2022 888poker XL Winter Series

Event #43: $500,000 Main Event
Day: 1
Event Info

2022 888poker XL Winter Series

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
kj
Prize
$71,278
Event Info
Buy-in
$250
Prize Pool
$546,610
Entries
2,326
Players Info - Day 1
Entries
2,326
Players Left
9

XL Winter Series from 888poker Closes with Main Event

The XL Winter series at 888poker is coming to an end. Today marks the final event in the series, which has been running since Jan 16th when the Opening Event blew past its $100k guarantee to post a prize pool of $115k.

"Ildar0365" from Turkmenistan was the first XL Winter winner after taking down the Opening Event, and they added $15,068 to their bankroll for the triumph after making it through a field of 2,311. Since then there have been some 40+ events and all totaled, they've combined for almost $1.5 million in total prizes.

There is $550,000 guaranteed in the final two events, $500k in the Main Event, and $50k more in the Mini Main Event, both starting Sunday, Jan 30. With the final events added in, the total prizes across the series could cap $2 million. If both the Main and Mini Main stay under guarantee, the series will end with $1,984,270 in total prizes, but just a few extra dollars in one of the Main Event prize pools could be enough to push that over $2 million.

The Main Event gets underway at 1pm ET, but they won't finish the day today. Instead, once they make the final table, play will be paused and the final nine will return Monday to finish it out with cards-up coverage from 888pokerTV as well as full coverage here at PokerNews.

Event #43 Lobby
Event #43 Lobby

There is lots of poker yet to play before that final day, however. Players in Day 1 will start with 30,000 in chips and play 12-minute levels through to the final nine players. Action starts at 50/100 with an ante of 12, and there are already nearly 1,000 players waiting for the Day 1 action with more than an hour to go before cards go in the air.

The final two days of action in the 888poker XL Winter Series is about to get underway. Stay tuned here at PokerNews for all the Day 1 action coming up, as well as for the Final Day tomorrow, and check out the past events from this series at the XL Winter Series hub.

"luffylou" Shoves River

Level 3 : 75/150, 20 ante

"wonderhunter" raised to 450 from early before "luffylou" reraised the small blind to 1,800. "wonderhunter" called, then called again for 2,593 on the flop of {j-Hearts}{j-Spades}{q-Diamonds}.

The {3-Spades} turn brought a bet of 6,016 from "luffylou", which was called, but when "luffylou" shoved for 24,179 into a pot of 21,148 on the {4-Diamonds} river, "wonderhunter" mucked their hand to play another.

Player Chips Progress
luffylou gb
luffylou
45,327
45,327
45,327
wonderhunter ua
wonderhunter
13,816
-12,145
-12,145

"sabanuts" Doubles with Cooler

Level 4 : 100/200, 25 ante

It was a massive early cooler when "sabanuts" shoved more than 70,000 from the button after two early limps, and small blind "Fl4tbush20" called them off with about 31,000.

"Fl4tbush20": {q-Spades}{q-Hearts}
"sabanuts": {a-Clubs}{a-Hearts}

The board of {6-Diamonds}{9-Clubs}{6-Clubs}{2-Spades}{a-Diamonds} ran off clean for the aces, bringing a set on the river.

Player Chips Progress
sabanuts br
sabanuts
105,362
36,971
36,971
Fl4tbush20 ua
Fl4tbush20
Busted

"burn_darius" Goes Agro on River

Level 6 : 150/300, 40 ante

"burn_darius" raised to 625 from early, and "1doza123" called from the middle. The flop came {k-Hearts}{10-Spades}{a-Hearts} and "1doza123" called a bet of 625.

They called again fro 1,037 on the {2-Clubs} turn, but when the river came {q-Clubs} and "burn_darius" led for 2,609, "1doza123" raised it up to 6,522. "burn_darius" was having none of that though, and shoved for 24,806 to get the fold and the pot.

Player Chips Progress
1doza123 ua
1doza123
40,095
burn_darius ro
burn_darius
36,547

"alex5271" Chopped Back

Level 8 : 250/500, 60 ante

"alex5271" couldn't hold the chip lead for long. In a series of hands they've been cut back to a third their previous size. In the latest cut, "chrissop14" raised from the hijack to 1,250, then called when "alex5271" bumped the button to 2,000. "chrissop14" check-called for 2,000 on {a-Spades}{6-Hearts}{j-Hearts}, and again for 6,131 on the {5-Hearts} turn card.

