The PokerStars Players No-Limit Hold'em Championship has established a new record for a $25,000 event with 1,014 runners even as registration remains open for another 14 hours or so until the start of Day 2.
That smashed the old mark of 639 set by the 2007 WPT Championship. It wasn't a sweat to beat that number either, as the number was secure from the start of Day 1 and only climbed from there. It seems the $9 million in value added by PokerStars was simply too much to resist for poker players everywhere, as they flocked to Atlantis Resort by the hundreds for this one-of-a-kind event.
With a prize pool pushing north of $25 million, it's safe to say the tournament has surpassed any expectations the PokerStars team harbored.
Talal Shakerchi lapped the field on Day 1 as he turned his 60,000 starting stack into 425,300 when the bagging was done. That's far above nearest competitor Dan O'Brien, who finished with 301,200.
Shakerchi owed his huge stack to a pair of flopped sets that sent him rocketing to the top of the counts starting in Level 6 (300/600/600). He flopped a set of fours and turned a full house, setting Daniel Strelitz all in for 50,000 into a pot of about 40,000. Strelitz called off with only four outs, having flopped second pair, and he missed a river miracle to overcome the boat.
Shakerchi ran away from the opposition on Day 1.
The next level, Shakerchi flopped another set, this time in a three-bet pot with deuces against jacks. All the money went in on the turn again, this time with Shakerchi fading only two outs. After a safe river, he was stacking 260,000 when most of the field was dreaming of reaching the 150,000 mark.
Other players to bag north of 200,000 included Shyam Srinivasan (254,000), Scott Margereson (221,600), Steven van Zadelhoff (210,000) and Kristen Bicknell (207,900). Srinivasan is no stranger to success here, having finished sixth and 10th in PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Events in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
Team PokerStars was also well-represented with Leo Fernandez, Chris Moneymaker, Kevin Martin, Lex Veldhuis and Jason Somerville among the 750 or so making it through.
Golf legend Sergio Garcia was among the busted, as were Joe McKeehen, Bryn Kenney, Erik Seidel, Steve O'Dwyer and Adrian Mateos. Those players will have to move on and find different tournaments to play as this one is a freezeout.
The PSPC continues Monday with Level 9 (600/1,200/1,200). Play resumes at noon, at which point registration will end, and PokerNews will be on hand for more live coverage.
Andrew Neeme has quickly become a household name in poker, recently crossing the momentous 100,000 subscribers milestone on his YouTube channel after vlogging for just over two years. Now, the mid-stakes grinder vlogger extraordinaire and member of Team Run It Up finds himself in unfamiliar territory — playing in a $25,000 buy-in tournament.
Before the event, Neeme was getting dialed in.
“Feeling a big mix of excitement and nervousness," he told PokerNews. "I’m trying to not get too carried away because it’s Day 1 here and I expect today to go fairly slowly. It’s hard to not look too far ahead and just get too far ahead of yourself.”
While he's not a total stranger to bigger buy-in no-limit hold'em tournaments, having played the $10K WSOP Main Event, it's still a bit of a jump from his regular mid-stakes cash games.
“This is 2.5 times the biggest tournament I’ve ever played; normally I don’t play $25K events. Normally I play cash games and the occasional $1,500 and the [WSOP] Main Event is usually the biggest of the year for me.”
Vlogger Freeroll
Unlike many other mid-stakes players who had to dry fire the PSPC, Neeme was gifted one of the coveted $30K Platinum Passes from PokerStars after co-hosting the YouTube Vlogger in Paradise challenge with PokerStars Pro Jeff Gross. They gave out two passes to the winning vloggers, Oliver Biles and Matt Kiefer, and Stars rewarded the pros with an entry of their own.
“We got a bunch of people involved in the YouTube vlogging world, and we had an awesome turnout of people that made submissions all over the world. As a result for spreading the vlogger love, [PokerStars] gave me a pass as well, so here we are.”
In terms of preparing for the biggest tournament he's played, Neeme is mostly relying on his extensive live poker experience.
"I have so much live poker experience and I’m going to definitely bank on that to carry me through some of the way at least.”
“I got into the lab a little bit here and there but I’m trying not to cram my brain too full of new things," said Neeme. "I think it’s tough to expect to just unleash all these new tricks that you learned recently. I have so much live poker experience and I’m going to definitely bank on that to carry me through some of the way at least.”
