Sunday was a great day for tournament players. It marked the start of the latest edition of the 2018 XL Inferno Series on the second largest online poker room, 888poker. On the first day of the series, three tournaments started. They kicked off with the $100,000 Opening Event.

XL Inferno #1 - $100,000 Opening Event

After more than 13 hours of play, the XL Inferno #1 - $100,000 Opening Event finally crowned a winner. It was "pshyoagromor" from the Ukraine who claimed the victory and the first prize of $22,266 after beating "_Lord_Xenu_" in the deciding heads-up.

The event, with a buy-in of $109, saw 880 players register and those players made 357 rebuys to get to a total amount of 1,257 entries. They created a total prize pool of $123,700 with 117 places paid. It took a while to get to the money and in the end it was "pipakos555" from the United Kingdom who was the last player finishing empty-handed.

After making the money, it took a long time before the tournament was down to the final nine. After almost eleven hours, the remaining nine players made the final table and went on to play for a $22,266 first prize. Peru's "Diegoavc" left the final table pretty quick after losing a big hand with ace-queen against pocket eights and he or she busted in ninth place for $1,546.

"im_a_luckbox" from New Zealand wasn't so lucky on this final table and in the last hand, they lost all of their chips with pocket sixes against pocket sevens. He or she finished in eighth place for $2,536. After that, German player "Lapideum" and "TheMagicPike" got busted in quick succession, finishing in seventh and sixth place.

It took a while for the next bust out, but then it went quick. In just a few minutes, "suit.guy" (fifth, $6,234) and "exPROsjak" (fourth, $8,968) were sent to the rail. After that, "_Lord_Xenu_" took control over the tournament and gained a huge chip lead three-handed. They then lost with pocket aces against pocket sevens but saw Irish player "Doked" leave in third place for $11,999 after taking a crucial beat with pocket jacks against pocket tens

Heads-up "_Lord_Xenu_" fought hard to come back in this battle but in the end, it was Ukraine's "pshyoagromor" who took the first prize of $22,266.

XL Inferno #2 - $20,000 Mini Opening Event

The XL Inferno #2 - $20,000 Mini Opening Event attracted 2,169 players to get a prize pool of $23,642. The lion's share of this money, $4,020, went to Saudi Arabia's "Shebalow" who was crowned the winner after 10 hours and 28 minutes of play. "bliblablupbp" from Germany lost the final heads-up and finished second.

XL Inferno #3 - $25,000 Late Opening Event

"germaxii" from Argentina won the XL Inferno #3 - $25,000 Late Opening Event, a tournament with a buy-in of $55. He or she defeated a field of 641 players, beating "dankreas" in the final heads-up. They took home the first place prize of $6,090.

XL Inferno Promotions

While your focus is likely to be on the various XL Inferno tournaments, you should not forget about the ongoing XL Inferno promotions that could yield some serious value.

Reach the final table in three or more events and 888poker will reward you with a $600 tournament ticket. Should you finish in the money in at least eight XL Inferno events, a $215 tournament ticket is added to your account.

The most lucrative promotion, however, rewards you for winning multiple events. Anyone who wins five XL Inferno tournaments will win a cool $1 million. The other prizes are shown below:

• Win two tournaments - receive $1,000
• Win three tournaments - receive $10,000
• Win four tournaments - receive $100,000
• Win five tournaments - receive $1,000,000

Everyone who triumphs in an XL Inferno event receives an entry to the XL Inferno Champion of Champions Event. This exclusive tournament pays all 34 entrants — a figure that could be less if someone wins more than one event — with the eventual winner walking away with a $12,600 WSOP Vegas Main Event package.

Grab Your 888poker Welcome Bonus Today

Download 888poker via PokerNews and you’ll receive a free $88 worth of cash and tournament tickets just for creating your free account; this is a free £20 to residents of the United Kingdom. When you come to make your first deposit, 888poker matches it 100 percent up to a maximum of $888. All you need to do then is bring your A-game to the table and see if you can become an XL Inferno champion.

XL Inferno Event Schedule