🇮🇹 IPO - Italian Poker Open - Sanremo 2025 ✍️ LIVE BLOG

Stefano Atzei
May 8
27 min read

Updated: May 13

We’re back in Sanremo, the so called "Città dei Fiori", a beautiful seaside town on the Ligurian coast, once again hosting the Italian Poker Open. The event takes place in the heart of spring, drawing players and fans from all over Italy—and beyond. Just a few kilometers away, the EPT Monte Carlo is underway, but all eyes are on Sanremo, where excitement is building for the most important Italian poker tournament of the year.

We’re ready to bring you full coverage of everything that’s about to unfold this weekend, with the first three Day 1s already in the books. Stay tuned to our pages to catch all the action from the IPO – Italian Poker Open.

🎥 LIVE STREAMING HERE 👇

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Report Day1 G - CLICK HERE

Report Day2 - CLICK HERE

Report Day3 - CLICK HERE

Payout

Tue 13 May - 14:30 - The IPO Main Event Final Table is set!

Here we areHere we are — the most anticipated moment has just begun here at the Casino di Sanremo, as the eight finalists of the European Poker Open Main Event have taken their seats in the theatre section of the venue.

All the details from today will be available in the final report, but for now, enjoy the action live by clicking play on the frame above.

Tue 13 May - 14:00 - EPO Mystery Bounty - Final Day begins with 10 players left!

The Final Day of the EPO – European Poker Open Mystery Bounty, a €1,600 buy-in event, has just begun here at the Casino di Sanremo. Ten players remain, all battling for a spot at the official Final Table, which will consist of nine players. That means just one elimination stands between them and the final showdown.

At the top of the chip count to start the day is Michele Manucci with 4,594,000, followed by Franco Polidori with 3,190,000, and Luigi Andreas Shehadeh with 1,825,000.

Below is the full list of the 10 players now taking their seats at the table here at the Casino di Sanremo:

Tue 13 May - 01:00 - Andrea De Vincenzo leads the 8 finalists!

After the action went on stall for a while, with Andrea De Vincenzo and Guido Secchieri raising up to the top positions, the action involved the short stacks until Popov and Peralta clashed on a blind war.

Preflop, Eugenio Peralta raises from the small blind and Zlaven Popov defends the big blind. The flop comes 10♠ 7♠ 5♦. Peralta leads out, Popov raises, and Peralta calls. The turn is the 9♣. Peralta leads again, Popov calls. The river is the 8♦. Peralta fires once more, and Popov calls. Peralta shows J♣ 8♥, and Popov mucks.

Popov is left with just over 2 million. A few hands later, he moves all-in from the small blind against Davide Suriano in the big blind. Suriano calls with Q♦ J♥, while Popov holds K♣ 6♠. The board runs out K♦ 4♠ 2♣ 5♥ 7♣. Popov doubles up, while Davide Suriano is left with a very short stack of around five big blinds.

Shortly after, Suriano moves all-in from the button with 7♣ 7♦ for roughly 2.5 million. Andrea De Vincenzo, in the big blind and chip leader at the time, makes the call. The board comes 2♠ 4♠ 6♠ 10♠, giving De Vincenzo a flush. Davide Suriano is eliminated on the final table bubble, and the day ends with the official final table set.

Mon 12 May - 23:00 - Unofficial final table!

After an hour of break, all 14 survivors came back to their seats and in a matter or one and a half hour we reached the unofficial final table. After the first eliminations, which involved Marko Bajic, Karim Mzoughi and Astrit Zylali, the action continued until another bust came.

The eleventh elimination of the tournament, in fact, was Dario Quattrucci, who lost a coinflip against Guido Secchieri. Quattrucci moved all-in with 7-7, only to find A-K in Secchieri’s hand. The board brought an overcard, ending Dario’s run in 11th place.

Shortly after, Antonio Capoluongo was involved in a big hand against Andrea Benelli. Benelli open-shoved from UTG with A-4 suited, and Capoluongo called from the small blind with A-K. The flop gave Benelli a gutshot, and the 6 on the river completed his straight, turning the hand in his favor.

Capoluongo was left very short after that hand and was eliminated a few hands later in a preflop all-in with K-7 against Eugenio Peralta’s 8-8, finishing in 10th place.

As play resumed after the dinner break, the field was down to 14 and eliminations came quickly at the final table. The bustouts of Dario Quattrucci and Antonio Capoluongo marked the latest chapter in the race to the trophy, reducing the field to 9 players and forming the unofficial final table here at the Casino di Sanremo.

Blinds are currently at 200,000/400,000 with a 400,000 ante, and the average stack is 15 million, equal to 38 big blinds. Play will continue tonight until one more player is eliminated. The final 8 will then return tomorrow for the official final table, still here at the Casino di Sanremo.

