Team 888poker Well Represented on Day 2 of the 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event
Sprinkled within the 74 players returning for Day 2 of the €888 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event at 5:30 p.m. local time are three players flying the banner for 888poker.
Ian Simpson flew in overnight to Bucharest, took his seat in this tournament, and proceeded to build up a stack of 312,000 heading into Day 2. Fellow 888poker Ambassador Lucia Navarro takes 106,000 into the event’s penultimate day, while Stream Team member Ricardo Freire Mateus has 124,000.
They and the rest of the field are chasing Nicolae Balea, who flirted with 800,000 at one point yesterday before ending up with 663,000. Marius Gicovanu (582,000), Alexandru Marcu (486,000), Andrii Zaika (449,500), and Nicolae Bordianu (432,000) round out the top five.
Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolae Balea | Romania | 663,000 | 166 |
| 2 | Marius Gicovanu | Romania | 582,000 | 146 |
| 3 | Alexandru Marcu | Romania | 486,000 | 122 |
| 4 | Andrii Zaika | Ukraine | 449,500 | 112 |
| 5 | Nicolae Bordianu | Romania | 432,000 | 108 |
| 6 | Vasile Zagon | Romania | 427,500 | 107 |
| 7 | Gregory Telman | Israel | 410,000 | 103 |
| 8 | Valentin Dumitrache | Romania | 350,000 | 88 |
| 9 | Gusti Sas | Romania | 348,000 | 87 |
| 10 | Abel Aspas | Spain | 342,000 | 86 |
Other big stacks include 2022 888poker LIVE Madrid champion Abel Aspas (342,000), EPT Paris champion Razvan Belea (291,000), Valentin Cristea (233,500), and Patrick Bueno (183,000).
The 74 survivors from the first three opening flights are all that are left from a field that drew 182 total entries. They’ll be joined by players from a turbo Day 1d flight that began at 11 a.m., as well as any new arrivals with late registration remaining open until the start of Day 2. The structure remains the same from the Day 1 flights, with 11 45-minute levels. Blinds pick up on level 12 at 2,000-4,000 and a 4,000 big blind ante.
The money bubble and final table await the remaining players, and PokerNews will be on hand providing live updates from the Poker Room Bucharest in the heart of the Romanian capital.