$300,000 Super High Roller Bowl
Day 1 Started
2016 Super High Roller Bowl
$300,000 Super High Roller Bowl
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2016 Super High Roller Bowl
Buy-in
$300,000
Prize Pool
$15,000,000
Entries
49
Level
27
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
20,000
49 Stars, $300,000 Buy-In, $15 Million Prize Pool: This is the Super High Roller Bowl
Welcome to the opening day of the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl! Is there any better way to kick off the action-packed summer of poker in Las Vegas with a massive buy-in event at ARIA Resort & Casino?
This year's event will see 49 high rollers battle it out for a piece of the $15 million prize pool, and there is no shortage of star power in this field.
Let's start with Brian Rast, the defending champion. Last year, Rast topped a field of 43 entries to earn the $7.525 million first-place prize in the inaugural Super High Roller Bowl. That event came with a larger $500,000 buy-in, and Rast defeated Scott Seiver in heads-up play. Not only will Rast be back to defend his title, but Seiver will be in the field as well, looking to reach back-to-back final tables in hopes of finishing one spot higher for the victory.
Finishing in places three through seven last year were Connor Drinan, Timofey Kuznetsov, David Peters, Tom Marchese, and Erik Seidel, in that order. All five of those competitors will be back in action this year, but it's Kuznetsov who will be feeling extra confident having just taken down the $50,000 Super High Roller held at ARIA on Friday. In that event, Kuznetsov, a Russian player best known as the man behind the high-powered "Trueteller" online poker account, topped a field of 51 entries to earn a $748,446 first-place prize.
Then if those names aren't enough to get you salivating, superstars Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, and Antonio Esfandiari will be in the mix.
But despite all of the firepower this event has loaded in its cannons, it's the battle between Jason Mercier and Doug Polk that most will be anticipating.
The two have been feuding a bit on social media after Polk called Mercier a "bad reg" and then Mercier shot back with some choice words of his own. By the luck of the draw, the two were selected to the same starting table in this event and are even seated right next to each other. You've also got Esfandiari at this table, and we know "The Magician" loves to be entertaining and engage in banter. He could certainly help stoke the flames a bit between Mercier and Polk, and this should make for some really, really fun poker.
All players will receive 300,000 in tournament chips to start with, and levels will be 75 minutes each with a 10-minute break after each. There is a timer of 40 seconds on each player's actions, with five 60-second time banks per person per day. On Day 1, the field will work its way through seven levels, and 100% of the prize money will be put in the prize pool. To make it an even $15 million, sponsors are adding $300,000.
The top seven spots are set to pay out, with $5 million going to the winner. The other paid places will receive $3.5 million for second, $2.4 million for third, $1.6 million for fourth, $1.1 million for fifth, $800,000 for sixth, and $600,000 for seventh.
The cards are scheduled to be in the air at 1 p.m. PT in Las Vegas, and you'll be able to find coverage from start to finish right here on PokerNews.com.
Starting Table and Seat Draw
| Table | Seat | Player | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Timofey Kuznetsov | Russia |
| 2 | Dan Perper | USA | |
| 3 | Matt Berkey | USA | |
| 4 | Cary Katz | USA | |
| 5 | Keith Gipson | USA | |
| 6 | Rainer Kempe | Germany | |
| 7 | David Einhorn | USA | |
| 2 | 1 | Fedor Holz | Germany |
| 2 | Bill Perkins | USA | |
| 3 | Scott Seiver | USA | |
| 4 | Brandon Steven | USA | |
| 5 | Nick Petrangelo | USA | |
| 6 | Dan Shak | USA | |
| 7 | Byron Kaverman | USA | |
| 3 | 1 | Sam Soverel | USA |
| 2 | Tom Marchese | USA | |
| 3 | Bobby Baldwin | USA | |
| 4 | Jason Les | USA | |
| 5 | Phil Hellmuth | USA | |
| 6 | Justin Bonomo | USA | |
| 7 | Isaac Haxton | USA | |
| 4 | 1 | Dominik Nitsche | Germany |
| 2 | Daniel Colman | USA | |
| 3 | Kathy Lehne | USA | |
| 4 | Igor Kurganov | Russia | |
| 5 | Bryn Kenney | USA | |
| 6 | Stephen Chidwick | UK | |
| 7 | Dan Smith | USA | |
| 5 | 1 | Jason Mercier | USA |
| 2 | Doug Polk | USA | |
| 3 | Andrew Robl | USA | |
| 4 | Antonio Esfandiari | USA | |
| 5 | Jake Schindler | USA | |
| 6 | Brian Rast | USA | |
| 7 | Ben Tollerene | USA | |
| 6 | 1 | Daniel Negreanu | Canada |
| 2 | Ben Lamb | USA | |
| 3 | Christoph Vogelsang | Germany | |
| 4 | Pratyush Buddiga | USA | |
| 5 | Haralabos Voulgaris | Canada | |
| 6 | Tony Gregg | USA | |
| 7 | Vitaliy Rizhkov | USA | |
| 7 | 1 | David Peters | USA |
| 2 | Erik Seidel | USA | |
| 3 | Phil Laak | USA | |
| 4 | Talal Shakerchi | UK | |
| 5 | Phil Galfond | USA | |
| 6 | Connor Drinan | USA | |
| 7 | John Morgan | USA |
Level: 1
Blinds: 600/1,200
Ante: 200
Shuffle Up and Deal!