"alex5271" changed it up when {4-Hearts} brought the four hearts to the board, firing out a bet of 10,776. "alex5271" elected to fold and preserve a stack that is a shadow of what it was just a few hands ago.

Player Chips Progress
chrissop14 gb
chrissop14
86,921
alex5271 ro
alex5271
66,807
-94,496
-94,496

"alex5271" Goes from Chip Lead to Out in 10 Minutes

Level 8 : 250/500, 60 ante

Less than 10 minutes ago, "alex5271" was chip leader with 161,303 chips, but they were just coolered out of the game. Once again, it was "chrissop14" from the United Kingdom on the good side of the cooler.

"chrissop14" called from the button for 1,000 after an open from the middle and a call from the cutoff. "alex5271" defended their big blind with a call, then led for 3,161 on the {3-Diamonds}{k-Hearts}{j-Hearts} flop. One player in the middle called before "chrissop14" raised it to 12,644.

Only "alex5271" called to the {5-Spades} turn, where they shoved fro 45,615, about 33% more than the pot. "chrissop14" snapped it off.

"alex5271": {k-Clubs}{3-Spades}
"chrissop14": {3-Clubs}{3-Hearts}

The two-pair of "alex5271" was crushed by the flopped set of treys for "chrissop14", and the former leader elected not to rebuy in this game.

Player Chips Progress
chrissop14 gb
chrissop14
169,703
82,782
82,782
alex5271 ro
alex5271
Busted

"Maguera" Takes a Stack

Level 10 : 350/700, 85 ante

"danmoran1" from the United Kingdom rebought after this hand where they lost boat over boat. After an early limp, "Maguera" raised the button to 2,800 and got a call from "danmoran1" and the original limper.

The flop came {8-Diamonds}{7-Spades}{8-Clubs} and "danmoran1" checked. The limper put in a bet of 4,932 and "Maguera" called before "danmoran1" bumped it up to 10,850.

Both players called to the {a-Clubs} turn. "danmoran1" led for 10,496, and only "Maguera" called. "danmoran1" shoved the {j-Clubs} river for 23,429, only to have "Maguera" snap them off.

"danmoran1": {7-Hearts}{7-Diamonds}
"Maguera": {a-Hearts}{8-Hearts}

It was a huge cooler as "danmoran1" flopped a full house before "Maguera" turned a better one, and "danmoran1" hit the rebuy button.

Player Chips Progress
Maguera ua
Maguera
126,028
126,028
126,028
danmoran1 gb
danmoran1
30,000
30,000
30,000

Guarantee Broken with an Hour Left in Registration

Level 14 : 700/1,400, 175 ante

They will be playing for more than the $500,000 guarantee in the Main Event of this XL Winter Series. With 1,910 entries and 218 re-entries, the total field is now 2,128 and there is now just a bit more than $500,000 in the prize pool.

Registration is still open for an hour as well, so that pot is just going to grow.

"Timmys3" Gets There with Flush

Level 16 : 1,000/2,000, 250 ante

"Timmys3" raised from the middle to 4,000 and "brut65" defended the big blind with a call. The flop came {j-Diamonds}{10-Spades}{8-Clubs} and "brut65" led for 2,000.

"Timmys3" called to the {4-Spades} turn where they called another minimum bet. On the {9-Spades} river, "brut65" fired 12,705 into a pot of just over 19,000, then called off when "Timmys3" shoved with less.

"Timmys3": {8-Spades}{7-Spades}
"brut65": {7-Diamonds}{6-Clubs}

Both players rivered big, but "Timmys3" running flush was the best.

Player Chips Progress
Timmys3 gb
Timmys3
109,528
brut65 ru
brut65
66,638

"sqpolu" Gets Huge Pot with Aces

Level 18 : 1,500/3,000, 375 ante

"sqpolu" got a huge gift when they woke up with aces in a three-way all-in. "sqpolu" raised to 6,000 under the gun before "kingzionlion" bombed the pot for a shove of 218,903. "Flipper121" called off a short stack from the button, and "sqpolu" snapped it off with the aces.

"Flipper121": {9-Clubs}{9-Spades}
"sqpolu": {a-Hearts}{a-Clubs}
"kingzionlion": {k-Spades}{5-Spades}

The aces held and "sqpolu" is now third in chips.

Player Chips Progress
sqpolu ua
sqpolu
345,488
kingzionlion gb
kingzionlion
59,499
-184,447
-184,447
Flipper121
Flipper121
Busted