Fernandez Busts Short of the Cash, Franco Bubbles, and Arocena Looks to Go Wire to Wire on Day 2 of the PokerStars Fesitval Uruguay Main Event
While 86 players began the day, there were only 24 to finish it out. Players played down past the money bubble today and it took six and a half levels to whittle the field down to the final three tables. Leading the way at the end of the day was Julio Arocena. Arocena was the chip leader after Day 1b and he’ll look to go wire to wire by carrying that chip lead to the final table and perhaps a victory. Arocena goes by the nickname “El Maquina” or “The Machine” here in Uruguay, mostly because he refers to his fellow tablemates as "Maquina." Arocena will bring 566,000 chips into Day 3 of play.
Plenty of players dropped out before the bubble burst though. Some of the notables not making it into the money include Brett Trevillian, Ramiro Petrone, Leo Giacoia, Andre Hajjar, and Marcelo Cudos. Perhaps most notably not making into the money was PokerStars Team Pro Leo Fernandez. Fernandez was stacked by the Uruguay PokerStars Cup Winner Gustavo Prato when Fernandez called Prato’s shove holding aces against Prato’s pair and straight draw. Prato turned his straight and that eliminated well before the money.
It was Christopher Franco who was the bubble boy. He was eliminated by Roberly Felicio when Franco moved all in preflop for 26,000. Felicio called from the big blind with pocket threes. Franco’s ace-king suited could not catch up and he would be the last player to hit the rail without a payday, brining the rest of the players into the money and securing them $2,620 each.
Some of those who made it into the money but not much further included Diego Aro, Victor Llanos, Juan Parra, Fabio Colonese, and Day 1a chip leader Halysson Sala. Sala moved all in from the button with king-five but couldn’t outrace his opponents pocket twos. South African Jesse Rosen was the last to fall of the day. Rosen shoved with a gutshot and a flush draw against Renan Toniolo’s top pair, but couldn’t catch up and he was the last to be eliminated for the day, bringing the field down to 24 players.
The final 24 will return tomorrow at 12 p.m. local time where they will play another ten levels or down to the final nine players, whichever comes first. PokerNews will be back with all the action so make sure you’re here to catch it all.