Unofficial Final Table – Chip Count

Guido Secchieri – 31,000,000
Andrea De Vincenzo – 21,075,000
Eugenio Peralta – 20,175,000
Mikel Calò – 17,675,000
Dimitar Toshev – 11,400,000
Slaven Popov – 10,975,000
Gaspare Giglio – 9,475,000
Andrea Benelli – 7,850,000
Davide Suriano – 7,725,000

Mon 12 May - 20:00 - Dinner break, Secchieri in the lead!

Dinner break for one hour for the 14 players still in contention on Day 3 of the IPO Italy in Poker Europe Main Event, which has now reached level 32. Play will resume with blinds at 150,000/300,000 and a 300,000 ante. The average stack is currently 9.8 million chips, equivalent to 39 big blinds. The top prize remains €210,000.

Not much has changed at the top since the last update, although stacks have shifted slightly. As you can see, Guido Secchieri still leads the field with approximately 21 million chips. Please note that the counts are not precise to the chip, but they are fairly accurate estimates.

Following him is Michele Calò, currently sitting on around 20 million. Then we have Davide Suriano, Antonio Capoluongo, and Dimitar Toshev, each hovering around 14 million chips. These five round out the current top of the leaderboard.

Switching over to the EPO Mystery Bounty Day 2, the tournament has reached level 16, with blinds at 4,000/8,000. There are 57 players left battling for a first-place prize of €30,000 and a top bounty worth €25,000.

Among the leaders is Andrea Sheahdeh, who is holding strong with a stack worth about two and a half times the tournament average. The event drew a total of 268 entries, creating a prize pool of €251,920.

Chip count Ipo Main Event (stacks aren't accurate, but close to the real ones in play)

1. Guido Secchieri – 21,000,000

2. Michele Calò – 20,000,000

3. Davide Suriano – 14,000,000+

4. Antonio Capoluongo – 14,000,000

5. Dimitar Toshev – 14,000,000

6. Luigi Soldati – 7,000,000+

7. Gaspare Giglio – 7,000,000

8. Eugenio Peralta – 7,000,000

9. Slaven Popov – 7,000,000+

10. Andrea De Vincenzo – 6,500,000

11. Andrea Benelli – 6,000,000

12. Dario Quattrucci – 6,000,000

13. Arti Zylali – 6,000,000-

14. Marko Bajic – 3,500,000

Mon 12 May - 17:30 - Second break at the Main Event!

Day 3 of the IPO Main Event at the Casino di Sanremo is heating up. After the latest break, only 23 players remain. The tournament is resuming at level 31, with blinds at 100,000/200,000 and a 200,000 ante. The average stack is 5.9 million chips, equal to 37 big blinds. Two more 60-minute levels are scheduled before the end of the day, with everyone chasing a top prize of €210,000.

One of the key hands from the last level saw Michael Calò score a massive double-up against Mirko Bracciante. Calò held A-K against pocket queens in a pot worth over 8 million. A king on the flop sealed it, sending Bracciante to the rail and Calò into the top three of the chip count.

Shortly after, Gaspare Giglio won a massive hand that shot him into second place overall. On a 7♦ 4♦ K♠ 10♠ board, he moved all-in with A♦10♦ after a shove and a call. The small blind had 7♠4♠ for bottom two pair, and the other player showed J♣10♣. The river brought the A♠, giving Giglio top two pair and a pot worth over 13 million. Both opponents were covered and eliminated, and Giglio secured a crucial stack boost heading into the late stages of the day.

Davide Suriano is still in the mix with 8.5 million chips. He had a chance to climb to 12 million but lost a big pot with A-K against A-9 when a nine hit the flop. Dario Quattrucci is also having a strong showing today and currently sits at 8.2 million. Among the other names still in contention are Mzoughi with about 7 million, Manuel Licata with 6.5 million, and both Eugenio Peralta and Luigi Soldati with stacks around the average at 6 million.

Further down the count are Marko Bajic and Arnaud Helbert with 3.5 million each, Andrea De Vincenzo with 3 million, Filippo Novara with 2.5 million, and Dimitar Toshev with 2.2 million. At the bottom, Marco Venturi is clinging on with 1.2 million.

Just before the break, Antonio Capoluongo won a huge pot that allowed him to eliminate two players and climb to 13.5 million chips. The two players he busted were both shorter stacks, but the hand was still worth millions and kept Capoluongo right at the top of the count.

Guido Secchieri – 15,500,000
Gaspare Giglio – 15,000,000 (head pic)
Antonio Capoluongo – 13,500,000
Michael Calò – 13,200,000
Davide Suriano – 8,500,000
Dario Quattrucci – 8,200,000
Karim Mzougi – 7,000,000
Manuel Licata – 6,500,000
Eugenio Peralta – 6,000,000
Luigi Soldati – 6,000,000
Marco Bajic – 3,500,000
Arnaud Helbert – 3,500,000
Andrea De Vincenzo – 3,000,000
Andrea Benelli 2,600,000
Filippo Novara – 2,500,000
Dimitar Toshev – 2,200,000
Marco Venturi – 1,200,000

Mon 12 May - 16:00 - 29 left on Day3 with Capoluongo in the lead!

