€500 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2022 Winamax Poker Open Madrid
€500 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2022 Winamax Poker Open Madrid
Buy-in
€500
Prize Pool
€960,080
Entries
2,182
Level
52
Blinds
800,000 / 1,600,000
Ante
1,600,000
Entries
369
Players Left
58
Level 20
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
After an action-packed first starting day, the return of the Winamax Poker Open (WPO) has been a thorough success. Some 369 entries were recorded in the 2022 WPO Madrid €550 Main Event in the first-ever stop at the Casino Gran Madrid in Torrelodones.
This surpassed the 360 entries of the previous edition in 2019 and was just shy of the 373 entries from back in 2017 to put things into perspective. If the first WPO Main Event were to set a new record for the live poker circuit, they need to attract at least 1,390 total entries and that seems certainly doable after a strong turnout on Day 1a.
When 20 levels of 30 minutes each had wrapped up, there was only one player who had turned a starting stack of 50,000 into a seven-figure amount. None other than Winamax Pro Pierre Calamusa topped the leaderboard with a stack of 1,023,000. Second in chips is Sebastian Penekes with 876,000 while Dennis Berglin was able to break into the French domination in the top ten and bagged up 669,000.
Other big stacks in the first of four starting days include Alexis Bouvier (651,000), Christian Ly (628,000), Hugues Mazerolle (557,000), Raffael Zarbo (522,000), Julien Ehrhardt (490,000), and Nicolas Vayssieres (334,000) to name several familiar faces of the European online and live poker scene.
While several Winamax sponsored players took to the felt today, only the Top Shark competition winner Loic "Winda" Debregeas joined Calamusa in securing a seat for Day 2 already. Debregeas ended the night with 161,000 in chips, which puts him in the middle of the pack. Other ambassadors such as Gaelle Baumann, Alejandro Romero, Guillaume Diaz, and Adrian Mateos were among the more than 300 casualties.
They were joined on the rail by Nicolas Maillaud, Julien Duveau, Alexis Gillot, Nuno Andrade, Cedric Danneker, Yann Lormel, and Romain Lefebvre all departed as well. In a field dominated by aspiring recreationals and poker pros from Spain and France, the online poker streamers "VinzHS", "PyroSC" and "CarbonRH" as well as known Spanish regular "Tsunamy" all failed to advance, too.
Calamusa started his journey via late registration after the first break and quickly ran up a stack before he commenced with his usual aggressive style to cement his spot near the top of the leaderboard. Seven years ago in 2015, he came out on top of a 959 entry strong field to earn the WPO Main Event title only a few weeks after he signed up as an ambassador for the online poker and sports betting giant.
Another known figure that could be found near the top throughout the day was Julien Ehrhardt, who can usually be found on the online poker tables. The Frenchman is a Red Diamond on Winamax and all high volume players with this status are invited to take part in the Winamax live poker events. Among his victims in the fast-paced six-handed actions was Antoine Whitehead, who lost a flip with ace-king versus jacks just prior to the dinner break.
Alexis Bouvier, Raffael Zarbo, and Dennis Berglin held onto bigger stacks that they started building in the opening stages while Alvaro Navarro had a plane to catch the following day but jammed numerous times to bag a top ten stack and postpone his travel plans for now.
All those who failed to make it through or focused on the usual fun side activities provided by Winamax such as the Padel Tournament in the morning and the Blind Test in the evening are expected to give it another shot at Casino Gran Madrid in the outskirts of the Spanish metropole.
Day 1b will kick off on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at noon local time and it will be the second flight with a duration of 30 minutes each. The PokerNews team will be back then to provide all the action from the tables.
Level 20
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,023,000
-17,000
|
-17,000 |
|
||
|
876,000
876,000
|
876,000 |
|
669,000
-6,000
|
-6,000 |
|
651,000 | |
|
628,000
-12,000
|
-12,000 |
|
625,000
625,000
|
625,000 |
|
557,000
387,000
|
387,000 |
|
550,000
497,000
|
497,000 |
|
|
531,000
531,000
|
531,000 |
|
522,000
172,000
|
172,000 |
|
|
490,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
|
458,000 | |
|
437,000
177,000
|
177,000 |
|
|
435,000
387,000
|
387,000 |
|
|
395,000
395,000
|
395,000 |
|
|
384,000
384,000
|
384,000 |
|
376,000
376,000
|
376,000 |
|
|
375,000
375,000
|
375,000 |
|
361,000
196,000
|
196,000 |
|
|
358,000
-232,000
|
-232,000 |
|
|
357,000
357,000
|
357,000 |
|
338,000
153,000
|
153,000 |
|
334,000
334,000
|
334,000 |
|
|
329,000
204,000
|
204,000 |
|
|
320,000
60,000
|
60,000 |
Level 20
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
After 20 levels and the final five hands, Day 1a has come to a conclusion. Only 58 players appear to have bagged up chips and assorted counts as well as a recap of today's action are to follow.
Level 20
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
After losing a bigger pot to Alexis Bouvier in which Daniel Henriques flopped inferior two pair with ace-deuce against the 
of Bouvier, the Portuguese recovered some chips in the last hand of the night.
Victor Sanchez Pena open-shoved for 68,500 in the very last hand from under the gun and Henriques called from one seat over. Christopher Migano Leal tanked in the big blind and eventually folded.
Victor Sanchez Pena: 
Daniel Henriques: 
The dominated ace found no help on the 
runout and the Spaniard departed the tournament area a few moments earlier than all other contenders.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
651,000
221,000
|
221,000 |
|
|
458,000
18,000
|
18,000 |
|
255,000
-65,000
|
-65,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level 20
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Gaelle Baumann has been eliminated in the Mandalay Room in which fellow Winamax ambassador Loic Debregeas won a preflop all-in contest against a slightly shorter stacked opponent. The 
of "Winda" prevailed versus 
as the dominated pair found no help.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
180,000
67,000
|
67,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 20
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
The clocks have been stopped and the last hands of the night were drawn.
Just before that, Julien Ehrhardt knocked out one of the late re-entries when his 
prevailed on a board of 
.
Once the last final hands are completed on all tables, the T-500 chips will be raced off and all survivors bag and tag their chips. Those unhappy with their stack sizes can also surrender and try again on another starting day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
510,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
Level 20
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
In a battle of the blinds, the completed board showed 
. Tomas De Oliveira Cortes checked in the small blind and then called a bet worth 65,000 by Pierre Calamusa to get shown the 
for tens and treys. That won the pot as De Oliveira Cortes mucked his cards.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,040,000
130,000
|
130,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
265,000
-75,000
|
-75,000 |
Level 20
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Fewer than 70 players remain with most tables situated in the main tournament area. The latest two players to depart were Nicolas Merceron and Alexandre Molina Galan with the latter bowing out in a battle of the blinds.
Molina Galan pushed from the small blind for what appeared to be around 75,000 and was called by Dennis Berglin in the big blind.
Alexandre Molina Galan: 
Dennis Berglin:
The 
flop kept Molina Galan with some outs but the turn all but sealed his fate as the case jack would have brought a miracle split. That wasn't the case as the 
river ended his run in the last level of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
675,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
|
Busted |
Level 20
: 3,000/6,000, 6,000 ante
Pierre Calamusa added even more chips as he pulled ahead of the pack in the final level of the night.
The very same table then featured the battle between Pedro Suarez Brea and Tomas De Oliveira Cortes with the former leading the 
river for 35,000. De Oliveira Cortes went into the tank, shrugged and sent his cards into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
910,000
215,000
|
215,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
340,000
340,000
|
340,000 |
|
|
175,000
110,000
|
110,000 |