Stefan Fabian Bags Day 1b Chip Lead in PokerStars Festival Bucharest Main Event
A bumper field of 401 players showed up for Day 1b of the PokerStars Festival Bucharest, meaning that the guarantee is already eclipsed ahead of the Turbo 1c which starts later on this evening.
There will be a total of 166 players joining the 66 who advanced from Day 1a in Day 2 tomorrow, with several players boasting healthy stacks ahead of the fields combining.
The chip leader is Stefan Fabian with 279,400. Other big stacks include Nandor Solyom (257,700), Ben Barkay (226,800), Nicolae Toma (197,800) and Mustafov Fahredin (177,000).
"I'm feeling pretty good," said Fabian shortly after bagging up for the night, "I hope that I'm chip leader at the end of tomorrow as well!"
He won a huge pot during Level 6 to take him up over 100,000 for the first time. A player raised from early position and Fabian three-bet. His opponent four-bet to 6,500 and Fabian five-bet to 12,700. His opponent six-bet to 20,000 and Fabian called.
Both players checked an 
flop and Fabian called a bet of 7,000 in position on the 
turn. The river was the 
and Fabian's opponent check-folded to a jam from Fabian for 23,000.
"I just didn't expect it," said Fabian, referring to the monster six-bet pot which helped him on his way to the overnight chip lead, "I had just moved to the table, so I was new.
"I think Bucharest is good. It's not my first time playing here."
Just like yesterday, there were a few big names dotted around the field. The biggest name of all was Chris Moneymaker, 2003 Main Event Champion and Team PokerStars Pro.
Moneymaker had an eventful day, albeit a short one. He ran Kings into Aces early on, with both players making sets by the river. However, he managed to get away when his opponent just called on the river.
However, he was eliminated a short while later. In a limped pot, Moneymaker checked in the big blind and saw a 
flop dealt. He got his remaining chips into the middle holding but his opponent held and their set held to eliminate the American.
Also in the field was British pro and fan favourite Sam Grafton. He told the PokerStars Blog that he qualified for the event online, and attending the Festival was a “no-brainer!”
"I've played at the Marriott here before and it's a nice venue. The thing with PokerStars, and something that I appreciate after a lot of time in Vegas is that - apart from the ten-handed - you know it's going to be an incredibly well-run tournament.
“In Vegas, the standard can be a bit inconsistent, whereas with Stars you know you're going to get a great tournament. So yeah, I'm happy to be here, and although I'm ready to play online again!”
Grafton will be taking 134,200 in chips into Day 2. Also advancing to Day 2 is Eureka Bucharest defending champion Avishai Shitrit with 53,200.
By the time registration closed at the end of Level 6, there was a total of 401 players. That, coupled with the 177 from yesterday meant that a field of 578 (one player short of the 579 who attended Eureka Prague last year) had entered this year’s Main Event. However, with the final flight this evening getting underway shortly, that figure looks set to be eclipsed.
All players who make it to Day 2 will return to blinds of 800/1,600 with a 200 ante. The levels will also to increase to 60-minutes, and there will be eight levels played, with a 15-minute break after every two levels.
Join PokerNews tomorrow from 1 p.m. local time to stay up-to-date with all the action from the “Paris of the East” as we get closer to crowning the latest PokerStars Festival champion.