We’re down to 29 players out of the 49 who started the day, and blinds are now at 260,000/120,000.

What has happened during these first hours of play? Well, to start with, we have Antonio Capoluongo as the chip leader — the only player to have crossed the 10 million chip mark so far. In second place is Guido Secchieri with 9.2 million.

We were at Michael Calò’s table when he doubled up right as we approached: K-K versus queen-nine against a short stack, bringing him up to 6.5 million. Meanwhile, Davide Suriano is sitting on 8.2 million at the same table after losing a pot that would have launched him to 12 million chips — A-K versus A-9, but a nine on the flop did him in. Still, he remains among the top stacks.

Dario Quattrucci is surprisingly climbing. He was very short near the end of Day 2, but today he’s in great form — we just saw him win a very important pot a few minutes ago, and right now the great Roman is enjoying a 7 million chip stack, which is about 1.5 times the tournament average.

Still in the mix are Marco Bajic, the Italo-Bosnian regular on the Euro Rounders circuit, and Andrea Benelli — the former sitting on 3.5 million, the latter on 2.8 million.

Among the top stacks we also find Ridvan Killingkaslan with 7.5 million and Karim Nzougi at 6.3 million.

Slightly above average is Marco Venturi with 5.4 million, while Piero Averici and Mirko Bracciante are at 4.5 million. Play will continue through the current level and the next one before a 15-minute break.

We posted the payout just above — the first prize is €210,000.

Antonio Capoluongo – 10,000,000
Guido Secchieri – 9,200,000
Davide Suriano – 8,200,000
Ridvan Killingkaslan – 7,500,000
Dario Quattrucci – 7,000,000
Michael Calò – 6,500,000
Karim Nzougi – 6,300,000
Marco Venturi – 5,400,000
Piero Averici – 4,500,000
Mirko Bracciante – 4,500,000
Marco Bajic – 3,500,000
Andrea Benelli – 2,800,000

Quick update also from the EPO Mystery Bounty Day 2, which has reached level 11 and is currently on break.

There are 151 players left battling for a seat on the final day, out of a total of 252 entries.

Late registration is still open for a few minutes, but the numbers are now nearly official — the prize pool currently stands at €236,000, with only slight changes expected.

They’re now playing at level 1,000/2,500/2,500 with an average stack of 100,000 chips. Also running is the €660 6-Max event, which has already drawn over 50 entries.

Mon 12 May - 02:30 - Ivailo Eftimov leads IPO Day2!

Ivailo Eftimos closed ahead of the count on IPO Day2 and bagged a 7.00.070M stack. All details will be available on our daily report at THIS LINK.

Mon 13 May - 01:30 - Fabio Cicchetti Surges to the Top with 6.5 Million – Last level of play

The young Fabio Cicchetti is living a dream run at the IPO Main Event. The 20-year-old has taken over the chip lead with a massive 6.5 million, while the average sits at 2.2 million. His latest boost came from a huge 3-bet pot: after opening from the button, Cicchetti 3-bet to 400,000 at blinds 30,000/60,000. The big blind folded, and the original raiser flatted.

The flop came J♦9x♦, giving Cicchetti top pair with J♠10♠ and his opponent a flush draw. After the action, the opponent shoved for around 12 big blinds and Cicchetti called. The runout went in Cicchetti’s favor, allowing him to scoop the pot and soar to the top of the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, Marco Baic holds steady at 3 million, while Guido Secchieri makes his way into the top ranks with just under 5 million. Mzoughi Karim and Astrit Zylali are both sitting on 4.5 million, with Ivylo Eftimov climbing to 5.5 million and Marco Venturi holding 3.8 million.

Manuel Licata, who had been among the leaders earlier, slips down to 2 million after losing a significant pot. Alessio Albore also drops some chips but stays above average despite losing a hand to Zylali, who moves up to 4.5 million.

Dario Quattrucci finds himself short with just 12 big blinds, but passing by with a smile, he told us the comeback is going to be “much sweeter from here”—a sign of strong confidence despite the dip.

Fabio Cicchetti – 6,500,000

Ivylo Eftimov – 5,500,000

Guido Secchieri – 4,900,000

Mzoughi Karim – 4,500,000

Astrit Zylali – 4,500,000

Marco Venturi – 3,800,000

Marco Baic – 3,000,000

Manuel Licata – 2,000,000

Alessio Albore – slightly above average (~2,200,000)

Dario Quattrucci – ~720,000 (12BB at 30k/60k)

Sun 11 May - 00:45 - EPO Mystery Bounty Hits 187 Entries – Action Continues at IPO and IPO

As the EPO Main Event Mystery Bounty heads into its break, it’s a good time to take a closer look at this €1,000 buy-in event. Day 1 has already reached 187 entries, with 149 players still seated. The format is “Buy-in 500 + 1,000 Ante 1,000”, and the prize pool has already soared past €175,000. Late registration remains open through tomorrow, and the field continues to grow with plenty of notable names joining the action in the room adjacent to the IPO Main Event area.

