The French Open kicks off

The first of eight starting days in the €330 French Poker Open Main Event got underway on time. 

Around 70 players are competing in the first and only level of the no-ante tournament. The event is being run as a No Limit event, with a 15% payout ratio. 

Players benefit from a starting stack of 50,000 chips and a progressive structure with nine 30-minute levels, followed by a switch to 40-minute levels until Day 3 on Sunday September 10. 

At least 12 levels will be played on the opening days, so participants will first play half-hour levels before playing the final package on 40-minute levels. 

The six starting days in the standard format will start at 4 p.m. and finish between midnight and 1 a.m., while the two Turbo days will start at 10 p.m. with 9 15-minute levels followed by 3 20-minute levels. 

Shuffle Up and Deal  ! 

All is calm

The game started with blinds 100 - 200 and no big ante yet as the first quarter-hour of play came to an end. 

Dalil Masaud, Angelo Aliberto, Giovanni Dupont, Rico Chevalot and Dominique Potenza are already seated at the tables of the Circus Casino Resort in Namur... 

Smoke break

Marc Hannesse takes a cigarette break after half an hour at poker... the Belgian is up to 70,000 chips after three hands won in a row with premiums.

"A pair of queens, 5,000... The next hand a pair of Aces, 5,000... and then Kings right behind... another 5,000", laughs this regular from the Namur establishment.

The blinds increase to 100 - 300 (300) with 87 players in the running for 87 entrants. 

First Victim

With 10 minutes left to play before the start of the 3rd level of Day 1A of the French Open Main Event, the leaderboard now shows 96 players in contention for 97 entrants. 

Fabrice Somers opens the ball for re-entries! Registrations are possible for 9 levels, after which the levels will increase to 40 minutes until the start of the Final Day on Sunday September 10. 

The 100 Bar

At the end of the second level, players face off in the 200 - 400 blinds (400), with 99 players now in the running for 101 entrants. 

Marc Hannesse got off to a great start and was the second player on Day 1A to cash in for re-entry! 

Jorden Verbraeken, Steven Rothheut, David Yardin, Ohran Serbes and Octavian Ripan are on track for this €330 Main Event...



The French Poker Open In brief:
- 15% of field in the money
- 12 or 13 levels on Day 1
- 75-minute dinner break after level 8, between 8:30 and 9:45 p.m.
- 30-minute levels until the end of registration/re-entry at level 9, then 40 minutes. 50-minute levels for Final Day on September 10
 

Les Poulets en approche

The 4th level of play at the French Open has begun, and there are currently 102 players in the running for 110 entrants, with the game being played on blinds 200 - 500 (500)...

Isa Yuksel, Walter van Camberg, Robert Seelen, Patrick Prijot, Lorenzo Furia and Stefaan Skippers are now in the running. 

Break

After two hours at poker , 98 players took a half-hour break at the Circus Casino Resort in Namur. 

The provisional field bosses have raised the starting carpet three times, but Robin Fore is at the helm. 

Robin saw his neighbor on the right, Jorden Verbraeken, send his last 4,000 chips at the end of the game and he called with Ace 7 leading to the button and the blinds. 

The family found an Ace 7 6 flop which provoked no action but Robin bet 4,500 chips on an Ace turn which provoked a 12,500-chip raise from Johan Berger on the button. 

Robin called to send his all-in on a river 3. He then waited for the decision of his last opponent in the hand, Berger, who was eventually timed out. johan paid at the end of the time with ace-queen to create a huge pot... Jordan Verbraekn could return no better than Jack 8. 

That's enough to take Fore back to level 5 with 189,000 chips and the Yellow Jersey. Jorden Verbraeken and Johan Berger will have to re-enter if they want to continue the adventure... 



Chips
Robin Fore 189,000
Erik Vendromme 148,000
Tino de Zutter (photo) 146,000
Gregory Dewinne 141,000
David Masaud 125,000
Giovanni Dupont 103,000
Gregory van der Weckene 92,000
Olivier Ledouble 89,000
Anne Trebitsch 72,000
Ahmed Jorjees 71,000
Lorenzo Furia 56,000
Rico Chevalot 52,000

Reprise

Play resumes at blinds 300 - 600 (600) with 100 players in contention for 120 entrants. 

The average is 60,000 chips... Let's go for 4 half-hour levels before the 75-minute dinner break. 

Au Compte-Goutte 


The sun is still shining in Namur, and the fine weather in the Walloon capital has probably dampened the spirits of a few potential Sunday players... 

