On Day 1 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure 2018 $25,000 3-Day High Roller, 141 entries took to the felt, but just 50 players will take chips out of the bag when Day 2 action kicks off at noon local time. Leading the way is Mikita Badziakouski (403,500), who was the only player to bag a stack in excess of the 400,000-chip mark. Nick Petrangelo sits just behind him in the chip counts with 397,700.
Jonathan Jaffe (350,000), Ryan McEathron (343,000) and PokerStars Team Pro Igor Kurganov (334,000) round out the top five stacks. The chip leaders are joined by a slew of highly accomplished players, including Ankush Mandavia (262,000), Isaac Haxton (227,100), Mike Watson (208,500), Ari Engel (206,400), and recent $25,000 Single-Day High Roller winner Jason Koon (144,200). PokerStars Team Pros Daniel Negreanu (153,800), Andre Akkari (57,000), and Liv Boeree (52,000) will also return for Day 2.
Late registration and reentry remain open until the clock starts running on Day 2. The second day of play will consist of ten one-hour levels with a 20-minute break every two levels and an 80-minute dinner break following the conclusion of level 16.
Keep it here for continuing coverage of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure $25,000 3-Day High Roller and the final two days of the $10,300 Main Event, proudly presented by the PokerNews Live Reporting Team.
The action folded around to Mikita Badziakouski in the small blind who opened with a raise to 20,000. Anthony Zinno was in the big blind and put in a three-bet to 75,000. Badziakouski countered with a four-bet shove all in. Zinno quickly called and the cards were on their backs.
Mikita Badziakouski:
Anthony Zinno:
It was an action flop when the dealer fanned the . Zinno flopped top set but Badziakouski flopped a flush and straight draw. The turn brought the and Badziakouski took the lead with a flush. Zinno would need the board to pair but the on the river was no help. Zinno was the player all in for roughly 340,000 and Badziakouski climbed to over one million in chips.
Jonathan Jaffe raised to 15,000 from under the gun, Isaac Haxton called from the cutoff, and Richard Kirsch shoved from the big blind for his last 30,000. Jaffe and Haxton both called.
The flop came and Jaffe checked. Haxton checked behind.
The turn brought the and Jaffe checked. Haxton bet 20,000 into the side pot, Jaffe folded, and the two remaining live players tabled their hands.
Haxton:
Kirsch:
Haxton had flopped trip queens and Kirsch found himself drawing dead on the turn. After the meaningless fell on the river, Haxton took the pot to eliminate Kirsch and end the money bubble.
Javier Zapatero opened to 16,000 from under the gun and Mikita Badziakouski called from the cutoff. Daniel Negreanu shoved all in for 191,000 from the big blind and Zapatero pushed all in over the top. Badziakouski quickly folded and the remaining two hands were tabled.
Daniel Negreanu:
Javier Zapatero:
It was a coin flip for heaps of chips and Negreanu was the one at risk. The flop came , which gave the PokerStars Team Pro the lead with a pair of aces. The on the turn and the on the river only improved Negreanu's hand as he earned himself a double up.
Zapatero was left with just 50,000 and would get it all in the very next hand against Negreanu. Zapatero held against Negreanu's pocket sevens but couldn't connect with the board and was sent on his way in 19th place.
The action folded to Mike Watson who just limped in from the small blind. Igor Kurganov raised to 30,000 from the big blind and Watson jammed all in for 184,000. Kurganov quickly called and the cards were face up.
Igor Kurganov:
Mike Watson:
The flop came and Watson was still in the lead with a pair of sixes but Kurganov held two overcards and picked up a flush draw. Kurganov hit the on the turn and Watson was left drawing to an off-suit six. The river brought the and Watson became the 18th-place finisher.
Christopher Kruk raised to 20,000 from the cutoff, Mikita Badziakouski called from the button, and Ryan McEathron three-bet to 65,000 from the small blind. Kruk called and Badziakouski folded.
The flop came and McEathron bet 38,000. Kruk called.
The turn brought the , McEathron shoved, and Kruk called with the larger of the two stacks by a wide margin.
Christopher Kruk:
Ryan McEathron:
Kruk had the best of it with his flopped set and McEathron found himself drawing dead. After the fell on the river, Kruk took the pot to end McEathron's run in this tournament.
Liv Boeree opened from early position, Jonathan Jaffe called from middle position, and Jean-Noel Thorel three-bet to 60,000 from the cutoff. Boeree folded and Jaffe called.
The flop came and Jaffe check-called a bet of 75,000 from Thorel.
The fell on the turn and Jaffe checked. Thorel shoved and Jaffe instantly called.
Jonathan Jaffe:
Jean-Noel Thorel:
Thorel had flopped trips but found himself drawing razor thin against Jaffe's turned nut boat. The on the river changed nothing, so Jaffe took the pot to end Thorel's run in this event.
On the first hand back from dinner, Steffen Sontheimer opened to 23,000 on the button and called a three-bet shove from Isaac Haxton in the small blind.
Isaac Haxton:
Steffen Sontheimer:
The board ran out and Haxton departed in 15th place banking $55,740.
PokerStars Team Pro Daniel Negreanu raised to 22,000 from middle position, Ari Engel called from the hijack, and Christopher Kruk called from the big blind.
The flop came and Kruk checked. Negreanu bet 20,000, Engel folded, and Kruk check-raised to 70,000. Negreanu called.
The turn brought the , Kruk bet 135,000, and Negreanu called.
The fell on the river and Kruk shoved. Negreanu called to put himself at risk with a stack of 188,000 and instantly tabled for the nut straight. Kruk showed for a missed open-ended straight draw.
. Zinno flopped top set but Badziakouski flopped a flush and straight draw. The turn brought the 
and Badziakouski took the lead with a flush. Zinno would need the board to pair but the 
on the river was no help. Zinno was the player all in for roughly 340,000 and Badziakouski climbed to over one million in chips.
and Jaffe checked. Haxton bet 20,000 into the side pot, Jaffe folded, and the two remaining live players tabled their hands.
fell on the river, Haxton took the pot to eliminate Kirsch and end the money bubble.
and Jetten was eliminated in 20th place earning $45,300.
, which gave the PokerStars Team Pro the lead with a pair of aces. The 
on the turn and the 
against Negreanu's pocket sevens but couldn't connect with the board and was sent on his way in 19th place.
and Watson was still in the lead with a pair of sixes but Kurganov held two overcards and picked up a flush draw. Kurganov hit the 
and Watson became the 18th-place finisher.
and McEathron bet 38,000. Kruk called.
on the river changed nothing, so Jaffe took the pot to end Thorel's run in this event.
