A combined total of 443 players who survived flights 1 and 2 returned to the Beach Tower for day 2 of the
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
First stop - The Redraw Roster. Six 8-1/2 x 11 pieces of paper taped to a table at the entrance of the Grand Ballroom listed players' names and their seat assignments. It's surprising how several hundred contestants can so quickly and uneventfully find their chairs. It took less than 20 minutes for everyone to reference and then transition themselves to the proper tables. The players were anxious to get started, while fans and media tried to avoid the stampede. And while we sometimes take the task of getting players to their seats for granted, let's not forget that much of this field has never participated in a live event, or for that matter, cut the umbilical chord to their broadband connection. And since so many celebrities and seasoned players had been eliminated in early rounds, attention was drawn again to the age factor of this year's
PCA players.
Next stop - The Money
Completing the first six rounds of the
PCA championship and returning on day 2 had players exercising goal prioritization. On Friday, before they posted their first blind, we surveyed several entrants in the foyer of the Grand Ballroom and asked, "What are your expectations going into the
PCA?" Many young players were just happy to make it to the Bahamas, while some focused on the opportunity to sit at the same tables and rub elbows with professional and celebrity poker players. There were those who described their goals with textbook terms like, "playing tight-aggressive," or "taking the early chip lead," but the most popular response was, "I'm hoping to survive the first day." But it was was day 2, and perspectives had changed. After grinding their way through the first six levels, the new consensus was making it to the money. "I just want to get paid," said one young player going into day 2. It would be easier said than done, for less than
half the field would cash, with 180 players making the cut.
The tension level within the tournament arena was off the charts, with very little chatter coming from inside the rails. There was a lot of toe tapping going on, as players were reluctant to leave their seats. Well wishes were exchanged, but many responded with a simple nod of the head. Some players, glued to their chairs, were rolling their necks, or stretching their arms above their heads. But as time went on, more drastic stress-relieving
measures were being used. And an increasing and comical number of anxious players unknowingly prepared themselves psychologically, with breathing techniques usually reserved for expectant mothers.
The pressure was on tournament director Mike Ward to get things underway. And though the event was scheduled to begin at noon, he started the clock at 11:54 a.m.
Tony Cousineau was dealt pocket kings on his very first hand, while in the small blind, and he put them to good use. He raised to $3,500, while the player in the big blind moved all in for another $24,400. Cousineau had him covered and called. His opponent had A-9 offsuit, but missed the board, and Cousineau was sitting pretty on the button with around $85.000 going into the next hand.
Barry Greenstein, Nam Le, and Laura Fink didn't get much playtime,
and David Singer's stack took a hit during early action. But Jon Friedberg and Fred Goldberg, who started the day short-stacked, had tripled up by the second round. David Williams was steadily climbing up the leader board.
Ralph Perry, Allan Sass, Mark Seif, and Michael Mizrachi were the next notable players to exit the tournament. And though famous faces were fewer, young online players who'd exchanged handles throughout the event had developed camaraderie, and appeared to relax a bit more being surrounded by familiar competition.
Justin Bonomo, the
Bellagio Five Diamond wunderkind, was making a stand at the
PCA, gradually increasing his lead throughout the day. And
Card Player's own Barry Shulman avoided several land mines that could have had him facing elimination in earlier rounds. Michael Mizrachi and Vanessa Rousso went out before the money.
There were 185 entrants remaining, and the tournament director informed everyone that hand-for-hand play would begin with three additional eliminations. It took another 30 minutes for the bubble to burst, literally. If the tension felt thick going into the day, one can imagine the scene over the half hour following the announcement. Max Green was the 181st player out when his A-Q couldn't hold up to Shannon Shorr's pocket nines. It was finally payday.
"Congratulations everyone," said Mike Ward, "you've made the money." The creases on players' foreheads dissipated and everyone took an orchestrated sigh of relief. It took a moment for the news to sink in, and then slowly, a few at a time, players and fans began to applaud.
David Singer and Tony Cousineau were eliminated an hour before the whistle blew on day 2, but Bonomo was on a tear. In a little over an hour, he'd increased his stack threefold and sat comfortably with over $300,000.
With only minutes remaining on the clock, marking the end of day 2, Daniel Negreanu moved all in with K-Q and ran into Victor Ramdin's pocket aces. Negreanu was off to host Sunday night's
The Circuit. Right behind him was Shannon Shorr.
It was 9 p.m. and day 2 of the 2007
PCA had officially come to an end. From a starting field of 937 players, the prize pool totaled a whopping $7,063,842, with first prize paying $1,535,255. 121 players would return on Monday at noon.
Justin Bonomo had secured a commanding lead, but the 2006
PCA defending champion Steve Paul-Ambrose was right on his heels.
Here are the chip leaders going into day 2:
Justin Bonomo: $ 475,000
Steve Paul-Ambrose: $408,400
Jonathan Drane: $386,400
Jonathan Hart: $368,100
Jonathan Little: $352,200
Jon Friedberg: $345,200
Mike Carlson: $343,200
Patrick Fortin: $335,600
Jason Strochak: $313,100
Matthew Molinari: $310,700
For more detailed coverage of day 2's exciting action, check out
CardPlayer.com's live updates. And 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 nightly audio streams of
The Circuit.
