Jans Arends opened for 400 under the gun and Rafael Golka called from the hijack. The player in the cutoff called, as did Mikhail Kurlyand on the button, and Belgium's Pierre Neuville came along from the big blind to make it five-way action to the flop.
Three checks saw the player in the cutoff bet 1,100, and only Neuville called to see the . Neuville check-called a bet of 2,500 and then fired out 7,000 when the paired the board on the river.
His opponent quickly folded and Neuville showed the for a missed straight he turned into a bluff.
With the frigid tempartures in the Great White North, it's no surprise that the Canadian contingent at the PokerStars Championship Bahamas is high.
Pascal Lefrancois, Benny Chen, Xuan Liu and Tyler Bonkowski all have over a million in live recorded cashes a piece and three WSOP bracelets between them. Lefrancois and Liu have both made PCA Main Event final tables as well.
Here is a look at some of the Canadians in the field today:
Canada's Kelly Kellner opened for 400 under the gun and Hank Sitton called. When action reached fellow Canadian Robert Kostesky on the button, he three-bet to 1,125, which prompted both blinds to fold.
Kellner then four-bet to 3,500, Sitton got out of the way, and Kostesky called to see the flop.
"Rainbow bet, one of each color," Kellner declared before tossing out 6,125. "I'll show."
Kostesky took him up on the offer by folding, and Kellner showed him the .
The Netherlands' Noah Boeken opened for 400 from the cutoff and only 2013 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Ryan Riess, who was in the small blind, called to see the flop, which both players checked.
When the peeled off on the turn, Riess checked for a second time and Boeken bet out 600. Riess woke up with a check-raise to 2,100, and Boeken thought for nearly a minute before giving up his hand.
Three players each put in 1,500 and took a flop of . Canada's Daniel Ghionoiu bet 1,000 from middle position, the player to his left folded, and Victor Figueroa called from the button.
After the dealer burned and turned the , both players checked and the completed the board on the river. Ghionoiu opted to bet 1,400, but he was met by a raise to 5,100 by Figueroa.
"Ace no good, huh?" Ghionoiu said before flashing the and folding.
Figueroa, who chipped up to 34,000 after the hand, neither responded nor showed his cards. Ghionoiu dropped to 28,000.
With around 2,000 in the pot and a board reading , Ryan Yu bet 900 from the small blind and 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champ Joe Cada called from the big. The under-the-gun player folded, the UK's Stephen Thirlwell came along from middle position, and three players saw the river.
Yu bet again, this time 2,500, and it did the trick as both Cada and Thirlwell folded. Despite losing out on that pot, Cada is still up a bit from the starting stack.
Action folded around to the player in the hijack who raised to 400. Mohsin Charania was in the big blind and decided to defend.
The flop came . Charania checked, and his opponent bet 300. Charania called.
The turn was the and Charania checked again. The hijack bet 1,300 and Charania called for a second time.
The river was the . Charania checked for a third time, and the hijack bet 3,600. Charania wasted no time and put in a check-raise to 12,500. The hijack went into the tank for well over a minute, constantly looking back at his cards. He eventually folded and said, "That was a good river for me, but I think you have a flush. I folded a set of jacks."
Charania now has two and a half times the starting stack at the beginning of the second level of the day.
On a board reading , with about 2,000 in the pot already, Christopher George checked from the big blind. His opponent on the button bet 1,300 and George check-raised to 3,400. The button went into the tank and eventually called.
The river was the . George thought for a minute and fired out a bet of 11,000.
The button thought about it and eventually had a pained look on his face. He moved around in his chair and counted out his chips. Eventually, he called.
George tabled for a straight flush and his opponent said, "You got me."
Kou Vang, a poker pro and family man from Maplewood, Minnesota, has just entered the field.
Vang has been playing poker full time for the better part of a decade, and in that time he’s developed a reputation as one of the Midwest’s most feared players. He even won an award for “Most Intimidating” at the Minnesota Poker Awards a few years back.
All told, Vang has $1,152,038 in live tournament earnings including first in the 2010 Fall Poker Classic $1,000 Championship Event for $78,421; a win in the 2008 World Series of Poker Circuit Council Bluffs $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em for $51,383; runner-up in the 2013 Running Aces Tournament of Champions $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em for $50,846; and first in the Midwest Poker Classic $2,500 High Roller for $32,500.
PokerNews previously did a feature interview with Vang, which you can read by clicking here.
flop.
. Neuville check-called a bet of 2,500 and then fired out 7,000 when the 
paired the board on the river.
for a missed straight he turned into a bluff.
flop.
.
peeled off on the turn, Riess checked for a second time and Boeken bet out 600. Riess woke up with a check-raise to 2,100, and Boeken thought for nearly a minute before giving up his hand.
. Canada's Daniel Ghionoiu bet 1,000 from middle position, the player to his left folded, and Victor Figueroa called from the button.
completed the board on the river. Ghionoiu opted to bet 1,400, but he was met by a raise to 5,100 by Figueroa. 
and folding.
river.
and Charania checked again. The hijack bet 1,300 and Charania called for a second time. 
. Charania checked for a third time, and the hijack bet 3,600. Charania wasted no time and put in a check-raise to 12,500. The hijack went into the tank for well over a minute, constantly looking back at his cards. He eventually folded and said, "That was a good river for me, but I think you have a flush. I folded a set of jacks."
