Razvan Morar Turns Short Stack Into 888poker LIVE Bucharest €560 Main Event Title
When the final day of the 888poker LIVE Bucharest festival began, Razvan Morar was among the short stacks coming back for Day 3 of the €560 Main Event. The Romanian returned to action with just 12 big blinds, and that number fell below five at one point during play at the final two tables.
As he watched others head to the payout desk, Morar found a pair of key doubles that propelled him to the final table. With his father watching on the rail at 888poker Room Bucharest, Morar continued to chip up until reaching heads-up play against Florin Elisei. Despite starting at an almost three-to-one disadvantage, Morar overcame the odds and locked up an emotional win in his home country.
The Main Event produced a strong field of 406 entries, with the top 51 players earning a cash of at least €1,000. The final 17 players that returned for the final day had all locked up a minimum of €2,275, with Morar earning the €37,000 first-place prize and the shiny 888poker LIVE trophy.
€560 Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Country | Prize (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Final Day Action
The day began with Morar joined by plenty of other short stacks, as eight of the remaining 17 players entered play with less than 20 big blinds. Adrian Ionescu was among the early exits on Day 3 after running into the pocket aces of Alexandru Brumaru.
It was about this time that Morar began making his move up the leaderboard, doubling up twice while more players hit the rail. As the final two tables began short-handed play, Dumitru Barta was knocked out by Morar after missing his draw.
One of the more entertaining hands of the day came when Corneliu Popescu was down to a river card, needing to find a seven to stay alive. With seven fingers held up in the air, Popescu celebrated as the dealer flipped over the 7♥ to earn the double.
After doubling up Morar earlier in the day, Alexandru Mitracu was eliminated on the final table bubble. That bubble lasted almost two hours, as the remaining players battled for a spot under the lights of the feature table.
Final Table Story
Brumaru and Popescu were the first to fall after taking photos for the official 888poker LIVE Bucharest final table. Day 1c chip leader Dan Galinschi then fell in seventh place after his pocket kings were cracked by Elisei.
The chip leader entering the final day was Konstantinos Vatseris, who was looking to improve on a seventh-place finish at this event last August. It was not to be this time, as Vatseris also fell to Elisei to exit in sixth position.
Alexandru Varninschi was next to fall when he ran into pocket jacks,
before Alexandru Lupuleac became Morar’s first victim of the day to finish fourth.
Andrei Miron was the short stack entering three-handed play, and could not improve that position as he was knocked out by Elisei.
Heads-Up Comeback
That left Elisei and Morar to battle for the trophy, with Morar facing a familiar storyline as heads-up play began. Elisei carried a sizeable chip advantage, but a combination of timely plays and timely cards allowed Morar to chip away at the deficit.
After about an hour, Morar clawed his way into the lead and never looked back. The final hand saw Elisei shove a flush draw on the flop, which Morar called with top pair.
As the river card hit the felt, Morar raised his fist and looked at his dad on the rail, who was already celebrating and clapping for his son’s victory. Despite facing long odds all day long, Morar found a way to get the job done and now gets to enjoy the spoils of the top prize and the 888poker LIVE trophy.
That’s a wrap from 888poker LIVE Bucharest, but be sure to check out the PokerNews live reporting hub for coverage of events around the globe!