Arun Sood Kicks Off 888poker Live's Return to London in Style by Bagging Day 1a Chip Lead
Grosvenor Victoria Casino got to show off its new look today, and a star-studded field took advantage of the enhanced hospitality on Day 1a of the 888poker Live London Main Event.
A total of 105 players entered the first of three starting flights, but only 21 managed to secure a spot in Day 2. Arun Sood ran away with the chip lead at the end of the day, finishing with 338,000 chips. Sood went on a late rush in the final levels of the day, including busting Reza Mostafavita in a massive pot where Mostafavita got his last 76,000 in on the flop after Sood bet 32,000 in the dark. Sood called with ace-high and spiked a pair of kings on the turn to beat Mostafavita’s pair of deuces.
“Having fun?” tablemate Andrei Teodorescu asked him.
“Of course. Always,” Sood replied, and he had good reason to enjoy himself today after bagging up an early lead.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arun Sood | United Kingdom | 338,000 | 113 |
| 2 | Santino Dean | United Kingdom | 300,500 | 100 |
| 3 | Noam De Frettes | United Kingdom | 264,000 | 88 |
| 4 | Khanh Nguyen | United Kingdom | 184,000 | 61 |
| 5 | Gang Wang | United Kingdom | 177,000 | 59 |
| 6 | Mitchell Johnson | United Kingdom | 158,000 | 53 |
| 7 | Andrei Teodorescu | Romania | 153,500 | 51 |
| 8 | Javier Zarco | Spain | 138,000 | 46 |
| 9 | Haoran Dai | United Kingdom | 133,500 | 45 |
| 10 | Geoffrey Mooney | Australia | 131,000 | 44 |
Santino Dean (300,500), Noam De Frettes (264,000), Khanh Nguyen (184,000), and Gang Wang (177,000) round out the top five. Others to advance include Javier Zarco (138,000), Jack Hardcastle (90,500), Andrew Hulme (85,000), poker author Alex O'Brien (82,500), and WSOP bracelet winner Mitchell Hynam (47,500).
Several members of the 888poker team took their shot at the title today, but none of them were able to move on. Lucia Navarro, Nick Eastwood, Aaron Barone, Ian Simpson, Ricardo Mateus, and Jack “JaackMaate” Dean were all sent to the rail and will have to try again tomorrow. Other notable casualties included defending champion David McConachie, Spanish YouTuber Inaki Angulo, 888poker Live Madrid runner-up Alvaro Murciano, and NPL points leader Thomas Clack.
Day 1b begins tomorrow at noon local time as another crop of hopefuls gets their turn. There is also a turbo Day 1c flight at 8 p.m. featuring 20-minute levels. Late registration remains open until the start of Day 2 on September 13 at noon, with unlimited reentries available.
It's been a long two years since 888poker Live came to the heart of London, but it's already been a triumphant return. PokerNews will be back inside the newly-renovated Vic tomorrow providing live updates from Day 1b of the Main Event.