Among the familiar faces spotted: Mario Perati, recent WSOP Circuit Main Event champion; Danilo Colomba, known for his deep run at the Skill Poker Master; Eugenio Sanchioni, who couldn’t close out a strong run today; and Fabio Peluso, recently eliminated despite a solid showing at the IPO just hours earlier. Also in the field: Giorgio Soceanu, runner-up at the PokerStars Open Main Event in Campione.

Switching over to the IPS (Italian Poker Sport), Day 1A is now at Level 14 with blinds at 4,000/8,000. Just 15 players remain, and play will continue until 15% of the field is left—equivalent to 9 players. Davide Nutarelli, recently eliminated from the IPO Main Event, is now among the players grinding the Mystery Bounty.

Now back to the IPO Main Event—despite being the headline tournament, we’ve saved it for last. Strong performance from 20-year-old grinder Fabio Cicchetti, who finds himself in the upper part of the counts with a solid stack. We caught up with him during the break: this is his first major live tournament experience, and he’s understandably excited about making it this far, with 73 players remaining from an original field of 3,432 entries.

Another standout is Marko Bajic, currently sitting on 3.5 million chips. The Italian-Bosnian player is once again proving his consistency in massive-field events. Just ahead of him is Safwen Haddad, who holds 3.6 million.

At one table, we find a trio of solid performers: Davide Suriano, Mikel Calò, and Angelo Marrone, all seated together since the start of the day, each holding between 2 and 2.5 million chips.

Andrea Benelli is also back in form, having climbed back up to around 2 million. On the other hand, Marco Cipriani is plummeting down the counts. As we write this, he’s all-in with his last 100,000 chips. The hand: Cipriani opened UTG, and the small blind flatted with 7♣️5♣️. The flop came 8♣️6♦4♥️, giving the small blind a flopped straight. The turn brought the 9♣️ He shoved, putting his opponent to the test—but the young grinder found the call and showed the made straight. Cipriani was drawing dead.

Sun 11 May - 23:20 - Break with 88 Players Still in action!

We’re currently on a break at the end of Level 23 at the IPO Main Event in Sanremo. There are 88 players still in the tournament, with action set to resume in about ten minutes at blinds 25,000/50,000 with a 50,000 big blind ante. The average stack is now 1,500,000, which equals 30 big blinds.

Manuel Licata remains in the lead with 4.5 million, followed by a new face in the top tier: Ivylo Eftimov, who has climbed to second place with 4.3 million. Ridvan Kilinkaslan sits in third with 3.5 million.

Among the notable stacks, Marco Baic has mounted a comeback to 2.2 million after having dropped to just 700,000. On the other hand, Mikel Calò slips to 2.3 million after losing around 700,000, and Marco Cipriani has dropped to 1.6 million.

Just before the break, Andrea Benelli played a key hand: down to 900,000, he moved all-in over Antonio Scalzi’s open-flat. After tanking for four minutes, Scalzi folded and showed pocket Jacks. Benelli revealed Ace-King and scooped the pot, climbing back to 1 million—just shy of the tournament average.

Play will resume in about fifteen minutes in the IPO Main Event. Meanwhile, Day 1 of the IPS (Italian Poker Sport) and the €1,000 EPO Mystery Bounty are also underway. The latter has surpassed 150 registrations, with 158 players currently seated out of 175 total entries. Late registration remains open through tomorrow. The EPS has closed its entries at 60, with 20 players still in action.

Sun 11 May - 22:00 - Back in action!

A quick recap here from the Casino di Sanremo, where three events are currently underway: Day 1A of the IPS Italian Poker Sport, Day 2 of the IPO Italian Poker Open Main Event, and Day 1 of the €1,000 buy-in EPO European Poker Open in Mystery Bounty format, which kicked off at 8 PM.

Let’s go in order, starting with Day 2 of the IPO, which currently sees 103 players still in the field out of 3,432 total entries. The levels have reached — sorry, not the levels — the blinds have reached 20,000/40,000 with a 40,000 big blind ante. The average stack is around 1.3 million chips, which equals 34 big blinds. Play will continue for the rest of the current level, about 48 minutes, before another 15-minute break.

As for the top stacks in play, leading the count at the moment is Manuel Licata with 4.8 million, followed by Alessio Albore — as mentioned earlier, winner of the 2024 edition of the IPO — with 4.2 million chips. He’s followed by Mikel Calò with 2.9 million, Eugenio Peralta with 2.8 million, and Marco Cipriani also with 2.8 million, who actually had a chance to take the lead before the break, if not for a flip that went the other way.

