Main Event
Day 1a Started
2017 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Russia
Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Russia
Buy-in
5,300 CU
Prize Pool
5,000,000 CU
Entries
999
Level
33
Blinds
2,500,000 / 5,000,000
Ante
5,000,000
Welcome to Day 1a of the 2017 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Russia Main Event
As of 12 p.m. local time, Day 1a of the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Russia $5,300 Main Event kicks off at the stunning Sochi Casino and Resort in Krasnaya Polyana gets underway. The flagship event of the festival in one of the largest luxury casinos in Eastern Europe comes with a guarantee of $5 million while the entire festival guarantees $9 million in prizes.
Players can qualify online via the phase satellites on partypoker and there were also live phase satellites, which ultimately send the players into the Live Day 1 here in Sochi. All direct entries receive 1,000,000 in chips and the first level starts with blinds of 1,500/3,000, the button ante format is used. With six players or more, the full big blind is to be played by the player on the button, while tables with five players or fewer only have to pay the small blind.
There are three Day 1s in total, with a turbo heat featuring levels of 20 minutes each gets underway before the start of Day 2. Each Day 1 will play eight levels in total before the field then combines for Day 2 on Monday September 11th 2017 as of 3.30 p.m. local time.
| Level | Clock | Small Blind | Big Blind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60.0 | 1,500 | 3,000 |
| 2 | 60.0 | 2,000 | 4,000 |
| 3 | 60.0 | 2,500 | 5,000 |
| 4 | 60.0 | 3,000 | 6,000 |
| 5 | 60.0 | 4,000 | 8,000 |
| 6 | 60.0 | 5,000 | 10,000 |
| 7 | 60.0 | 6,000 | 12,000 |
| 8 | 60.0 | 8,000 | 16,000 |
The PokerNews live reporting team will be there to provide all the action until a winner is crowned, so make sure to tune back in regularly.
Preparations Underway
Day 2 of the $10,300 High Roller is about to start with plenty of familiar faces all in the Grand Ballroom.
According to the screens, there are 68 players out of 87 entries remaining and such big names as Dmitry Chop, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Philipp Zukernik, Philipp Gruissem, Vitaliy Lunkin, Martin Kabrhel, Pierre Neuville, Vladimir Troyanovskiy, Alexandru Papazian, Jack Sinclair, Kenny Hallaert, Manig Loeser, Govert Metaal and Steve O'Dwyer are all seated.
The PokerNews live reporting will focus on Day 1a of the Main Event, however, and those tables are currently prepared as well. Plenty of players are waiting outside for their seat assignments and the action is expected to get underway in a few minutes.
Level: 1
Blinds: 1,500/3,000
Ante: 0
First Set of Familiar Faces
Level 1
: 1,500/3,000, 0 ante
Among those to have taken their seats on Day 1a of the Main Event are Oleg Egorov, Said Butba, Mikhail Korotkikh, Marc Goeschel, Josef Snejberg, Oleg Titov, Lika Gerasimova, Yury Gulyy and Aussie poker legend Jeff Lisandro.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
Two Bullets for Le Floch
Level 1
: 1,500/3,000, 0 ante
Nicolas Le Floch qualified twice on partypoker and starts into Day 1a with a stack of 450,000, while he already has 700,000 locked up for tomorrow. Should he bag chips on both starting days, they will be carried forward with the bigger of the two as starting stack and the second stack as backup in case he busts during the re-entry period.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
450,000 | 450,000 |
Grinenko Busts Prylev
Level 1
: 1,500/3,000, 0 ante
Jeff Lisandro limped in and Dmitry Grinenko raised to 17,000. The cutoff called before Maxim Prylev on the button moved all in for 375,000. Lisandro folded and Grinenko asked for a count, then called to force out the player in the cutoff.
Maxim Prylev: 
Dmitry Grinenko: 
The board ran out 
and Prylev became the first casualty of the day.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,350,000 | 1,350,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Mike Sexton Represents Team partypoker
Level 1
: 1,500/3,000, 0 ante
The chairman of partypoker, Mike Sexton, has just sat down with a fresh stack of 1,000,000. The American, always friendly at the table, sat down with a smile and we will keep an eye on his progress.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,000,000 |
Yury Gulyy Doubles Up
Level 1
: 1,500/3,000, 0 ante
Vitaliy Lee came into the day with a healthy 2.8m chips and he opened from under the gun and the player in the next position called. Yury Gulyy was in the next position to that and three-bet to 26,500. Li four-bet to 80,000 and the third player in the hand folded.
Gulyy five-bet to 175,000 and Li six-bet jammed putting Gulyy at risk. Gulyy snap-called all in for around 650,000.
Gulyy:
Li: 
The board ran out 
and Gulyy doubled up. Li still sits on over two million chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,100,000 | 2,100,000 |
|
|
1,350,000 | 700,000 |
Pidun on Board; Titov Takes One Down
Level 1
: 1,500/3,000, 0 ante
The table of Jeff Lisandro has seen the addition of yet another international poker player, and that is Thomer Pidun. The German got involved into a three-way hand to the 
flop and checked from under the gun. The player in one seat over checked as well and both got out of the way when the third player in the hand bet 35,000.
One table over, Ilya Gorodetskiy has taken a seat and the Russian is well known for doing the commentary on live poker events in their native language. He faces the likes of Oleg Titov, who just claimed a pot against two opponents. Titov called a bet of 17,000 on the 
flop, and when checked to him on the 
turn, Titov bet 60,000 to force two folds.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
1,600,000 | 600,000 |
|
|
1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
|
975,000 | 975,000 |