Terelle Tavares Takes Commanding Lead on Day 1b of 888poker UKPL Coventry Main Event
Halfway through Day 1b of the £100,000 guaranteed 888poker UK Poker League Coventry £560 Main Event, Terelle Tavares eliminated YouTube star and 888poker ambassador Jack "JaackMaate" Dean from the tournament. Tavaras and Dean were two of the 80 entries at Grosvenor Casino inside the Coventry Building Society Arena, but only Tavaras was one of the 12 players bagging up at the end of the night.
The huge pot netted Tavaras the chiplead at the time, and he held on to it for seven more levels, ending with a massive stack of 857,000, more than 17 starting stacks and good for 86 big blinds at the start of Day 2. Ryan Seary follows in second with 598,000 in chips, while Ciaran McCullagh completes the podium with a stack of 350,000.
Meanwhile, Ian Simpson was the only member of Team 888 to make it through on Day 1b, placing seventh with 294,000 in chips. Other UK regulars who will return for Day 2 include Wantao Tang, Arian Kashani, and £1,100 High Roller final tableists Harry Sandford and Ian Burr.
End of Day 1b Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Day 2 Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terelle Tavares | United Kingdom | 857,000 | 86 |
| 2 | Ryan Seary | United Kingdom | 598,000 | 60 |
| 3 | Ciaran McCullagh | United Kingdom | 350,000 | 35 |
| 4 | Andrew Lam | Canada | 348,000 | 35 |
| 5 | Mark Wates | United Kingdom | 315,000 | 32 |
| 6 | Wantao Tang | United Kingdom | 314,000 | 31 |
| 7 | Ian Simpson | United Kingdom | 294,000 | 29 |
| 8 | Mihail Zglavoci | United Kingdom | 233,000 | 23 |
| 9 | Arian Kashani | United Kingdom | 196,000 | 20 |
| 10 | Keith Tuckley | United Kingdom | 185,000 | 19 |
| 11 | Harry Sandford | United Kingdom | 156,000 | 16 |
| 12 | Ian Burr | United Kingdom | 151,000 | 15 |
Dean was not the only notable to hit the rail on Day 1b, as he was joined at the rail by fellow 888poker ambassadors Nick Eastwood and Josh Manley. 2024 UKPL Coventry champion Jamie Morris showed up to defend his title but fell just before the end of late registration.
Michael Rolt, Thomas Clack, Keith Johnson, and Stefan Lazar also jumped in after making the final table of the High Roller, but failed to join Sandford and Burr in making it to the end of the night.
Those not among the last 12 players will have one more shot at making it to Day 2, as Day 1d, the final starting flight of the Main Event, will get underway tomorrow, Saturday, October 15, at noon local time. Like Day 1b, Day 1d will play 15 40-minute levels, with those standing at the end of play bagging up for Day 2, which will take place on Sunday at noon. The evening flight Day 1c was still playing out at the time of writing; the chip counts from that flight will be posted below this recap before Day 1d gets underway.
PokerNews will be back on the floor for Day 1d to provide full coverage, so tune back in tomorrow for all the latest from the 888poker UKPL Coventry Main Event.