IPO Main Event – Top 10 Chip Counts:

Manuel Licata – 4.8M
Alessio Albore – 4.2M
Mikel Calò – 2.9M
Marco Cipriani – 2.8M
Eugenio Peralta – 2.8M
Rick Van Der Water – 2.6M
Fabio Cicchetti – 2.6M
Ivylo Eftimov – 2.5M
Mirko Abracciante – 2.5M
Enrique Masini – 2.3M
Andrea Deiana – 2.3M
Davide Suriano – 2.2M (head pic)

As for the EPO Mystery Bounty, the board currently shows 138 entries, with 121 players still active. Blinds are at 200/500 with a 500 big blind ante, and we’re in Level 4. Late registration will remain open through tomorrow.

And lastly, a quick update from the IPS Italian Poker Sport Main Event Day 1A – Special Price. The field has reached 56 entries. We’re in Level 11, and players can still register or re-enter until the end of this level — about 30 minutes left. 20 players remain in the field, with blinds at 1,500/3,000 and a 3,000 big blind ante. The average stack is 140,000 chips, which equals about 50 big blinds. A reminder: the IPS runs from May 28 to June 3, right here at the Casino di Sanremo.

Sat 10 May - 20:10 - Dinner break!

A quick update from Sanremo, where Level 21 has just ended — the final one before the 1-hour and 10-minute dinner break. Out of 3,432 total entries, 131 players remain in the hunt for a Day 3 seat. The winner will take home €210,000.

Play will resume at Level 22, with blinds at 15,000/30,000 and a 30,000 big blind ante.

Leading the field is Mirko Abracciante with 3.9 million chips — roughly four times the average stack, which is now around one million. Also climbing into the top spots is Michael Calò, who just won a massive pot that knocked out a foreign player from the tournament.

Here’s how the hand went, as told by Calò himself:

“She (pic above) opened with around 50 big blinds, and I covered her. I flatted from the button with 6-9 suited — a bit wide, but playable in position. The flop came 10-7-8. She bet big, and on this kind of board I assume she’s mostly betting for value. I also got word that she was a bit agitated, so I decided to shove. She snap-called. I had a straight, and it held. The pot was about 3 million.”

Other notable stacks include Rick Vanderwater with 2.2 million and Davide Suriano with 2 million. Both are navigating the field comfortably. Carlo Savinelli is also still in the mix with approximately one million chips, following the big pot he scooped earlier in a blind-vs-blind battle.

Plenty of action still to come here at the Casino di Sanremo as we edge closer to Day 3.

Sat 10 May - 19:00 - Alessio Albore jumps ahead!

A quick recap from the Casino di Sanremo, where the IPO Main Event has now reached Level 20, with blinds at 10,000/20,000 and a big blind ante of 20,000. There’s still more than a full level to play before the 1-hour and 10-minute dinner break.

There are currently 171 players left out of a total of 3,432 entries, all chasing the €210,000 first prize.

During our latest walk through the tournament floor, we spotted Fabio Peluso sitting on more than 4.5 million chips. Also making a big move is Alessio Albore — winner of the 2024 edition of the IPO — who has climbed to 2,200,000, which is about 3.5 times the current tournament average.

Davide Nutarelli, who had dropped as low as 180,000, has managed to recover and is now back up to around 600,000. Still in the mix is Michele Guerrini, now seated at the same table as Dario Quattrucci, while Angelo Marrone and Davide Suriano continue to cruise steadily — also sharing a table at the moment.

We’ll be back with one last update during the dinner break, including a mini recap of the current chip counts in play.

Sat 10 May - 17:00 - First update from Day2!

Here we are with the first live update from the Casino di Sanremo, where two tournaments are currently running. Alongside Day 2 of the IPO Main Event — now in Level 16 with blinds at 8,000/16,000 and a big blind ante of 16,000 — 258 players remain out of a massive 3,432 total entries. Play will continue for one more level before the standard 15-minute break. The full payout is available below and features a truly impressive top prize.

Meanwhile, the IPS (Italian Poker Sport) Day 1A Special Price flight is also underway. It’s currently in Level 2 and has already drawn 40 entries.

Among the chip leaders, Francesco Padovani stands out with 1.9 million chips — nearly four times the average — after a series of well-timed hero calls, including a key hand against Marco Baic, a recent Pirates Mystery Bounty finalist.

Carlo Savinelli also climbed to 1 million after doubling up in a blind war where his pocket Aces held against Ace-Ten of diamonds on a 2-8-8 board.

Plenty of notable names are still in action: Angelo Marrone, who ended yesterday’s flight in the Top 5, is seated at the same table as Davide Soriano, currently holding 1.3 million chips. Marrone started Day 2 with 745,000.

Klevis Pali and Mikel Caló are sitting around the tournament average, while Dario Quattrucci is off to a strong start with over 800,000 chips.

Meanwhile, several grinders have already hit the rail early, including Marco Perra, Black Domo, Alessandro Orsi, and Giuseppe Ruocco. Alessandro Giordano dropped to 250,000 after starting with half a million, while Marco Cipriani is in good shape with around 800,000 chips.

