€560 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2024 888poker LIVE Bucharest
€560 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
2024 888poker LIVE Bucharest
Buy-in
€560
Prize Pool
€200,000
Entries
406
Level
33
Blinds
150,000 / 300,000
Ante
300,000
Entries
110
Players Left
34
Ran Shahar Sets the Pace After Day 1a of €560 Main Event
Level 12
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
The sun was shining at 888poker LIVE Bucharest, where action inside set a solid tone for the €560 Main Event. The first of four opening flights saw a total of 110 entries, a strong start on the way to reaching the guaranteed €200,000 prize pool at 888poker Room Bucharest.
After the opening 12 levels of play, Ran Shahar leads the field of 34 survivors with a stack of 427,500 chips. That is good for 214 big blinds, setting the pace with a sizeable lead over Romania’s Cristian Tabac (366,000).
Tabac, one of eight Romanians inside the top 10 after Day 1a, was responsible for one of the last eliminations of the night when his pocket aces held for a big boost to his stack. Shahar also used aces to build his lead earlier in the day, beating the pocket kings of Ion Naicu and growing his collection of chips from that point on.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ran Shahar | Israel | 427,500 | 214 |
| 2 | Cristian Tabac | Romania | 366,000 | 183 |
| 3 | Jack Sharpe | United Kingdom | 336,000 | 168 |
| 4 | Dumitru Barta | Romania | 335,000 | 168 |
| 5 | Gheorghe Alexutan | Romania | 326,500 | 163 |
| 6 | Andreas Popa | Romania | 281,000 | 141 |
| 7 | Bogdan Angelescu | Romania | 241,500 | 121 |
| 8 | Radu Buican | Romania | 235,000 | 118 |
| 9 | Marin Cocea | Romania | 213,500 | 107 |
| 10 | Florian Tone | Romania | 193,000 | 97 |
Among the notable names to survive the opening day is Luc Bazley, bagging up 112,000 to sit in 20th position. Bazley is trying to keep his momentum going in Bucharest, having already earned a pair of titles this week in the Romanian capital.
Dumitru Barta sits inside the top five, consistently building his way to a stack of 335,000 at the end of the night. Also in the group of survivors are 888poker qualifiers Jack Sharpe and Laurentiu Paunas, both looking to spin their way into a big payday in the Main Event.
All those who failed to survive the day can still choose to take advantage of unlimited reentries, with late registration remaining open until the start of Day 2.
There are still three Main Event starting flights, starting with Day 1b on Thursday, March 21. Players will once again face a total of twelve 45-minute levels, with the same structure being followed for Day 1c on Friday, March 22. The turbo Day 1d flight, also on Friday, features 20-minute levels. All surviving players will bring their bags back for Day 2 on Saturday, March 23, before the series crowns a winner on Sunday, March 24.
Day 1b of the Main Event begins at 5 p.m. local time, with players sitting down with 50,000 chips and blinds of 100/100 with a 100 big blind ante.
The PokerNews team will be there to report on all of the exciting action, as players continue to take their shot at the largest part of the €200,000 prize pool in Bucharest.
End of Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 12
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
427,500
223,500
|
223,500 |
|
||
|
366,000
98,000
|
98,000 |
|
336,000
134,000
|
134,000 |
|
335,000
17,000
|
17,000 |
|
326,500
203,500
|
203,500 |
|
|
281,000
114,000
|
114,000 |
|
|
241,500
-2,500
|
-2,500 |
|
|
235,000
-10,000
|
-10,000 |
|
|
213,500
213,500
|
213,500 |
|
|
193,000
19,500
|
19,500 |
|
188,000
64,500
|
64,500 |
|
178,000
-46,000
|
-46,000 |
|
172,500
-13,500
|
-13,500 |
|
167,000
167,000
|
167,000 |
|
163,000
42,000
|
42,000 |
|
162,500
-58,500
|
-58,500 |
|
147,500
84,500
|
84,500 |
|
|
137,000
9,000
|
9,000 |
|
120,000
73,500
|
73,500 |
|
112,000
-61,000
|
-61,000 |
|
108,500
108,500
|
108,500 |
|
100,000
100,000
|
100,000 |
|
98,000
98,000
|
98,000 |
|
92,500
92,500
|
92,500 |
|
83,000
1,000
|
1,000 |
Day 1a Concludes
Level 12
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
After playing the final three hands of the night, players are bagging and tagging for Day 2.
A total of 34 players will return on Saturday, where they'll be joined by survivors of the other three opening flights.
Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of the day.
Late Eliminations on Day 1a
Level 12
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Sergiu Covrig was at risk against Cristian Tabac, with the cards on their backs.
Sergiu Covrig: 10♣10♦ 
Cristian Tabac: A♥A♦
Covrig could not find any help on the Q♠9♠3♠4♠7♣ runout, ending his night just before bagging for Day 2.
At a nearby table, Alexandru Tarcau's A♥Q♥ was defeated by Radu Buican's A♠3♠, who found a three on the flop to score the late knockout.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
268,000
130,000
|
130,000 |
|
|
245,000
148,000
|
148,000 |
|
Busted | |
|
||
|
|
Busted | |
Tone Takes From Gujabidze
Level 12
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Florian Tone opened to 4,500 from middle position and made the call after David Gujabidze three-bet to 16,000 in the small blind.
Gujabidze led out for 8,000 on the 3♥10♠Q♥ flop, with Tone calling to see the Q♣ turn. Gujabidze fired again, this time for 17,000 and Tone found another call.
The J♦ river saw both players check, with Gujabidze showing down A♣10♦ for two pair. Tone turned over J♣10♥ for a better two pair on the river, raking in a sizeable pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
173,500
173,500
|
173,500 |
|
|
82,000
82,000
|
82,000 |
Streaming Dreams: Join Nick Eastwood on the 888poker Stream Team
Level 12
: Blinds 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Happy memories came flooding back for Nick "eastyyy22" Eastwood when he saw 888poker had launched its Stream On contest, with the online poker giant searching for a new member of the 888poker Stream Team.
Eastwood joined the 888poker Stream Team in July 2021, and he cannot wait to be one of the first to welcome in the newest addition to the team.
Level: 12
Blinds: 1,000/2,000
Ante: 2,000
Counts Ahead of Last Level
Level 11
: Blinds 800/1,600, 1,600 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
318,000
222,000
|
222,000 |
|
|
244,000
244,000
|
244,000 |
|
|
224,000
93,000
|
93,000 |
|
|
221,000
-91,000
|
-91,000 |
|
|
202,000
202,000
|
202,000 |
|
|
186,000
-18,000
|
-18,000 |
|
174,000
102,500
|
102,500 |
|
|
167,000
85,000
|
85,000 |
Popa Busts to Bazley
Level 11
: Blinds 800/1,600, 1,600 ante
Rares Popa opened from under the gun and was called by Luc Bazley in middle position. Gheorghe Alexutan then slid out a three-bet to 10,000 from the big blind.
Popa responded by moving all in, followed by Bazley shoving his larger stack. Alexutan showed a pained look on his face as he folded, and the cards were turned up.
Rares Popa: A♣7♣
Luc Bazley: A♥K♠
Popa was behind from the start, with the 2♥K♦9♦8♣8♦ runout bringing an end to his fourth entry of the day.
Bazley took down another nice pot, while Alexutan reached for his mucked cards to show the table Q♦10♦ for a folded flush.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
173,000
41,000
|
41,000 |
|
|
123,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
|
Busted |