Level 6 begins anyway, with 100 players in the running for 126 entrants... participants now compete over 400 - 800 (800) with an average of 62,000 chips. 

Guillaume Navaro did an In & Out and will therefore have to re-enter to continue... identical verdict for Patrick Prijot and Walter van Camberg.

Fore en Jambe

Robin Fore remains ahead on Day 1A of the Main Event. Pierre Neuville (22,000) has replaced Jorden Verbraeken and the tournament's Yellow Jersey continues to make good progress on the opening day. 

Robin was the first to break the 200,000-chip barrier, reaching 220,000 chips after playing a head's up pot where he bet 2,000 on the turn and 3,500 on the river on an 8 6 Ace Ten 8 board where the flush draw went straight in on the turn. 

Robin was paid by the button who called-muck discovering a pair of 9s! 

Level 6 is almost over, and there are now 96 entries for 131... 

Bustos

Play continues in the 500 - 1000 blinds (1000) with 96 players in contention for 136 entrants. 

Rico Chevalot saw Raf Ielegms make three of a kind on the turn in a post-flop developed pot, he joined the rail as his opponent took the opportunity to climb to 129,000 chips. 

At the next table, Gaston "Justice" Onana seems to have got off to a good start with 88,000 chips in front of him. 



At the back of the room, Fabrice Somers keeps a low profile for his second dumpling. Fabrice's chip count is 146,000 and he hasn't yet engaged the 3-bet machine with merguez. However, Fabrice invites himself to the party after a UTG open from Laurent van Severen paid by UTG 1. 

The blinds come in, including Antonio Cabanas in the big blind... but it's the small blind who takes the pot on a Ten 5 6 flop. Despite the flush draw, Laurent makes a continuation bet and Simon Bouaksa's check-raise scares everyone off... 

That's enough to drop Laurent to 20,000 chips, who says he would have preferred a 3-bet from Fabrice, which would have probably put him all in! 

Maso

Dalil Masaud pouted after checking the flop and then the turn in a heads-up pot he'd initiated against the big blind. Dalil called-mucked 2,500 chips on a Jack Ten 7 8 Ace board and could only lose to his opponent's A 7 of hearts to fall back more or less to the starting stack... A shot in the dark!

With 5 minutes to go before the blinds reach 600 - 1200 (1200), the table shows 139 entrants for 93 players in the running. Octavian Ripan, Adnan Ekeroglu or Somsong Intharanop will have to pay up again...

Dinner break

Hubert Lugi took the lead at the break. Hubert rinsed Fabrice Somers in two stages. 

He passed the 100,000-chip mark by taking a first hand from Fabrice, before finding a dream spot. Open to 5,100 from Fabrice, 3-bet to 18,000 with the Arrows from Hubert... all-in for 39,000 chips from Laurent van Severen and all-in from Fabrice Somers too! 

Hubert pays to discover Dames at Laurent and Dix and 9 dépareillé at Somers! The board remains unchanged and we have a strike... Hubert takes off with 355,000 chips.

83 players are on break for 145 registered at the end of level 8. Resumption at 9:46 pm on 1000 - 1500 (1500)... perhaps with Gason Onana. "Justice" tried a very high-variance play against Dany de Ridder who didn't let go of his Top Paire in a 3-bet preflop pot... 

Chips
Hubert Lugi 355,000
Tino de Zutter 225,000
Amanullah Khall 216,000
Dany de Ridder 185,000
Marc Thumelaire 148,000
Salvatore Alessi 130,000
Ohran Serbian 122,000
Dorian Savage 121,000
Greg Dewinne 104,000
Antonio Cabanas 86,000
Octavian Ripan 62,000
Dalil Masaud 60,000
Giovanni Dupont 51,000
Steven Rothheut 27,000

Resuming

The final 30-minute level of Day 1A is underway, with 88 players in the field at blinds 1000 - 1500 (1500), averaging 85,000 chips.

The counter shows 151 entries, with new players like Fouad Elmouhmouh and Yvan Marsus arriving during the break. Fabrice Somers was also back in the pot...

Easy this Game

Sometimes, at poker, the chips arrive quietly. Armel Dai just took advantage of this on a Jack 4 4 flop where Dominique Fassin went all-in in the small blind for 18,000 chips. 

In the big blind with Ace Valet and just under 4 times the starting stack in front of him, Armel found an easy call. Fassin turned over Dame Valet and didn't hit.