Sat 10 May - 04:30 - Xia Lin is Day1 G chip leader!

Italian-Chinese player Xia Lin takes the lead in the overall chip count, becoming the only player so far to surpass the one million chip mark. All the details are available in our Daily Report at THIS LINK.

Sat 10 May - 03:30 - Day1 F towards the end, Day1G closes with 615 entries!

Last update from the Casino di Sanremo, where Level 16 of Day 1G of the IPO Main Event is underway with blinds at 4,000/8,000 and a big blind ante of 8,000. There are still 109 players remaining at the tables.

The field will play down to 15% of total entries — just over 90 players — as registration closed with 615 total entries. With only five minutes left in the current level, play will continue into Level 17 (5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante), and within the next 30 to 40 minutes we’ll be able to share the names of the last qualifiers of this massive kermesse. Stay tuned to find out who will advance to Day 2 of the IPO.

Sat 10 May - 02:30 - Salvatore Ricciardi is Day1 F chip leader!

With a stack of 885,000 chips, Salvatore Ricciardi finishes Day 1F of the Hipomen Event as the chip leader — and takes the overall lead in the tournament. All detailes on our daily report at THIS LINK!

Sat 10 May - 01:30 - Day1 F towards the end, Day1G closes with 615 entries!

A quick update from the Casino di Sanremo, where Day 1F is now in its final stretch. There are still 158 players left, with only 151 set to qualify — exactly 15% of the field. The tournament is currently in Level 16, with blinds at 4,000/8,000 and a big blind ante of 8,000. The average stack stands at 263,000 chips, equivalent to 33 big blinds.

Over in the Accente room, Day 1G is also in progress. Registration has just closed, with a total of 615 entries and 215 players still in the field. Blinds are now at 1,500/3,000 with a big blind ante of 3,000.

We can now officially announce the final numbers for this edition of the Germes: 3,432 total entries and a prize pool of €1,580,779 — far exceeding the €1,000,000 guaranteed, as often happens here in Sanremo.

Sat 10 May - 22:45 - Did you forget about IPS Day1 A? 😜

A quick reminder of what’s happening tomorrow at the Casino di Sanremo: alongside Day 2 of the Italian Poker Open (IPO) Main Event, Day 1A of the Italian Poker Sport (IPS) will also kick off. The IPS runs from May 28 to June 3.

As explained in a dedicated article earlier this week, players will have the unique opportunity to enter the IPS Day 1 during the IPO Festival itself — a rare chance to compete in three major tournaments during a single trip. In addition to IPO and IPS, the schedule also features the European Poker Open (EPO) Main Event and a €500,000 GTD Mystery Bounty.

Please note: the tickets awarded to the top 25 finishers of Day 1A, B, C, and D of the IPO Main Event cannot be used tomorrow. They will instead be valid throughout the upcoming IPS weekend. This is due to tomorrow’s special price — a reduced buy-in of €390 — whereas the tickets cover the full standard buy-in.

Meanwhile, regarding the two flights currently in progress here at the Casino di Sanremo — Day 1F and Day 1G — the turbo flight (Day 1G), which started at 7 PM, has reached 494 entries, with 316 players still in action. The blinds are currently 600/1,200 with a big blind ante of 1,200.

On the other side of the room, Day 1F has officially recorded 1,039 entries — registration is now closed, as the tournament has reached Level 13. This makes it the most crowded flight of the entire Akermess so far.

There are still 274 players remaining, with blinds at 2,000/4,000 and a big blind ante of 4,000. There’s still a way to go before reaching the bags. The average stack is now 150,000 chips, equal to around 38 big blinds, and in roughly 90 minutes to two hours, we’ll know the names of those who made it through this first flight to Day 2.

Sat 10 May - 21:45 - Last level of late reg open on Day1 F!

Two flights are currently underway at the Casino di Sanremo: Day1F and Day1G. The latter, a turbo flight with 30-minute levels, has just reached Level 5 — more precisely, five minutes remain in the current level, with blinds at 300/600 and a big blind ante of 600. The next level will be 400/800.

The average stack is still close to the starting one — 45,000 chips compared to the 40,000 starting stack — with 297 players remaining out of the 338 entries recorded so far.

As for Day1F, which started this morning, the tournament has reached Level 11. There are 340 players still in the field, with blinds at 1,000/2,500 and a big blind ante of 2,500. The average stack is now 121,000 chips, and play is expected to continue for about three more hours, or until 15% of the field remains, at which point the day will officially end.

Regarding breaks: Day1F will pause in about 50 minutes, while Day1G will follow at the next level, approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes from now.

Several familiar faces are back at the tables. Diego De Martino, fresh off an 11th-place finish at the EPT Monte Carlo for roughly €70,000, is in action — and you’ll find our exclusive interview with him tomorrow on our social pages. Also playing is Giorgio Soceanu, runner-up in the Main Event at the Campione Open, now battling it out in the turbo flight.

