100 players begin but only eight will remain when the lights go out; 40 will get paid. They are fighting for the following prizes:


1 - €480.000 (plus €10,000 buy-in into EPT Grand final in Monte Carlo)
2 - €259.000

3 - €155.300
4 - €118.500

5 - €97.700
6 - €76.800

7 - €60.800
8 - €43.500

9-10 - €26.400
11-12 - €20.800

13-14 - €16.100
15-16 - €11.300

17-24 - €8.800
25-32 - €6.400

33-40 - €4.800


Sitting atop the overnight leaderboard is Jerome Douieb, a PokerStars qualifier from France. He was leading his table a merry dance late last night, showing down some fearless bluffs that were even eliciting applause from those donating the chips. I remember one in particular, when, looking at a flop of five-five-nine, Kristian Ulriksen bet, the player to his left raised and Jerome reached for a stack of yellow 1,000 chips and tossed them into the pot.


Both players agonised before both folded and Jerome turned over pocket sevens to anguished cries from both his adversaries. We'll catch up with him later for more details - as well as all the action from this crucial second day.


Jerome has 143,000 chips, some 100,000 more than the median stack of 43,400.


reported by Howard Swains at Pokerstars