When it comes to playing in events above your comfort level, most pros make a habit of selling pieces, and the PSPC is no exception, even if it's a freeroll.
Selling Action, Expectations
“I sold 20% on Stake Kings, I’m giving away 1% to each of the five finalists from the Vlogger in Paradise competition, and swapped an additional five percent; one percent pieces here and there.”
Neeme is prepared for the long tournament grind and expects an unprecedented mix of players.
“This is my first $25K so I expect there to be a really interesting mix of people in this event. We’re going to have a lot of people that have literally zero dollars on their Hendon Mob sitting next to people that have tens of millions of dollars on their Hendon Mob and I expect to just try to navigate my way through a table that looks like that, and hope for the best.”
So far it seems Neeme is following his game plan of taking it slow, hovering just under starting stack at the third break of the day. And his fans will surely be on the lookout a vlog or more on the experience.
Since being diagnosed with leukemia in 2011, Damon Ferrante has used poker to enhance his quality of life. He chats with [Removed:139] about his daily mindset, and what winning a Platinum Pass has already done for him.
There's no dinner break today; there are just these 20-minute breaks after every two levels. If you don't need to use the bathroom and already had something to eat, these breaks consist mainly of talking to your friends while waiting for play to resume. Maybe share a bad beat or two if you can find someone to hear you out.
We wandered around in the last break trying to get some quotes from players still in and offering a listening ear to those looking to share their misfortune.
Randy Lew
Lew won a lottery-style promotion this morning, essentially getting a freeroll in a tournament he was already planning on playing: "I feel pretty good about it! I was super excited! I was in the room, and someone said 'you won the pass!' That's such random news. I got the call that I won it, and I was super excited. Pretty sick!"
The reaction on Twitter was one that one might expect: some said it was rigged! "It's not rigged; they actually had a video of them doing it," Lew said with a big smile. "Someone has to win the lottery, right? It can be me! It's possible!"
Lew is excited about the tournament: "This is an amazing event. The number is already at 918. I didn't expect it to be so big. I thought maybe 650. That's an amazing number already. Whether I'm sponsored or not, I would still play this event. It's going to be the biggest event of the year. It's nice to start of the year that way. I'm excited to see all these new faces. It's very good for the game, and it's very exciting."
Asked about the field with as many amateurs as there are seasoned pros, Lew said he thought the field was pretty good. "Of course there are a lot of tables that are pretty tough too, but it's a $25,000. Even some of the regs that are playing don't normally play this high. So that might make them a bit more uncomfortable too. It's a good event for sure, and you just need to play your best and not worry about the stakes as much as you can."
Randy Lew
David Peters
David Peters was one of the first ones to win a Platinum Pass, right here at the PCA a year ago. Peters was all smiled when we stuck our dictaphone under his nose: "It's great! This tournament is amazing!"
Peters had a pass to get the buy-in for free, something he kind of had forgotten about: "I actually went to buy in for the tournament and almost paid forgetting I was registered. I was like 'Oh yeah!' It's pretty cool to have it paid for."
Peters praises the tournament, not holding back in his wording: "This is probably the best tournament of all time. There's a nice mix; a lot of amateurs a lot of pros. It's a very amazing tournament. So many different kind of players. It's gonna be a lot of fun!"
David Peters
Steffen Sontheimer
Another high roller regular, Steffen Sontheimer had just as big a smile on his face. But, it would turn out, that was more of a charade. When asked if things were going well because he had such a happy expression, he said "Really? No not at all. I just lost 2.5 hours every single hand. But I like it if you don't feel that."
Sontheimer had an interesting comparison for this event: "It's just like a Main Event; just a bit bigger buy-in but the field is the same. It will be interesting to see when the payouts are announced because then everyone feels like 'Oh, it's five times a main event!'
Steffen Sontheimer
Celina Lin
Before the event, it was clear this event was going to be big. But how big? Celina Lin was amazed the tournament clock indicated nearly a 1,000 people had registered by the time the second break came around: "Amazing! I think it's a crazy turnout. I heard some guys on the plane going 1,500. I know that's a long stretch but I actually think 1,000 is such an amazing number. There's so many players that came out. Even from Asia. At least 15 players came out for it; that's a long way to travel."
