A board of 
led to Francisco Vall making a bet of 800 on the turn from first position, called by Sasa Arifhodzic in the big blind.
The two men saw a river of 
fall, and while Vall checked, Arifhodzic bet 2,300 and it was possible Vall had feared that flush card coming in, as he made a fold that seemed to hurt.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
32,000 | |
|
|
21,225 |
There are chop pots and chop pots. Some are quick, painless and played out in near silence as both players are home and dry from the flop. Others are twisted, cruel and played out to incredulity from one player and relief from another.
This chop pot was the latter, and came after Thierry Gogniat called with 
against Javier Sanchez's 
after the flop came 
. The turn 
and river 
completed a 'wheel' straight for both players. As you can imagine, Sanchez was slightly less delighted than Gogniat with the outcome.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
45,000 | |
|
|
35,000 |
A huge hand played out between 888Live qualifier Alexey Dubrovkin and David Murillo clashed in a big pot with 20 minutes to go until the first break of Day 1a.
With the board displaying 
, Dubrovkin led for 2,000 and only Murillo called, with the pot of 9,000 in the middle having gone three-way until that point. The river 
saw Dubrovkin bet 3,500 and Murillo thought for a couple of minutes before spinning the call into the middle. Dubrovkin showed 
, good enough for the win as Murillo tossed his cards into the muck at speed, the 
flipping face up for the table to see.
While Dubrovkin looks to have the chip lead in the room with 56,000, Murillo is down to comparative fumes with two-thirds of his starting stack redistributed around the table.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
56,000 | |
|
|
10,800 |
Marwan Salamoun got off to a decent start in this 888Live Main Event here in Barcelona, but he took a dip later in Level and by the time the latest hand played out, he was in need of a boost.
Betting 2,500 on a flop of 
, he got a call from the player in the next seat, Sally Stephens. The turn of 
saw Salamoun bet 5,500 and Stephens folded. While the two of them got into a discussion about the hand, Stephens now sits behind an above-average stack of 46,000. Salamoun, meanwhile, now sits behind the same amount as the starting stack of 30,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
46,000 | |
|
30,000 |
Players on Day 1a of the Main Event are now on a 15-minute break. We'll be back with them as soon as they return to action.
We caught up with Kelly Kellner as he celebrated his latest pot at what has been a great table for him in the first three levels.
"I'm up to 77,625 after winning 20k from Sally [Stephens]. I had 
and on the flop of KdJd4c] we both checked a raised pot pre-flop. The turn came a deuce and I bet 10,500 and she called with what I was pretty sure was a flush draw. The river was a brick and I bet another 10k and she folded."
Kellner may have taken the lead in the room with that pot, but with 85 entries and unlimited re-entries until the first hand of Day 2, players have every chance to overtake him well before the end of Day 1a. Kellner held the chip lead in the High Roller at the end of Level 6 yesterday and did not make Day 2.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
77,625
27,525
|
27,525 |
|
|
26,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
Level: 4
Blinds: 150/300
Ante: 25
With three levels of Day 1a in the can, there are 88 players remaining from 93 entries with Ema Zajmovic one of the latest players to sit down.
The former WPT Main Event winner is in her seat and already has more than her starting stack on 31,000. Kelly Kellner maintains his chip lead in the room.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
78,800
1,175
|
1,175 |
|
31,000 | |
|
||
Two players have bounced back from earlier setbacks to play themselves right back into contention for a Day 2 spot without re-entering.
Simen Gulbrandsen had lost a couple of pots to drop himself to around half his starting stack, but a bet of 3,200 into a pot of around double that on a board of 
saw him get a fold and bolster his stack to 21,000.
Elsewhere, Paul Testud suffered a series of unfortunate hand events, but his full house with 
on a board of 
saw him double back up to 22,000 rather neatly.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
22,000 | |
|
21,000 |
Level: 5
Blinds: 200/400
Ante: 50