Plenty of notable names still chasing a Day2 ticket, including Carlo Savinelli and Andrea Shehadeh, who have both held over 100,000 chips since early in the day and happen to be seated at the same table.

Also in the field: Claudio Di Giacomo, another EPT Monte Carlo participant, and Spain’s Juan Velasco Farre — a consistent performer across the Spanish circuit and recent standout at the Shark Bay event in Velden, where he took home the Fiore di EuroRounders trophy.

Sat 10 May - 20:30 - Break on Day1 F, Day1 G underway!

We’re here at Casino Sanremo to bring you coverage of Day 1F of the IPO Main Event, where 481 players are currently registered — or rather, enjoying the final 15 minutes of a dinner break that lasted one hour and ten minutes before returning to the tables.

Blinds will resume at 1,000/2,000 with a 3,000 big blind ante, and the average stack is now 84,000 chips, equivalent to 53 big blinds.

There are still two levels left for late registration or a possible re-entry, with the total number of entries already reaching 1,018 — an impressive figure, especially considering there’s still a second turbo-format which has just begun.

Stay tuned to find out who will manage to bag a stack for Day 2: only 15% of the field will advance, and play will stop as soon as that threshold is reached.

Sat 10 May - 17:00 - Almost 1K entries at the second break!

Second break of the day here at the Sanremo Casino, where Level 6 has just ended. Play will resume with blinds at 500/1,000 and a 1,000 ante, with the average stack slightly above starting.

The entry counter currently shows 939 entries, with 689 players still in the field. Players can still register until the end of Level 11, with levels lasting 45 minutes in this first Saturday flight.

At 7:00 PM, the second flight of the day — Day 1G — will kick off. It will be played in a speed format, with 30-minute levels. This is also the final chance to qualify for Day 2, which begins tomorrow at 1:00 PM.

Today’s numbers are quite strong, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the field hit — or exceed — the 1,000-entry mark by the end of the day.

Sat 10 May - 03:30 - Micky Blasi is Day1 E chip leader!

Micky Blasi leads the field in the Main Event Day 1E and climbs to second place in the overall chip count.

All the details of the day — including the chip count, an interview with the chip leader, and much more — are available in our report at THIS LINK.

Sat 10 May - 02:00 - 14th level in action, 818 entries so far!

We’re deep into Level 14 here at the Sanremo Casino, with blinds at 2,000/5,000 and a 5,000 ante. There are 149 players still in contention, with an average stack of 219,000 chips — equal to 44 big blinds.

The target is set: play continues until only 15% of the field remains, which translates to 122 survivors out of the 816 total entries registered for this Friday flight.

Next up is Level 15 (3,000/6,000/6,000), and based on previous days, play should wrap up between 3:00 and 3:15 a.m.

Stay tuned for the final chip counts and the full list of players advancing from Day 1E.

Sat 10 May - 00:00 - Late reg almost closed!

We’re 15 minutes away from the end of Level 9, which leads into the extended 70-minute dinner break. The blinds are currently 800/1,600 with a big blind ante of 1,600. The average stack is 73,000 chips, worth 46 big blinds.

There are still 429 players in the field out of 788 total entries. Late registration remains open until the end of Level 11, so the final numbers are yet to be confirmed.

Today features just one starting flight. Tomorrow, however, there will be two: a regular Day 1 with 45-minute levels and a Speed Flight with 30-minute levels scheduled for the evening.

After the break, play will resume at 1,000/2,000 (2,000 ante), and the action will continue until 15% of the field remains.

Fri 9 May - 21:00 - Approaching the dinner break!

There are still 429 players in the field out of 788 total entries. Late registration remains open until the end of Level 11, so the final numbers are yet to be confirmed.

Today features just one starting flight. Tomorrow, however, there will be two: a regular Day 1 with 45-minute levels and a Speed Flight with 30-minute levels scheduled for the evening.

After the break, play will resume at 1,000/2,000 (2,000 ante), and the action will continue until 15% of the field remains.

Fri 9 May - 19:00 - Second break!

The 537 remaining players in Day 1E of the IPO Main Event are now on their second break, with the entries counter hitting 725.

There are still three levels to go before the dinner break, scheduled around 9:30 PM. Play will resume at Level 7 (blinds 500/1,000, big blind ante 1,000), with an average stack of 54,000 chips — equivalent to 68 big blinds.

Fri 9 May - 17:00 - 607 entries on Day 1E at the 4th level

After the first break of the day, players are back in action inside the main hall of the Sanremo Casino. The official count shows 607 entries, with 540 players still seated. Level 4 is underway (blinds 200/400, big blind ante 400), with a starting stack equivalent to 112 big blinds. Two more levels remain before the second break of the day.

Plenty of familiar faces at the tables again today, including several who didn’t make it through yesterday, such as Davide Nutarelli and Federico Anselmi. Giada Fang is also in the field, having found a break in her APT schedule, and Giuseppe Ruocco is seated with Brando Naspetti. Blackdomo has also been spotted.

