagen Main Event continues Wednesday as the 179 survivors from Days 1A and 1B combine to continue their march towards the money. The tournament is scheduled to run through Saturday, February 25th, when a champion will be crowned.
European Poker Tour Copenhagen – End of Day 1B Chip Leaders
1. Mads Wissing – 127,575
2. Sebastian Rust – 119,100
3. Alexander Manson – 113,025
4. Costin Fucea – 107,000
5. Juha Helppi – 105,425
6. Marcel Bjerkmann – 100,925
7. Kalle Niemi – 96,800
8. Henrik Jeppsson – 96,700
9. Kevin Iacofano – 96,150
10. Michael Finderup – 94,475
European Poker Tour Copenhagen – Combined End of Days 1A and 1B Chip Leaders
1. Steve O’Dwyer – 190,975
2. Lauri Varonen – 165,150
3. Mads Wissing – 127,575
4. Sebastian Rust – 119,100
5. Roberto Romanello – 115,475
6. Alexander Manson – 113,025
7. Costin Fucea – 107,000
8. Juha Helppi – 105,425
9. Ilkin Amirov – 105,000
10. Marcel Bjerkmann – 100,925
