APPT Seoul Main Event Day 1: Dan Schreiber Opens Early Gap

September 28, 2007

John Hartness

APPT Seoul Main Event Day 1: Dan Schreiber Opens Early Gap 0001

186 players took to the felt in Seoul, Korea for the second event of the inaugural PokerStars.net Asia Pacific Poker Tour, putting up $2,500 for their chance to play against the top names from the Pacific Rim and around the world. Some of the notable players in the field included 2005 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Hachem and his Team PokerStars cohorts Lee Nelson, Vanessa Rousso, Isabelle Mercier, Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier and Tuan Lam.

Kazuhiro Sato wasted no time amassing a big stack, as he doubled up on the first hand of the day. Sato flopped middle set with 6♠6♥ on a board of 9♣6♦3♣, and called his opponent's all-in bet. Sato was far behind going into the turn to his opponent's 9♥9♦, but he hit his miracle card, the 6♣, to put him temporarily on the top of the leader board. Sato used the early good fortune to survive through Day 1, finishing up near the bottom of the chip stacks, but still alive for Day 2.

Team PokerStars players were less fortunate, with Vanessa Rousso and Tuan Lam exiting in the early rounds. Rousso got all her money in ahead with 4♣4♦ on a flop of 9♥6♥2♦, only to have Jacques Zaicik call with K♣Q♣ and catch the Q♠ on the river to bust Rousso. Tuan Lam's exit came when he hit a flop, holding A♣J♦ on a board of A♦10♠2♣, but Steven Gunter hit it harder, holding A♥10♣. No help came on the turn or river, and Lam was eliminated.

Nelson and Grospellier were also among the notable eliminations. Grospellier went out with A-K against Q-T when his opponent rivered a Broadway straight, and Nelson found himself crippled when his Q♦Q♠ was cracked by an opponent holding J♠J♦ on a flop of J♥6♥2♣. Nelson got the rest of his chips in the middle a few hands later with A♣9♣ and missed the board completely, ending his tournament.

Isabelle Mercier fared better than her PokerStars stablemates, finishing the day with a healthy chip stack. Her rise was spurred in part by a hand where she tripled up with Qd-10d. On a flop of Qc-10s-4c, Mercier raised PokerNews' own Gareth Edwards' bet, and Ming-Kit Cheung called. Edwards re-raised all in, and Mercier and Cheung both called. Mercier moved all in on the turn for the side pit when the 9♠ landed, and Cheung finally folded. Edwards revealed J♣2♣ for the flush draw, and Mercier showed her top two pair. The Q♥ on the river gave Mercier the nut full house and tripled her up while sending Edwards to the rail.

Dan Schreiber had a very successful Day 1, finishing the day with the chip lead and nearly double the second-place chip stack. He busted Yosh Nakano when he cracked Nakano's K♣K♦ with his Q♠10♦ on a flop of Q♥10♣2♠. No king arrived on the turn or river for Nakano, and he went to the rail while Schreiber's stack continued to climb. Schreiber became the first person to cross the 100,000 chip mark when he busted Kelly Flynn with Qc-8s on a board of K♠Q♠Q♦7♣5♥. Flynn's A♦10♦ didn't connect on the gutshot draw and Flynn was eliminated.

Joe Hachem became the second Team PokerStars player to fall to Jacques Zaicik when he shoved with 3-3 and lost a coin flip to Zaicik's A-K. Hachem was drawing thin after the K♦ hit the flop, and the former World Champion soon went to the rail. Zaicik continued to catch great cards for the rest of the day, picking up pocket queens twice in one orbit shortly after busting Hachem.

In the first of those hands, Zaicik raised from the button and Jason Min moved all in over the top. Zaicik called with Q♣Q♦, and felt pretty good about Min's holding of A♠Q♥, until the A♦ hit the flop and Zaicik was crippled. A few hands later, Zaicik found queens again, this time getting all in preflop against Adam Kagin. Kagin's K♠K♣ was in front until the flop brought K♦Q♠Q♣, giving Zaicik quads against Kagin's full house. No one-outer showed for Kagin and he was left with a small stack while Zaicik doubled up.