Level 1
: 600/1,200, 200 ante
The cards are in the air for the Super High Roller Bowl!
We'll be posting on a one-hour delay per the rules of the live stream.
Welcome to the Super High Roller Bowl
Level 4
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Mercier Takes From Esfandiari
Level 1
: 600/1,200, 200 ante
Picking up the action after the turn of a 
board with roughly 110,000 in the pot, Antonio Esfandiari checked from the big blind. Jason Mercier bet 43,000 from the cutoff, Esfandiari called, and the 
river completed the board. Both players checked.
Esfandiari showed 
for kings and threes, but Mercier had him beat with 
for aces and threes to win the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
410,000 | 110,000 |
|
195,000 | -105,000 |
Just The Nuts
![[user127999]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 1
: 600/1,200, 200 ante
Bill Perkins, Scott Seiver and Nick Petrangelo went three ways to a 
flop with Petrangelo on the button.
Perkins led for 3,500 and only Seiver made the call. The turn saw Perkins fire again, making it 7,000 and Seiver raised it up to 23,000 total. Perkins called, and when the river came the 
, he led out with a bet of 50,000. Seiver called.
"Nuts," said Perkins, turning over the 
. "Nizzles."
Seiver mucked and Perkins moved into a spot at the top of the early leader board.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
375,000 | 75,000 |
|
220,000 | -80,000 |
Voulgaris Folds To Gregg
Level 1
: 600/1,200, 200 ante
Picking up the action on the 
board, Haralabos Voulgaris was pitted against Tony Gregg. Voulgaris fired a bet of 14,000, and Gregg made the call to see the 
land on the river. Voulgaris slowed down with a check, and then Gregg took his time before betting 48,500. Voulgaris eventually gave it up, and Gregg picked up the pot.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
320,000 | 20,000 |
|
295,000 | -5,000 |
Hellmuth Trending Down to Start
Level 1
: 600/1,200, 200 ante
Phil Hellmuth hasn't gotten off to the best start, tangling in three consecutive pots and folding in each of them.
Tom Marchese raised to 3,500 from the hijack, Jason Les called from the button, and Phil Hellmuth three-bet to 12,500 from the small blind. Only Marchese called.
They checked to the turn of a 
board where Hellmuth bet 7,000. Marchese called, the 
river completed the board, and Hellmuth checked. Marchese bet 34,000 and after a few moments, Hellmuth folded.
The following hand, with about 86,000 in the pot and the board reading 
, Justin Bonomo checked from the small blind and Hellmuth bet 12,000 from the button. Bonomo check-raised to 85,000, Hellmuth tanked again (using one of his time-extension plaques) and ultimately folded.
In the next hand, Hellmuth limped in from the cutoff. Isaac Haxton tanked for a bit in the small blind, prompting Hellmuth to chime in.
"You're going to study for 40 seconds and just call 600?" quipped Hellmuth.
Haxton raised to 6,500, Hellmuth called, and the flop fell 
. Haxton continued for 5,500, Hellmuth raised to 15,000, and Haxton called. Both players checked the 
turn, landing the river. Haxton bet 15,000 and Hellmuth immediately folded his hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
360,000 | 60,000 |
|
340,000 | 40,000 |
|
335,000 | 35,000 |
|
224,000 | -76,000 |
Esfandiari Falls Fast, First
Level 1
: 600/1,200, 200 ante
Antonio Esfandiari made it 3,000 on the button and Jake Schindler bumped it to 12,000 from the small blind.
Brian Rast four-bet to 36,000 out of the big blind and Esfandiari five-bet, making it 76,000. Schindler gave it up, but Rast six-bet enough to cover Esfandiari, and he called it off with the 
.
It was a classic race with Rast holding the 
and Esfandiari held through the 
board to the turn.
Rast did pick up some additional outs to a flush, but wouldn't need them, as the river came down, making him a pair of kings and ensuring Esfandiari would be the first casualty of the 2016 Super High Roller Bowl.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
475,000 | 175,000 |
|
|
Busted |