It's Level 1 of a major tournament with a great structure. As such, big pots are few and far between. While we capture our fair share of them here in the blog, most hands we see are like the one below.
In the hand, the under-the-gun player opened for 300 and action folded to Norway's Rasmus Glæsel in the small blind. He called, as did Australia's Corey Cawdell-Howland from the big, and three players saw a flop of .
All three players checked, and then action repeated itself on the turn. When the completed the board on the river Glæsel led out for 1,000 and both his opponents folded.
Nothing too exciting, but indicative of what you often see in Level 1 of tournament poker.
After a middle-position raise, and EPT Grand Final champion Mohsin Charania called from the hijack before Boyuan Qu over called from the big blind. Qu checked on and the initial-raiser followed with a bet of 400. Charania and Qu both called.
The hit the turn and Qu checked again. The initial raiser bet 700 and again Charania called. Qu now check-raised to 3,500 and the initial raiser gave up. Charania called in position.
With the completing the board, Qu checked. Charania bet 8,500 and Qu tanked for a bit before he tossed in a single 1,000 chip to call. Charania showed for quads and Qu added the other 7,500 before he silently mucked.
Aaron Paul opened early to 300 and got three callers before the big blind made it 1,500. Paul called, as did everyone else. The flop came and the big blind bet 2,500. Paul called, and everyone else quickly mucked. The big blind wasted little time before firing 5,200 more on the turn, and Paul mucked face-up.
"Nice hand," he said, patting the table.
Despite the setback, Paul is significantly above the starting stack.
Do you know who sits No. 1 on South Carolina’s all-time poker money list? Here’s a hint: he’s playing Day 1b of the 2017 PokerStars Bahamas Championship today.
Hank Sitton’s first poker cash came back in 2006 when he finished 127th in a $1,000 no-limit hold’em event at the World Series of Poker, good for $3,157. Since then, he has amassed $720,394 in career earnings including a career-best $216,768 for finishing third in the 2007 World Poker Tour Gulf Coast Poker Championship (Bill Edler won that event) in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Sitton also has four cashes here in the Bahamas. Two came at the 2013 PCA (the best being a fifth-place finish in Event #7: $5,000 NLH Turbo for $19,360), one in 2015 PCA (10th in Event #9: $4,850 NLH Turbo 8-Handed for $10,600), and once in last year’s PCA (4th in Event #99:$600 NLH Turbo Main Event Edition for $9,520).
More recently, Sitton finished runner-up in the 2016 WSOP Circuit Horseshoe Southern Indiana Main Event for $88,096. Sitton told us today he has his sights set on crossing the $1 million mark in career earnings, which he has a shot to do if he goes deep in this event.
Dennis Phillips was in the small blind and bet 3,000 into a pot of 4,500, and big blind Scott Stewart called with the board reading . When the river arrived, Phillips bet 5,000 and received an immediate call, with the pot being pushed to the former November Niner before we even registered fifth street, as Phillips had shown down for a boat.
Actor, producer and four-time Emmy Award winner Aaron Paul, is in the building and has already jumped right into the action. Already with an impressive list of awards under his belt, the Breaking Bad star is now making a run for the coveted PokerStars gold spade trophy.
Paul has been seated with Team PokerStars Pro Victor Ramdin, and neither of them has backed down from fighting for table captain early on in this Main Event. Ramdin boasts over $4 million in recorded live cashes, with his biggest cash of $1.3 million along with a WPT title. He also earned himself a PokerStars spade trophy after winning a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em side event at the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure here on Paradise Island.
In a recent hand, Ramdin raised to 300 from under the gun and the player on the button called. Paul was in the big blind and he put in a three-bet to 650. Ramdin quickly four-bet to 2,500 and the button decided to get out of the way and let him battle it out with Paul. Action was back on Paul and he opted to call.
The flop came . Paul checked, and Ramdin immediately fired out a bet of 3,000. Paul went into the tank, staring Ramdin down for a full minute before deciding to call.
The turn was the . Paul quickly reached into his stack and led out for 6,000. Ramdin called.
The river was the . Paul bet 6,000 again, and this time Ramdin released his hand.
It didn't take long for the first elimination to occur here on Day 1b. Just 19 minutes in fact.
We missed the hand play out between the UK's David Friendship and Germany's Karin Wehner, but we learned some details after the fact. As it was told to us, Wehner held and Friendship .
An appeared on the flop, some chips got in, and then both committed even more on the turn. When the fourth completed the board on the river, all the chips got in and Friendship scored the first elimination of the day with quads!
He's now got twice the starting stack while Wehner's day came to an early end.
.
turn. When the 
completed the board on the river Glæsel led out for 1,000 and both his opponents folded.
and the initial-raiser followed with a bet of 400. Charania and Qu both called.
hit the turn and Qu checked again. The initial raiser bet 700 and again Charania called. Qu now check-raised to 3,500 and the initial raiser gave up. Charania called in position.
completing the board, Qu checked. Charania bet 8,500 and Qu tanked for a bit before he tossed in a single 1,000 chip to call. Charania showed 
for quads and Qu added the other 7,500 before he silently mucked.
and the big blind bet 2,500. Paul called, and everyone else quickly mucked. The big blind wasted little time before firing 5,200 more on the 
turn, and Paul mucked 
face-up.
for a boat.
. Paul bet 6,000 again, and this time Ramdin released his hand.
