Baena Tops Day 1a in Barcelona; Razavi and Abernathy Advance With Bigger Stacks
The 2022 888poker LIVE Barcelona €1,100 Main Event created a field of 94 entries on the first of four starting days. Once ten levels at Casino Barcelona had wrapped up in the early morning hours, only 39 players bagged their chips for the night. Among them were several 888poker ambassadors but it was a local Catalan player who eventually topped the leaderboard.
Alex Baena I Carrasco made the most of a late rush in which he dominated with a big stack and bagged up 213,300. He is followed by WSOP bracelet winner Melika Razavi, who was one of several participants to take advantage of the re-entry option. The decision to jump back in led to two quick double ups and she eventually secured a very healthy stack of 176,500, putting her in second place on the leaderboard.
Big stacks also belong to Gerard Rubiralta (150,600), Max Avela (128,500), Danny Pyke (120,200), and Tobias Revenas (112,000), all of which can be found in the overnight top ten. The same feat was achieved by 888poker ambassador Samantha Abernathy (106,800), and 2022 888poker LIVE London champion Bhavin Khatri (95,400).
2022 888poker LIVE Barcelona €1,100 Main Event Day 1a Top 10 Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds Day 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Baena I Carrasco | Spain | 213,300 | 178 |
| 2 | Melika Razavi | Iran | 176,500 | 147 |
| 3 | Gerard Rubiralta | Spain | 150,600 | 126 |
| 4 | Max Avela | Finland | 128,500 | 107 |
| 5 | Xavier Sandoval Riba | Spain | 121,500 | 101 |
| 6 | Jordi Mataix Manauta | Spain | 120,200 | 100 |
| 7 | Danny Pyke | United Kingdom | 120,200 | 100 |
| 8 | Tobias Revenas | Sweden | 112,000 | 93 |
| 9 | Sam Abernathy | United States | 106,800 | 89 |
| 10 | Bhavin Khatri | United Kingdom | 95,400 | 80 |
Other notables through after the first starting day include Harcharan Dogra Dogra, €2,200 High Roller winner James Crawley-Boevey, Ian Simpson, Sergio Alonso Camunas, Mitchell Hynam, Kami Hudson, Alin Grasu, and Tomasz Brzezinski.
Abernathy wasn't the only 888poker ambassador to advance on Day 1a, as Alexandre Mantovani (62,100), Stream Team Member Rene Majed (33,200), and Vivian Saliba (23,700) will certainly be back for Day 2 on Sunday, May 22, 2022. Not as fortunate were Joshua Manley and Jordan Banfield as both 888poker sponsored streamers were among the casualties throughout the ten 45-minute levels.
Maria Ho bubbled the €5,300 Super High Roller and her spell in the €1,100 Main Event was short-lived as well. After losing a coin flip to Abernathy, she lost the remaining chips shortly after but promised to be back for the following starting day. The most expensive tournament of the schedule at Casino Barcelona brought nine entries and Dan "Jungleman" Cates earned the top prize of €33,000 after defeating Ivan Stokes (€10,200) in heads-up.
Online streamer Majed tussled with the 888poker ambassadors Mantovani and Saliba throughout the first half of the day and his stack went on a roller coaster ride. Eventually, the German was knocked out and he opted to re-enter late while racking up just a small profit thereafter. Abernathy followed the same path after she joined mid-way through the day but after winning the aforementioned flip against Ho, she scored another double with aces versus kings.
All those that didn't make it through just yet have another three starting days from May 20 to 22 with the final flight boasting a reduced level duration of 20 minutes ahead of the restart for Day 2. The late registration will remain open for another two levels on May 22 for all those seeking to enter the fray.
Day 1b will get underway at 6pm local time on May 20. Stay tuned for more live poker action from Barcelona, as the PokerNews team will provide updates throughout the entire €1,100 Main Event.
flop invested between Meir Avigal and Danny Pyke, the former then got the rest of it in after the 
turn only to get instantly looked up by Pyke.
river.
against the 
of Francisco Pulido Castillo in a preflop contest. The 
board delivered no help to the German.
flop gave Abernathy the top set but she had to endure a sweat after the 
turn. Nothing changed anymore on the 
river and Abernathy scored another double-up.
river completed the board.
to reduce the field by one.
for a pair of aces and busted nut flush draw.
but Majed held the superior pair in 
.