Welcome back to PokerNews' coverage of the 2016 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 High Roller. Just over 100 players advanced through Day 1 on Tuesday, with Dustin Johns of the USA bagging up a field-leading 298,100 in chips. Robert Gorodetsky (294,900), Brian Yoon (294,000), and Jared Jaffee (293,600) finished right behind Johns and could move into the lead very quickly on Day 2.
As expected year in and year out in this event, the field was absolutely stacked with elite poker talent. Isaac Baron (258,000), Olivier Busquet (257,400), Marvin Rettenmaier (190,100), Dario Sammartino (156,200), and Mukul Pahuja (128,200) were just a handful of the names to compete and do well on Day 1, while the same held true for past World Series of Poker Main Event winners and runner-ups — Josh Beckley (181,000), Joe Cada (150,000), Greg Merson (130,800), John Racener (113,800), and Joe McKeehen (81,500).
The field grew to 215 entries on Day 1, but that number will surely rise with registration and reentry open until the start of Day 2, which will be at 12 p.m local time. That's when you can expect the PokerNews coverage to kick off, so stay tuned for more action from the $25,000 High Roller.
When the action began the day, Daniel Negreanu was short stacked and sitting at about 20 big blinds. He started the day on the button and the action folded to him.
He looked at his hand and said, "that's not on the chart! I just looked at it."
He folded that hand and the next two, before shoving all in on the fourth hand of play. Kevin MacPhee, who used his single reentry to begin the day with 50,000 called.
Negreanu had and MacPhee showed .
"I take it back," Negreanu said grabbing his chips from the pot.
He placed the chips back in and it was time to run the board. It came out , giving Negreanu a glimmer of hope with an open-ended straight draw, but the turn was the and the river the and that would be enough to send Negreanu to the rail.
Georgios Zisimopoulos bubbles the PCA 2016 $25,000 High Roller
Two tables had finished action, but the other two tables were still in play. On one of them, action had folded to Anton Astapau in the small blind, and he moved all in against Keven Stammen's big blind. Stammen, who had just 37,000 in chips behind, tanked long and hard.
"Will you show me if I fold?" Stammen asked Astapau at one point during his tank. "Actually, don't show me. I don't want to see."
While Stammen was tanking, Greg Merson and Georgios Zisimopoulos got all in on the other table still in action. Merson and Zisimopoulos were instructed to not turn over their hands until the hand between Astapau and Stammen played out to see if Stammen called or not. Eventually, Stammen folded.
Zisimopoulos then showed the , and he was all in for 52,000. Merson had one over card with the .
It was that one over card that came into play when the flop fell to put him in front with a pair of kings. The turn was the , and the river was the . With that, Merson won the pot and Zisimopoulos was eliminated on the bubble.
Andrew Chen and Pablo Melogno were all in and Melogno was at risk.
Chen had and Melogno looked about to double up with . He had two pair with an ace and a five on the board, but a hit the river and Melogno would hit the rail in 30th place.
![[user68268]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
and MacPhee showed 
.
, giving Negreanu a glimmer of hope with an open-ended straight draw, but the turn was the 
and the river the 
and that would be enough to send Negreanu to the rail.
.
, and the river was the 
. With that, Merson won the pot and Zisimopoulos was eliminated on the bubble.
hit the river and ended his tournament run. Chartier would almost triple up and Astapau was left short.
. He had two pair with an ace and a five on the board, but a 
against the 
and that would end Patterson's day.
