Event #1 $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1 Started
2017 Poker Masters
Event #1 $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 Poker Masters
Buy-in
$50,000
Prize Pool
$2,550,000
Entries
51
Level
28
Blinds
60,000 / 120,000
Ante
120,000
Let the Battle for The Poker Masters Purple Jacket™ Begin!
Welcome to Day 1 of the inaugural Poker Masters!
The highly-anticipated five-event series kicks off today inside ARIA with the first of four prelims featuring a $50,000 buy-in. The final event will be a $100,000 Championship Event. The player with the best results (highest total earnings) throughout all five tournaments will be deemed Poker Masters Champion and be awarded The Poker Masters Purple Jacket™.
Among those expected to compete in the Poker Masters 14-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, 2016 Super High Roller Bowl champ Rainer Kempe, and Fedor Holz, who will be filming a documentary all week giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at his Poker Masters experience.
In addition, Daniel Negreanu is betting on himself to become the Poker Masters’ first-ever winner. “Kid Poker” offered a bet of $50,000 that he would win against any one player, and right now he stands to collect $1 million from the field if he does in fact win.
Other players you’ll likely see in action are Brian Rast, Isaac Haxton, Doug Polk, Dan Smith, Scott Seiver, Bryn Kenney, David Peters, Byron Kaverman, Ben Lamb, Justin Bonomo, Ben Tollerene, Stefan Schillhabel, Christoph Vogelsang, Koray Aldemir, Christian Christner, Dominik Nitsche, Adrian Mateos, Sergio Aido, Igor Kurganov and Charlie Carrel.
Event #1, which will be live streamed on PokerGO on a 30-minute delay, is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. PST with the live stream starting at 5 p.m. PST. Players will start with 125,000 in chips and are allowed a single re-entry. Levels will be 30 minutes with a ten-minute break every three levels. Late registration will remain open through Level 9. The plan for the day is to play down to the final table of nine.
Inspired by the Aria High Rollers, the tournament rules are designed to speed up play and are specifically catered to the regular high-stakes players, including:
- Seven-handed tables
- A single ante posted by the big blind
- A 30-second shot clock, with three 60-second time extensions
- Players may re-enter once per event through level nine (with no re-entry in the final event)
- Headphones and sunglasses are not allowed
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be providing complete coverage from the tournament floor. Our updates will coincide with the live stream, so don't worry — there will be no spoilers for those watching on PokerGO.
Players Filtering In
The tournament was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. local time, but that mark has come and gone without cards flying.
It shouldn't be too much longer as players are filtering in. Among those in the room are Doug Polk, Adrian Mateos, Sergio Aido, Daniel Negreanu, Keith Lehr, Alan Schein, Stephen Chidwick, and Justin Bonomo.
Groups Forming
Players are still waiting for things to get underway here in Event #1, and while they wait, certain groups have formed.
Dan Smith and Stephen Chidwick are keeping themselves busy with a game of OFC, while Erik Seidel, Brandon Adams, and Isaac Haxton are busy chatting it up in the corner.
Rainer Kempe, Dominik Nitsche, and the German contingent are sticking together, and not far away Scott Seiver and Brian Rast are conversing.
At empty Table 3, Fedor Holz is busy texting away while Spaniards Adrian Mateos and Sergio Aido are chatting away in their native tongue.
The good news is the tournament staff is now randomly distributing seat cards, meaning these players will be taking their seats shortly.
Stay tuned!
Level: 1
Blinds: 500/1,000
Ante: 1,000
Welcome to the Party
Level 1
: 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
Players are now seated and cards are finally in the air here in Event #1: $50,000 NLHE. The button will start in Seat 4.
Shuffle up and deal!
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
|
125,000 | 125,000 |
Rough Start for Dan Smith
Level 1
: 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
It's been a rough 15 minutes for Dan Smith.
We missed the hand as it played out, but we do know he was left with just 12,000 after losing a big pot to Jake Schindler. The former held pocket aces, but the latter had made a set of queens.
Not long after, with 6,000 in the pot and a flop of 
, Smith checked from the big blind and then called when Sean Winter bet 1,500 from the cutoff. Both players then checked the 
turn before Smith bet 5,000 on the 
river.
"Alright, I'm gonna slow play," Winter said before tossing in a call. Smith confidently tabled the 
for a pair of queens, but it was no good as Winter held kings with the 
.
In the very next hand, Winter raised it to 2,500 from the hijack and then called when Smith three-bet all in for just 4,500 from the small blind.
Smith: 
Winter: 
Once again Smith woke up with aces, and this time they held after the board ran out a safe 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
225,000 | 100,000 |
|
|
9,000 | -116,000 |
Adrian Mateos Keeps the Pressure On
Level 1
: 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
After Bryn Kenney, who has two runner-up finishes in high roller events in the past two months, raised to 2,500 from the button, Spain's Adrian Mateos, one of the hottest players in all of poker over the past year, three-bet to 10,000 from the small blind.
Kenney called and then called a bet of 7,000 on the 
flop. After the dealer burned and turned the 
, Mateos fired out 25,000 and that did the trick as Kenney quickly released.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
175,000 | 50,000 |
|
|
95,000 | -30,000 |
Dan Smith the Second to Go
Level 1
: 500/1,000, 1,000 ante
It took less than a level for the first elimination of the day, which was Stefan Schillhabel. Not long after, Dan Smith joined him on the rail.
After losing most of his stack holding aces into a set of queens, Smith shoved his last 9,500 from the small blind and Sergio Aido called from the big.
Aido: 
Smith: 
Smith was looking to pair his overcard, but that proved easier said than done as the board ran out a lowly 
.
This tournament allows for a single re-entry, and only time will tell if Smith opts to fire again.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
150,000 | 25,000 |
|
|
Busted |
Level: 2
Blinds: 500/1,000
Ante: 1,500