Amid the hustle and bustle of the Spanish capital’s main thoroughfare, a new group of players gather inside the Casino Gran Via today hoping to take their shot at the title on Day 1b of the €888 888poker Live Madrid Main Event.
The second of four starting flights begins at 3 p.m. local time. Players begin with a 50,000 starting stack and will play 11 40-minute levels. There is a break after every three levels and a 45-minute dinner break at the end of Level 9, which should come around 9:30 p.m. Unlimited reentries are allowed, with late registration open until the start of Day 2.
The opening flight yesterday attracted 58 entries, with 28 players already securing their tickets into Day 2. Two players who made the final table last year set themselves up for another deep run by finishing in the top two spots on the leaderboard. Borja Diaz bagged the chip lead with 231,000, while defending champion Manuel Ledesma is close behind with 222,000.
Day 1a Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Borja Diaz | Spain | 231,000 | 116 |
| 2 | Manuel Ledesma | Spain | 222,000 | 111 |
| 3 | Estanis Perez | Spain | 189,000 | 95 |
| 4 | Justinas Fiseris | Lithuania | 174,000 | 87 |
| 5 | Yurii Zabrodotskyi | Ukraine | 157,000 | 79 |
| 6 | Gavin Keane | Ireland | 155,000 | 78 |
| 7 | Roman Isaienko | Ukraine | 152,000 | 76 |
| 8 | Abraham Serrano | Spain | 150,500 | 75 |
| 9 | Alvaro Murciano | Spain | 146,000 | 73 |
| 10 | Olekii Shchukin | Ukraine | 141,000 | 71 |
Other players who advanced include Yurii Zabrodotskyi (157,000), Abraham Serrano (150,500), David McConachie (65,000), Michael Uguccioni (44,500), and last year’s runner-up Juan Lyons (36,000).
The 888poker team will be well represented in the field today. Ian Simpson alread fired one bullet yesterday, while Vivian Saliba and Josh Manley are also in town and expected to hop in over the coming days.
Stay tuned as PokerNews provides all the action throughout the day.