£140 Main Event - Road to PSPC Day 1cd | Moneymaker's Road to PSPC 2020 - Hippodrome London

10-25-2019 12:35 UTC

Platinum Pass Profile: Simone Ferretti

Will Shillibier

Level 3 : 100/200, 200 ante

Six years since his last appearance in a live poker tournament, Simone Ferretti is back in the game — and he could not have scripted a better comeback. The 39-year-old Tuscan won the 30th PokerStars Italian Poker Open (IPO), in Nova Gorica, Slovenia last week, and with his €105,000 first prize picked up a Platinum Pass to the PokerStars Players Championship (PSPC) in Barcelona next August.

Ferretti, who goes by “Ferros80” on PokerStars.it, is a former professional footballer, who became a coach when injury cut short his playing career. He was introduced to poker by some fellow players about 12 years ago, and quickly fell in love with the game and became a well-known face in Italian poker circles. Between 2009 and 2013, he won four titles and amassed around $290,000 in cashes. But he subsequently took a break from the tournament game, admitting that he “did not manage his winnings very well”, before his dramatic comeback last week.

Field Takes It Down

Will Shillibier

Level 4 : 100/300, 300 ante

John Field had already made a strong start to the tournament, chipping up to around 50,000 before he defended his small blind to an open to 800 from the hijack.

The big blind called also, going three-ways to a flop. It checked to the pre-flop raiser who bet 1,100 and Field called, with the big blind getting out of the way.

The turn was checked by both players, and the river was the . Field bet 3,500 and after a short tank, the big blind folded.

Player	Chips	Progress
John Field	55,000 25,000	25,000

10-25-2019 13:01 UTC

Updated Chip Counts

Will Shillibier

Level 4 : 100/300, 300 ante

Player	Chips	Progress
Nigel Milligan	80,000
Kelly Saxby	57,000 27,000	27,000

Josh Brown	40,000 40,000	40,000
Asif Warris	35,000 5,000	5,000
Ben Martin	31,000 31,000	31,000
James Hartigan	28,500 -1,500	-1,500
Antoine Saout	27,000 -3,000	-3,000

10-25-2019 13:05 UTC

Break

Will Shillibier

Level 4 : 100/300, 300 ante

Players are going on their first 20-minute break of the day with the tournament clock showing 115 entries so far on Day 1c.

When players return there will be two more levels of late registration and single re-entry.

Level: 5

Blinds: 200/400

Ante: 400

10-25-2019 13:26 UTC

All the way from Australia to win a Platinum Pass

Will Shillibier

Level 5 : 200/400, 400 ante

The London location for this leg of Moneymaker's Road to PSPC means that several British regulars have joined the field, but one player has come a little bit further in order to try and acquire a coveted Platinum Pass for next year's PSPC in Barcelona.

Two weeks ago, Josh Brown saw the promotion of being able to win a Platinum Pass and hopped on a plane from Australia to be here for this event.

"It was very last minute," said Brown "I had a bit of time off work. I had a big birthday a couple of weeks ago, so I decided it was a birthday present to myself.

"I know there was an Australian guy in one of the earlier ones who had travelled to play. But when I told my mates, they all said 'Wow, that's a long way to go.' I love London and thankfully my partner is very supportive of poker so she said 'Yeah, go' and here I am!"

Brown says he's been playing recreationally for the last eight years, but over the last year or so he's gotten more into it through watching EPT live streams and listening to the Poker in the Ears podcast.

Attention fellow #pokerintheears fans. I'm traveling from Oz to London for the Moneymaker PSPC tour. Got a few ques… https://t.co/yejaSPO7Ml
— Josh Brown (@j_db89)

He says that watching last year's PSPC from afar reiterated just how big the opportunity is.

"It's huge," he said. "Watching it at the beginning of the year; the whole live stream. It was really enjoyable, watching all of the EPT stuff.

"The opportunities in Australia are quite limited, with no online poker, so when this came up I thought I'd make the most of it."

Should he win the tournament and earn that coveted Platinum Pass, brown says the prospect of another long-haul flight to Barcelona next August would be "a bit of a drain" but that he'd "make it work."

"Barcelona is a great city. The weather's a little bit different to London. But the atmosphere would be great. I'm not used to poker in Europe; even in an event like this, it's bigger than what I'm used to.

"It would be quite impressive with all the big names, things like that. But putting that to one said I'm just happy to play. I love to play."

Despite being on his third bullet after busting twice yesterday, he says he's doing much better today.

"It's more about playing the game and the money and Platinum Pass will come later if I get that far. I'm just trying to enjoy it and play the game!"

Tags: Josh Brown

10-25-2019 13:33 UTC

Moneymaker on Bullet Number 5

Will Shillibier

Level 5 : 200/400, 400 ante

After trying unsuccessfully yesterday to make it through to Day 2, Chris Moneymaker is back for Day 1c and has taken his seat with just an hour of late registration left.

He has been seated to the direct right of former Platinum Pass winner Asif Warris.

Player	Chips	Progress
Chris Moneymaker	30,000 30,000	30,000

Tags: Chris Moneymaker Asif Warris

Level: 6

Blinds: 300/600

Ante: 600

10-25-2019 14:35 UTC

Popovski Flops a Wheel

Will Shillibier

Level 6 : 300/600, 600 ante

A player opened from early position, getting two callers, one in middle position and Sasho Popovski in the big blind.

Popovski checked and the pre-flop raiser bet 2,000. The player in middle position shoved for 5,700 and Popovski shoved for around starting stack.

The initial raiser open-folded and Popovski showed for a wheel. His opponent had flopped two pair with and needed to improve to a full house to stay alive. The turn and river didn't help him and he was eliminated.

Player	Chips	Progress
Sasho Popovski	45,000

Tags: Sasho Popovski