Event #7: $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Day 1 Completed
2018 Poker Masters
Event #7: $100,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2018 Poker Masters
Buy-in
$100,000
Prize Pool
$2,500,000
Entries
25
Level
22
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
80,000
Abbreviated Day 1 Sees Eight of 15 Bag in Poker Masters Main Event
Level 5
: 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
After a week of strong high roller action at 2018 Poker Masters at PokerGO Studio in Las Vegas, it seems the appetite for a $100,000 Main Event was a little muted.
Fields throughout the week at Poker Masters regularly numbered in the 40s through 60s for events at even the $50,000 price point, but just 15 entries were logged in what proved to be a slow Day 1 of the Main Event. Slow purely in terms of entries, that is. As for the action, there was plenty of that as half of the field busted out by the time five levels were played out, with 10 levels originally scheduled in the day.
When nine players were left and it looked unlikely anyone else would be buying in, the tournament director made the decision to pause the clock and discuss the situation with the remaining grinders. Everyone seemed to agree that following the original schedule would be problematic as there would be very few players left if the tournament played out the 10 full one-hour levels.
When registration is scheduled to be open until the start of Day 2, that presents a thorny problem. The integrity of the tournament would be in question if, as Justin Bonomo put it, players could register in a scenario where more than 50 percent of the remaining runners would make the money.
Thus, it was decided that the tournament would wrap after 13 more minutes — to reach the 15-minute mark — plus a randomly drawn number of hands. That proved enough time to lose one more player, Isaac Haxton.
So, just eight players put chips in bags, led by David Peters. Peters got off to a fantastic start at Poker Masters by winning Event #1 but has since failed to record a cash, so he's out of the running in the Poker Masters Purple Jacket rankings. However, he likely wouldn't complain if he banks another win worth several hundred thousand dollars to go with the $193,200 he won in the $10K opener.
Peters roughly tripled his 200,000 starting stack to 620,500.
Following Peters: Bonomo (495,000), Seth Davies (466,500), Rainer Kempe (464,000), Ali Imsirovic (422,500), Christoph Vogelsang (250,500), Nick Petrangelo and Dominik Nitsche (124,000).
Imsirovic, who went back-to-back with a win in Event #6: $50,000 No-Limit Hold'em after his win in Event #5: $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em, leads the points standings and looks to be a strong favorite to claim the jacket. None of the players drawing live to catch him bagged, with Brandon Adams and Haxton busting, and Jake Schindler and Ben Yu never making appearances on Day 1.
The adjusted plan for Day 2 is to close registration at 1 p.m. local time, with the beginning of Level 6 (1,500/2,500/2,500) kicking off play. The single reentry option would be nixed at that point despite the structure originally calling for it to remain an option until Level 11, so it would be a freezeout for everyone still involved. The Day 2 field will be drawn into randomly selected seats just after that point, with everyone receiving a fresh bank of three time extensions.
If a large contingent of late-registering players shows up, the structure may be adjusted further in order to make sure the event continues on its scheduled pace.
Day 2 will also signal the beginning of a streaming table for PokerGO, set to begin on a delay one hour or so after the start of play. Tune in to PokerGO then to watch live and PokerNews to follow further coverage of the event.
End of Day 1 Counts
Level 5
: 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
620,500 | -94,500 |
|
495,000 | 65,000 |
|
466,500 | 67,500 |
|
464,000 | 24,000 |
|
422,500 | 138,500 |
|
250,500 | -4,500 |
|
170,000 | |
|
124,000 | -51,000 |
Straight for Kempe
Level 5
: 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Rainer Kempe opened the button to 6,000 and Nick Petrangelo called in the big blind.
The flop landed 
and Petrangelo checked to Kempe who bet 6,000. Petrangelo check-raised to 18,000 and Kempe called as the turn fell the 
.
Petrangelo checked, Kempe bet 24,000, and Petrangelo called as the river landed the 
.
Petrangelo checked, Kempe bet 40,000, and Petrangelo called. Kempe tabled his 
for a straight, and Petrangelo mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
440,000 | 29,000 |
|
|
170,000 | -76,000 |
Haxton Busted Before Buzzer
Level 5
: 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Isaac Haxton was exiting his seat just a few hands before his table was scheduled to bag, and Seth Davies filled us in on how he busted Haxton. He said Haxton opened to 4,500, Davies made it 11,500 and Haxton jammed for around 70,000. Davies called with ace-king suited and emerged victorious against ace-queen offsuit.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Sevens for Nitsche
Level 5
: 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Dominik Nitsche opened to 5,000 from under the gun and Justin Bonomo three-bet the button to 13,500.
Nitsche called, and then check-called 8,000 on the 
flop as the landed on the turn.
Nitsche checked, Bonomo bet 15,000, and Nitsche called before both players checked the on the river.
Nitsche tabled his 
, and Bonomo mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
430,000 | -12,000 |
|
|
175,000 | 35,000 |
Nine More Hands
Level 5
: 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Isaac Haxton has drawn for the number of hands left, and there will be nine more hands remaining on Day 1.
Time Extensions By the Wayside
Level 5
: 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
With only minutes left in the day, there's no reason for players to conserve their time extensions anymore. That was illustrated in a recent pot as Seth Davies bet 4,500 from the cutoff on 
and Ali Imsirovic raised to 13,500 in the small blind. Davies peeled for a 
turn. Imsirovic bet 44,000 and Davies continued to the .
Imsirovic tanked and used an extension then bet 66,000. Davies needed two extensions of his own before releasing.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
399,000 | -64,000 |
|
|
284,000 | 24,000 |
Two Pair Over Two Pair
Level 5
: 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
Three players checked a 
flop, bringing a 
. Rainer Kempe checked and Justin Bonomo bet 12,000 from the big blind. Preflop raiser Christoph Vogelsang announced 34,000, driving out Kempe. Bonomo came along for the 
river. Both players checked.
Bonomo opened 
for queens up but Vogelsang had him pipped with 
.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
442,000 | -54,000 |
|
|
255,000 | 37,000 |
Change of Plans in the Poker Masters Main Event
Level 5
: 1,000/2,000, 2,000 ante
With 28:50 remaining in Level 5, the clock has been paused.
Tournament Director Paul Campbell has discussed with the players the course of action for the rest of the tournament.
"The integrity of the the event is a priority, but since it is also being streamed on PokerGO, that has to be considered also. I want to honor the option for players to enter or re-enter tomorrow." Campbell stated.
The discussions were based on two things; a pre-determined quitting point, and how late registration would be tackled.
"Protecting the players is the priority," Campbell continued to underline.
After a discussion involving the players, Campbell, and Mori Eskandani, it was determined that play would continue through this level until there was 15 minutes remaining on the clock. Then the number of hands would be drawn, and play for Day 1 would conclude after that.
Day 2 play would begin at 1 p.m. (PDT) with the registration and re-entry period open until then. New players will have the option to enter with a deeper blind-to-stack ratio, and eliminated players had the option to re-enter. Starting at 1 p.m. the tournament would then become a freeze-out with the option to enter through level ten removed.
There was also a discussion at potentially shortening the levels to 45-minutes so that the final table of six could be reached in adequate time.