As the sun set and the chips flew, Day 1C of the €250 Mini Main Event kicked off, drawing a crowd from all corners of Ireland and beyond. The excitement was palpable as the clock struck 6 p.m., and with a €1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool on the line, this flight had all the makings of a massive tournament.
With unlimited re-entries until the end of Level 10, players had every chance to make their mark. Starting with 30,000 in chips and 20-minute blind levels, the pressure was on, and the action didn’t disappoint.
There were 294 entries to Day 1C, making this the biggest flight so far of the 13 scheduled. Of those, 39 players made it through and into the money, while 15 made Day 2.
Ravi Sheth bagged the chip lead with 1,585,000 and has taken the overall chip lead for the tournament. Eleanor Goberville bagged Day 1C in second with 1,055,000.
Day 1C Chip Counts: Leaders to Watch
| Ravi Sheth | United Kingdom | 1,585,000 |
| Eleanor Goberville | Ireland | 1,055,000 |
| Thomas Clack | United Kingdom | 950,000 |
| Andrew Dooley | Ireland | 700,000 |
| Ioannis Oikonomidis | Greece | 635,000 |
| Stefan Brennan | United Kingdom | 525,000 |
| Francis Harte | Ireland | 525,000 |
| Massimo Pacini | Ireland | 495,000 |
| Olena Aganauskene | Ukraine | 480,000 |
| Christopher Fisher | Ireland | 455,000 |
| Vasileios Zisis | Greece | 450,000 |
| Mikhail Timoshin | Ireland | 380,000 |
| Aurelijus Tautkus | Lithuania | 240,000 |
| Bogdan Balan | Romania | 195,000 |
| Sigrid Dencker | Germany | 135,000 |
Key Hands of the Day
Fana Flops Full House, Dolinic Goes Home
In one of the early highlights, Jan Dolinic pushed all in for 6,100, but Mihail Fana called from the big blind with a solid stack. The rest of the table folded, and the cards were revealed.
Dolinic:
Fana:
The board ran out , giving Fana a flopped full house, tens over queens. Dolinic was sent packing, while Fana scooped the pot.
Murray Calls Spraggy’s Bluff and Sends Him to the Rail
Andrew Murray picked off Spraggy’s attempted bluff in a hand that would see the latter eliminated.
The board came on the flop, with Spraggy firing out a bet. Murray called, and the turn brought the . Spraggy bet again, and Murray called. On the river, the completed the board, and Spraggy shoved for 15,000.
Murray made the call with , while Spraggy showed a failed bluff with . The pot was Murray’s and Spraggy was eliminated.
Aganauskene Hits Set to Win Three-Way All In
In a dramatic three-way all-in, Olena Aganauskene made an impressive full house on the turn, knocking both Timothy Chung and Brendan Shannon out of the tournament. The hand began with Chung shoving for 23,000, Aganauskene following suit from the button, and Shannon calling from the big blind.
The board ran out , and Aganauskene’s full house was enough to beat Shannon’s aces and Chung’s pocket fives.
The Day 2 Bubble Bursts
As the tournament progressed into Level 22 with blinds at 15,000/30,000/30,000, the tension mounted. Players were hand-for-hand on the bubble, and Christopher Hadad was the unfortunate player to go out in 16th place, just shy of the money.
Hadad shoved for 175,000 from the big blind, but Stefan Brennan called from the small blind with a superior stack. The hands were revealed:
Hadad:
Brennan:
The flop came down and Brennan’s set of queens held strong. Hadad was eliminated, and the remaining 15 players bagged up their chips to move on to Day 2.
Day 1C was the third of 13 total starting flights. The next flight, Day 1D kicks off at Sunday 13th at 6 p.m. local time. For those who make it through to Day 2, the finale takes place on Monday 21 April at noon local time.
Stay tuned for more updates as the Mini Main Event continues to unfold, and remember, the action’s only just getting started. See you at the tables!
