Main Event
Day 1c Completed
2017 PokerStars Festival London
Main Event
Day: 1c
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 PokerStars Festival London
Buy-in
£990
Prize Pool
£824,112
Entries
944
Level
32
Blinds
100,000 / 200,000
Ante
25,000
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
The PokerStars Festival London £990 Main Event can already be considered as a thorough success, smashing the initial guaranteed prize pool of £400,000 after three very successful starting days thus far. Day 1a attracted 169 entries, and another 164 players showed up yesterday for Day 1b. But that was nothing compared to the spectacle in the Hippodrome Casino today, when 444 players were sent into every possible room with a poker table in it.
Six different rooms on three different floors were used and less than 150 hopefuls bagged up chips with James Mitchell storming into the lead late on after a massive four-bet shove of table neighbor Attila Farkas with ace-three came at the worst possible timing. Mitchell had pocket aces and the short stack in the hand stood no chance either to award the Brit a massive stack of 373,600 in the bag.
Right behind him is no stranger from the festival here in the center of London: Yuriy Boyko was the chip leader of the £2,200 High Roller after Day 1 and eventually finished 4th, the Irishman is second in chips for Day 1c with 336,200 while Spani's Guillem Cusco Bach follows in third with 328,500.
Other big stacks and notables who made it through include 2016 WSOP International Circuit Paris champion Nicolas Noguera (253,300), Smit Trivedi (205,000), William Kassouf (178,200) Matt Perrins (130,000), Ludovic Geilich (104,600) and Team PokerStars Pro Liv Boeree (32,700). Kassouf scored a very late double against Alexandra O'Brien after flopping the nut flush with ace-deuce suited and getting into the head of O'Brien to pay him off on the river.
Among those to bust throughout the day were Praz Bansi, PokerStars Team Pro Jake Cody, snooker legend Stephen Hendry, Fraser MacIntyre, James Akenhead, 2016 Irish Open champion Daniel Wilson, the High Roller champion Joe Johnson and runner-up Enzo Del Piero, as well as Martins Adeniya.
Akenhead five-bet shoved a below average stack early on with five-six suited and ran into pocket queens. MacIntyre got it in good with ace-king against four opponents only to see Noguera flop a full house with queen jack. Hendry played very patently but never managed to build up a stack before running with ace-seven suited into the pocket kings of James Koumis.
All players that busted on any of the three previous starting days are allowed to re-enter the turbo heat Day 1d as of 10 p.m. local time and the event features the same starting stack of 30,000. However, the level duration is limited to just 20 minutes, which will see everyone breeze through in a matter of four hours.
Day 2 of the record-breaking Main Event will then recommence tomorrow at 11 a.m. local time and the PokerNews live reporting team will be there for all the action. The prize pool and official number of entries will be confirmed when the registration is closed in level seven of the turbo heat.
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
373,600
3,600
|
3,600 |
|
336,200
106,200
|
106,200 |
|
328,500
228,500
|
228,500 |
|
259,700 | |
|
253,300
6,700
|
6,700 |
|
239,100
29,100
|
29,100 |
|
221,900
147,900
|
147,900 |
|
205,200
24,800
|
24,800 |
|
197,000
122,000
|
122,000 |
|
178,200 | |
|
175,600
175,600
|
175,600 |
|
174,300 | |
|
170,600
29,400
|
29,400 |
|
169,300
14,300
|
14,300 |
|
|
163,300
23,300
|
23,300 |
|
161,200
11,200
|
11,200 |
|
154,300
24,300
|
24,300 |
|
|
152,300 | |
|
147,800
2,800
|
2,800 |
|
147,000 | |
|
|
145,200 | |
|
|
142,300 | |
|
|
139,100 | |
|
137,700
37,300
|
37,300 |
|
137,500 |
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
All players have bagged up their chips and the tables are being prepared right away again, as the final turbo heat is scheduled to kick off in just about half an hour. The guarantee is already smashed, but it will be interesting to see who takes the second chance after busting their initial starting day.
Full chip counts and a recap of Day 1c will be available soon before the coverage continues for the re-entry flight.
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Alexandra O'Brien lost the vast majority of her stack after running into the famous speech play of William Kassouf on a board of 
holding 
. The action went on for all streets and Kassouf shoved the river, which O'Brien eventually called only to get shown 
for the nut flush by Kassouf.
That was in the second-last hand, and O'Brien lost her remaining 25,000 next to bust at the very end of Day 1c. Kassouf on the other hand bagged well above average and will be back tomorrow for Day 2.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
178,200
100,200
|
100,200 |
|
Busted |
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Just before the clock was stopped, short stack Rorbert Kaggerud got his last 25,000 in with the 
and table big stack Meir Lang looked him up with 
. The board ran out 
and the jacks held up to eliminate Kaggerud.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
210,000 | |
|
Busted |
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Five more hands to play before they bag up.
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Pavlos Benakis opened for 4,500 and William Kassouf defended his big blind.
The flop was 
.
“Good flop for my hand,” said Kasouf and checked. “Ace high no good,”
Benakis bet 6,500. “What do you want me to do?” Kassouf asked before calling.
The turn card was the 
and both players checked. “Ah, slowing down?” was the comment this time.
The river was the 
and they both checked. Benakis had 
but Kassouf had it with 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
82,000
53,000
|
53,000 |
|
|
78,000
4,000
|
4,000 |
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
If there was any doubt about the chip leader, James Mitchell has just shattered that.
Word on the street is that Attila Farkas raised to 5,000 and Mitchell just called. A short stack shoved for 10,000 and Farkas reshoved for 170,000 with 
and ran right into the pocket aces of Mitchell.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
370,000
170,000
|
170,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Daniel Burrow has had a rough last few levels and was down to about average, but the Brit just bounced back. Burrow doubled through David Mahoney with 
versus 
in a pre flop all in. The board came 
and the aces held up.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
140,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
|
|
128,000
128,000
|
128,000 |
