EPT Paris: Lulei Hu crushes Day 1C PokerStars Open

At the Palais des Congrès, the first major event of this EPT Paris 2026 gets underway: the PokerStars Open. Yesterday, Day 1C and Day 1D took place, with Italians finally taking center stage, especially thanks to Lulei Hu, chipleader of Day 1C and overall tournament leader.

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Here is our daily report dedicated to all fans of live tournaments and online poker.

EPT Paris 2026: PokerStars Open reaches 1.732 entries, Italy flies with Hu

The PokerStars Open is the first major draw of the EPT Paris 2026 festival, so the 1.209 players who flocked to the tables yesterday alone for this 1.650€ buy-in tournament come as no surprise.

Day 1C

The biggest contribution to the field’s growth came from Day 1C, which started at noon yesterday with 40-minute levels. As per the format of this PS Open, play continues until 15% of the field is reached, essentially until the bubble bursts. Therefore, the 861 entries eventually became 128, all qualified for Day 2 and all virtually in the money.

Among these are seven Italians, two of whom are in the top 10, and one of them is not only the chipleader for this flight but the overall tournament leader so far!

We are talking about Lulei Hu, a Chinese player living in Italy for years who is now a well-known regular on almost all circuits, with excellent results. Hu impressed everyone yesterday, currently being the only player able to bring a 7-figure stack into Day 2. Here is the top 10, which also includes the excellent Alessio Peciarolo:

The other Italians

Joining Hu and Peciarolo were five more of our players, two of whom are well above average. Here are the details:

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Day 1d

In the evening, Day 1D was played in turbo mode, with 30-minute levels instead of 40. Attendance was 358 units, producing a chip count of 54 qualifiers, also equivalent to about 15% of the field.

Here too, we have a top 10 with Italian poker represented, albeit only by Eros Zappacosta:

The other Italians

The list of other qualified Italians is also smaller compared to Day 1C, with these three of our players making it through:

EPT Paris; Angelov wins the Bulgarian derby in the 10k Mystery Bounty

Yesterday, the 10k Mystery Bounty concluded, a tournament that traditionally enlivens the very first days of all EPT schedules. The final count was 75, as registrations were open until the start of yesterday’s Day 2, which was also the final day. Consequently, the resulting 345.000 prize pool (for the standard prizes part only) produced a payout for 11 ITM positions. And, at the end of the day, the trophy became an exclusively Bulgarian affair.

In fact, the victory was contested in heads-up by Boris Angelov and Dimitar Danchev, both high-level regulars. The former won, taking home a total prize (including bounties) of 217.100€. Danchev, however, doesn’t come out too badly either…

Cover image: Lulei Hu (Jules Pochy & RHL)

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