David Lopes opened to 1,300 from under the gun and Abby Merk called on the button. Jamie Dale defended his big blind to see the 4♦3♦5♠ flop.
Action checked around to Merk, who fired 2,500. Dale was the only caller and the K♠ turn was revealed. Dale checked and Merk bet again, this time 6,100. Dale moved all in and Merk took some time before committing the rest of her stack.
Abby Merk: 6♠6♦
Jamie Dale: 8♠7♠
Merk held through the Q♦ river, earning the double through Dale.
Nigel Lee opened to 800 in the cutoff before Mark Wagstaff three-bet on the button to 2,600. Action folded back around to Lee, who slid out a four-bet of 6,000.
Wagstaff did not take long to move all in, with Lee immediately calling off and at risk.
Nigel Lee: A♣A♦
Mark Wagstaff: J♠J♣
Lee's pocket aces held through the 3♠6♣7♠ flop, while the 5♠ turn brought Wagstaff a spade draw. The dealer turned over the A♠ river, giving Lee a set but completing Wagstaff's flush to score the knockout.
Jamie Walker got his short stack into the middle, at risk against Waheed Ashraf in the big blind.
Jamie Walker: 4♣4♦
Waheed Ashraf: K♥10♥
Walker was safe until the river of the 9♠9♥Q♠Q♣J♠ runout, as Ashraf completed a straight to take the pot. Walker then made his way to the reentry desk for a fresh starting stack.
The 888poker LIVE Coventry series continues today, as players get a second chance to earn a spot in Day 2 of the £888 Main Event.
Action will begin at 1 p.m. local time, where Day 1b will kick off at Coventry Building Society Arena. The second of six opening flights will see players chasing Brandon Harris, who bagged up an impressive 599,000 chips by the end of Day 1a on Wednesday.
Today will also mark the first turbo flight, as Day 1c offers a 9:00 p.m. start with shorter levels for a faster way to find a bag for Day 2. The opening flight saw a total of 53 entries, with eight still remaining to chase the £500,000 guaranteed prize pool.
End of Day 1a Chip Counts
Place
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Brandon Harris
United Kingdom
599,000
100
2
James Bott
United Kingdom
192,000
32
3
Lin Chen
United Kingdom
171,000
29
4
Mitchell Johnson
United Kingdom
170,000
28
5
Trevor Reardon
United Kingdom
147,000
25
6
Keith Johnson
United Kingdom
121,000
20
7
David Docherty
United Kingdom
110,000
18
8
Brendan Evans
United Kingdom
82,000
14
Ian Simpson
The second day of action will likely see some 888poker Ambassadors join the field, after playing in the £200 Rumble Turbo last night. It all begins at 1:00 p.m. with blinds of 100/100 along with a 100 big blind ante.
Players begin with a 30,000 starting stack, looking to navigate their way through a total of fourteen 40-minute levels. The schedule includes breaks after every three levels of play, and the event continues to feature unlimited reentries.
All surviving players will advance to Day 2, with late registration closing at the start of play on Saturday, October 19. Tonight’s second flight, Day 1c at 9:00 p.m. local time, will see 20-minute levels until the same 14 are completed.
£888 Main Event Remaining Schedule
Date
Day
Time
Oct. 17
Day 1b
1:00 p.m.
Day 1c (Turbo)
9:00 p.m.
Oct. 18
Day 1d
12:00 p.m.
Day 1e (Turbo)
8:00 p.m.
Oct. 19
Day 1f (Turbo)
11:00 a.m.
Day 2
5:00 p.m.
Oct. 20
Day 3
1:00 p.m.
The PokerNews team has you covered, so don’t miss a minute of the action on our website and social media channels at the £888 Main Event heats up.
