WORLD SERIES OF POKER EUROPE MAIN EVENT NUMBERS WAY UP

Monday, October 17, 2011 : 71 percent increase in entries y-o-y.
 
Moving the World Series of Poker Europe to larger premises in Cannes, France has clearly paid off for the organisers, who reported over the weekend that total entries to the main event had reached an unaudited 593 – 71 percent higher than the registration list for the same event last year in London, and up almost 64 percent on the previous record of 362 set in 2007.
 
This year's prize pool should be around Euro 6 million on those numbers, which could yield a first placing reward of well over a million Euros.
 
Day 1a – the first heat of the two-day starting lineup, saw a slew of big names on the 310-name registration list, including Phil Hellmuth and Tom Dwan (neither of whom survived), Johnny Chan, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Moorman, Hoyt Corkins, Sean Getzwiller, Jon Turner, Ryan D’Angelo and Arnaud Mattern.
 
Among other top players who joined Hellmuth's retreat to the exit were Justin Bonomo, Jason Mercier, Tom Dwan, and November Niner Anton Makievskyi.
 
173 players managed to make it through the first day.
 
Day 1b starters included Viktor “Isildur1” Blom, 2011 WSOPE bracelet winners Steve Billirakis and Michael Mizrachi, November Niner Matt Giannetti, reigning WSOP champion Jon Duhamel and Marvin Rettenmaier….none of them were among the 334 survivors still in contention at the end of the day.
 
A Finnish player, Lari Silvio headed the Day 1b final chip counts. Going into Day 2 the fields will now combine, led by Jamie Rosen from Day 1a.
 
It's likely to be a lively day with the likes of Tommy Vedes, Alex Kostritsyn, Robert Mizrachi, Antony Lellouche, McLean Karr, Victor Ramdin, Tony G, Dermot Blain, Chris Moorman and Erik Friberg all holding nice stacks and competing with other aces among the 173 survivors of Day 1a..