Every player is looking for less experienced players. In tournaments with a buy-in of $25,000, those are usually hard to come by. In the PSPC, they are not as rare a sight. "I think there's a nice mix of players out there. If you have 2 or 3 value players at the table, that's good. But for a $25k, that's amazing! Usually, when you play a $25k, you get zero."
Lin already had a tough spot early on, facing off against Katie Lindsay. "The one hand that gave me a lot of trouble was against another girl. I flopped a set, and all the cameras were on me. I actually folded the river! She check-raised me all-in."
In any other event, Lin might have been inclined to call, she said: "If this was a $1k event or $2k, I probably call. But this is a $25k! I spent some time breaking down the hand very thoroughly and I came to the conclusion that I was beat. Just let it go. I actually got redemption for it two hands later; I had aces versus her ace-king to double up. I'm back to starting stack so I'm very happy to be still in. The structure is really really good, there's so much play!"
Some of the most popular Platinum Passes were handed out by PokerStars Christmas week. Joey Ingram, Arlie Shaban, and Jeremy Hilsercop tell the full story to [Removed:139] of the events that led to all three of them entering the PokerStars Players Championship.
PokerNews has activated the MyStack App for this event, allowing you to directly adjust your chip counts in our live reporting blog using your iPhone or Android phone.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
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PokerStars gave away 320 Platinum Passes, the majority of them to people who don't regularly play events with a buy-in of $25,000, or much poker at all. A field like that attracts a whole lot of other poker players; from super high roller regulars like Justin Bonomo and Adrian Mateos to circuit grinders taking a shot like Josh Reichard and Max Young.
And then there's the group of players who once dominated poker, but have since left the game behind. Walking through the hallways of the Atlantis Resort, you'll recognize many players who came out of poker retirement to give this event a shot.
Terrence Chan is one of those players. He was there right when PokerStars set up shop in the early 2000s, heading the customer service team at what would become the world's largest poker room. When the poker boom made poker rooms explode, Chan traded the corporate job for the life of a poker pro. Chan dominated the limit hold'em tables, winning SCOOP and WCOOP titles and becoming a familiar face at the WSOP. Some years ago, the now 38-year old Chan made another impactful life change, focusing his attention on becoming a professional MMA fighter.
His last cash came from the 2017 WSOP, but here at the PokerStars NL Hold'em Player Championship, Chan is back.
"I think if you 're looking for a one-word answer; it would be FOMO," Chan said when asked what made him come out to the PSPC. The fear of missing out saw him take a flight from Canada to get to the Bahamas; "I heard everyone talking about it, and it looked like it was going to be a great field. So I just said; you know what..."
While him showing up in this event might not prove to be a comeback to life as a professional poker player, it ís more than just gambling in a big event for Chan. What seemingly goes for all the things in his life, if he goes for it, he really goes for it. Playing this event wasn't a last-minute decision; Chan decided quite some time ago to give the PSPC a shot and did everything he could to be competitive.
"I had a fight a few months ago, and it didn't go my way. So I've been looking to channel my energy into something else. So I channeled myself into really studying hard, and I said 'Fuck it, I'll work hard; I'll try hard and see if I can catch up to the top pros in the field and give it a shot."
Coming up in the world of poker, limit hold'em was the game of choice for Chan. That game's popularity has been on a multi-year decline to the point it's hardly offered anywhere outside of some events at the WSOP these days.
"You can't swim against the current. You can't try to play a game that's not there anymore. I stopped playing limit hold'em a really long time ago," Chan said about his somewhat involuntarily decision to get into no-limit hold'em. "The good news is there's so much information out there, so much more than there used to be about how to play good no-limit hold'em. So you just soak up as much energy and hope that you can become a better student and that you worked a little harder than everybody else. That's all you can do."
When you take a look at Chan's accomplishments over the last two decades, it seems that Chan has a high level of success in the things he puts his mind to. He was highly praised in his time with PokerStars setting up the gold-standard of customer service in poker at the time, he became one of the top (limit hold'em) poker pros, and is a successful MMA fighter today. Just glancing over his accomplishments showcases the evidence of some of the hard work he's put in.
His accomplishments haven't come without challenges though, and these days, Chan is experiencing a new kind of life challenge.
