Main Event
Day 3 Started
Main Event
Day 3 Started
Only 11 players out of a 469-entry strong field remain in the first-ever 888pokerLIVE Festival €888 Main Event in Bucharest and the lion's share of the Grand Ballroom of the €360,192 prize pool will be up for grabs when the finalists return to the Grand Ballroom of the stunning JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel as of 12.15 p.m. local time. All of them have €5,700 guaranteed for their efforts, while all eyes are set on the trophy and payday of €71,042 that comes along with it.
Stefan Fabian thrones atop the counts with 2,460,000 and there are further eight Romanians in contention to keep the title on home soil in Madalin Cornel Petraru (1,450,000), Bogdan Diaconu (1,415,000), Marian Strachinescu (1,365,000), Andrei Racolta (1,225,000 ), Ferenc Csaba Pal (900,000), Catalin Pop (895,000), Radu Pitic (475,000) and Andrei Alecu (315,000). Pop has already won two trophies on the 888pokerLIVE circuit, winning the Main Event at the King's Casino in Rozvadov for €80,000 and emerging victorious in the €2,200 High Roller in Barcelona in 2017.
Furthermore, two 888poker online qualifiers are among the finalists: Krzysztof Chmielowski from Poland (2,000,000) bought in directly into the $109 satellite and Sinisa Radovanovic from Serbia (1,590,000) started his journey in a $5 satellite, then won his seat for the trip to Romania's capital in the very same $109 qualifier. They sit in 2nd and 3rd place respectively when action resumes in level 22 with blinds of 15,000/30,000 and a running ante of 5,000.
Seat Assignments for the Final Day
Seat | Table 2 | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds | Seat | Table 3 | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Stefan Fabian | Romania | 2,460,000 | 82 | 2 | Ferenc Csaba Pal | Romania | 900,000 | 30 |
3 | Madalin Cornel Petraru | Romania | 1,450,000 | 48 | 4 | Marian Strachinescu | Romania | 1,365,000 | 46 |
4 | Radu Pitic | Romania | 475,000 | 16 | 6 | Sinisa Radovanovic | Serbia | 1,590,000 | 53 |
6 | Bogdan Diaconu | Romania | 1,415,000 | 47 | 7 | Krzysztof Chmielowski | Poland | 2,000,000 | 67 |
9 | Andrei Racolta | Romania | 1,225,000 | 41 | 8 | Andrei Alecu | Romania | 315,000 | 11 |
9 | Catalin Pop | Romania | 895,000 | 30 |
The €2,200 High Roller restarts at 1 p.m. local time and the registration remains open until the cards are back in the air. So far there were 32 entries in total of which 20 bagged up after seven levels of 40 minutes each. All new entries will receive 30 big blinds worth with upcoming blinds of 500/1,000 and a running ante of 100 and Razvan Bordei leads the field with 97,700, narrowly ahead of €230 Opening Event champion and Main Event 28th place finisher Narcis Gabriel Nedelcu (94,800). Ana Marquez (74,400), 888poker ambassador Sofia Lovgren (65,400), Ran Shahar (58,100), Marius-Alexandru Gicovanu (49,800) and Alexandru Papazian (43,000) are some of the notables still in.
The PokerNews live updates of both Main Event tables will be published right away before the nine-handed final table will then switch over the live stream with commentary and hole cards displayed on a 30-minute delay on the 888poker Twitch channel.
Level: 22
Blinds: 15,000/30,000
Ante: 5,000
Andrei Alecu went through one orbit and had to forfeit the blinds and antes to drop do around eight big blinds.
Over on the other table Andrei Racolta won a pot via three-bet before then engaging in a battle of the blinds with chip leader Stefan Fabian. Racolta raised to 100,000 and Fabian called. Both checked the flop and the turn. On the river, Racolta check-called a bet of 215,000 and mucked when Fabian showed for two pair.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Stefan Fabian
|
2,800,000 | 340,000 |
Andrei Racolta | 1,000,000 | -225,000 |
Andrei Alecu | 240,000 | -75,000 |
Catalin Pop raised from early positiob and Sinisa Radovanovic defended the big blind, then check-folded the flop to a bet of 90,000.
Over on the other table, Andrei Racolta raised to 75,000 and Madalin Cornel Petraru called in the big blind. On the flop, Petraru checked and called a bet worth 70,000 by Racolta. The turn went check, check, and Petraru's bet of 125,000 on the river forced a fold from Racolta.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Sinisa Radovanovic | 1,400,000 | -190,000 |
Madalin Cornel Petraru | 1,400,000 | -50,000 |
Catalin Pop | 1,000,000 | 105,000 |
Andrei Racolta | 800,000 | -200,000 |
Marian Strachinescu raised to 90,000 and Catalin Pop defended the big blind. On a flop of , Pop check-raised to 210,000 and Strachinescu called. No betting action took place on the turn and Pop bet the river for 240,000. Strachinescu snap-called, but mucked when Pop announced "I flopped the straight" and rolled over .
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Catalin Pop | 1,600,000 | 600,000 |
Marian Strachinescu | 800,000 | -565,000 |
In a battle of the blinds, Andrei Racolta check-raised a flop of from 40,000 to 170,000 and Stefan Fabian in the big blind used one time bank extension before making the call. The turn paired the board and Racolta bet 190,000. Fabian moved all in and Racolta called.
Andrei Racolta:
Stefan Fabian:
Fabian needed a jack or diamond to deal the final blow to Racolta, but the on the river wasn't sufficient to eliminate Racolta.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Stefan Fabian
|
1,950,000 | -850,000 |
Andrei Racolta | 1,850,000 | 1,050,000 |
Marian Strachinescu won some chips back in a three-bet pot and then opened to 70,000 soon after. Andrei Alecu, who had folded every hand so far to drop to around six big blinds, shoved from the small blind and Strachinescu called.
Andrei Alecu:
Marian Strachinescu:
The made a split pot very likely, but the turn and river let the kicker play to eliminate Alecu in 11th place for €5,700.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Marian Strachinescu | 1,350,000 | 550,000 |
Andrei Alecu | Busted |
In a battle big blind versus under the gun, Sinisa Radovanovic checked the flop and called a bet of 65,000 by fellow 888poker online qualifier Krzysztof Chmielowski from one seat over. On the turn, Radovanovic check-called another 130,000 and the river was checked. Radovanovic showed for a busted flush draw that made runner runner trips and won the pot.
Soon after, Ferenc Csaba Pal raised to 60,000 and Radovanovic three-bet to 140,000, Pal moved all in for 640,000 and Radovanovic called.
Ferenc Csaba Pal:
Sinisa Radovanovic:
There was no ace on the board and Pal doubled.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Krzysztof Chmielowski | 1,890,000 | -110,000 |
Ferenc Csaba Pal | 1,300,000 | 400,000 |
Sinisa Radovanovic | 960,000 | -440,000 |
Andrei Racolta's button raise was met with a three-bet to 235,000 by Stefan Fabian and Racolta called. On the flop both players checked. Fabian bet the turn for 185,000 and Racolta folded.
One hand later, Racolta's open was again three-bet to 235,000 by Fabian and Racolta came along. The flop fell and Racolta check-called a bet of 185,000. No betting action took place on the turn and Racolta's bet of 200,000 on the river won the pot uncontested.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Andrei Racolta | 2,150,000 | 300,000 |
Stefan Fabian
|
1,800,000 | -150,000 |