From a starting field of 76, the 888Live Easter Edition is down to its final two tables. After a long battle over nine levels today, the bubble burst, the field was trimmed and Terry Jordan sits atop the final 15 players with 2,500,000 in chips.
That figure is over 1,500,000 in chips higher than his nearest opponents Mark Harding (842,000) and Julian Hazelhof (823,000)
For the first time, all advancing players were in the same room, lead by Dan Wicks and Million Yosief who were the chipleaders towards the start of the day.
Wicks would be crippled early on in the day at the hands of Julian Hazelhof. On a ten-high flop with two hearts, the players got their chips in with Wicks holding Aces and Hazelhof the flush draw. Hazelhof completed is flush and left Wicks with just 50,000 chips. He would make the money, but be eliminated in 30th place (£815) after being crippled on the money bubble holding Jacks against Epameinond Sintos' Queens and Rana [Removed:321] Adnan's Ace-Queen.
Yosief himself would have his own cooler when his Kings were cracked by the Ace-King of Mark Harding to bust in the money in 29th place, also for £815.
The bubble boy was Kanan Farzaliyev. His pair of sevens was no match for the set of fours of Gary Miller, and he would depart in 37th place, albeit with some consolatory headphones.
888Poker Ambassador Sofia Lovgren also made the money after entering on Day 1a and finishing second in chips behind Hoa Quan. Lovgren bust to fellow Ambassador Chris Moorman who is still in the hunt going into Day 3, with 243,000 in chips.
Chipleader going into Day 3 is Terry Jordan. Over the course of the day it looked like Dutchman Julian Hazelhof was going to storm away with the chiplead, but Jordan managed to peg him back to take the chiplead by over 1,500,000 chips.
Tomorrow the final 15 will return and play down to a winner. Stay tuned to PokerNews for all the live updates and eliminations as we get closer to crowning a winner here at Aspers Casino Stratford.
Mark Harding limped from middle position and Million Yosief three-bet all in for his remaining 56,000. It folded back to Harding who called.
Harding:
Yosief:
The day 2 chipleader had gotten it in good, but the ace on an flop turned the tables. The turn was the and the river the and Yosief hit the rail in 29th.
Kanan Farzaliyev opened to 11,000. Gary Miller and the player in the big blind both called and the flop was . The big blind checked to Farzaliyev who bet 17,000. Miller raised to 34,000. The big blind folded and Farzaliyev called.
The turn was the . Farzaliyev checked and Miller bet 58,000. Farzaliyev moved all in for 250,000 and Miller called.
Miller:
Farzaliyev:
The river was the and Farzaliyev was eliminated, albeit with a consolatory pair of headphones from 888.
Erika Scesnaviciene moved all in from middle position for her last 31,000. It folded to Maria Kozak in the big blind who moved a bigger stack into the middle to raise. The big blind folded.
Scesnaviciene:
Kozak:
The board ran out and Scesnaviciene was eliminated.
The tournament is now on the bubble and play is hand-for-hand.
Julian Hazelhof raised to 20,000 from the cutoff. Dan Wicks three-bet to 47,000 from the big blind. Hazelhof then four-bet to 120,000 and Wicks called.
The flop came .
Wicks checked, Hazelhof jammed for 297,600 and Wicks snap-called.
Wicks:
Hazelhof:
The turn was the . The river was the , giving Hazelhof the flush and crippling his opponent.
"I apologise," said Hazelhof who had jumped to his feet after clinching the pot, "That was the last hand I put you on Sir."
"I got greedy," said Wicks as the chipleader at the start of the day counted out his opponent's double up, "I thought I was getting the lot."
A player in middle position raised to 7,000. Sofia Lovgren called from the cutoff, as did the player in the small blind. Julian Hazelhof was seated in the big blind and he three-bet to 25,000.
All three of the other players in the hand folded. Hazelhof showed with a smile, and took down the pot.
On a board Terry Jordan watched his opponent bet 18,500 and Jordan called quickly. The river was the .
Both players checked and Jordan showed for a set of fives. His opponent looked at his cards for a long time, before slamming his chips on the table and folding.
"I did not like that river," said Jordan, whose stack is now nearly 500,000 chips, "I did not like that river at all..."
Midway through the first level of the day, there are still 12 players still in the field who qualified through 888. One of them is the current chip leader Million Yosief, who qualified for just $12 through 888.
. The turn was the 
and a gasp went out as the river came the 
giving Harding a straight and eliminating Miranda.
flop turned the tables. The turn was the 
and the river the 
and Yosief hit the rail in 29th.
. Farzaliyev checked and Miller bet 58,000. Farzaliyev moved all in for 250,000 and Miller called.
and Scesnaviciene was eliminated.
, giving Hazelhof the flush and crippling his opponent.
with a smile, and took down the pot.
.
