The remaining 76 players out of 385 entries in the €230 Opening Event have taken their seat in the Grand Ballroom and the action has just recommended. Only the top 45 spots will get paid at least €425 while the winner takes home a payday of €14,055.
Catalin Pop entered the field towards the end of level one and sat down right next to Ozgur Arda. One table over, Vivian Saliba was in action and a big pot had built to the river of a board . There were some 11,000 in the middle and Saliba bet 10,000 out of the small blind. Her sole remaining opponent, Cosmin Cimpeanu in the cutoff, gave it some thought and folded.
Boaz Kolenbrenner raised to 300 from under the gun and Stefan Bucur called in the small blind. Philip Poppinghaus moved all in for 4,700 in the big blind and Kolenbrener folded, while Bucur called.
Philip Poppinghaus:
Stefan Bucur:
The board ran out and Poppinghaus doubled his short stack.
Hristo Panteleev and Cristian Tardea were able to build their stack early on while Stefan Bucur just claimed a decent pot after calling a 3,600 bet on the river of a king-high board. His opponent mucked and Bucur took down the pot without showdown. The same table also features Philip Poppinghaus and he has had a disastrous start into Day 1a after being cut down to a mere 6,000.
Poppinghaus just now opened to 300 and was called by two opponents including Tardea and Nick Alexandru Constantin. The flop of was checked to Poppinghaus and he bet 500, which only Constantin called. The turn was checked through and the river saw Constantin bet 500 and force a fold from Poppinghaus.
Sergiu Cornea defended his big blind against a button raise by Cornel Petrescu when their tabled kicked off three-handed and the flop came , which both players checked. On the turn, Cornea checked and called a bet worth 350 before the river went check, check again. Cornea showed and that won the pot.
Petrescu more than made up for the mishap soon after when his bet of 1,200 on the river of a board was called and he tabled for top pair.
Cosmin Cimpeanu three-bet to 800 out of the big blind and was called by initial raiser Dimitros Dimitrios on the button. On a flop of , Cimpeanu checked and called a bet of 1,000 by Dimitrios before checking again the turn. Dimitrios now made it 2,000 to go and forced a fold, flashing the for (at least) top pair.
Right after, 888poker ambassador Vivian Saliba took a seat on the very same table.