On a three-way flop of 
the action checked to the big blind and he made it 1,000 to go. Najib Tahiri called on the button, as did the small blind. The exact same action repeated on the 
turn for 2,000 and the 
river.
The big blind tabled 
for aces and sevens, which Hassani had beat with the 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
105,000 | 105,000 |
Joining the action on the 
flop, Vladimir Ursu check-raised from 600 to 2,100 in order to force one fold and pick up one caller. The 
on the turn was checked through and the 
followed on the river. Ursu now made it 5,500 to go and that won the pot uncontested.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
92,000 | 4,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
88,000 | 88,000 |
|
|
88,000 | 88,000 |
|
88,000 | 88,000 |
|
88,000 | 88,000 |
|
88,000 | 88,000 |
Day 1a of the €888 Main Event has kicked off in the main tournament area while the €2,200 has restarted in one of the side rooms on the first floor. So far, the screens show 50 entries and not as many notables have made their way yet to the Main Event tables or remain in action in the High Roller.
Level: 1
Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 0
Besides the €888 Main Event, the second highlight of the poker festival in the Casino Gran Via Madrid is the €2,200 High Roller. Day 1 has already attracted a big field of 76 entries of which 41 players bagged up chips after 11 levels of 45 minutes each.
Two familiar faces are on top of the leaderboard as Sonny Franco (417,900) and Ignacio Molina (406,300) bagged up the most chips in the early morning hours. Right behind them is 2019 WSOP bracelet winner Carl Shaw (370,500) and two 888poker ambassadors claimed top 10 stacks to their name in Martin Jacobson (344,200) and Sofia Lovgren (310,000).
Fellow 888poker ambassadors Chris Moorman (192,900), Vivian Saliba (68,000), and Dominik Nitsche (59,100) also made the cut. All those that wish to join the action can do so for the first two levels of Day 2, which has just kicked off at 5 p.m. local time.
The blinds are currently 1,200/2,400 with a big blind ante of 2,400, and the starting stack is 100,000. Among those that entered and re-entered before the cards went in the air were 888poker LIVE Barcelona champion Luigi Shehadeh, Jon Gurrutxaga, and 888poker ambassador Daria Feshchenko.
The tournament is scheduled to play down to a champion tonight and the full results will be published on PokerNews the following day.
For the first time, the 888poker LIVE festival is heading to Madrid and the Casino Gran Via right in the centre right next to one of the busiest streets is hosting the first major live poker tournament. The flagship tournament is certainly the €888 Main Event which comes with a guaranteed prize pool of €800,000 and there are four starting days in total.
The first three Day 1s will take place as of 5 p.m. local time as of January 30th, 2020, and the turbo heat 1d follows on Sunday, February 2nd, 2020, as of noon local time with the level duration cut into half.
Today's first starting day will feature a total of 11 levels of 50 minutes each with a break after each two levels. After the end of level four, there will be a 60-minute dinner break and the final three levels of the night will be completed without any break to wrap up the action in the early morning hours.
All participants receive 88,000 in chips and the late registration will remain open for the first two levels on Day 2. During the registration period, unlimited re-entries can be purchased and players can participate in as many Day 1s as they wish to then pick the stack they wish to bring forward to Day 2. It will also be possible to surrender the stack at the end of the registration period and re-enter with a full stack.
Day 1 Level Structure
| Level | Small Blind | Big Blind | Big Blind Ante |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 200 | |
| 2 | 100 | 200 | 200 |
| 3 | 200 | 300 | 300 |
| 4 | 200 | 400 | 400 |
| 5 | 300 | 500 | 500 |
| 6 | 300 | 600 | 600 |
| 7 | 400 | 800 | 800 |
| 8 | 500 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 9 | 600 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| 10 | 800 | 1,600 | 1,600 |
| 11 | 1,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 |
The event features the popular big blind ante format and there is also a 30-second shot clock in play from start-to-finish. Several 888poker ambassadors joined the action on Day 1 of the €2,200 High Roller. On top of that, the guaranteed prize pool and the $12,500 package for the 2020 WSOP Main Event courtesy of event sponsor 888poker will certainly attract poker enthusiasts from near and far.
Stay tuned for all the action right here on PokerNews as the 888poker LIVE kicks off the year with a bang.
€888 Main Event
Day 1a Started
