Leib Leads after Day 1 of Eureka Czech Main Event

When the two Day 1 fields combine for the resumption of the Eureka Poker Tour Main Event at the King’s Casino in Rozvodov, Fabian Leib will be the chip leader.

The PokerStars-sponsored Eureka Poker Tour is back for a third season, and this year is kicking off with Eureka “Czech” (to distinguish it from the Grand Final in Prague in December). After two Day 1s of the €500,000 guaranteed Main Event, Fabian Leib emerged as the overall chip leader.

The German poker player had been prominent throughout the best part of Day 1B, but his late dual elimination of two short stacks (QQ > middle pair > missed flush draw) propelled him into a narrow chip lead ahead of Italian player Giovanni Mazza.

As usual, the second of the two Day 1s was much better supported than the first, so although Day 1a chip leader Mark Bech more than sextupled his starting stack, the PokerStars qualifier from Denmark finds himself in fourth position overnight.

Good Turn Out for €500,000 Guarantee

Fears that the tournament would be massively under-subscribed after only 123 players paid the €1,000 buy-in on Day 1A (or qualified into the Main Event via PokerStars) were allayed when 298 players rolled into the King´s Casino in Rozvodov yesterday to swell the player pool to the second largest ever seen for Eureka Poker Tour Main Event.

Although organisers of the event will still be putting their hands in their pockets to make up the €80,000 overlay, 48 of the 169 players remaining in the tournament will be taking home some money when the bubble bursts some time on Saturday – with the lucky winner collecting a substantial first prize of €115,000.

Stars Enjoy a Good Day

As is customary for PokerStars-sponsored live events, plenty of well-known “names” attended the Eureka Poker Tour Main Event. PokerStars Team Pros Jan Heitmann (who won the German Championship of Poker in this same casino last August) and Christophe De Meulder (who originally thought he was playing in Prague) both survived Day 1B with above-average chip stacks.

Meanwhile PokerStars Team Online member Grzegorz “DaWarsaw” Mikielewicz (who has won quadzillions online in cash games and MTTs) was the highest profile online player to remain in the Eureka Czech Main Event, although some way behind the most successful Day 1B qualifier for the tournament – the brilliantly named Kasparas Klezys.

Looking Ahead to Eureka Day 2

When play resumes at the King´s Casino in Rozvodov at noon today, players will be heading into Level 10 (blinds 500/1,000 – ante 100). Nine more levels of play are anticipated but, should the field cut up quicker than expected, the management reserve the right to pack up early and go out and party. Those who will be feeling in a party mood overnight include:-