WPO Aix-les-Bains Main Event: 9 Players Remain

WPO Aix-les-Bains reaches its decisive stage

The WPO Aix-les-Bains Main Event is down to just 9 players, and the race for the title and the €150,000 top prize is now entering its most intense phase. At this point, every stack matters, every open carries extra weight, and every all-in is shaped not only by chip EV but also by ICM pressure.

Late-stage poker is a different game. Margins are thinner, pay jumps are real, and even confident chip leaders have to think carefully about how much risk they want to take. For players who want to build the skills needed in these spots, studying [poker rooms]( /en/pokerrooms ) and [poker clubs]( /en/pokerclubs ) can be part of a broader improvement plan, especially when paired with structured work away from the table.

Paul Bigot falls after running into aces

One of the biggest hands of the stretch sent Paul Bigot to the rail after a clash with Nicolas Ehrath. Bigot moved all-in from the button for his remaining 4,450,000 chips, and Ehrath quickly called from the small blind.

The showdown was brutal for Bigot: he tabled A4s, while Ehrath turned over pocket aces. With that kind of domination, Bigot needed a lot of help from the board, but the runout offered no miracle.

That meant an 11th-place finish and €11,000 for Paul Bigot. In deep live events, this is still a strong score, but for a player who can see the final table from that close, it is also the kind of exit that stings for a while.

Hervé Ponthet exits in 10th place

Not long after, Hervé Ponthet made his move in an attempt to double up and stay alive. Holding 1,900,000 chips, he shoved K7s from the button, only to run into AQo in the hands of Lucas Archeny.

The board came 9-3-6-10-10, and Archeny held on to win the pot and send Ponthet out in 10th place. Like Bigot, Ponthet banked €11,000 for his run.

This is exactly the kind of spot where late-stage tournament discipline matters. Short-stack pressure often pushes players toward hands that look playable but can be heavily dominated once called. That is why many competitors spend time with a [poker school]( /en/pokerschool ) and review push-fold ranges in detail before arriving at these stages.

New chip leader: Timothée d’Anfray takes over

The bustouts reshaped the leaderboard. Lucas Archeny no longer sits on top, and Timothée d’Anfray has taken over the chip lead with a clean 28,000,000-chip stack.

Matthieu Pontin is still very much in the hunt as well. He remains alive in fourth place on the chip count with 16,850,000 chips, which keeps him firmly in contention as the field heads toward the most valuable pay jumps of the event.

• big stacks can pressure medium stacks relentlessly;
• medium stacks must balance survival and accumulation;
• short stacks need the right all-in spot to remain in the game.

For many live players, the ability to survive and thrive in these moments is connected not just to technical preparation but also to finding the right environment and support, including opportunities through a [poker agent]( /en/pokeragent ) or value-driven [promotions & bonuses]( /en/blog/promotions ) when playing online between live events.

Expert analysis: what these bustouts really mean

The final nine in a major live event is where tournament poker becomes a full-scale strategy battle. The obvious goal is to win chips, but the real challenge is deciding when not to take marginal risks. ICM starts to distort chip-value thinking, and that changes everything.

Bigot’s ace-four suited shove and Ponthet’s king-seven suited jam are both understandable at a glance, but they also highlight a classic late-stage issue: once players are called, dominated holdings can become expensive quickly. In other words, a hand that looks fine in a vacuum may be much weaker in a real payout structure.

• chip leaders should widen pressure and force mistakes;
• medium stacks must avoid getting trapped in uncomfortable pay-jump spots;
• short stacks need to choose shoves more carefully than ever.

For serious players, this is exactly why studying final-table dynamics is so valuable. The difference between a standard cash and a deep live run often comes from a handful of decisions made under maximum pressure.

What comes next in the Main Event

With only 9 players left, the event is now one elimination away from an even bigger pay jump. The next bustout earns €13,897, which means every pot can have a direct impact on the final outcome.

That is what makes the closing phase of a live Main Event so compelling. One player is trying to convert a chip lead into a title, others are trying to ladder up, and the shortest stacks are searching for the one spot that can flip the entire table dynamic.

The finish line is close, but in poker, being close is not enough. The player who handles pressure best will be the one most likely to walk away with the trophy and the €150,000 payday.

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