WPO Aix-les-Bains Main Event Enters the Final Stretch

The WPO Aix-les-Bains Main Event is reaching crunch time

The Main Event at WPO Aix-les-Bains has entered the stage every live poker fan waits for: the money is already in sight, the stacks are deep enough to create pressure, and every pot can reshape the leaderboard. When play resumed at 12:30, the last 17 players returned to action on blinds of 150,000 / 300,000 / 300,000.

The pace was immediate. Roughly one hour later, only 13 players were still standing. That kind of speed tells you everything about the pressure of a late-stage live event: one lost all-in, one aggressive resteal, and the entire endgame changes.

Lucas Archeny leads the Main Event chip count

French player Lucas Archeny is currently the chip leader with 26,000,000 chips. Right behind him is Timothée d’Anfray with 21,000,000, while Benjamin Goudard rounds out the top three with around 19,000,000.

This is a tightly packed top of the leaderboard, which means no one has truly broken away yet. In tournament poker, that matters a lot: a single double-up, a bad call, or a well-timed bluff can flip the entire dynamic in a matter of minutes.

With 13 players remaining, the race toward the final table is now the real story. Once the field gets down to 10, stack preservation, seat position, and pressure application become even more important than raw chip volume.

Hervé Ponthet is under heavy short-stack pressure

At the other end of the spectrum, Hervé Ponthet is the shortest stack left with 2,100,000 chips. On a blind level this large, that is a dangerous spot to be in.

Short stacks at this point are forced into difficult decisions far earlier than they would like. One missed spot can be enough to end the run, while one well-chosen shove can buy an entire new life in the tournament.

This is where live poker becomes especially dramatic: the gap between survival and elimination can be just one hand, and that tension is exactly what makes late-stage tournament poker so compelling.

High Roller update: strong names and playable stacks

Away from the Main Event, the High Roller restarted at 1 p.m. and features a very attractive lineup. After walking the tables, several notable stacks stood out:

• Benjamin Chalot — 320,000 chips after a fresh double-up
• Jbzz — 500,000
• Davidi Kitai — 750,000
• Julien Sitbon — 1,200,000
• Kool Shen — 750,000
• Leo Margets — 320,000
• Julien Da Silva — 820,000
• Hervé Gouzil — 520,000

The blinds are 10,000 / 20,000 / 20,000, and the average stack sits at 675,000 chips. Julien Sitbon is especially well-positioned, as his stack gives him room to apply pressure instead of simply waiting for premium hands.

If you want to better understand how these live fields work, it helps to review fundamentals at poker school and compare formats across poker clubs.

Monster Stack: a big field with plenty of storylines

The Monster Stack is also in full swing. From the original 995 entries, only 59 players remain, the average stack has climbed to 843,000, and blinds are now 15,000 / 30,000 / 30,000.

This event has a very different feel from the High Roller. There are fewer recognizable names, but more amateur players and plenty of room for surprise runs. That is often where live series produce their most memorable underdog stories.

Ted Etienne was among the players spotted and is holding around average. In a deep-structure event like this, staying near the middle of the pack is often enough to keep all options open for a late push.

Expert analysis: why this stage matters so much

The Main Event’s current shape is a classic late-stage tournament setup: one chip leader, a compact chasing pack, and a short stack under constant threat. That combination creates a lot of strategic tension.

The key lessons are clear:

• big stacks should pressure medium and short stacks;
• medium stacks should avoid unnecessary marginal confrontations;
• short stacks must identify the best possible spots to shove or double up.

For players, this is a reminder that live tournament success is not just about preflop ranges. It is also about understanding context, stack depth, and pressure. If you play online in poker rooms or travel to live series, this stage of the event is a textbook example of why patience and timing matter. And for those tracking promotions & bonuses, major live festivals are also a good reminder to plan bankroll and travel budgets carefully.

Final thoughts: the best part of the festival is still ahead

WPO Aix-les-Bains is now entering its most interesting phase. Lucas Archeny leads for the moment, but the stacks are close enough that the picture can change quickly.

All eyes will now be on the next eliminations and on who reaches the final 10 first. From there, the pressure only increases, and every preflop decision, value bet, and bluff gets magnified by the stakes.

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