Aces Over Kings Propels Alexandru Marcu to Overall Chip Lead on Day 1b of 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event
Alexandru Marcu didn’t make it through the opening flight yesterday. His second bullet today on Day 1b of the 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event went far better thanks to the ultimate cooler.
Marcu beat former chip leader “Tips4All” with aces over kings in a more than 400,000-chip pot to take the overall tournament chip lead with 486,000. Right behind him is Andrii Zaika, another who had to reenter today after busting yesterday, who won a massive pot with a straight against Frankie Chan on the last hand of the night to move into second place with 449,500.
888poker Ambassador Ian Simpson flew into Bucharest overnight from Newcastle and took his seat at the same table as fellow team member Nick Eastwood. Simpson dropped down to 50,000 at one point during the day but then won a three-way all in with kings before busting Eastwood with ace-king over tens, finishing with 312,000 and a top-five stack.
Day 1b Top 10 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandru Marcu | Romania | 486,000 | 122 |
| 2 | Andrii Zaika | Ukraine | 449,500 | 112 |
| 3 | Sebastian Ionita | Romania | 327,000 | 82 |
| 4 | Ian Simpson | United Kingdom | 312,000 | 78 |
| 5 | Iulian Andrei Bleau | Romania | 294,500 | 74 |
| 6 | Sorin Flutur | Romania | 248,000 | 62 |
| 7 | Andrei Wauters | Romania | 245,000 | 61 |
| 8 | Valentin Cristea | Romania | 233,500 | 58 |
| 9 | Mert Tozlu | Turkey | 219,500 | 55 |
| 10 | Raoul Iancovici | Romania | 203,500 | 51 |
Valentin Cristea (233,500), Patrick Bueno (183,000), who finished third in this event last year, and Mihai Manole (97,000) were also among the 15 players who made it through Day 1b. Those who weren’t as fortunate include 2022 888poker LIVE Madrid champion Abel Aspas.
The 15 surviving players will join the 23 who made it through Day 1a for Day 2 on August 13. There is still a Day 1c flight tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time, and a turbo Day 1d flight. Unlimited reentries are still available until the start of Day 2. Day 1b drew 42 more entries into the event, creating a combined field of 94 players through the first two flights.
PokerNews will be back inside the Poker Room Bucharest tomorrow for Day 1c as another crop of hopefuls try to chase down Marcu’s chip lead and book their ticket for Day 2.