The second flight of the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS Russia Main Event gets underway shortly at 12 p.m. local time, with a bumper field expected. Each player is looking to get one step closer to securing themselves a slice of an eye-watering $5m guaranteed prizepool, and today is the start of that journey.
Yesterday we saw 262 players join the action, but there is expected to be a whole lot more, with the High Roller down to only eight tables, and more players from all over Europe and the rest of the world arriving at the Sochi Casino & Resort.
Judging from yesterday's action, the target for anyone with chip leader ambitions is the four million chip mark. Only Matt Eardley and Petr Gabyshev achieved that feat yesterday, so we will have to wait and see if anyone follows in their footsteps.
Players can qualify online via the phase satellites on partypoker and there were also live phase satellites, which ultimately send the players into the Live Day 1 here in Sochi. All direct entries receive 1,000,000 in chips and the first level starts with blinds of 1,500/3,000, the button ante format is used. With six players or more, the full big blind is to be played by the player on the button, while tables with five players or fewer only have to pay the small blind.
There are three Day 1s in total, with a turbo heat featuring levels of 20 minutes each gets underway before the start of Day 2. Each Day 1 will play eight levels in total before the field then combines for Day 2 on Monday September 11th 2017 as of 3.30 p.m. local time.
One of partypoker's Sponsored Pros is Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who unfortunately bust out of Day 1A yesterday, but he's back in the field today and raring to go.
"There are lots of players," said Jachtmann, as he waited for his new table to fill up, "I'm looking forward to it. I know that there is one re-entry per day so I will go for it!"
Jachtmann has been enjoying the Sochi Casino & Resort, and says that it has only whetted his appetite for finding out more about the country.
"Sochi is for rich people(!). It's one of only three areas in Russia where you can have casinos and gamble.
"I think Sochi is like a bubble; It's certainly not typical Russia, but that makes me want to discover and explore other parts of Russia."
David Laka raised from the cutoff to 100,000 with and Andrey Razov three-bet all in for 305,000 from the button with . The blinds folded and Laka made the call.
The board ran out and Razov doubled up.
A short while later, Diego Zeiter raised to 110,000 from early position with and David Laka three-bet to 260,000 with from the next position. Leon Tsoukernik cold-called with in the big blind before Zeiter four-bet all in for 1,270,000. Laka quickly folded but Tsoukernik called.
The board came and despite Tsoukernik holding several straight outs on the turn, the river was a brick and Zeiter took over the chip lead.
"Oh no, that's the worst thing to happen," Jan-Peter Jachtmann said and stood up from his chair while two Brits that railed his table also cried out loudly. The board was all but rushed away while Oksana Abakhova left her seat in disguise with the always-talkative Martin Kabrhel raking in the big pot.
Apparently, Abakhova had five-bet for half of her stack before Kabrhel six-bet all in with . He was quickly called by Abakhova with pocket aces and Kabrhel got there thanks to the on the river. "Hippo says it is time," Kabrhel added.
Kabrhel now sits on an above-average stack of 1.9 million while Jachtmann is back to starting stack on the same table.
Viktor Ustimov limped under the gun with and Leon Tsoukernik also called in the hijack with . Andrey Razov held but did not realise that he was in the big blind, and put out the chips to call a raise. However, this meant that he had committed chips to the pot and it was ruled as a raise.
Viktor then moved all in for just under one million chips. Tsoukernik folded and Razov called all in for his tournament life.
The board ran out and Razov became the first elimination at the High Roller final table. Razov takes home 57,000 Casino Units (approximately $50,000).
Player
Chip Count
Viktor Ustimov
1,545,000
Andrey Razov
Eliminated
The players are going on a short brike. When they return the blinds will be 40,000/80,000 wth a 40,000 ante.
On a river, Alexandru Papazian was raking in a pot having showed for a full house. His opponent in the hand was rubbing his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief. He showed for a smaller full house, and was remonstrating with Papazian about what he would have done had a different river card had come.
Petr Bartagov moved all in from the cutoff for his last 490,000 with . Leon Tsoukernik was on the button with and called. The blinds folded and the cards were turned over.
The flop gave Tsoukernik a strangle-hold on proceedings coming . The turn was the and the river the meaning Bartagov was eliminated in 6th place.
Leon Tsoukernik raised to 300,000 with and Diego Zeiter three-bet all in from late position for 4,750,000 with . Tsoukernik called all in for his final 2,785,000.
The board came and Tsoukernik was eliminated in 4th place.
and Andrey Razov three-bet all in for 305,000 from the button with 
. The blinds folded and Laka made the call.
and Razov doubled up.
from the next position. Leon Tsoukernik cold-called with 
in the big blind before Zeiter four-bet all in for 1,270,000. Laka quickly folded but Tsoukernik called.
and despite Tsoukernik holding several straight outs on the turn, the river was a brick and Zeiter took over the chip lead.
. He was quickly called by Abakhova with pocket aces and Kabrhel got there thanks to the 
on the river. "Hippo says it is time," Kabrhel added.
. Andrey Razov held 
but did not realise that he was in the big blind, and put out the chips to call a raise. However, this meant that he had committed chips to the pot and it was ruled as a raise.
and Razov became the first elimination at the High Roller final table. Razov takes home 57,000 Casino Units (approximately $50,000).
for a full house. His opponent in the hand was rubbing his eyes and shaking his head in disbelief. He showed 
for a smaller full house, and was remonstrating with Papazian about what he would have done had a different river card had come.
and Zukernik was eliminated in 7th place for 68,400 Casino Units (approximately $60,000)
and the river the 
meaning Bartagov was eliminated in 6th place.
boosting Tsoukernik into the lead. The turn was another deuce, the 
. Tsoukernik called all in for his final 2,785,000.
and Tsoukernik was eliminated in 4th place.