Dvoress and Smith Lead the Way After Day 1 of the 2023 PCA $100,000 7-Handed High Roller
The penultimate day of the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure series has concluded and one of the last high-stakes contests is one step closer to crowning a winner in the Grand Ballroom at the Baha Mar Resort on The Bahamas. Day 1 of the $100,000 7-Handed High Roller attracted a field of 22 entries, generating a prize pool of more than $2.1 million already.
However, both key numbers are likely to increase further as the late registration remains open for the first two levels on Day 2 on Friday, February 3, 2023 as of 12.30 pm local time.
Leading the way after ten levels of 30 minutes each is Canada's Daniel Dvoress with 604,000 and Dan Smith follows just six blinds behind with 581,000. Kathy Lehne completes the overnight podium after a late surge in the final of the night after she came out on top of a three-way all-in to advance with 459,000.
The dozen Day 1 survivors include some of the biggest names of the international poker scene including the 2023 PCA High Roller tournament winners Isaac Haxton (123,000) and Justin Bonomo (107,000), both of which can be found near the bottom of the leaderboard.
Day 1 Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Dvoress | Canada | 604,000 | 151 |
| 2 | Dan Smith | United States | 581,000 | 145 |
| 3 | Kathy Lehne | United States | 459,000 | 115 |
| 4 | Adrian Mateos | Spain | 297,000 | 74 |
| 5 | Steve O'Dwyer | Ireland | 270,000 | 68 |
| 6 | David Peters | United States | 215,000 | 54 |
| 7 | Talal Shakerchi | United Kingdom | 143,000 | 36 |
| 8 | Juan Pardo | Spain | 142,000 | 36 |
| 9 | Timothy Adams | Canada | 138,000 | 35 |
| 10 | Isaac Haxton | United States | 123,000 | 31 |
| 11 | Justin Bonomo | United States | 107,000 | 27 |
| 12 | Stephen Chidwick | United Kingdom | 73,000 | 18 |
Notable absentees so far include $250,000 Super High Roller champion Sam Greenwood, Jean-Noel Thorel, David Yan, and Artur Martirosian who all battled for seven-figure payouts in the nearby tournament section. They all have the chance to jump in, however, as the late registration only closes at the end of level 12.
Recommencing blinds during the end of the registration period are 2,000-4,000 / 4,000 big blind ante and 2,500-5,000 / 5,000 big blind ante respectively, giving all late additions to the field with a starting stack of 150,000 in chips plenty of room to navigate.
Jonathan Jaffe won the trophy in the $50,000 8-Handed High Roller but became the first casualty of the day in level two after Dvoress cemented his hot start into the tournament right out of the gates. Soon after joining the field, Cary Katz knocked out a then short-stacked Bonomo who re-entered and Katz later on suffered the very same fate.
Haxton saw his first entry go down in flames when he flopped trips kings with king-ten only to have a kicker problem against the ace-king suited of Pardo. Marius Gierse made a brief appearance but never got anything running to eventually send his short stack over to Dvoress. The same also applied for Nick Petrangelo as well, who opted not to re-enter during the remainder of the night.
In the final stages, Mikita Badziakouski bowed out in the aforementioned three-way all-in against Lehne and Peters while Pardo lost a big portion of his stack with an ill-timed bluff versus Smith. However, no further player was sent to the rail as Stephen Chidwick secured a late double through Talal Shakerchi.
The dozen contenders and further high-stakes regulars will be back for more High Roller action as of 12.30 pm local time. Likewise, the PokerNews live reporting team will be on the floor to provide all the action until a winner has been determined.