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€888 Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2025 888poker LIVE Barcelona
€888 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
2025 888poker LIVE Barcelona
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1b
Buy-in
€888
Prize Pool
€345,462
Total Entries
459
Level
35
Blinds
250,000 / 500,000
Ante
500,000
Entries
102
Players Left
24
Players Left 1 / 459
Filter
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
The team was out in full force on Day 1b of the 888poker Live Barcelona Main Event, but only two members managed to find a bag by the end of the night.
Aaron Barone doubled up with aces against Jordi Conejos’ ace-queen right before the last break of the day, then made a full house to bust Pol Vila as the new father ended the day with 349,500, good for fourth place on the leaderboard. “My first bag of the year. Write it’s more than Vivian Saliba,” Barone said at the conclusion of play.
Saliba was behind Barone on the leaderboard, but she was still among the top stacks among the 24 surviving players. Saliba was down to her last card near the end of the day in a classic preflop race against Vila’s queens, but she found an ace on the river to double up on her way to bagging 299,500.
Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Hoidahl | Norway | 451,000 | 90 |
| 2 | Tiago Luis | Portugal | 428,000 | 86 |
| 3 | Razvan Morar | Romania | 396,500 | 79 |
| 4 | Aaron Barone | United States | 349,500 | 70 |
| 5 | Iwan Molina | Spain | 337,500 | 68 |
| 6 | Vivian Saliba | Brazil | 299,500 | 60 |
| 7 | Pol Bellmunt | Spain | 276,500 | 55 |
| 8 | [Removed:516] | Belgium | 270,000 | 54 |
| 9 | Koen De Visscher | Belgium | 221,000 | 44 |
| 10 | Bogdan Pop | Ireland | 215,000 | 43 |
She and Barone are both looking up at chip leader Dan Hoidahl. Hoidahl began his ascent to the top when he hit quad deuces to score a knockout. He turned a set of tens to beat Alberto Gago’s rivered pair of kings for another knockout, then spiked a set of nines to bust Yakiv Syzghanov. “It’s your day,” tablemate Bogdan Pop told him as Hoidahl finished with a massive stack of 451,000.
Tiago Luis (428,000), 888poker Live Bucharest champion Razvan Morar (396,500), and Iwan Molina (337,500) round out the top five. Others to book their tickets for Day 2 included Pol Bellmunt (276,500), Koen De Visscher (221,000), who managed to avoid losing a massive cooler right at the end of the day this time, Pop (215,000), YouTuber Inaki Angulo (197,500), High Roller champion Sergi Escote (145,000), and 2017 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Marti Roca (145,000).
Players to bust over the course of the day included 888poker team members Nick Eastwood, Ricardo Mateus, Jack “Jaack Maate” Dean, and Ian Simpson, as well as Brazilian brothers Leo and Lua Jokura, 888poker Live Madrid runner-up Alvaro Murciano, David Hu, and Jack Hardcastle. They’ll have to try again on another flight if they want to take a shot at the title.
Day 1b attracted 102 entries to Casino Barcelona, bringing the total field up to 161 through the first two starting flights. A total of 34 players have already advanced to Day 2. Day 1c begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time and is expected to be the biggest flight. There is also a turbo Day 1d flight at 11 a.m. on May 17, while late registration remains open until the start of Day 2 at 5 p.m. that day so the field is likely to grow much larger before the prize pool is confirmed.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow for what promises to be a packed third starting day.
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Day 1b has ended with 24 players remaining out of 102 entries. They'll join the 10 survivors from the opening flight on Day 2 at 5 p.m. on May 17.
Stay tuned for full chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Sandor Hadnagy raised to 18,000 in early position and [Removed:516] moved all in for 130,000 in the small blind. Hadnagy went into the tank for several minutes as he considered the decision.
"Come on. Every hand you do this," Pol Bellmunt told him. Hadnagy eventually called to put [Removed:516] at risk.
[Removed:516]: K♠10♠ 
Sandor Hadnagy: A♠Q♦
Hadnagy hit top pair on the Q♣J♣5♥ flop, while the rest of the board ran out 9♠A♦. [Removed:516] got up to leave and the dealer mucked his cards, and it took a tournament official to come by and point out that [Removed:516] had actually made a straight on the turn to win the pot and double up.
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Juan Rodriguez moved all in for 40,000 from early position, Sergi Escote reshoved in middle position, and the rest of the table got out of the way.
Juan Rodriguez: A♠4♣
Sergi Escote: 9♠9♣
The 9♦ fell in the window as Escote spiked a set, followed by 6♠8♥. The A♦ turn came too late to save Rodriguez, while the river was the 4♦ as Rodriguez made his exit.
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Aaron Barone jumped up into the ranks of the chip leaders near the end of the night and filled in the details.
According to Barone, he raised to 10,000 under the gun and Pol Vila moved all in for 70,000 in the big blind. Barone called with king-ten, while Vila had pocket fives. Barone hit two pair on the Kx10x2x flop, while a Jx fell on the turn and another Kx on the river to give Barone a full house and the knockout.
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Tournament officials drew for the number of hands to play the rest of the night, and it came up seven as a loud groan went around the remaining players.
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Pere Estatuet raised to 11,000 under the gun, Sergi Escote moved all in for 50,000 in the big blind, and Estatuet called.
Sergi Escote: A♥A♠
Pere Estatuet: 10♥10♣
Escote had picked up aces and improved to a set on the A♣7♣6♠ flop, but Estatuet picked up a flush draw on the 8♣ turn. The 8♠ fell on the river and Escote, who won the High Roller yesterday for €25,000, improved to a full house and earned a late-night double up.
Level 14
: Blinds 2,500/5,000, 5,000 ante
Niculina Grasu moved all in for 44,000 under the gun and only Valeriu Pelinschii called on the button.
Niculina Grasu: A♥K♥
Valeriu Pelinschii: 7♣7♠
Grasu was racing for her tournament life in the closing moments of the day, while Pelinschii also had most of his stack in the middle. The flop came K♠4♠5♦ and Grasu pulled ahead with top pair. Pelinschii picked up a straight draw on the 6♣ turn, but he missed the 5♥ river and Grasu doubled up.
