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£2,000 High Roller
Day 1 Completed
2026 888LIVE London
£2,000 High Roller
Day: 1
Players Left 25 / 80
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Chip Counts
Chip Counts
1
674,000
Level 12
: Blinds 25,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
For much of Day 1 of the 888LIVE London £2,000 High Roller, Andrew Hulme seemed unstoppable.
The UK poker superstar spiked a set on the river to bust Antoine Saout. He then hit a straight on the turn to overcome Igor D’Ursel’s top set, leaving the rest of the table stunned by how hot he was running. Hulme moved up past 900,000 and was poised to end the night as commanding chip leader, but Martin Kopernicky put a stop to his relentless charge.
Kopernicky hit a flush on the river to double up off Hulme and finish the night in second place with 674,000. BP, though, is the man to beat as 18 players survived the event’s opening day. He ended up with 1,010,000 and was the only player above the million-chip mark. BP has more than $260,000 in career earnings, including a run to the final table of EPT Monte Carlo a decade ago.
Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BP | United Kingdom | 1,010,000 | 168 |
| 2 | Martin Kopernicky | Slovakia | 674,000 | 112 |
| 3 | Alexios Zervos | Greece | 600,000 | 100 |
| 4 | Bryan Taylor | United Kingdom | 528,000 | 88 |
| 5 | Andrew Hulme | United Kingdom | 467,000 | 78 |
| 6 | John Duthie | United Kingdom | 456,000 | 76 |
| 7 | Iosif Spulber | United Kingdom | 317,000 | 53 |
| 8 | Alper Gocer | United Kingdom | 312,000 | 52 |
| 9 | Pascal Pflock | Germany | 278,000 | 46 |
| 10 | Joe Hindry | United Kingdom | 273,000 | 46 |
Alexios Zervos, helped by a massive three-way all in where he spiked a flush, rounded out the podium with 600,000. Hulme, meanwhile, slid down from his once-lofty heights to 467,000. Bryan Taylor busted three times, twice holding two aces, but made the most of his fourth bullet to finish with 528,000.
UK poker legend John Duthie (456,000), Pascal Pflock (278,000), Joe Hindry (273,000), Brandon Sheils (254,000), Youness Barakat (190,000), and Arthur Conan (147,000) also survived the day. Lucia Navarro was the lone member of the 888 team to make it to Day 2, bagging up 126,000. Ian Simpson and Vivian Saliba, meanwhile, were sent to the rail over the course of the day, as were Julien Sitbon and Philippe Souki.
A total of 64 players came to the Grosvenor Victoria Casino today, already surpassing the £100,000 guaranteed prize pool. That number should grow as late registration remains open until the start of Day 2 tomorrow. The 18 survivors plus any new arrivals will return at noon local time to play down to a champion. The action picks up on Level 13 with blinds of 3,000/6,000 and a 6,000 big blind ante.
PokerNews will be back following all the action tomorrow down to the crowning of a champion, so stay tuned for live updates.
Level 12
: Blinds 25,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Level 12
: Blinds 25,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Day 1a has ended with 18 players remaining out of 64 entries.
Stay tuned for chip counts and a recap of the day's action.
Level 12
: Blinds 25,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Arthur Conan raised to 10,000 in the hijack before John Duthie three-bet to 40,000 on the button. Ishaq Ilaj then moved all in for 80,000 in the small blind, and only Duthie called.
Ishaq Ilaj: Q♦3♥ 
John Duthie: A♥Q♠
Ilaj picked up a flush draw going to the river on a board of 8♥5♦7♦2♦, but Duthie instead improved to top pair with the A♣ to send Ilaj to the rail.
Level 12
: Blinds 25,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Masaru Watanabe moved all in for 76,500 in the big blind and Lucia Navarro called in the cutoff.
Masaru Watanabe: A♣10♥
Lucia Navarro: 10♦10♠
Navarro remained ahead on the Q♥6♥J♠ flop, but the K♥ turn improved Watanabe to a straight. The river was the 7♣, and Watanabe doubled up.
Level 12
: Blinds 25,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Andrew Hulme raised to 10,000 in the hijack and Alper Gocer called in the cutoff. Martin Kopernicky then three-bet to 42,000 in the small blind, and only Gocer called.
Kopernicky continued for 20,000 on the Q♠J♦10♣ flop, and Gocer called. Both players then checked the 4♠ turn.
The river was the 7♥ and Kopernicky bet 100,000. Gocer quickly folded.
Level 12
: Blinds 25,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Tournament officials announced that players will see six more hands before bagging up their chips for the night.
Level 12
: Blinds 25,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Youness Barakat raised to 10,000 under the gun and BP called in the big blind.
Both players checked the 2♣Q♥4♠ flop. Barakat then bet 12,000 on the 2♥ turn, and BP called.
The river was the J♥ and BP led out for 14,000. Barakat called, and BP showed Q♦2♦ for a full house to win the pot as he moved up past 900,000.
Level 12
: Blinds 25,000/5,000, 5,000 ante
Arthur Conan moved all in for 78,500 from under the gun, Ishaq Ilaj reshoved on the button, and the rest of the table folded.
Arthur Conan: A♠Q♠
Ishaq Ilaj: A♥J♣
Ilaj took the lead on the J♠9♣2♠ flop with top pair, but Conan improved to a flush on the 9♠ turn. The river was the K♠, and Conan doubled up.