"We have a one-year-old baby now. I'm trying to make her the focus of my life, and that's really hard to do with fighting. I spend 3 or 4 hours a day in the gym (or traveling to the gym or taking care of my body and that kind of stuff), and that's really hard [to combine with being a father]. I still love to do it. I'm 38, kind of old for MMA. I would absolutely still love to do it but the time commitment of something like this is hard, especially when it's not something that pays the bills or anything."
In an interview with Nolan Dalla back in 2016, Chan said he saw his fighting career somewhat as an apprenticeship to become an MMA instructor. Asked if that was still his plan for the future, he said it was still of multiple possible trajectories. "I talked to my coach; he's a family man too so he understands that balancing being a pro fighter and a family man is hard. He said 'you can train the next generation.' I would take a lot of enjoyment out of that. I do love the sport; if my body would hold up, I would do it forever, but that's just not realistic."
Chan had a decent enough start in the event. In the first break, when we caught up with him, Chan was anything but unsatisfied; "It's a lot of fun, there's a lot of energy in the room. A lot of people who don't play a lot of poker, like myself, coming back out. It's a good time to be here."
When Chan first started in poker, half a decade before Chris Moneymaker would ignite the poker boom, poker was anything but mainstream. The biggest event of them all, the WSOP Main Event, attracted 500 players. Now, almost 20 years later, over 900 people signed up for a $25,000 buy-in event. "It's shocking. When I was with PokerStars, there really weren't $25,000 events at all, of any kind. Those didn't start till the mid-2000's," Chan said. "For them [(PokerStars)] to have 900 people, that's pretty fantastic. It's wonderful. PokerStars really went all-in in 2018 on making sure people got into this and make sure they played it."
Chan had a front row seat when poker ballooned, but he also witnessed up close the decline in popularity that followed. The PSPC may be an outlier, an exceptional event pushed hard by the biggest player in the game, and might not be a reliable indicator of the state of poker. But, looking at the bigger picture with the PSPC's entry-number considered as just one of many data points to assess the game's popularity, things don't seem all that bad.
"If you look at tournament numbers around the world, it seems that it's actually very healthy. It's like a renaissance," Chan said. "I think it changed a lot from a gambling recreational game to now where everyone is a bit more serious. Even the recreational players are serious; they get coaching, they study online. I think it's a different evolution of the game. It's definitely not as mainstream as it once was from a pure gambling perspective. It's something the people who continue to play it, they take very seriously and they really enjoy doing it."
The game, one might say, has matured. People realize that to be competitive, one needs to have a strategy a bit more balanced than some years ago. Chan, having been out of the game for a bit, had a hard time coming up with an answer to the question where he ranks himself in the PSPC. Given the polarized playing field, judging his own skills proved not that easy. "Oh god, the variance could be tremendous. I could be maybe in the top 20 percent, or I could be in the bottom 20 percent. I really don't know."
Given the fact that Chan had played on a single table when we talked to him, gives him an incomplete scope of the field. "I've seen some really great players and some weaker players for sure. It's really hard to say. It so unique; it's one-of-a-kind for sure. It's not like any other event that's ever been held."
If you're a mid-stakes grinder that will ever play in a $25K tournament, this is probably the one to fire. With the more than one year of hype for the event, any serious poker player on the Circuit was aware of all the added value in the $25,000 PokerStars Players Championship, and most all of them dreamed of taking their seat in the event.
Some of those players secured the freeroll of a lifetime in the form of a Platinum Pass. But among those not as fortunate, many still decided to ship out to the Bahamas and take their shot anyway.
Chad Holloway
You usually see Chad Holloway on the media side in the poker world, but the PokerNews Associate Editor and MSPT Media Coordinator puts in his fair share of volume on the mid-stakes circuit. We caught up with Holloway as he was getting ready to take his seat in the biggest event he's ever played.
“This one’s definitely special as far as taking a big shot,” he said.
Holloway has a WSOP bracelet from winning the 2013 $500 Media Event for his biggest score of $85K, and has played in the $10K WSOP Main Event, but his usual tournaments are mid-majors with buy-ins ranging from $1,100 to $1,700. Playing in the $25K PSPC being out of the range of possibilities in his mind, an opportunity arose in a conversation with someone who believed in him enough to offer to take a big chunk of his action as an investor.
“That got my wheels turning and I decided to take him up on it. Then I sold a little more action and put up some of my own money."
Being a cornerstone of the poker media world for many years, Holloway is well aware of the significance of the event that suddenly came into the realm of the possible.
