The 2018 XL Eclipse, an 11-day series featuring 34 events and more than $2.8 million in guaranteed prize pools, kicked off on Thursday with the first three events on the schedule
Remember, anyone who wins two XL Eclipse events will receive a $1,000 bonus. If someone can take down three there’s $10,000 waiting for them, while anyone lucky enough to capture four XL Eclipse titles will earn $100,000.
Additionally, a $1,000,000 bonus awaits any player who is able to capture five XL Eclipse titles! But that’s not all! Reach the final table in three or more events and you’ll get a $600 tournament ticket, and if you make the money in eight or more events, you’ll get a $215 tournament ticket.
Here's a look at all that went down on the first day of the 2018 XL Eclipse.
Richard “ChipsFool” Hoadley Wins $100K Opening Event
The XL Eclipse Event #1L $100,000 Opening Event started players with 15,000 chips and the blinds increased every 20 minutes. Players were also allowed to rebuy for 15,000 additional chips for $160 during the 240-minute late registration period.
The tournament wound up with 707 players who rebought 295 times, which meant the 1,002-entry field just squeaked by the guarantee by creating a $100,200 prize pool. That was paid out to the top 90 players including 888poker Ambassador Chris “888Moorman” Moorman (89th - $261), “plomaha” (49th- $351), “IgrindThat” (29th - $451), “DrunkSpewer” (14th - $902), “HomoDeus” (8th - $2,254), and “Palmenwedler” (3rd - $10,020).
The UK’s Richard “ChipsFool” Hoadley began heads-up play with a big chip lead against Germany’s “resilience32,” and it didn’t take long to come to a head. After 12 hours and 11 minutes in the tournament, the final hand went down when the German made top set of nines only to discover his opponent had a nine-high straight
Hoadley added $18,787.50 to his bankroll for the win. It was a bit of redemption for Hoadley, who last year finished runner-up in the XL Eclipse Event #193: $25,000 Sunday Tornado.
Romania’s “seserman02” Claims Mini Opening Event Title
The $16.50 buy-in XL Eclipse #2: $20,000 Mini Opening Event saw 1,223 players take to the virtual felt and rebuy 487 times. That created a $25,650 prize pool paid out to the top 153 players. Among those to go deep were “GOCrazyPanda” (48th - $74), “anisha25” (29th - $95), “Dedewood” (16th - $126), “MrDrogo” (6th - $1,013), and “toby1805” (3rd - $2,437).
After just shy of 10 hours, the title came down to Romania’s “seserman02” and Brazil’s “rodrigovin1.” The Romania ultimately prevailed and took down a $4,428 top prize while his Brazilian opponent had to settle for second place and a $3,206 consolation prize.
Malta’s “KelevraJesus” Stays Up Late to Win Big
The $55 buy-in XL Eclipse Event #3: $25,000 Late Opening Event drew 383 players who rebought 133 times. That created a $25,800 prize pool that was paid out to the top 54 players including “ole_schemion” (45th - $142), “Happynose” (25th - $181), “Rebozeio” (15th - $284), “SoftCotton” (6th - $1,096.50), and “LeoJoseCarne” (4th - $2,064).
After “jmsantos10” bowed out in third place for $2,709, the title came down to Malta’s “KelevraJesus” and “avo1990.” After 6 hours and 37 minutes, the former took it down for $4,951.
“KelevraJesus” is a regular on 888poker but this marked his first significant win since he took down the January 6 $10,000 Monsoon for nearly $2K.
What’s Coming Up on Friday?
Two more events will play out on Friday, both beginning at 18:00. The first is XL Eclipse #4: $20,000 Twins Royal and XL Eclipse #5: $20,000 Twins Flush. Both cost just $55 to enter.
