2015 PokerNews Cup Main Event Day 1a: Let The Battle Begin!
Only four months after former poker tournament director Hanh Tran took home the title of the 2014 PokerNews Cup Main Event, it’s again time to celebrate a new edition of what many consider to be one of Europe's top low buy-in live poker events.
Held at the King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic, the eighth edition of PokerNews’ own live poker series promises to be one of the biggest ever, as organizers expect to welcome hundreds of players to the tables.
The first shuffle up and deal of the series took place on Wednesday with the start of the €10,000 GTD Inaugural Event, and 126 players chose to show up in Rozvadov and pay the €120 buy-in fee to sit down and play, bringing the total prize pool up to €20,000.
Yet, the real deal began on Thursday as the poker room kicked off the first of the four Day 1s of the €250 buy-in €200,000 GTD Main Event.
Day 1 of the Main Event, however, is not the only event on Thursday's schedule, as 146 players joined the €30 buy-in Mega Satellite to the Main Event, boosting the eight guarantee seats up to a total of 15. More tickets to the Main Event will be distributed also on Friday and Saturday, when two additional Mega Satellites will give put on the table a total guarantee of 13 seats.
"I am extremely pleased by the number of players who decided to come and play the Mega Satellite event," Tarkan Karadas told PokerNews.
Part of the event's organization, Karadas explained that based on his experience and on the feedback he has received from the players, he is sure that the event will be a success. "I am sure that the PokerNews Cup will see a full house on Saturday, when the event will be in full force and the players will gather to play in the day 1c and in the turbo day1d."
As for the series' opening day, the first player to win an event part of the 2015 PokerNews Cup has been Romania's Eureka Poker Tour regular Eusebiu-Niclae Jalba, who took down the inaugural event's title and the €3,751 top prize. To get to the title and bring home the prize, Jalba had to battle his way through the 126-player field and beat Vasile Strugari in a challenging heads up once Tomi Matias Räsänen busted on the third place right after agreeing for a deal with the other two players.
Five days of top poker action
The PokerNews Cup will animate Rozvadov's King Casino until Monday, Feb. 09, when the series will finally get the chance to celebrate its new champion. Before that moment, however, the event will offer players from all over Europe the possibility to join a number of interesting side events and to play at King's internationally-known cash games.
"Like PokerNews, at King’s Casino we strive for excellence," the room's owner Leon Tsoukernik said. "By coming to the PokerNews Cup, players will get the chance to discover one of Europe's best casinos with cash tables and casino games running round-the-clock."
Here’s a look at the 2015 PokerNews Cup official schedule:
| Date | Event | Guarantee | Buy-in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 4 at 20:00 | Pokernews Cup Opening NLH | €20,000 | €120 |
| Feb. 5 at 15:00 | Mega Satellite to ME | 8 Seats | €30 |
| Feb. 5 at 19:00 | Pokernews Cup Main Event Day 1a | €200,000 | €250 |
| Feb. 6 at 13:00 | Mega Satellite to ME | 8 Seats | €35 |
| Feb. 6 at 16:00 | Pokernews Pot Limit Omaha 1 x Rebuy or AO | €10,000 | €100 |
| Feb. 6 at 17:00 | Pokernews Cup Main Event Day 1b | €200,000 | €250 |
| Feb. 7 at 11:00 | Last Chance Satellite to ME | 5 Seats | €40 |
| Feb. 7 at 14:00 | Pokernews Cup Main Event Day 1c | €200,000 | €250 |
| Feb. 7 at 21:00 | Pokernews Cup Main Event Day 1d (Turbo) | €200,000 | €250 |
| Feb. 7 at 23:00 | Pokernews King's Deepstack Turbo | - | €100 |
| Feb. 8 at 14:00 | Pokernews Cup Main Event Day 2 | €200,000 | - |
| Feb. 8 at 17:00 | Pokernews Hunt Bounty | - | €100 |
| Feb. 9 at TBA | Pokernews Cup Main Event Final Day | €200,000 | - |
| Feb. 9 at 19:00 | Pokernews Cooldown NLH | €5,000 | €85 |
In addition to the side events and the cash games, players will also get the opportunity to enjoy a nice break in Rozvadov full of excitement, gambling and relaxing moments as described in this article about the best reasons to play the PokerNews Cup.
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