Day 1 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure

The 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure started with a bang last night when an army of Atlantis staff suited up for the biggest poker shindig in Nassau history. The annual online mega-site event has grown en masse over the past three years and the PCA welcoming party was proof.

Thousands of online qualifiers, last-minute arrivals, PokerStars representatives, and international media would have been enough to break last year's attendance record. But no one was coming to paradise alone, and no spouse or partner in their right mind would allow such a thing. Nearly everyone had someone on an arm.

With six flights touching down on Thursday, hundreds of PCA guests poured off the planes, hailed their taxis and shuttles, hauled their luggage into quarters, or hurled them at bellmen. The brave and dedicated servants were burdened with the daunting task of sorting backpacks, messenger bags (there are more laptops in Nassau today than all of China), and hundreds of disturbingly similar suitcases, then directing the several tons of baggage to their final destinations. But, it seemed, no one wanted to miss the "January Summer" ball, and just about everyone filed through - first customs, and then the party entrance - to kick up their heels and savor the fare on the Royal Deck of the Atlantis.

The feasting was spectacular, with dozens of entrée islands, beverage bars, and (my personal favorite) dessert banks with pastries, puddings, petits fours, and liquid chocolate. The moon was full and it seemed as good a time as any for the ladies to trade a tropical drink for a hit of warm fudge on tap. And for those without demitasse to hold the "decadent indulgence," pinkies were raised in unison as tapioca shots were emptied, and the two-ounce teacups served as perfect substitutes.

Live Motown music kept beat with the ocean waves, as the sun set over the horizon and a tropical breeze set wary travelers' minds at ease. With thousands of miles between them and their snowplows, it was a night to remember … and forget. But the clock was ticking, and unbeknownst to revelers, the PokerStars crew, along with tournament staff and Bahamas gaming operatives, were preparing the Coral Tower ballroom for a forbidden island pastime - poker. The games were about to begin.

Right before midnight, the announcement came over the public address system that the tables were set and the doors to the Atlantis poker room were about to open. And like soldiers answering a call to arms, poker players bid their dancing partners adieu, kissed their children goodnight, and marched further from the tepid water and silky white sand beaches towards the battlefield.

The first of several qualifying events, sit n' goes, and live poker games would run over the next 12 hours. Any player who hadn't already qualified for the event, or paid the full $7,800 buy-in, would have an opportunity to secure a seat before Flight 1 of the 2007 PCA was slated to begin.

Day 1 of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Championship Event
By noon on Friday, Tournament Director Mike Ward had rounded up the nearly 500 Flight 1 participants and invited them to take their seats. At 12:07 the cards were in the air. It didn't take long for defending champion Steve Paul-Ambrose to suffer his aces getting cracked by an opponent who made a straight on the river with 86. But Ambrose's starting stack of $20,000 was merely dented as he went into the next hand with close to $15,000.

Other notable players in a field of hundreds (and still growing) were Thithi Tran, Marco Sousa, Robert Williamson III, the Binger brothers Michael and Nick, Don Mullis, Yosh Nakano, Joe Sebok, Edward Mondada, Antonio Esfandiari, Mark Newhouse, David Singer, William Chen, Patrick Pezzin, Laura Fink, David Colclough, Kathy Liebert, and PokerStars representatives Katja Thater, Vanessa Rousso, and Chris Moneymaker.

Greg Raymer showed his home team spirit by posing for photos, signing autographs, and conducting interviews. However, this year he's passing on the PCA because the WPT has earmarked the event. Though Raymer hasn't yet put his pen to paper and signed off on the WPT release, he's graciously made several appearances. But not to worry, there's more at stake at the PCA than just the championship. He has announced he'll be playing in the highly rated World Championship of Battleship Poker, a one-on-one online face-off scheduled later in the week.

Thithi "Mimi" Tran secured an early lead and doubled up to nearly $40,000 by the end of the first 75-minute round. Joe Sebok was on the rail in time for a stiff drink and a slathering of sunblock as he headed for the shore. Mark Newhouse was swinging harder than a beach palm in a hurricane, as he was up, then down, then up again, before he threw in the towel and shuffled out the door in his flip-flops. Moneymaker was experiencing a similar rhythm, while an 18-year-old Jimmy Fricke, the online pro Michael Farris, and FullTilter David Singer were steadily gaining ground. Mimi Rogers and Antonio Esfandiari went out early and by the fifth round, nearly half the field had already set sail. By level 6, Vishal Iyer, Owen Crowe, Andreas Hagen, and Michael Farris had taken a strong lead.

Robert Williamson was making some noise (as usual) and bringing plenty of attention to his back-corner table. Thomas Wahlroos, on the other hand, (and on the other side of the room) had been quietly bantering back and forth with Vanessa Rousso for most of the day. But the two clashed in a classic display when Rousso raised in early position before the flop and Wahlroos called to see a board of 7-6-4 rainbow. Rousso bet out $5,000 and Wahlroos pressed for another $10,000. Rousso moved all in and Wahlroos immediately called, turning over pocket sixes for a set. Rousso was on a draw with pocket fives. The turn was a blank, but the river gave Rousso a straight with the 8.

During last night's welcoming banquet, Edward Moncada and several other notable players announced they'd head down under if things went sour in Nassau. By our calculations, Moncada should be somewhere over the Pacific on his way to Australia.

But right before the bell, Owen Crowe pulled a rabbit out of a hat and rocketed his way into the lead after pulling in a three-way pot worth nearly $160,000. He instantly pushed past the day's longest-running chip leader, Jimmy Fricke.

Here are the top 10 going into day 2:

Crowe, Owen: $202,000
Haxton, Isaac: $126,800
Fricke, Jimmy: $122,500
Kats, Michael: $122,200
Passeron, Thierry: $112,400
Iyer, Vishal: $110,400
Rousso, Vanessa: $105,800
Sheldon, Paul: $105,600
Hagen, Andreas: $103,000
Pickett, Michael: $98,000

Other notable players who survived the first six rounds to return on Sunday are:

Paul-Ambrose, Steve: $76,700
Chen, William: $62,700
Campbell, James (Colin): $61,700
Sousa, Marco: $60,400
Singer, David: $60,200
Cheresnick, Corey: $59,400
Binger, Michael: $57,300
Pezzin, Patrick: $49,000
Eischens, Terrance Lee: $48,100
Tran, Thithi (Mimi): $47,100
Clements, Scott: $46,800
Hawrilenko, Matt: $45,500
Nguyen, Anh Van: $44,300
Fink, Laura: $35,500
Niergarth, Nick: $33,800
Coburn, Ray: $30,000
Mullis, Donald: $27,400
Campbell, James (Douglas): $26,600
Thater, Katja: $20,200
Williamson, Robert: $13,400
Azadpeyma, Alex: $11,500

Day 1B starts tomorrow at noon, and the 27-player Moneymaker Millionaire Finals kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday morning.

Stay tuned to CardPlayer.com for complete multimedia coverage of the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure from the Atlantis Hotel Resort Casino, with live updates (including chip counts), photos of players and activities, video clips and interviews, along with the return of The Circuit.

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