“I'm just taking a shot because it’s a historic event; being rake-free, all the added money, the Platinum Pass winners... If you have the means to play this tournament, you definitely should, and I think the poker world realizes that because they’re out in full force,” he told PokerNews.
“I didn’t charge any markup when I sold action, because for me, I’m never going to have the opportunity to play this event unless I sell shares, so people buying shares are doing me a huge favor, giving me the opportunity to play in this event.”
For many mid-stakes players, playing an event with a buy-in this big can put on a lot of extra pressure. Holloway did some extra preparation in the form of studying on training sites and reading Alexander Fitzgerald's new book 'Exploitative Play in Live Poker,' but ultimately Holloway just wants to play his game and enjoy the moment.
“My goals are just to take in the whole experience, have fun; it’s a historic moment in poker history and just to play my A-game and leave it all on the table. As long as I do that ,I think I’ll be content, no matter how it goes.”
Chad Holloway (photo from the WSOP)
Max Young
Another regular on the mid-stakes circuit who decided to take his shot in the PSPC is Max Young of Seaside, Oregon. The five-time Circuit ring winner has amassed over $1.2 million in live earnings, but he normally plays tournaments of $500 to $2,500 buy-ins, with a few $10Ks mixed in.
With some major recent success including winning the $1,700 WSOP Circuit Choctaw Main Event for his biggest score of $263,815, Young jumped on the chance to hop into the biggest $25K in history.
“Things have been going well for me lately in poker and I have a lot of friends and a lot of people in the poker community in the Northwest kind of believe in me. So I sold a little action and I figured why not, let’s give it a shot," Young told PokerNews before things kicked off. "I mean, this is going to be one of the best tournaments of all time. If I didn’t play, I’d definitely have a lot of FOMO.”
Fear of missing out can be strong, and you can be sure those players not in the PSPC field are feeling it to some extent. Young couldn't take that chance.
“I'm pretty excited, a little nervous," Young said. "It’s kind of cool to be here.”
Max Young has five Circuit rings. (Photo courtesy of WSOP Circuit)
As a full-time player with a busy routine of playing and studying, he didn't veer too much from his normal tournament preparation. When asked about his expectations of the PSPC, Young predicted:
“I think it’s just going to be bigger than anyone thought it was.”
Being a much bigger field than he's used to playing in, Young expects some differences from the $25K.
“I know there are going to be some top-level players in this field, so I’ll have to be aware of that and adjust accordingly. It’s not like I’m not used to playing against them some of the time, but there will be a higher percentage of them in this field. I mean it’ll be soft for a $25K but I don’t expect it to be soft.”
When asked about his goals for the tournament, Young responded:
“It’d be nice to win.”
Josh Reichard
Another familiar face in the mid-major circuit, Josh Reichard is also playing in his first-ever $25K event. The ten-time ring winner has $1.18 million in earnings to his credit. Like Young, Reichard recently notched his biggest career cash, which was $221,293 for winning the $2,500 HPT East Chicago Main Event last November. His normal buy-in being $1K or smaller, Reichard saw an opportunity in the PSPC.
“All the passes and added value... It seems like if I’m going to step up and play a bigger one like this, this is the one to do it in. And I’ve had some success lately so I can kind of justify it.”
With a backer who takes all of his action, Reichard didn’t need to sell off any pieces as the event is just a part of his deal. And although it's much bigger than he's ever played, Reichard didn't see a need to do anything differently in terms of preparation.
“I’m just pretty much treating it like any other tournament," Reichard told PokerNews." I think if you’re turning it into something bigger than what it is, it could be bad for you. I think you should just treat it the same as any other tournament.”
There is one key difference in this one, and Reichard is aware of what to expect.
“It’s a lot deeper than what I usually play which are Circuits and MSPTs. So I guess that would be the biggest difference in terms of preparation.”
Reichard is a ten-time WSOP Circuit ring winner.
It will also be tougher competition than he's used to, but Reichard welcomes the challenge.
“I think as far as competition level, it’s table-dependent, but in the end, this tournament will be way tougher than what I usually play. I look forward to it though,” he said with a smile.
Reichard just plans to play his best game with the goal of winning.
The highly-anticipated PokerStars Players Championship is underway. Joe Hartigan, with the help of the UFC's Bruce Buffer, introduces you to the $25,000 tournament at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.
