The 888poker LIVE series made its second season stop in Bucharest, captivating poker enthusiasts with a week of exhilarating action in the heart of Romania. Hosted in the brand’s signature room, the festival was a massive success.
Among the events, the Main Event stood out with its highly accessible €560 buy-in, and this well-chosen pricing proved to be a great move. The number of entries more than doubled from the previous year’s count, soaring from 191 to an impressive 406 entries.
Amidst the competitive field, Romanian Razvan Morar emerged as the undeniable star of the Main Event, outlasting fellow countryman Florin Elisei in heads-up and clinching his first ever 888poker LIVE title and life-changing €37,000.
It is an incredible story for Morar, who qualified for the Main Even through a $55 satellite online on 888poker. He began the final day with only ten big blinds to his name but managed to stay afloat and reach the final table. His stack dwindled to as low as five big blinds at one point, but he persevered and transformed a small investment into a big payday.
2024 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event Final Table Results
Place | Player | Country | Prize |
1 | Razvan Morar | Romania | €37,000 |
2 | Florin Elisei | Romania | €24,000 |
3 | Andrei Miron | Romania | €18,400 |
4 | Alexandru Lupuleac | Romania | €15,000 |
5 | Alexandru Varninschi | Romania | €12,000 |
6 | Konstantinos Vatseris | Greece | €9,000 |
7 | Dan Galinschi | Romania | €6,500 |
8 | Corneliu Popescu | Romania | €4,900 |
9 | Alexandru Brumaru | Romania | €4,200 |
2024 888poker LIVE Bucharest Main Event Final Table Recap
Seventeen players survived the first two days of Bucharest’s Main Event from an initial field of 406 entries, each vying for the coveted 888poker LIVE title. Almost five hours were needed for the field to get down to the nine finalists.
Florin Elisei entered the final table as the chip leader, followed by Andrei Miron and Alexandru Lupuleac. It was predominantly a Romanian affair, with eight home-country players making up the final nine alongside a lone Greek competitor.
The first to depart was Alexandru Brumaru, who flopped a set after moving all-in but found himself behind two players, Elisei and Miron, both rivering a straight with an ace in their hand. Corneliu Popescu’s run ended in eighth place when his king-three clashed with Alexandru Lupuleac’s ace-queen. Ace and a king hit the flop, but no other help for Popescu from the turn and river.
Florin Elisei saw bad news after he took a gamble against the all-in of Dan Galinschi, who tabled pocket kings against his ace-eight. However, fortune favored Elisei with an ace on the board, sending Galinschi packing. The final table’s international delegation concluded with Konstantinos Vatseris’s exit in sixth place as his queen-eight was no match for Florin’s ace-nine.
Alexandru Varninschi was the next one to go, and maybe he could find some consolation in the fact that his queen-nine was demolished by Lupuleac, who flopped quads of Jacks, leaving Varninschi stone-cold dead on the flop.
However, Lupuleac’s luck ended soon after he correctly pushed all-in with A♣9♣ from the small blind and was dominated by Razvan Morar, who woke up with A♦K♦. The board 6♦5♠2♣ didn’t offer much, but a 4♣ turn opened flush and split possibilities. The river was a blank 10♥, and Lupuleac bagged €15,000 for a fourth-place finish.
After an hour of play, the trio became a duo, with Andrei Miron’s all-in with king-jack falling short against Elisei’s ace-queen. The turn gave Miron an open-ended straight draw for ten outs total, but the river brought no salvation, and the stage was set for the heads-up between Morar and Elisei.
Morar started the heads-up as a 3:1 underdog in chips, but as many times this day, he made another comeback and propelled himself in front. On the last hand, he opened with A♣K♦, and Elisei called with Q♦4♦. Flop brought 6♦A♦9♣, and it was a quick all-in and a call. Turn K♥, river 7♠, and Morar is a new 888poker LIVE Bucharest champion, while Elisei took home €24,000 for his efforts.
Qualify for Future 888poker Live Events
888poker LIVE is heading to the beautiful city of Barcelona, one of the most exciting stops of the season. Casino Barcelona will host the festival from May 8 to 20, 2024, and it’s a must-visit for all poker fans.
You can win your way into any upcoming 888poker LIVE events online on 888poker, starting from just 1 cent, or register directly to the $109 qualifier to win a $1,800 package. You can find satellites under Tournaments – Live Events tab.
The $1,800 888poker LIVE Barcelona package includes €888 buy-in to the Main Event, $500 for accommodations, $330 for travel expenses, and an 888poker LIVE kit.
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