Fri 9 May - 15:30 - Over 450 entries at the 3rd level!

Day 1E of the Ipo - Italian Poker Open - is underway at the Sanremo Casino, with a guaranteed prize pool of one million euros.

As we enter Level 3 (blinds 100/300, ante 300), there are already 450 entries and 434 players still in the field. Only 16 eliminations so far. A 15-minute break is scheduled at the end of the current level. As in previous days, play will continue until 15% of the field remains.

Fri 9 May - 03:15 - Davide Suriano is the Day1 D chip leader!

With a stack of 852,000 chips, Davide Suriano takes the overall chip lead here in Sanremo, as Day 1D of the IPO – Italian Poker Open Main Event comes to a close.

All the details from the day — including an interview with the chip leader, photos, and chip counts — are available in our Daily Report at this link.

Fri 9 May - 01:00 - 13th level of play underway

The official number of entries for today’s flight of the IPO Main Event is 450. There are currently 102 players still in contention as Level 13 (2,000/4,000, BB 4,000) is being played. The average stack is 176,000 chips, equal to 44 big blinds. Play will continue until only 15% of the field remains, meaning at least two more levels are expected before bagging.

At the start of the day, Michael Uguccioni was leading when the average stack was still around 60,000 chips, with Alessandro Orsi surviving on a short stack at the same table. The situation has since reversed: Orsi now sits comfortably above average, while Uguccioni has slipped below the average line.

Also in the field is Claudio Di Giacomo, fresh from Monte Carlo, who managed to register at the last minute and now holds a stack around the average. Marco Cipriani is holding strong with about 200,000 chips, as is Michele Tocci, who is also coming off a good run in Monaco and currently sits above 200,000. Andrea Benelli is still in the mix with 140,000 chips, while Davide Nutarelli has just over 200,000.

Thu 8 May - 23:00 - 11th level of play underway!

Level 11 Underway at the Casino di Sanremo

Day 1 of the IPO – Italian Poker Open Main Event continues at level 1,000/2,500 (2,500). There are 151 players remaining out of 448 total entries, with late registration still open for another 22 minutes.

The average stack is now 118,000 chips, nearly triple the 40,000 starting stack, equivalent to 47 big blinds. Players have just returned from the dinner break and will play one and a half more levels before the final break of the day, heading into the last stretch and the bagging phase to get a clearer picture of the chip counts.

Final Table Set in the €440 OMA PLO

The €440 Omaha PLO event has reached its final table, with 8 players left in contention. All remaining players are in the money:

1st place: €8,828
2nd place: €6,150
3rd place: €4,270
Minimum cash: €1,110

IPO Satellite Also Running

A satellite for the Main Event is also underway, with 126 entries and 37 players still seated at level 10. There are 17 tickets up for grabs for the upcoming IPO flights.

Thu 8 May - 20:50 - Approaching the dinner break!

We’re now into Level 9 here at the Casino di Sanremo, with 222 players still in the field out of a total of 425 entries. The blinds are currently at 800/1,600 with a 1,600 big blind ante. Play will continue for another 30 minutes before the 1-hour-and-10-minute dinner break, after which the action will resume at 1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante.

The average stack has climbed to 76,000 chips, which is currently equivalent to 48 big blinds.

Among the new familiar faces spotted in the field since our last update are Raffaele Caldarelli, Michael Uguccioni, Alessandro Orsi, online regular Blackdomo, and the ever-present Niki Prela (pic above). Unfortunately, Prela has already fired both bullets available today and has since exited the tournament area. We’re confident he’ll be back tomorrow with his usual fighting spirit.

We’ll be back with another full update in about two hours, after the dinner break and the start of the next level. In the meantime, stay tuned—and enjoy a fresh batch of photos from Day 1D.

Thu 8 May - 19:30 - Seventh level of play with over 400 entries!

First update here from the Casino di Sanremo, where both Day 1D of the LiPO Italian Poker Open Main Event and the €440 Pot Limit Omaha event are currently underway.

As for the Main Event, we’ve reached Level 7. So far, 406 entries have been recorded, with 282 players still in the field. The big blind has reached 500,000, and in about half an hour we’ll see the next level change. Two more levels will follow before the dinner break, which will last 1 hour and 10 minutes.

The average stack is 58,000 chips—just slightly above the starting stack—and the field is packed with well-known faces from the Italian poker scene. We’ve spotted Andrea Shehadeh, Marco Perra, Michele Guerrini (a former IPO champion), Luca Sebastiani, Mikel Calò, Davide Nutarelli, Marco Cipriani, and Alessandro Giordano.

Earlier today, I also interviewed Federico Anselmi, from the Italian coverage team, and there are many more names to be discovered throughout the day.

Stay tuned—after the next two and a half levels, we’ll be back with another full update from the Casino di Sanremo.