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£1250 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2025 888poker LIVE London
£1250 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
2025 888poker LIVE London
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
Buy-in
£1,250
Prize Pool
£383,500
Total Entries
367
Level
32
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
160,000
Entries
105
Players Left
21
Players Left 1 / 367
Filter
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
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.
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
338,000
58,000
|
58,000 |
|
||
|
300,500
80,500
|
80,500 |
|
264,000
14,000
|
14,000 |
|
184,000
129,000
|
129,000 |
|
177,000
147,000
|
147,000 |
|
158,000
12,000
|
12,000 |
|
153,500
83,500
|
83,500 |
|
138,000
8,000
|
8,000 |
|
133,500
63,500
|
63,500 |
|
131,000
91,000
|
91,000 |
|
123,500
3,500
|
3,500 |
|
121,000
121,000
|
121,000 |
|
90,500
10,500
|
10,500 |
|
85,000 | |
|
82,500
27,500
|
27,500 |
|
78,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
66,000
38,000
|
38,000 |
|
61,500
61,500
|
61,500 |
|
51,500
38,500
|
38,500 |
|
47,000
33,000
|
33,000 |
|
||
|
39,500
10,500
|
10,500 |
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Day 1a has ended with 22 players remaining out of 105 entries.
Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Lucas Alexander moved all in for 45,000 from the hijack and Santino Dean called on the button.
Lucas Alexander: Q♠J♥ 
Santino Dean: 8♥8♦
Alexander was flipping for a spot in Day 2, but he fell far behind when the K♣6♣8♣ flop gave Dean a set. The turn was the 2♣, while the Q♦ arrived on the river too late to save Alexander as he fell short of making it through on one of the last hands of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
220,000
120,000
|
120,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Tournament officials announced that Day 1a will end once each table plays four more hands.
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Heads-up on a flop of 9♠K♣8♠, David McConachie put in his last 40,000 from the small blind and Mitchell Johnson called under the gun.
David McConachie: 7♦6♦
Mitchell Johnson: A♥K♥
Johnson showed top pair, while McConachie was looking to complete a straight draw. The 2♣ was no help, while the J♥ river sent McConachie to the rail in the closing moments of the day.
At the same time at another table, a massive pot was brewing between Javier Zarco and Noam De Frettes. Zarco had bet 25,500 from the hijack on a board of 7♠Q♠K♣2♠A♦, and De Frettes moved all in for 175,000 under the gun.
Zarco took a few minutes until another player at the table called the clock. "It's a 400K pot. Can I think? Do you want to see my hand?" Zarco protested, but a tournament official still began his 30-second countdown.
Zarco eventually threw K♥K♠ into the muck. "Now is the perfect time to shove it in my face and say it was a bad fold," Zarco said to De Frettes, who showed only the A♠ as he took in the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
250,000
70,000
|
70,000 |
|
|
170,000
135,000
|
135,000 |
|
|
130,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Three players saw a flop of 6♥8♣Q♥ where Jack Hardcastle led out for 10,500 from the small blind. Andrew Hulme called in the big blind, as did Ali Abdulzahra in the cutoff.
Action checked to Abdulzahra on the 3♣ turn and he bet 28,000. Only Hulme called, and both players checked down the 4♦ river. Abdulzahra showed Q♠7♠ for top pair, and Hulme mucked.
Abdulzahra had just busted Harry Sandford when he spiked trip nines on the river against Sandford's flopped pair of aces, boosting Abdulzahra up past 300,000 near the end of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
340,000
110,000
|
110,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
85,000
5,000
|
5,000 |
|
|
80,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
Busted | |
Level 14
: Blinds 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
Joe Hindry settled the debate by firing another bullet in the last level of the night, and quickly tangled in a pot against Noam De Frettes.
Heads-up on a flop of 4♦A♣7♥, De Frettes bet 3,500 from the hijack and Hindry called in the big blind.
De Frettes bet another 6,000 on the K♣ turn and Hindry again called. The river was the 8♦ and De Frettes tossed in 75,000, more than enough to put Hindry all in. Hindry quickly folded.
Mitchell Hynam has also fired another bullet and has already built up his stack to around 80,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
180,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
|
80,000
80,000
|
80,000 |
|
|
||
|
18,000
18,000
|
18,000 |
Level: 14
Blinds: 1,500/3,000
Ante: 3,000