A harmless turn and a river that doesn't change anything means 220,000 chips for Armel... Dominique heads off to the €60 satellite, where registration closes in a few minutes. 

The table shows 81 players for 153 entrants on the opening day of the €330 Circus namur French Open Main Event. 

155 entries on Day 1A of the Circus Namur French Open

Registration is closed for the first of eight opening days of the French Open main tournament. 

The organization recorded 155 entries on Day 1A... and 70 players are still on the track, even though the levels are now 40 minutes long. 

Each flight features 12 levels, with players still in the game currently on level 10. 

Alain Fleurent, Olivier Lacour, Joao Faria, Fabrice Somers, David Yardin, Canio Pietrapertosa, Dylan Balzart and Marc Hannesse will have to try their luck again... 

Fall at the Back

Elimination follows elimination as players contest the penultimate level of Day 1A.

Level 11 is underway with 63 players in the running, averaging 123,000 chips or 49 blinds on 1000 - 2500 (2500).

Dominique Fassin preferred to re-enter in-extremis rather than go to satellite... he's just given up, while Fabrice SOmers, Max Lucas, Thibaud Volpati, Markus Sippe and Olivier Crosella have also joined the rail for Sunday. 

Last Straight

With 5 minutes to go before the final blinds are raised on Day 1A, only 54 players are left in the field. Guillaume Navaro and Olivier Ledouble have just given up...

Tino de Zutter seems to be in pole with 325,000 chips with less than three quarters of an hour to go....

Chips
Tino de Zutter 325,000
Pierre Pezzuto 280,000
Simao Carvalho 260,000
Matthias van der Pierre 250,000
Gurkan Cifci 225,000
Anne Trebitsch 210,000
Luigi Pacilli 205,000
Hubert Lugi 190,000
Gregory Dewinne 170,000
Ohran Serbes 145,000
Pierre Neuville 140,000
Salvatore Alessi 140,000

Last half-hour

Only 48 boats are left in the running on Day 1A, which ends in half an hour's time... Danis Charlier, Antonio Cabanas (photo), Julien Lauer, Kevin Boel, Mihai Radu and Octavian Ripan have given up and will have to try their luck again. 

Last Hands

The last 6 hands come to an end on Day 1A. Pierre Neuville, Fouad El Mouhmouh, Dorian Savage and Lorenzo Furia are all out of chips on Day 1A.

Dany Deridder will also have to try his luck again after going all-in for 25 blinds following David Ramillion's 50-blind open shove. Wearing a Blue-White-Red shirt, David turned over 8s and hit three of a kind on the flop to stay well ahead of his victim's Ace-Ten... 

A Duo at the top of Day 1A

Tino de Zutter and Amanullah Khall bagged the same carpet at the end of Day 1A of the €330 Circus Namur French Open. Amanullah at the TV Table, Tino in the main room...

After 9 levels of 30 minutes and 3 levels of 40 minutes, the two players have bagged up exactly 410,000 chips, just over 8 times the starting stack. Enough to start Day 2 on Saturday, September 9, with the blinds at 2,000 - 4,000 (4,000)...

In the end, 39 of the 155 players who entered the first of the eight opening days booked a ticket for Day 2, which starts at 2pm. Luigi Hubert, Marc Thumelaire, Salvatore Alessi and Gurkan Cifci are the only survivors from Day 1A with a stack in excess of 300,000 chips... but behind them a pack of players has built up more than 4 times the starting stack.

Dalil and David Masaud, Patrick Prijot, Anne Trebitsch, Greg Dewinne, Ohran Serbes and 7Bellos member Luigi Pacilli are also in the mix...

See you at 4pm on Monday for live coverage of Day 1B, with a PLO 5 to follow from 7.30pm...

Chipcount partial 1A

Tino de Zutter 410 000
Amanullah Khall 410 000
Salvatore Alessi 317 000
Luigi Hubert 316 000
Marc Thumelaire 315 000
Gurkan Cifci 300 000
Simao Silva 282 000
Anne Trebitsch 280 000
David Ramillon 269 000
heidi Croon 266,000
Cem Muhtar 261,000
Alexis Leclaire 238,000
Dalil Masaud 236,000
Ohran Serbes 232,000
Ken Ewijk 205,000
Greg Dewinne 191,000
Luigi Pacilli 172,000
Robin Fore 126,000
Patrick Prijot 102,000



The document belowbelow is the complete chipcount for Day 1A