The third day of the XL Blizzard series, which spans 11 days and will conclude on January 28, featured three more exciting events out of a total of 34 scheduled. By the end of this series, the total prize pool will exceed $2.8 million, making this a fantastic way to usher in the New Year.
During the XL Blizzard, participants can join events with buy-ins ranging from as low as $5 to as high as $2,100. This year’s lineup includes thrilling competitions like the $2,100 buy-in High Roller with a guaranteed prize pool of $250,000 and a $1,050 buy-in main event with a whopping $1,000,000 guarantee set for January 28.
New promotions have also been introduced, including significant cash prizes for players who can win multiple events, with a potential payout of $1,000,000 for those who succeed in five events. There's also a unique format called the “Bubble of Bubbles” tournament, where players gain entry upon bubbling in a tournament, as well as the return of the highly anticipated Champion of Champions event.
The Champion of Champions event is back for the XL Blizzard series, and one fortunate player from 888poker will take home a WSOP Vegas package valued at $12,000. Participants earn leaderboard points for every XL Blizzard event they play, and the top 50 will qualify for the Champion of Champions tournament set to start at 18:00 GMT on January 30.
Let's take a look at the current leaderboard status:
Now, here's a brief summary of the events that have transpired in the XL Blizzard so far:
Day 1 – Jans \"Graftekkel\" Arends from the Netherlands emerged victorious in the Opening Event, taking home over $17,000. Other title winners included \"bygavuga\" and \"scellone94.\"
Day 2 – Players \"Jamasutra\" and \"Pasha813\" both achieved impressive wins in Events #4 and #5 respectively.
For more comprehensive details regarding the XL Blizzard, click here.
“Rekrutt1” Claims Crazy 8 Title
Event #6 featured a $50,000 Crazy 8 with an entry fee of $88, starting players with 8,888 chips. The event attracted 465 participants, with 203 rebuys, culminating in a prize pool of $53,440 which was distributed to the top 64 players. In 65th place, Canadian player \"tcavallin\" secured a seat in the upcoming \"Bubble of Bubbles\" tournament.thAmong those who cashed were XL Inferno champion Guntis \"luffEEE\" Aleskins, who finished in 36th place.
After a lengthy 8 hours and 24 minutes of play, the tournament concluded with Russia’s \"Ksuna\" succumbing to Norway's \"Rekrutt1,\" who claimed the top prize of $10,153.60.thfor $283.23), “ASTRA333” (24thfor $464.92), 888poker Ambassador Sofia Lovgren (20thfor $464.92), Event #5 runner-up “Ao1ing” (9thfor $796.25), XL Eclipse champ “CARRAMROD” (4thfor $4,008), and Ben “DoobieFish” Kett (3rdfor $5,482.94).
Finland’s “NeveGiveUp” Clinches XL Blizzard Event #7 Following His XL Eclipse Success
Event #7, dubbed the $15,000 Mini Crazy 8, had a modest entry fee of $8.80, drawing a crowd of 1,665 players. With 880 rebuys, the total prize pool reached $20,360, but one notable player, who finished in 201st place, \"dankreas,\" missed out on a payout, landing instead a spot in the \"Bubble of Bubbles\" tournament.
In the top 200 payers, \"FedorAV\" claimed a cash prize by finishing in 72nd place.stFinland's \"NeveGiveUp\" emerged victorious after 8 hours and 48 minutes of competition, defeating Germany’s \"bunder17\" in a thrilling heads-up showdown for a prize of $3,563. Previously, in September, \"NeveGiveUp\" won a large field of 1,034 entries in the XL Eclipse Event #150: $10,000 Mini R&A, claiming $2,111. His recent success marks him as the second player with a previous XL title to secure a victory in the XL Blizzard.
“msksevart” Continues Winning Streak from 2017 with XL Blizzard Victory ndfor $48.86), “taran93” (41stfor $57), “Makamaker” (23rdfor $83.47), “IJustRunGood” (9thfor $144.55), and “anper888” (3rdfor $1,970.84).
The $44 buy-in Event #8: $15,000 Late Crazy 8 attracted 313 players and saw 132 rebuys, building a prize pool of $17,800 that was shared among the top 40 players. Russia's \"icf043\" narrowly missed the money, finishing in 41st place, but secured an entry into the \"Bubble of Bubbles\" as consolation.
Notable players who reached the cash spots included \"kl0nkrn89,\" who finished in 31st place.
After 6 hours and 31 minutes of intense play, the tournament concluded following a deal. \"Javierv10\" officially took second place, receiving $3,027.26, while Russia's \"msksevart\" claimed the title along with $3,024.74 in winnings.stEarlier in September, \"msksevart\" had a notable win in the XL Eclipse Event #106: $10,000 Super Turbo Tune Up, which earned him $2,636.76, establishing him as the third player with a previous XL victory to secure a title in the XL Blizzard.
Based on reports from PocketFives, \"msksevart\" garnered an impressive total of $282,936 on 888poker in 2017, which included 64 tournament wins; this placed him slightly above Roman 'Romeopro' Romanovsky, who accumulated $264,007.stfor $119.26), “Aoling” (24thfor $178), “Pay_for_me” (13thfor $267), “HappySh00ter” (9thfor $356), and “KelevraJesus” (3rdfor $1,958).
Sundays are traditionally the busiest day for online poker enthusiasts, and the XL Blizzard schedule reflects this trend. Furthermore, five additional events are on the docket, including a Main Event Mega Satellite with a $160 buy-in starting at 19:35, which guarantees 15 seats.
The day will commence with the $215 buy-in XL Blizzard Event #9, featuring a $120,000 Mega Deep starting at 17:30, followed by Event #10, the $200,000 Tune Up with a $160 buy-in, taking place just half an hour after.
At 18:00, players can enter the $12 buy-in Event #11: $40,000 Mini Tune Up, followed by the $1,050 buy-in Event #12: $200,000 Whale at 19:00.
Sunday Funday
Wrapping up the day's activities is the $55 buy-in Event #13, known as the $20,000 Late Tune Up, scheduled for 21:00.
Chad Holloway, a winner of a WSOP Bracelet in 2013, has previously served as a managing editor and live reporter for PokerNews.
Finland’s “NeveGiveUp” has secured victory in XL Blizzard Event #7, adding to his XL Eclipse achievement.
“msksevart” extends his successful run from 2017 with yet another XL Blizzard win.