We're back in the Atlantis Resort for the kick-off of the highly anticipated $25,750 High Roller this morning. After a strong turn out of 69 entries in the Single Day $50,000 High Roller tournament earlier in the week, players such as PokerStars Team Pros Daniel Negreanu and Jake Cody are just two of the names we expect to see taking part in the action.
With just 32 players remaining in the $5,300 Main Event, plenty of poker High Rollers will surely be taking each other on in this event, which takes place starting today and running until a winner is crowned on Saturday.
So many players are here in the Bahamas who have a strong record on the island, including former Super High Roller winner Steve O'Dwyer and $50,000 Single Day High Roller winner Bryn Kenney, who will surely be going for back-to-back bragging rights. $100,000 Super High Roller champion from this season's PokerStars Championship in the Bahamas Jason Koon and $25,750 PLO winner Isaac Haxton will both have the chance to go for a second High Roller here in the sun too!
Action kicks off at 11.00am local time (5.00pm CET) in the Atlantis Imperial Ballroom, with hour-long levels from the start and a 50,000 starting stack. PokerNews.com will be around the tables for shuffle up and deal and bring you live updates from the first bet to the last call.
A three-way pot gave us a chip leader in the $25,750 High Roller going into the break here at the PokerStars Championship Bahamas.
On a flop of , Daniel Colman made it 3,600 to see a turn card. Noah Scwartz and Jonathan Jaffe both called behind. The turn card was the , and Colman sensationally moved all-in!
"I can't even enjoy my massage!" said Schwartz. "How much is the shove?"
While the dealer counted it out, Schwartz did the same, announcing "44,675, OK." The dealer corrected him "It's 45,675."
"I'm Jewish, that's the same," said Schwartz with a laugh, before agonising to a fold. Jaffe made the call, however, and showed for the flush draw. Colman turned over and that won the hand after the river gave him a monster stack of almost double his starting 50,000.
"See you in the next one." said Jaffe. Schwartz confirmed after Felipe Ramos called it that he'd folded .
"True story." he said. All we know for sure in that hand is that Colman has 91,000 and the chip lead in the tournament.
What had been a small ball pot suddenly began snowballing at the table where Ben Heath and Daniel Negreanu sit next to each other, and it was between the popular pair that the action took place.
We joined the action with just 1,900 in the pot and a flop of on display. Heath bet 750, and was raised to 1,500 by the PokerStars Team Pro. Heath re-raised to 4,400, and Negreanu called.
The turn card was the , which both men checked, but on the river of , Heath fired out a bet of 3,800. Negreanu called it, and Heath showed . That bottom pair wasn't good enough, however, as Negreanu had flopped trips with . They swap positions in the chip counts.
Here are the top ten chipcounts at the break, with Bryn Kenney going for a third High Roller title here at the PokerStars Championship Bahamas. He's well placed in the top ten, but it is Timothy Adams (pictured) who leads the field going into the third break.
Just before the break, Jonathan Jaffe raised to 1,500 under the gun and Kevin Eyster called from the hijack. Connor Drinan then three-bet to 5,600 from the cutoff, and right behind him Isaac Haxton four-bet to 13,600 from the button.
Both blinds folded, and Jaffe thought for a bit before announcing himself all in for 40,000 even. Both Eyster and Drinan folded, and Haxton snap-called.
Haxton:
Jaffe:
Jaffe was in trouble, though he did manage to pick up a gutshot on the flop. The turn meant a nine would also win it for him, but it was the on the river that would save him. Haxton was left with less than 5,000 after the hand.
Sean Winter, who finished runner-up in this event one year ago for $914,580, was just eliminated at the hands of Igor Kurganov.
We missed the action unfold, but we learned the two each put in 23,000 preflop, which left Winter with just 200 back. Of course those ended up in on the flop.
Kurganov:
Winter:
Winter was ahead with a set, but Kurganov had a flush draw. The turn gave him the flush, and the river actually improved him to a straight flush.
"Get this guy out of here," Kurganov jokingly shouted, much to the amusement of the table.
"You're a gambler, Igor," Winter said before adding that he was going to finish his meal and fire a second bullet.
A short-stacked Charlie Carrel moved all in for 12,000 from the cutoff and action folded to Sam Greenwood, who called from the big blind.
Carrel:
Greenwood:
Carrel needed some help, and he got a little when the flop gave him a gutshot wheel draw. The turn was no help to the young Brit, and neither was the river.
Carrel has already exercised his single re-entry option, which means he's officially been eliminated from the 2017 PokerStars Championship Bahamas $25,000 High Roller.
Sean Winter, who finished runner-up to Nick Maimone in this event at last year's PCA, has been eliminated from the tournament for a second and final time.
It happened when there was around 15,000 in the pot and a flop of . Oleksii Khoroshenin checked under the gun and Winter bet 4,600 from the hijack. Khoroshenin then woke up with a check-raise to 16,100, Winter called, and the appeared on the turn.
Khoroshenin took a long time before moving all in, and Winter hit the tank to debate what to do with his last 34,500.
Eventually he called off with the and discovered the bad news, that Khoroshenin held the for a full house. The river failed to pair the board for Winter, and he was eliminated from the tournament for a second time.