Main Event
Day 1b Completed
2017 PokerStars Championship Barcelona
Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 PokerStars Championship Barcelona
Buy-in
€5,300
Prize Pool
€8,157,700
Entries
1,682
Level
41
Blinds
800,000 / 1,600,000
Ante
200,000
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
Like a racehorse waiting for the very last stretch to make his move, Jose Latorre waited until there was about 30 minutes left in the night on Day 1b of PokerStars Championship Barcelona Main Event before turning on the jets and racing to the top of the leaderboard.
Latorre finished the eight-level grind with 243,800, giving him a wide lead over the players who paced the Day 1a field as well as Thomas Steinbicker, who finished Day 1b with 201,500. He's best known for his exploits in online sit-n-goes as "Cejakas14" but also has nearly $200,000 in live cashes.
Two huge hands at the end of the night powered Latorre's move. With unknown action ahead of him at 400/800/100, Latorre put in 8,100 in the big blind and saw Rory Brennan make it 20,500. Latorre peeled with ace-king and saw the turn for free, turning a king after three wheel cards flopped. Latorre check-called 14,500 and then won the pot at showdown.
That pushed Latorre past 110,000, but an even bigger pot was in the offing. Latorre got all in on the turn on a board with three clubs against a similarly stacked opponent who held king-ten of clubs for a king-high flush. Unfortunately for him, Latorre held ace-nine of clubs for the nuts and vaulted into his massive lead.
PokerStars Team Pros also had a productive day. While Vanessa Selbst hit the rail, she had at least three teammates make it through. Andre Akkari (123,300), Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier (57,700) and Marcin Horecki (15,300) all found bags.
Grospellier has been in the midst of a resurgence after a top 13 runs at PokerStars Championship Monte Carlo and PokerStars Championship Sochi before a second-place finish at the $111K One Drop at the World Series of Poker.
Fabian Quoss, Adam Owen, Koray Aldemir, Dietrich Fast, Ari Engel and Parker Talbot also survived.
A total of 1,233 turned up for Day 1b, pushing the two-day total to 1,670. There's still time for players to buy in though, until Day 2 gets going. The late registrants and the remaining players will be back at Casino Barcelona at noon on Wednesday for Day 2. Blinds and antes will be 500/1,000/100, and all the action will be documented here on PokerNews.
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
243,800
-4,200
|
-4,200 |
|
||
|
200,000
200,000
|
200,000 |
|
||
|
191,000
191,000
|
191,000 |
|
185,400
185,400
|
185,400 |
|
|
178,600
178,600
|
178,600 |
|
177,600 | |
|
176,900
176,900
|
176,900 |
|
176,400
176,400
|
176,400 |
|
169,400
17,400
|
17,400 |
|
168,000
168,000
|
168,000 |
|
166,500
166,500
|
166,500 |
|
165,500
60,500
|
60,500 |
|
165,500
108,500
|
108,500 |
|
163,600
8,600
|
8,600 |
|
160,200
160,200
|
160,200 |
|
||
|
159,400
79,400
|
79,400 |
|
|
157,200
157,200
|
157,200 |
|
155,100
155,100
|
155,100 |
|
155,000
155,000
|
155,000 |
|
147,600
147,600
|
147,600 |
|
|
145,700
145,700
|
145,700 |
|
144,700
144,700
|
144,700 |
|
142,900
142,900
|
142,900 |
|
140,400
140,400
|
140,400 |
|
||
|
138,800
-1,200
|
-1,200 |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
Day 1b is done! All chip counts and an extensive recap follow shortly.
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
During the last thirty minutes of the day, Jose Angel Latorre has grabbed a massive chip lead in a big flush over flush situation. Holding 
, Latorre got his entire stack of 119,400 in on a 
board.
His unfortunate opponent Majid Noubarian was playing 
and was all in for 117,000, which he had to fork over to his Spanish adversary.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
248,000
134,000
|
134,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
In a blind battle, Stoyan Obreshkov and Russell Thomas, who have been seated next to each other the entire day, got their stacks in the middle.
Stoyan Obreshkov: 
Russell Thomas: 
The race was as classic as they'd come, and it was Obreshkov who was at risk for his remaining 40,000. The board ran out 
, leaving Thomas drawing dead on the turn.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
82,000 | |
|
|
||
|
10,000
-7,000
|
-7,000 |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
Jose Latorre had a reraise to 8,100 in front of him in the big blind when we got to his table, but he was then faced with another raise to 20,500 from Rory Brennan, who was in the cutoff. Latorre called and it went check-check on the flop for a board of 
. Latorre check-called 14,500. Both checked the , and Latorre tabled 
for a one pair winner.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
114,000 | |
|
|
||
|
23,500
-26,500
|
-26,500 |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
Three players checked a 
flop, and the turn was a 
. DJ Alexander bet 3,800 out of the small blind and got a call from Said Nadjem, who appeared to have opened cutoff. The river was an and Alexander checked. Nadjem bet 10,000. Alexander appeared ready to fold, then ready to call.
"Sorry if I'm slowrolling," he said, finally slamming in some chips.
However, Nadjem had 
for the nuts.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
84,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
Mihai Croitoru raised to 1,800 from under the gun and Jonathan Roy called from the cutoff. The flop was 
and Croitoru continued with 2,600, which Roy called.
On the turn, Croitoru fired a second barrel worth 9,800 and Roy called another street. The 
on the river brought the fourth spade to the board and both players checked.
"Two pair," sighed Roy, who wasn't happy about the fourth spade. However, Croitoru flipped over for a set turned into a meager flush, and both players smiled about it afterward.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
140,000
88,000
|
88,000 |
|
50,000
9,000
|
9,000 |
Level 8
: 400/800, 100 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
155,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
|
152,000 | |
|
130,000 | |
|
100,000 | |
|
47,000
9,600
|
9,600 |
|
||