2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure

Day 1 of the 2019 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) $100,000 Super High Roller is in the books and the third-biggest field at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island has emerged after eight levels of 60 minutes each. A total of 43 unique players and 13 re-entries created a field of 56 entries, trailing only the 58 entries of 2016 and the 66 entries of 2015.

At least $5,433,120 in prizes will be distributed, however, that amount may still increase as the registration remains open until the start of Day 2 on Friday, January 11th, 2019, as of 12.30 p.m. local time. All new entries will receive 250,000 in chips at blinds of 3,000/6,000 with a big blind ante of 6,000.

Of the 33 players that bagged up chips, only two crossed one million in chips. Henrik Hecklen, who comes fresh off a victory in the €10,300 High Roller at the 2018 EPT Prague festival, claimed 1,264,000 and PokerStars Team Pro Igor Kurganov follows in second place with 1,050,000. For Kurganov, it had been a rocky start as he dropped down all the way to 44,000 before running up a big stack in the late stages of the day.

Steve O'Dwyer, who won this very event in 2015, made it to Day 2 with 889,000 and Sam Greenwood advanced with 792,000. In a field filled with some of the biggest names of the international poker circuit, the top 10 also features such superstars as Dominik Nitsche (679,000), Mustapha Kanit (558,000) and Justin Bonomo (548,000).

Among those to bust throughout the event levels were Kathy Lehne, Joe Cada, defending champion Cary Katz, Luc Greenwood, Jason Koon, Daniel Negreanu, Byron Kaverman, and Stephen Chidwick. Koray Aldemir and David Peters entered two times, but both attempts were not crowned with success.

Lehne busted in the second level of the day when her flopped top pair with ace-king was no good, as Steve O'Dwyer flopped middle set with pocket nines. The chips went in after the turn and Lehne needed one of the two remaining aces on a paired board, but found no help on a blank river.

Dominik Nitsche and Igor Kurganov had a rough start on their table and quickly dropped to a fraction of the starting stack. Nitsche had to re-enter, while Kurganov scored two doubles and ran up a stack from there. Fellow PokerStars Team Pro Daniel Negreanu appeared in the fifth level and quickly lost a big chunk of his stack to Daniel Dvoress with flush under flush. Negreanu doubled once but ran out of steam soon after.

Defending champion Cary Katz was ousted by Jean-Noel Thorel when he three-bet with ace-queen suited and jammed a king-queen high flop with second pair. Thorel snap-called with king-queen for top two pair and remained ahead on blank turn and river. At almost the same time, Koray Aldemir ran with queens into the aces of Henrik Hecklen and Steffen Sontheimer also departed. Aldemir bought back in, but lost almost all chips with ace-six against pocket queens to bust once more.

In the final two levels of the night, several players were eliminated and just 33 participants bagged up. They will return half past noon and the registration closes as soon as the cards go back in the air. Day 2 is scheduled to play down to an eight-handed final table and the PokerNews team will be on the floor to cover all the action.

PCA Super High Roller Events at a glance

A recap of today's action is to follow. After eight levels of play, 33 players out of 56 entries have bagged up chips.

Dan Shak got his last 171,000 in before the flop in the final hand of the night and had a flip against Sean Winter.

Dan Shak:
Sean Winter:

The board came and Shak hit a full house to avoid elimination.

During the final hands of the night, Benjamin Pollak opened to 11,000 from the button and called the jam of Stephen Chidwick in the big blind for 127,000 total.

Stephen Chidwick:
Benjamin Pollak:

The flop left Chidwick drawing to running straight outs, and he picked up some hope with the turn. However, the river was none of them and instead, Pollak claimed the pot with a full house.

With 110,000 in the middle and Chris Hunichen in the big blind battling with Mustapha Kanit in early position, the board showed . Hunichen bet 75,000 and Kanit called.

After the river, Hunichen announced a bet of 175,000 and Kanit wasted little time before moving all in. That ended up forcing a fold from Hunichen, who dropped to just over the starting stack.

David Peters came back from just 15,000 and had grinded that up to 100,000, but that all came to an end just before the clock was stopped.

Peters was all in for 69,500 preflop with the and Matthias Eibinger snap-called with the . The board came 9s5c2h8hQs] and Peters was drawing dead on the turn. He is set to finish the $25,000 Single-Day High Roller against Sean Winter once he has bagged and tagged the chips, which will be in six hands from now.

Steve O'Dwyer raised to 13,000 from the button and Andras Nemeth called in the small blind. Jean-Noel Thorel three-bet to 30,000 in the big blind and both O'Dwyer and Nemeth called.

The flop came , Nemeth check-called the 17,000 continuation-bet of Thorel while O'Dwyer folded.

The turn brought them the , Nemeth check-called the 55,000 bet by Thorel.

The river completed the board with the , Nemeth checked again. Thorel flicked in a bet of 75,000 without hesitating. Nemeth tanked, using a time bank card, counting out calling chips, rifled them a bit before making the call. Thorel flipped over for the rivered full house and Nemeth unhappily flung his cards into the muck after looking at them once more.

Isaac Haxton raised to 11,000 and Chris Hunichen called, Mikita Badziakouski three-bet to 55,000 and that resulted in a fold from Haxton and a call from Hunichen. On the flop, Badziakouski continued for 28,000 and picked up a call.

The appeared on the turn and Badziakouski now bet 50,000.

"Can I see your stack?" Hunichen asked and Badziakouski obliged, Hunichen called.

The "bet all but one 500 chip" trend continued, as that's exactly what Badziakouski did on the river. Hunichen asked for the size of the bet, which was 120,000 in total, and eventually called after using one time bank.

"You're good," Badziakouski said and showed the . Hunichen double-checked the board and flashed , they chopped it up.

Once Badziakouski had racked up the chips, he grinned and added "well played."

With 31,500 in the middle already, the flop read , Timothy Adams check-tank-called the 8,000 bet of Bryn Kenney.

They both checked through the on the turn to the on the river. Adams checked for the last time. Kenney bet 75,000, putting Adams all-in as he only had 38,000 behind. Adams took some time, looked at his own stack again, and then made the call with and saw he had Kenney beat who held .