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€888 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2025 888poker LIVE Madrid
€888 Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
2025 888poker LIVE Madrid
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
Players Info - Day 1a
Buy-in
€888
Prize Pool
€306,280
Total Entries
403
Level
33
Blinds
400,000 / 800,000
Ante
800,000
Entries
58
Players Left
28
Players Left 1 / 403
Filter
Level 11
: Blinds 800/1,600, 3,000 ante
The leaderboard at the end of Day 1a of the €888 888poker Live Madrid Main Event features one familiar name.
Manuel Ledesma stood atop the field at this event last year, taking home the trophy and €58,000 top prize. He returned to Casino Gran Via today and picked up right where he left off. He got creative by shoving the turn and forcing Mario Diaz off two aces, showing a pair of jacks and a straight draw as he took the pot and began to assemble a massive stack. He ended up with 222,000 and in second chip position among the 28 surviving players.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borja Diaz | Spain | 231,000 | 116 |
| 2 | Manuel Ledesma | Spain | 222,000 | 111 |
| 3 | Estanis Perez | Spain | 189,000 | 95 |
| 4 | Justinas Fiseris | Lithuania | 174,000 | 87 |
| 5 | Yurii Zabrodotskyi | Ukraine | 157,000 | 79 |
| 6 | Gavin Keane | Ireland | 155,000 | 78 |
| 7 | Roman Isaienko | Ukraine | 152,000 | 76 |
| 8 | Abraham Serrano | Spain | 150,500 | 75 |
| 9 | Alvaro Murciano | Spain | 146,000 | 73 |
| 10 | Oleksii Shchukin | Ukraine | 141,000 | 71 |
Ledesma is looking up only at Borja Diaz, who was also at that final table a year ago where he finished in fourth place. Diaz bagged up 231,000 to take the chip lead as he looks for another deep run. Estanis Perez knocked out last year’s high roller champion Stefan Cupic when he called a river shove with a full house and Cupic only showed ace-high; Perez also busted Nazariy Piznak by rivering the nut flush, finishing with 189,000 and the third-biggest stack. Justinas Fiseris (174,000) and Yurii Zabrodotskyi (157,000) round out the top five.
Abraham Serrano was on the right side of the biggest pot of the early levels today. He flopped top set as he and Mourad Mengouchi got all their chips in the middle with around 150,000 at stake. Mengouchi turned a flush, but Serrano spiked quads on the river to knock out the former big stack in stunning fashion. Serrano rode that momentum to the end of the day, bagging up 150,500.
Other players to make it through the day included Gavin Keane (155,000), Oleksii Shchukin (141,000), David McConachie (65,000), Michael Uguccioni (44,500), last year’s runner-up Juan Lyons (36,000), and Jorge Ufano (16,000).
A total of 58 players took to the felt on the first starting flight today. Ian Simpson was the only member of the 888poker team to begin their tournament today, but he didn’t last long and will have to try again on another bullet over the coming days.
Day 1b begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time. All surviving players from the four starting flights combine for Day 2 on January 18 at 5 p.m.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow following all the action and providing updates as another crop of players take their shot at the title here in Madrid.
Level 11
: Blinds 800/1,600, 3,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
231,000
9,000
|
9,000 |
|
||
|
222,000
13,000
|
13,000 |
|
||
|
189,000
39,000
|
39,000 |
|
174,000
64,000
|
64,000 |
|
157,000
3,000
|
3,000 |
|
155,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
|
152,000
97,000
|
97,000 |
|
150,500
40,500
|
40,500 |
|
146,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
|
141,000
39,000
|
39,000 |
|
115,500 | |
|
107,500 | |
|
106,000
6,000
|
6,000 |
|
100,500 | |
|
91,000
31,000
|
31,000 |
|
88,000 | |
|
|
68,000
12,000
|
12,000 |
|
65,000 | |
|
|
64,500 | |
|
|
55,000 | |
|
53,000
27,000
|
27,000 |
|
|
49,000 | |
|
46,000
46,000
|
46,000 |
|
44,500
15,500
|
15,500 |
|
36,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
Level 11
: Blinds 800/1,600, 3,000 ante
Day 1a has ended with approximately 30 players remaining.
Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 11
: Blinds 800/1,600, 3,000 ante
Yurii Zabrodotskiy raised to 3,500 in middle positon, Gavin Keane three-bet to 13,500 in the small blind, and Zabrodotskiy called.
Keane checked the 7♣5♥4♦ flop and Zabrodotskiy bet 7,500. Keane called and checked again on the K♥ turn. Zabrodotskiy bet 28,000 this time, and Keane quickly folded.
The next hand, Keane three-bet to 8,700 on the button and David McConachie moved all in for 29,200 in the small blind. Keane took a minute before calling.
David McConachie: K♠Q♦ 
Gavin Keane: A♣9♠
McConachie took the lead on the K♣9♦4♠ flop with a pair of kings, while the rest of the board came 7♣2♠ to earn him a double up on one of the last hands of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
160,000 | |
|
|
130,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
|
65,000
25,000
|
25,000 |
Level 11
: Blinds 800/1,600, 3,000 ante
Tournament officials announced that the day will end once the tables complete three more hands.
Level 11
: Blinds 800/1,600, 3,000 ante
Justinas Fiseris bet 4,600 from under the gun on a flop of 8♣2♠5♥ and Michael Uguccioni called in the small blind.
Fiseris bet 20,000 on the J♦ turn and Uguccioni moved all in for 20,300. Fiseries put in the extra chips and turned over A♣4♣ for a straight draw, while Uguccioni had 2♥2♦ for a set.
The river was the 9♥ and Uguccioni doubled up.
At the same table, Borja Diaz has climbed past 200,000 and is in contention for the chip lead approaching the end of the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
240,000
110,000
|
110,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
110,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
|
|
60,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
Level 11
: Blinds 800/1,600, 3,000 ante
Estanis Perez raised to 3,200 in early position and Alvaro Murciano called in the small blind. Vitalii Melnychuk then moved all in for 36,000 in the big blind and Perez quickly folded, but Murciano took a minute before calling.
Vitalii Melnychuk: A♣7♠
Alvaro Murciano: K♥Q♥
Melnychuk got up from his seat and leaned over the table recording the action on his phone as the flop came J♦4♥4♣. The 2♠ fell on the turn to leave Melnychuk one card from a double up.
"Seven," he pleaded, and he got his wish as the 7♣ fell on the river to earn him the double up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
150,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
|
150,000 | |
|
|
80,000
55,000
|
55,000 |
Level: 11
Blinds: 800/1,600
Ante: 3,000
Level 10
: Blinds 600/1,200, 2,500 ante
Ivan Bozhenko relayed a hand he played earlier this level.
According to Bozhenko, he limped in from the small blind with 9♥6♥, the big blind raised to 3,200, and Bozhenko called.
The flop came K♣8♦6♦ and the big blind continued for 2,800. Bozhenko called to the 5♥ turn, where his opponent bet another 4,200. Bozhenko again called.
The 7♠ fell on the river to give Bozhenko a straight and he moved all in for around 20,000. His opponent folded and Bozhenko took the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
40,000
40,000
|
40,000 |
