Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2017 888Live Poker Festival Barcelona
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 888Live Poker Festival Barcelona
Buy-in
€1,100
Prize Pool
€584,640
Entries
609
Level
31
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
20,000
Lucia Martinez Leads Day 1a of 888Live Barcelona Main Event
Level 11
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
After a mammoth 12 levels of play on Day 1a, and with 34 players remaining, Lucia Martinez has the chip lead with 268,000 chips in the 888Live Barcelona €1,100 Main Event.
Day 1a welcomed 104 entries (including re-entries) across the day, with the early pace-setter the entertaining Canadian player Kelly Kellner. He won some big pots early to run up a stack of over 100,000 chips at one point, but just like in yesterday's High Roller, he couldn't hang onto them and this time in unfortunate fashion. He was ahead of Alessandro Predaroli all-in pre-flop but couldn't hold on. Instead of 100,000, Kellner suddenly had half that stack, which all went to Lucia Martinez when her kicker was enough to topple Kellner's when both players hit top pair in the next hand.
Elsewhere, others were running into trouble. Sally Stephens couldn't win a flip with pocket jacks when she saw an ace on turn and river end her first bullet, but she later re-entered. Hacharan Dogra Dogra ran short then ran it up, but couldn't survive the final cut-throat levels. Others were more successful, with Hristian Panchev (222,900) Alejandro Vazquez Gomez (184,400), Gabriel Podovei (180,700) and Vitaly Tevis (179,700) all harbouring hopes of taking over the chip lead when Day commences.
Ema Zajmovic made just 600 chips profit on her starting stack, bagging up 30,600, but she survived when needing to hit with two cards to come, so can count herself lucky rather than the opposite to have gone through on her first bullet.
Day 1b will start at 6pm local time later today, with another 12 levels to see if more entries can get closer to breaking through the incredible €500,000 guarantee.
End-of-Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 11
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
268,800 | 168,800 |
|
229,900 | 111,900 |
|
184,400 | -20,600 |
|
180,700 | 5,700 |
|
179,700 | 179,700 |
|
137,600 | 137,600 |
|
|
136,000 | 136,000 |
|
128,100 | -31,900 |
|
120,300 | 90,300 |
|
112,600 | 91,600 |
|
99,900 | 7,900 |
|
95,000 | 95,000 |
|
91,400 | 26,400 |
|
90,300 | 90,300 |
|
|
86,200 | 86,200 |
|
84,400 | 84,400 |
|
80,600 | 80,600 |
|
75,700 | 75,700 |
|
|
74,300 | 74,300 |
|
|
64,600 | 64,600 |
|
|
60,900 | 7,900 |
|
57,000 | -34,500 |
|
|
52,000 | 52,000 |
|
|
46,500 | 46,500 |
|
|
44,000 | 44,000 |
Day 1a Finished
Level 11
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
According to the screens, there are 38 players out of a 104-entry strong field remaining and they are currently bagging up. A selection of chip counts and a recap of today's action are to follow.
Somodi Doubles Through Ortega
Level 11
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
Pre-flop, Carlos Avila Ortega, one of the chip leaders in the room made it 5,000 from the cut-off. Balazs Somodi raised to 13,000 and Ortega made it 25,000. Somodi called.
The flop of 
saw Ortega bet 20,000 and Somodi shipped it all-in for around double that. Ortega called.
Avril Ortega: 
Balazs Somodi: 
The turn was a blank, but Avila Ortega was shell-shock when the 
appeared on the river to give Somodi trips threes for a huge upset.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
92,000 | 59,000 |
|
|
40,000 | 40,000 |
Panchev Crushes Kurko
Level 11
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
Kimmo Kurko moved all-in on the button for 21,100 (10 big blinds) and Hristian Panchev re-shoved in the small blind for at least four times that amount. Marwan Salamoun considered calling in the big blind, but let it go.
Kimmo Kurko: 
Hristian Panchev: 
The flop of 
gave Panchev a big lead, but opened up the Broadway draw to a queen for Kurko. Sadly for him and his rail, the 
turn and 
river didn't fulfill those hopes and he was busted. Panchev is one of the larger stacks in the room now.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
118,000 | |
|
Busted |
Zajmovic Up and Down But Survives
Level 11
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
Ema Zajmovic moved all-in from the hijack position with 
and was called only by her opponent in the cut-off with 
The flop of 
got Zajmovic out of her seat and ready to depart, with the immediate effect of the the 
landing on the turn. the inconsequential 
river saw Zajmovic double-up to over starting stack for the first time in hours and she knew the magical properties of her stand on the turn.
"You just need to stand up, just start to squat and it comes!" she laughed. The rest of the table did likewise, but deep down maybe they're not quite so happy as they appear about such a dangerously talented player riding with the for the last rollercoaster 20 minutes of play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
40,000 | 27,500 |
Davas Gets Lucky
Level 11
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
Basem Davas eliminated an unfortunate Max Rotko on the cusp of Level 12 when Rotko's shove over Davas's opening bet of 3,800 for a total of 34,800 was called by the original aggressor.
Basem Davas: 
Max Rotko:
The board of 
saw Rotko openly invite intimacy on the flop and by the river, he exalted "Casinos are rigged" as he made his way from the room. Awful timing for Rotko to run out of luck, but Davas jumps to 91,500 and looks in cruise control to reach Day 2 with 30 minutes to play.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
91,500 | 36,500 |
|
Busted |
Late Pictures from Day 1a
Martinez Ruling the Table
Level 11
: 800/1,600, 200 ante
Lucia Martinez has taken some from Alessandro Predaronli after the latest hand at what is a very action table.
Predaroli made it 2,500 pre-flop, but Martinez raised in late position to 6,500. Predaroli called, but on the flop of 
, he folded to Martinez' bet of 9,000. That tips her over the 100,000 mark, but Predaroli still has way more than the 67,000 average in the room.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
100,000 | 10,000 |
|
95,000 | 45,200 |