Two years after inaugural event in Bratislava, Pokercode Festival and his �550 Main Event returned to Europe, this time in Gran Via casino Madrid in Spain. Day 1a flight kicked off this Thursday attracted a nice field of 103 entrants.
Among them, 16 players managed to bag for Day 2, all in the money. German player Frederik Thiemer is the chipleader with a stack of 852,000 after 17 30-minute levels. James Russell Smith bagged 705,000 followed by Nikola Gasevic (556,000).
Pokercode Madrid Main Event Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frederik Thiemer | Germany | 852,000 | |
| 2 | James Russell Smith | 705,000 | ||
| 3 | Nikola Gasevic | Austria | 556,000 | |
| 4 | Jascha Bonacic | Germany | 465,000 | |
| 5 | Christian Bernau | Germany | 378,000 | |
| 6 | Sebastian Schulze | Germany | 284,000 | |
| 7 | Javier Sanjuan | Spain | 280,000 | |
| 8 | Victor Ciubotaru | Romania | 267,000 | |
| 9 | Quirin Heinz | Germany | 258,000 | |
| 10 | Yiu Yi Shing | 202,000 |
Among the other players to qualify for Day 2 were Christian Bernau (378,000), Sebastian Schulze (284,000), Victor Ciubotaru (267,000), Quirin Heinz (258,000), Yiu Yi Shing (202,000) and Nico Pohl (176,000).
Several regulars players took their chance in Day 1a but were unable to qualify for Day 2, including Pokercode founder Fedor Holz, Spanish player Javier Tsunamy and Tom-Aksel Bedell.
They all have a new chance in Day 1c or Day 1d Fast tomorrow. Meanwhile, Day 1b Fast attracted 92 entrants and they played until 14 players left. Jose Osorio took the chiplead with 874,000 chips. SHR Champion Rainer Kempe (270,000), Swiss player Emil Bise (726,000) and Grind House member Fabian Niederreiter (213,000) also qualified.
Be sure to keep it with the PokerNews team on Friday at 2 p.m. local time for Day 1c and Day 1d to see who else can make it through to Day 2!
