Shahrokh Morshedian Takes on the Champ and the Field on Day 1a of the 888poker Live Madrid Main Event
Shahrokh Morshedian’s time on the felt on Day 1a of the €888 888poker Live Madrid Main Event was highlighted by a massive cooler against the defending champion.
Ian Simpson was all in with a king-high straight, but Morshedian showed the nut Broadway straight to send the 888poker Ambassador back to the registration desk for another bullet. Morshedian then made quads and got paid on a big river bet against Robert Martinez as the Netherlands native bagged up the chip lead with 331,000 over the remaining 20 players.
Day 1a Top Ten Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shahrokh Morshedian | Netherlands | 331,000 | 110 |
| 2 | Jorge Ufano | Spain | 286,000 | 95 |
| 3 | Filippo Ragone | Italy | 241,000 | 80 |
| 4 | Axel Lopez | Spain | 191,000 | 64 |
| 5 | Borja Diaz | Spain | 177,000 | 59 |
| 6 | Roberto Leonzio | Italy | 163,000 | 54 |
| 7 | Sergio Garcia | Spain | 146,500 | 49 |
| 8 | Carlos Perez-Dosio | Spain | 134,000 | 45 |
| 9 | Raul Martinez | Spain | 120,000 | 40 |
| 10 | Juan Castejon | Spain | 115,000 | 38 |
Jorge Ufano ended up in second place with 286,000, while Filippo Ragone, coming off a 10th-place run at EPT Prague last month, continued that momentum and rounded out the podium with 241,000. Simpson needed a second bullet to take 85,000 into Day 2 as he tries to defend the title he won here at the Casino Gran Via a year ago, while Carlos Perez-Dosio (134,000), Mystery Bounty champion Nacho Cuesta (110,000), and Adrian Campillo (84,000) also secured their spots for Day 2.
A total of 56 players entered the first of four opening flights. David McConachie, a former 888poker Live champion who nearly won a second title when he finished runner-up in Barcelona last May, was among those who couldn’t survive the day after his ace-king couldn’t win a coin flip against Roberto Leonzio’s nines.
Day 1b begins tomorrow at 3 p.m. local time with a fresh crop of players. All surviving players from the four starting flights return for Day 2 on January 17 at 5 p.m. Late registration remains open through the first level of Day 2, so there is still plenty of opportunities for players to jump back in or take their first shot at the crown.
PokerNews will be back tomorrow from the heart of the Spanish capital providing live updates from another day of action in Madrid.