Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier just recently took his seat in the $100,000 Super High Roller, arriving roughly 25 minutes late to there action. In his latest blog, Mercier mentioned that the most important goal he’d like to achieve for 2014 is to win at least three live poker tournaments. He accomplished this feat twice before in 2009 and 2011.
Mercier was specifically excited about this year’s PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, and he will have a little extra motivation to do well as some of his family will be with him.
"I’m very excited for the first few months of 2014, in which I’ll have many opportunities to fulfill my goals. As I’m now only a few days away from the PCA, I am extremely excited about getting back to the tables," he wrote. "I’m really looking forward to it as both sets of my grandparents are making the trip to watch me play for the very first time."
This is the seventh year Mercier has attended the PCA, and we’ll see if he’s due for a seven-figure score.
Mike McDonald opened the action with a raise to 3,000 from the hijack. Jason Mercier called from the cutoff and it folded around to Guy Laliberté who tagged along from the small blind.
The three players saw a flop of and there were two checks over to Mercier. He fired out a bet of 5,800 and Laliberté folded. McDonald called and the two saw the board pair on the turn with the . McDonald checked for a second time and Mercier bet 17,200.
McDonald stayed the course and the finished off the board. Both players checked and McDonald showed which was ultimately bested by Mercier's .
The $100,000 Super High Roller players rightly take all the attention today as the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure gets under way in the Bahamas, as the PokerStars Blog reports.
Timothy Adams opened to 6,000 in middle position, and the action folded to Keith Lehr in the big blind. He put in a three-bet, making it 16,000 to go, and his Canadian opponent called.
The dealer fanned , and Lehr led out for 15,000. Adams called. The turn was the , both players knuckled, and the completed the board. The two checked once more, and Lehr took down the pot with .
"It's a new year, Lehr," Noah Schwartz called out. "New Year Lehr."
When we arrived at the table, Mike McDonald was calling a flop bet from Jesse Chinni on a board of . The turn was the , Chinni bet another 16,500, and McDonald tank-called.
The completed the board, Chinni fired out another 37,000, and McDonald tank-folded.
Scott Seiver raised to 3,000 from the button and found calls from Paul Newey in the small blind and Antonio Esfandiari in the big blind. The flop came down and Newey checked. Esfandiari came out with a bet of 5,100 and Seiver flatted. Newey got out of the way, leaving the two heads up to fourth street.
The hit the turn and Esfandiari fired 12,200. Seiver called once again and the two saw the complete the board. Esfandiari bet 17,100 and the reigning champion waited a moment before dropping out a raise to 53,000. Esfandiari tanked for a bit before opting to release his hand, awarding Seiver the pot.
Germans Philip Grussiem and Ole Schemion were heads up on a flop of . Gruissem checked, Schemion tossed out two blue T5,000 chips, and Gruissem called.
The turn was the , Gruissem knuckled again, and the 2013 Global Poker Index Player of the Year winner splashed 25,000 forward. Gruissem studied the bet and his fellow countryman before calling.
The completed the board, Gruissem checked a third and final time, and Schemion emptied the chamber. He sloppily dropped 75,000 in blue chips in front of him, and Gruissem begrudgingly committed a single chip, signaling a call.
Schemion ripped over for a set of aces, and Gruissem mucked his hand.
"Oleeeeee! Ole! Ole! Oleeeeeeee!" Igor Kurganov chanted. "That's all he was thinking when he saw that flop."
Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu as just taken his seat in the $100,000 Super High Roller.
There's really only one word to describe Negreanu's 2013, and that's R-I-D-I-C-U-L-O-U-S. Last year, he earned $3,208,630, won two World Series of Poker gold bracelets, three Player of the Year titles (WSOP, CardPlayer, and BLUFF), finished on top of the Global Poker Index 300, and earned GPI Player of the Decade honors.
Negreanu currently sits third on poker's all-time money list and remains atop the GPI 300. Needless to say, he was all smiles as he took his seat at a newly-opened table. Negreanu is sandwiched between Jason Koon on his right and Philipp Gruissem on his left.
Scott Seiver, who won this event last year, checked on a flop of . Paul Newey fired out 9,000, Isaac Haxton called on the button, and Seiver folded.
The turn was the , Newey knuckled, and Haxton took the opportunity to bet 12,000. Newey reached for chips, check-raising to 41,000, and Haxton considered the bet before releasing his hand.
and there were two checks over to Mercier. He fired out a bet of 5,800 and Laliberté folded. McDonald called and the two saw the board pair on the turn with the 
. McDonald checked for a second time and Mercier bet 17,200.
finished off the board. Both players checked and McDonald showed 
.![[user101598]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
, and Lehr led out for 15,000. Adams called. The turn was the 
, both players knuckled, and the 
.
completed the board, Chinni fired out another 37,000, and McDonald tank-folded.
and Newey checked. Esfandiari came out with a bet of 5,100 and Seiver flatted. Newey got out of the way, leaving the two heads up to fourth street.
hit the turn and Esfandiari fired 12,200. Seiver called once again and the two saw the 
complete the board. Esfandiari bet 17,100 and the reigning champion waited a moment before dropping out a raise to 53,000. Esfandiari tanked for a bit before opting to release his hand, awarding Seiver the pot.
. Gruissem checked, Schemion tossed out two blue T5,000 chips, and Gruissem called.
, Gruissem knuckled again, and the 2013 Global Poker Index Player of the Year winner splashed 25,000 forward. Gruissem studied the bet and his fellow countryman before calling.
completed the board, Gruissem checked a third and final time, and Schemion emptied the chamber. He sloppily dropped 75,000 in blue chips in front of him, and Gruissem begrudgingly committed a single chip, signaling a call.
