£888 Main Event
Day 2 Completed
2023 888poker LIVE Coventry
£888 Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 2
2023 888poker LIVE Coventry
Buy-in
£888
Prize Pool
£500,000
Entries
672
Level
29
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
80,000
Entries
165
Players Left
21
Christopher Johnson Takes Control on Day 2 of the 888poker LIVE Coventry Main Event; Harris, Pham Trail Behind
Level 24
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Christopher Johnson spent much of the later part of Day 2 near the top of the leaderboard. He waited until the very end to leap clear of the rest of the 21 remaining players and in an unusual circumstance.
Johnson and Teodor Evstratiev had built a massive pot of around 700,000 heading to the river. Both players slowed down and checked and Johnson turned over just king-high. Evstratiev, disgusted, slammed his cards down and stormed off as Johnson took the decisive pot that made him the chip leader heading to the final day of the £888 888poker LIVE Coventry Main Event.
Johnson had earlier busted Bhavin Khatri with pocket eights on his way to bagging up 3,160,000. His closest challengers tomorrow are Brandon Harris (1,490,000), Evstratiev (1,445,000), Hong Pham (1,400,000), and Fabian Donovan (1,335,000). Harris began his ascent up the leaderboard when he doubled up with queens against Yiannis Liperis, then made a Broadway straight on the river to bust Joe Newby.
Day 2 Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Johnson | United Kingdom | 3,160,000 | 105 |
| 2 | Brandon Harris | United Kingdom | 1,490,000 | 50 |
| 3 | Teodor Evstratiev | Bulgaria | 1,445,000 | 48 |
| 4 | Hong Pham | Vietnam | 1,400,000 | 47 |
| 5 | Fabian Donovan | United Kingdom | 1,335,000 | 45 |
| 6 | Min Ji | United Kingdom | 1,300,000 | 43 |
| 7 | Charles Chattha | United Kingdom | 1,200,000 | 40 |
| 8 | Yiannis Liperis | Cyprus | 1,095,000 | 37 |
| 9 | Carl Shaw | United Kingdom | 1,085,000 | 36 |
| 10 | Ka Wai Man | United Kingdom | 930,000 | 31 |
Pham eliminated 888poker Ambassador Lucia Navarro just inside the money, then took a massive 800,000-chip pot when she flopped a set of kings to bust Paul Vas Nunes. Pham was also responsible for the last bustout of the night, taking out Beihao Wang in 22nd place after hitting a pair of jacks on the river.
Liperis, the Day 1 chip leader, is also still in the hunt with 1,095,000. Carl Shaw already has a WSOP bracelet and a final-table run at EPT Barcelona less than two months ago on his poker resume and will look to add the 888poker LIVE title when he comes back tomorrow with 1,085,000. Jose Aguilera (425,000) and Wendy Watson (390,000), who admitted she was just hoping to make the money, are near the bottom of the leaderboard.
Charles Chattha was on one half of the fortunate end of the wildest hand of the day. Three players, including Chattha, Chuc Khuu, and Cosmin Penescu, were all in before the flop. Chattha and Penescu both had ace-king, while Khuu had jack-ten of diamonds. Khuu flopped a pair of jacks, then picked up a flush draw on the turn. The river, though, brought the last non-diamond ace in the deck as Chattha and Penescu chopped up Khuu’s stack. Chattha ended up with 1,200,000, while Penescu, who also cracked a set of kings by making a straight on the river to double up later, bagged up 805,000.
Day 2 began with 165 players as late registrants boosted the total field to 672, smashing past the £500,000 guarantee. Niall Farrell, Ludovic Geilich, as well as 888poker Ambassadors Ian Simpson and Vivian Saliba, all fell short of the money as only the top 70 would collect a payday.
Francis Obadun ran into aces twice on the bubble to finish in 71st place. Once the bubble burst, Navarro (67th), “Mad Turk” Yucel Eminoglu (58th), Nathan Jones (51st), Gary Miller (47th), and Vas Nunes (46th) all hit the rail, leaving just 21 players still in the hunt for the trophy and £125,000 first prize when Day 3 begins tomorrow at noon local time.
The action picks up on Level 25 with blinds of 15,000-30,000 and a 30,000 big blind ante. The average stack at the start of the day will be just over 30 big blinds, so action should be just as fast as it was to close out Day 2.
PokerNews will be back as the race to the final table is on tomorrow, ending with the crowning of a new 888poker LIVE champion.
End-of-Day Chip Counts
Level 24
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,160,000
1,560,000
|
1,560,000 |
|
||
|
1,490,000
-110,000
|
-110,000 |
|
1,445,000
-655,000
|
-655,000 |
|
1,400,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
1,335,000
385,000
|
385,000 |
|
1,300,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
1,200,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
1,095,000
145,000
|
145,000 |
|
||
|
1,085,000
-15,000
|
-15,000 |
|
||
|
930,000
-20,000
|
-20,000 |
|
810,000
110,000
|
110,000 |
|
805,000
105,000
|
105,000 |
|
800,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
630,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
|
600,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
||
|
565,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
495,000
285,000
|
285,000 |
|
470,000
270,000
|
270,000 |
|
425,000
-25,000
|
-25,000 |
|
||
|
390,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
195,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
Play Concludes
Level 24
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Day 3 has ended with 21 players still in the mix for the title.
