Main Event
Day 1b Started
PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Seoul
Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
PokerStars.net APPT Season 8 Seoul
Buy-in
2,760,000 KRW
Entries
256
Level
27
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
10,000
Welcome to Day 1b of The 2014 PokerStars.net APPT Seoul
![[user250068]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
It’s Day 1b here at the 2014 PokerStars.net APPT Seoul. Yesterday, the Paradise Casino Walkerhill welcomed 118 players and after losing 73 of them, the most common question of the day was around the subject of rebuys. Unfortunately for those players, there are no rebuys and that means only 45 players will be coming back Day 2, scheduled to get underway tomorrow.
Masato Yokosawa ended yesterday as our day 1a chipleader, bagging 146,800 chips. Other notable survivors moving on to day 2 are Pokerstars Team Online Naoya Kihara (39,200), Sam Razavi (37,300) and last year’s champion Aaron Lim (23,900).
Our coverage is sure to feature Team Pokerstars Pros Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier and Raymond Wu, as we expect to see them in the field today. We will be bringing you all of the action when play resumes at noon local time. Make sure and keep your browser open to PokerNews.com for updates throughout the day.
While you’re waiting for the action to get started, take a tour of Seoul with our own Laura Cornelius. We will see you back here soon.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante:
We Are Off and Running
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The cards are in the air for Day 1b. The tournament staff is hoping for a field of at least 150 players today to tie the record for this event of 268 entrants. With yesterday’s field of 118, the tournament is on track for at least surpassing last year’s field of 222 players. Keep it here for all the action as it happens.
Enter Elky
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
One of the biggest stars in the game of poker, and formerly Starcraft, Bertrand 'Elky' Grospellier, has just entered the tournament. The Team PokerStars Pro, easily recognizable because of his pink colored spiky hair and blingy sunglasses, sat down at the table and he was immediately recognized.
The player in Seat 1 asked where the Frenchman currently lives, and he said, "London, but I spend most of my time on the road."
"So are you at my table or am I at yours?" the friendly gentleman joked.
Elky smiled and replied, "Well, you were here first so I guess I'm at your table."
Grospellier has a stunning $10.8 million in live tournament earnings including a PCA Main Event victory for $2,000,000 and a WPT Festa a Lago victory for $1.4 million. On top of that Elky also has a World Series of Poker bracelet win in the 2011 $10,000 Seven Card Stud event making him one of the select few with a Triple Crown under his belt.
The number 19 on the all-time money list is without a doubt the biggest star in today's field and everyone in the room is buzzing with excitement to follow the Frenchman on his way to perhaps another amazing run.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
|
||
Cohen Comes to Crush
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
One of the most focussed, enthusiastic and dedicated female pros on the tournament circuit, Sam Cohen, made her way to the South Korean capital to play in today's event.
Cohen, whose best result came in the 2013 Aussie Million Main Event where she places eighth for A$120,000, is used to dealing with some of the toughest competition in the world. During her deep run in Australia Cohen battled it out with the likes of Patrik Antonius, Dan Shak and upcoming Kiwi star and Supernova Elite [Removed:17].
The Florida native got off to a good start in 2014 with cashing the PCA Main Event and making some deep runs in smaller buy ins. Seoul will be a new city to conquer for Cohen who's looking sharp during the early goings here in the Paradise Casino Walkerhill.
Kanaan Faces Elky
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Michael Kanaan is one of the most successful players in the Asia Pacific region and he's facing a tough competitor today as he's sitting close to Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand 'Elky' Grospellier.
Kanaan won the 2011 ANZPT Sydney event for A$195,714, his biggest victory to date, but he also came very close to winning the 2012 APPT Macau Main Event as he finished third for $223,340.
The number 28 on the Australian all-time money list has cashes in only three countries, Australia, Philippines and Macau, and South-Korea would be a nice fourth this week here in Seoul.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
Cohen Came to Play
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The action folded around to the button, who raised to 300. Sam Cohen called from the small blind and the big blind folded. The flop came 
Cohen check-called 400. Cohen led for 1,050 when the 
turn was dealt. Looking a bit confused and after some thought, her opponent folded.
Sam Cohen is accumulating chips early on. While we didn't see how she got the large stack, she obviously is playing to win.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
36,000 |
Hero Calls Aplenty
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Walking through the tournament floor, we witnessed two pretty interesting hero calls considering we are only in the first level.
The first hand showed a board of 
, facing a 1,200 bet, and after some serious thought, a player made the call with 
. The whole table expressed congratulations and amazement at the call.
Not more than a few seconds later , we happened upon a table where the hero call didn't have as good of a result. The flop of 
was on the board and a player bet 950. He found one caller, who ended up sliding his hand in the muck when the original bettor showed 
.
There is some obvious gamble in the room today. Stay with us for all the fun.
Jae Kim Chases His First Big Live Score
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Jae Kim is one of the most intriguing players in today's field, as the online tournament phenom known as 'YugiohPro' currently resides in Seoul.
Kim, born and raised in California, is a son of first generation Korean immigrants and after Black Friday he decided to move to South-Korea while many of his fellow pros left for Canada or Mexico.
In an article from November 2013 Kim spoke with PokerNews' own Chad Holloway in which he spoke about his rise to the highest stakes. Kim has almost $2.5 million in online tournament earnings, ranks Number 1 on the Korean PocketFives leader board and his best global ranking was 36th in late 2013.
Kim's biggest score came back in 2010 when he won the Sunday Warm Up on PokerStars for $125,099 and he's looking to lock up his first big live result this week here in Seoul.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 |