Day 1a of the Winamax SISMIX Main Event currently has 272 entrants, and after nine levels there are just 126 players remaining. It might appear that 300 is within reach, but there is only one level left of re-entry and late registration.
After registration closes, there will be on level left before players go on a 75-minute dinner break. After they return from dinner, there will be just three levels remaining until the end of Day 1a.
Paul-Francois Tedeschi is riding high after winning a flipout to secure a coveted Platinum Pass at EPT Monte Carlo, but while he waits to play a $25,000 tournament in January, he is sampling the fun and games of the €550 Winamax Sismix Main Event.
Meanwhile, Michel Abecassis has also joined the SISMIX Main Event field. The Winamax Team Pro finished ninth in the inaugural SISMIX, but since then has only registered a solitary cash at the festival, coming in last year's High Roller (20th - 27,000 MAD).
Mike Alonso has dropped back from his peak, allowing Bruno Mandagaran to take over the chip lead with a stack in excess of 300,000. The Frenchman only has two Hendon Mob cashes, both in Morocco, from 2008 and 2009 and is well placed for another one.
Meanwhile, Pierre Calamusa is sitting on a healthy stack of 105,000; just over average. Calamusa is one of only six players wearing the hats gifted to them by Winamax at the start of the day, and we mentioned that to him.
It's been an incredible day so far for Mike Alonso; eliminating Philipp Anclevic for the first elimination of the day, and chipping up more over the course of the first six levels or so.
He's just sent Mike D'Inca to the rail as well. In a four-bet pot, the flop came king-high with three hearts. D'Inca checked to Alonso who bet. D'Inca check-raised, and then called an all in from Alonso.
D'Inca showed pocket kings for top set, but Alonso held for a flopped flush. There was no help on the turn or river and D'Inca was eliminated, boosting Alonso's stack.
You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone with a bigger stack than Alonso's in the room right now, with the average only 85,000.
The Winamax SISMIX High Roller is down to two tables, and there is a veritable selection of poker talent still involved and looking to take down the title and ~€57,000 for first place.
Here is the table draw for the final two tables:
Seat
Table 1
Table 2
1
Davidi Kitai
Erikas Laugzemys
2
Pedro Huelamo
Romain Lewis
3
Jose Plaza
Christophe Beyer
4
Sonny Franco
Guillaume Deyez
5
Arthur Conan
Ringo Stimac
6
Nicolaus Paszkiewicz
Ivan Deyra
We caught up with Romain Lewis as he was taking a break after the two table redraw.
"The High Roller was going sweet," he said, "Until 18 left and I had 30 big blinds. Now there's 12 left."
Lewis is a Winamax Team Pro and has been coming to the Winamax SISMIX for the last three years, cashing in 2016 & 2017. He says that the tournament mixes poker with holiday really well.
"I know that they do a lot for online players; they do anything to make players happy to come. I know people who play online who do two live tournaments a year - the Winamax Poker Open in Dublin, and the Winamax SISMIX in Marrakech.
"They know that they will be well received and the tournaments are six-handed. Well, they're actually four or five-handed most of the time. You don't get six-handed tournaments that much anywhere."
The tournament also has special custom-made six-handed tables, and Lewis says they're very comfortable to play at!
"There's action all the time," he said. "That's why a lot of the players come to play here at these events. You're always in a hand and always active."
"And when you bust you have some more side events, but there's also beautiful Marrakech with pool parties and the TheatrO too. The sun is out; a lot of people will go and grind SCOOP after this, but it's also nice to come and relax and chill here.
for a flopped flush. There was no help on the turn or river and D'Inca was eliminated, boosting Alonso's stack. 