Christopher Johnson took the chip lead at the end of the night when, with 700,000 in the middle, he and Teodor Evstratiev checked the river and Johnson showed down K♠5♠ for just king-high. Evstratiev slammed his cards down and stormed away from the table.
Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Chattha's Turn to Double
Level 24
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Jose Aguilera raised to 55,000 on the button before Charles Chattha moved all in for 575,000 in the small blind. Aguilera confirmed the amount before calling.
Charles Chattha: A♠K♣
Jose Aguilera: A♦9♥
Aguilera was dominated heading to the flop, which came 5♠10♦3♣. The 3♦ turn brought some chop outs, but the 2♥ fell on the river.
Chattha's rail erupted in celebration, but he remained silent and accepted the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,100,000
580,000
|
580,000 |
|
|
450,000
-350,000
|
-350,000 |
|
|
||
Beihao Wang Eliminated in 22nd Place (£2,870)
Level 24
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Hong Pham raised to 60,000 on the button before Beihao Wang moved all in for 350,000 in the small blind. Pham tanked for a moment before calling.
Beihao Wang: 10♦9♦
Hong Pham: Q♥J♥
The 2♥8♠4♣ flop didn't help either player, but Wang made a pair on the 9♥ turn. Pham also picked up a flush draw, but she didn't need it as the J♣ arrived on the river to give her a pair of jacks and send Wang to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,000,000
720,000
|
720,000 |
|
Busted |
Ephremsen Drills the River to Survive
Level 24
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Charles Chattha raised to 50,000 in early position, then called when big blind Paul Ephremsen shoved for 270,000.
Paul Ephremsen: 9♥9♣
Charles Chattha: J♦J♣
Chattha was ahead with his jacks heading to the K♠10♥4♠ flop. The K♣ turn left Ephremsen two outs to avoid elimination, and he found one on the 9♠ river as he raised his fist in the air and stopped to snap a photo of the board before collecting his double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
540,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
520,000
-230,000
|
-230,000 |
Dooley Eliminated in 23rd Place (£2,870)
Level 24
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
William McMurray raised to 60,000 under the gun and Carl Shaw called in the hijack. Dooley tossed in his last 10,000 after paying the big blind.
The flop came J♥2♦7♥ and Shaw bet 40,000. McMurray called, then folded to another bet on the 3♠ turn.
Shaw then turned over A♠10♠ and Dooley showed A♥. "I don't want that. Just give me a deuce," Dooley asked, but his other card was the 5♦ and the 3♣ sealed his elimination.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,100,000
400,000
|
400,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
115,000
-95,000
|
-95,000 |
|
|
Busted | |
Oliver Prior Eliminated in 24th Place (£2,870)
Level 24
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Oliver Prior moved all in for around 350,000 on a flop of J♣9♠7♠ and Teodor Evstratiev called.
Oliver Prior: A♣A♠
Teodor Evstratiev: 9♥9♦
Evstratiev had spiked a set to take the lead over Prior's aces, and Prior watched helplessly as the board ran out 10♣6♠ to send him to the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
2,100,000
1,350,000
|
1,350,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Final Three Tables
Level 24
: Blinds 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Beihao Wang | 500,000 |
| 1 | 2 | Brandon Harris | 1,600,000 |
| 1 | 3 | Ka Wai Man | 950,000 |
| 1 | 4 | Tuan Le | 550,000 |
| 1 | 5 | Wendy Watson | 350,000 |
| 1 | 6 | Man Li | 700,000 |
| 1 | 7 | Fabian Donovan | 950,000 |
| 1 | 8 | Hong Pham | 600,000 |
| 2 | 1 | Paul Ephremsen | 330,000 |
| 2 | 2 | Jose Aguilera | 800,000 |
| 2 | 3 | Charles Chattha | 450,000 |
| 2 | 4 | Oliver Prior | 400,000 |
| 2 | 5 | Yiannis Liperis | 950,000 |
| 2 | 6 | Christopher Johnson | 1,600,000 |
| 2 | 7 | Cosmin Penescu | 700,000 |
| 2 | 8 | Teodor Evstratiev | 1,200,000 |
| 3 | 1 | Ryan Otto | 210,000 |
| 3 | 2 | Dooley | 220,000 |
| 3 | 3 | William McMurray | 200,000 |
| 3 | 4 | Shapiur Rahman | 700,000 |
| 3 | 5 | Min Ji | 1,100,000 |
| 3 | 6 | Carl Shaw | 900,000 |
| 3 | 7 | Lin Chen | 200,000 |
| 3 | 8 | Richard Pearson | 400,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,600,000 | |
|
|
1,600,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
1,200,000
450,000
|
450,000 |
|
|
1,100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
950,000
-50,000
|
-50,000 |
|
|
950,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
950,000
-150,000
|
-150,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
900,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
800,000 | |
|
|
||
|
|
700,000
-100,000
|
-100,000 |
|
|
700,000
-200,000
|
-200,000 |
|
|
700,000
-500,000
|
-500,000 |
|
|
600,000
320,000
|
320,000 |
|
|
550,000
-160,000
|
-160,000 |
|
|
500,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
|
450,000
-300,000
|
-300,000 |
|
|
400,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
|
|
400,000
-200,000
|
-200,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
350,000 | |
|
|
330,000
-170,000
|
-170,000 |
|
|
220,000
-480,000
|
-480,000 |
|
|
210,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
200,000
-10,000
|
-10,000 |
|
|
200,000
-220,000
|
-220,000 |