As we walked up to the table, Vladimir Medvedev was being pushed a pot and two pretty aces sat face up in front of him. The pot wasn't huge but did include some T1,000 chips.
We walked away, only to hear some more chatter from that table a few moments later. We returned to see Medvedev had tabled pocket aces again and was being pushed another pot.
Russian banter ensued which seemed to be directed towards the dealer and without knowing any Russian was obvious that the players wanted the rockets passed around the table.
According to the tournament screens, there are 96 players registered towards the end of level one and among the latest players to show up and take their seat was Mikhail Rudoy. The best score of the Russian to date was a 10th place in the EPT11 Barcelona Main Event for €77,600 and he is looking to better that result on home soil. Rudoy shares a table with Igor Dubinsky, who lost some early pots.
With some 5,000 in the middle and the board showing , Ilya Sumzin checked out of the small blind and [Removed:19] bet 3,000 from under the gun. Sumzin folded and was shown by Sokolovskiy, who then added "I wish you had aces, next card six and all in."
Soon after, a big pot emerged on the very same table and Driss Ekadioin as well as Konstantin Tolokno were the players involved. On the river, Tolokno bet 6,000 and Ekadioin called. Tolokno turned over for quads and Ekadioin sighed and muckewd his for a flush.
Vladimir Medvedev and Vadim Botosan got into a preflop raise war which ended in the amount of around 2,000. We arrived as the dealer was raking in the chips and delivered a flop.
Both players checked and saw the introduced on the turn. Medvedev led with a bet of 2,000 and Botosan called. The completed the board on the river and Medvedev fired out 4,000.
A few moments went by before the two began to chat back and forth in Russian with Medvedev begin to chuckle. Botosan eventually called and Medvedev tabled , flopping a set, and Botosan mucked.
Live satellite winner Ruslan Goncharov called from the big blind after Sergey Tikhonov raised to 250 from the cutoff.
The flop came and Goncharov checked to his opponent who bet 250. Goncharov then check-raised to 500 and Tikhonov called.
Goncharov bet 700 on the turn and Tikhonov checked. The river was the and Goncharov checked and Tikhonov bet 2,000. Goncharov called and watched as Tikhonov showed .
He showed for a pair of sevens and took down the pot.
On the three-way flop of , Oleg Grebenschikov in the big blind bet 1,400 into a pot of 2,800 and Orpen Kisacikoglu folded while the button raised it up to 3,200. Grebenschikov verified the raising amount with the dealer and ultimately called before checking the turn. His sole opponent checked behind and did so on the river as well.
Grebenschikov rolled over for a full house and scooped a big pot early on.
Chris Moneymaker has only been to Russia once before, but that was way back in high school, but he's here now and in the field for the PokerStars Sochi Main Event.
In this hand a player limped under the gun, before the next player raised to 300. Moneymaker called on the button and the big blind called.
The flop was and it checked to Moneymaker who bet 625. The big blind was the only caller.
The big blind check-called a bet of 1,100 on the turn but folded to a bet of 2,100 when the hit on the river.
Luca Pagano won a big pot off Maksim Nosov in a battle of the blinds and built his stack nicely, while Alexandr Merzhvinskij on another table also already added one third of a stack from another player to become an early big stack.
Furthermore, Sergei Ananev won a big pot off Pavel Kovalenko. Joining the action on the heads-up flop of , Ananev bet and Kovalenko raised it up to 4,600 on the button, which Ananev in the small blind reluctantly called. After the turn, Ananev check-called a bet worth 7,200 and checked again the rather quickly.
Kovalenko was sent into the think tank for more than three minutes without making any move, and ultimately ended up checking behind. Ananev showed and that won the pot.
Some 90 players are already registered for Day 1a of the Main Event here in Sochi and among the latest players to join were PokerStars Team Pro Chris Moneymaker and Igor Dubinsky. The latter has more than $1m in cashes according to his Hendon Mob, and is one of the most experienced players in today's field.
With 3,050 in the middle and three players heading to the flop, Ryuya Sato, Denis Peganov and Yehor Filipenko all checked. On the turn, Sato checked and Peganov from one seat over bet 1,000. Filipenko, who won his seat in a Live Satellite here at the Sochi Casino and Resort, Krasnaya Polyana, called and Sato folded.
The river completed the board and Peganov checked, Filipenko led out for 1,000 and that was enough to force a fold from Peganov, who flashed for two pair.
, Ilya Sumzin checked out of the small blind and [Removed:19] bet 3,000 from under the gun. Sumzin folded and was shown 
by Sokolovskiy, who then added "I wish you had aces, next card six and all in."
river, Tolokno bet 6,000 and Ekadioin called. Tolokno turned over 
for quads and Ekadioin sighed and muckewd his 
flop. 
introduced on the turn. Medvedev led with a bet of 2,000 and Botosan called. The 
completed the board on the river and Medvedev fired out 4,000.
, flopping a set, and Botosan mucked.
and Tikhonov checked. The river was the 
river as well.
but folded to a bet of 2,100 when the 
turn, Ananev check-called a bet worth 7,200 and checked again the 
rather quickly.
turn, Sato checked and Peganov from one seat over bet 1,000. Filipenko, who won his seat in a Live Satellite here at the Sochi Casino and Resort, Krasnaya Polyana, called and Sato folded.
for two pair.
