The story that when the going gets tough, the tough get going, fits Claudio Di Giacomo perfectly. The player from Monza has almost multiplied his stack by 15 from the start of Day 2 of the IPS 1.5 Million in Rozvadov and enters Day 3 as the second chip leader, with 98 players remaining out of 5,258 participants. With him is also a player not accustomed to these buy-ins, Martin Kabrhel, as well as the usual invasion of Italians.
IPS 1.5 Million: 5,258 participants, 98 remaining and a super Di Giacomo
As expected, the 4,299 mentioned yesterday were a very partial total. In fact, between the turbo Day 1I in the morning and the Flip&Go satellite, another 959 participants joined the race for the guaranteed 1.5 million in this latest successful edition of the IPS, Italian Poker Sport, hosted at the King’s Resort in Rozvadov. The total number of paying players is therefore 5,258.
The Top 10
Curiously, among the last-minute qualifiers were also Daniele Sacchi and Niccolò Pastorelli, who finally managed to finish Day 2 in the top 10.
Only Claudio Di Giacomo did better. The player from Monza started Day 2 with 749,000 chips and, during the day, managed to multiply them 15 times, bagging a total of 10,800,000 chips in his bag, which will be opened today for Day 3.
Here is the detail of the top 10, led by the German “Jackson 5“:
| POSITION | PLAYER | NATION | STACK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Jackson 5” | Germany | 11,425,000 |
| 2 | Claudio Di Giacomo | Italy | 10,800,000 |
| 3 | Petru Tarlev | Moldova | 9,790,000 |
| 4 | Daniele Sacchi | Italy | 6,920,000 |
| 5 | Sergii Baranov | Ukraine | 5,300,000 |
| 6 | Niccolò Pastorelli | Italy | 5,300,000 |
| 7 | Michal Schuh | Czech Republic | 5,125,000 |
| 8 | Cengiz Michael Schwalgun | Germany | 5,125,000 |
| 9 | Dalibor Dula | Czech Republic | 5,015,000 |
| 10 | Vojtech Budil | Czech Republic | 4,935,000 |
Outside the top 10, it’s surprising to see a player who usually doesn’t frequent €380 buy-ins: Martin Kabrhel. The top Czech player had even finished his flight, Day 1H, as chip leader, and yesterday he defended himself admirably, more than doubling the million chips he started the day with. Kabrhel will restart from twenty-sixth position with 2,875,000.
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The other Italians
However, the fun is not over, because there are other Italian candidates for the title in this beautiful tournament. In total, there are 17 others, out of the 98 total qualifiers, who will ideally represent the Italian flag in the chip count. Here is the detail:
| POSITION | PLAYER | STACK |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Nicodemo Piccolo | 3,425,000 |
| 24 | Riccardo Rosella | 3,240,000 |
| 32 | Michele Capasso | 2,710,000 |
| 36 | Massimiliano Vinattieri | 2,625,000 |
| 42 | Davide Nutarelli | 2,565,000 |
| 45 | Davide Abbate | 2,440,000 |
| 48 | Davide Cojaniz | 2,380,000 |
| 55 | Mauro Pugliesi | 2,125,000 |
| 61 | Stefano Illiano | 1,849,000 |
| 62 | Vincenzo Capocelli | 1,845,000 |
| 67 | Pietro Lettieri | 1,690,000 |
| 73 | Andrea Marchi | 1,390,000 |
| 83 | Michele Tocci | 1,035,000 |
| 89 | Mario Scalia | 875,000 |
| 93 | Davide Slanzi | 770,000 |
| 96 | Antonio De Lucia | 505,000 |
| 97 | Mauro Ortu | 336,000 |
IPS High Roller: Giamberardini seeks the title
Yesterday, the €1,100 IPS High Roller also began. 244 players took part, with 40 qualifiers for a Day 2 that will start practically at the bubble: 37 ITM places are expected, with the minimum cash set at €2,250 and a first prize of €51,900. Here is the top 10:
| POSITION | PLAYER | NATION | STACK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Jones” | Germany | 2,445,000 |
| 2 | Eusebiu Nicolae Jalba | Romania | 1,630,000 |
| 3 | Franz Holzner | Germany | 1,525,000 |
| 4 | Fabio Giamberardini | Italy | 1,070,000 |
| 5 | Simon Scheiflinger | Austria | 1,030,000 |
| 6 | Leon Veehof | Netherlands | 1,005,000 |
| 7 | Stepan Budac | Moldova | 1,000,000 |
| 8 | Alexandru Popa | Romania | 985,000 |
| 9 | Michael Shimanovich | Israel | 950,000 |
| 10 | Ran Shahar | Israel | 870,000 |
Also in the running are Davide Filieri (345k), Luca Beretta (300k), Stefano Bertoldi (220k), and Michele D’Angelo (140k).
Read also: IPS 1.5 Million Rozvadov: Ouertani in the lead on Day 2 with 85 other Italians
Cover image: Claudio Di Giacomo (archive Manuel Kovsca & RHL)
