It was a particularly enjoyable day inside the Casino Gran Via for the 24 players who managed to survive Day 1a of the 888poker LIVE Madrid €888 Main Event. 888poker Ambassador Ian Simpson, however, was not one of them.
Simpson was the first casualty of the event when he went for a river bluff and was picked off by Jorge Ufano. But Simpson’s woes were hardly over from there. Taking advantage of unlimited reentries, he next shoved with tens on a queen-high board but Jason Wheatley had king-queen. Simpson fired a third bullet but ran his tens into the jacks of Daniel Tafur as he made the walk to the exit a third time.
The players who did outlast 85 total entries make it through 11 45-minute levels are led by Paolo Boi. Boi knocked out Narcis Cristian Olaru with two pair early in the day to begin his ascent to the top of the leaderboard with 535,000. He is followed by Tafur (367,000), Joseph Matter (356,000), Ufano (334,000), and Jonas ten Cate, who’s put himself in position for a second straight deep run in this event as he followed up his fifth-place finish from a year ago by bagging 334,000.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paolo Boi | Italy | 535,000 | 178 |
| 2 | Daniel Tafur | Spain | 367,000 | 122 |
| 3 | Joseph Matter | N/A | 356,000 | 119 |
| 4 | Jorge Ufano | Spain | 334,000 | 111 |
| 5 | Jonas ten Cate | Netherlands | 312,000 | 104 |
| 6 | Constantino Russo | Italy | 221,000 | 74 |
| 7 | Jorge Palomino | Spain | 212,000 | 71 |
| 8 | Jonas Ferrut | France | 198,000 | 66 |
| 9 | Gregory Grech | France | 186,000 | 62 |
| 10 | Ahmed Abdella | United Kingdom | 184,000 | 61 |
Other players still in the hunt include Jorge Palomino (212,000), Gregory Grech (186,000), Niek Minten (146,000), Ryan Dansie (136,000), and Lois Dufouleur (80,000). Simpson’s fellow 888poker Ambassador Vivian Saliba was among those sent to the rail on Day 1a, along with the likes of Michael Uguccioni and Wheatley.
They’ll have another shot at entering on Day 1b tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time. There are three more opening flights, with Day 1c taking place on January 27 at 5 p.m. and a turbo Day 1d flight at 1 p.m. on January 28. The remaining players will then combine for Day 2 at 5 p.m., with late registration open until the start of the day.
Today was just the first of what will be five action-packed days here in the Spanish capital, so stay tuned as PokerNews returns tomorrow for more coverage of the 888poker LIVE Madrid Main Event.
