The build-up to the fifth Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) has been anything but plain sailing. The decision by the organisers to drag the preeminent event screaming and kicking into 2018, has seen a few people fall overboard.
There aren’t enough lifeboats.
Then we had confusion over the lottery with a changed date, and a decision to pull 35-names out of the tombola, not 25. And then nothing but deathly silence when it came to the question of the final headcount.
But that’s all in the past.
As is Day 1.
As it transpired, the ARIA never handpicked any VIP guests because the tournament began with 36-entrants, thanks to the last minute registration from Rick Salomon. You don’t need to know how to program a flying saucer to understand that the ARIA didn’t pick any VIPS because there weren’t any, and that’s going to be a problem moving forward if this event is going to become a mainstay in the poker calendar.
36-entrants makes it the lowest attended SHRB in the tournament’s short tenure. That means the event billed as THE number one draw in the high roller calendar is offering a first prize of $3.67m, only the seventh highest first prize of 2018.
Richest First Prizes of 2018
1. $10m – $1m Big One For One Drop (Justin Bonomo)
2. $8.8m – $10k WSOP Main Event (John Cynn)
3. $5,257,027 – $255k Triton Poker Series Main Event, Jeju (Mikita Badziakouski)
4. $5m – $300k Super High Roller Bowl (Justin Bonomo)
5. $4,823,077 – $270k Super High Roller Bowl China (Justin Bonomo)
6. $3,685,000 – $250k Super High Roller CPP (Steffen Sontheimer)
The prodding and poking didn’t end at the live lottery with the organisers deciding to play eight levels on Day 1, not nine, and to give players 3 x 100,000 stacks to bring into play at any time during the first nine levels.
Rick Salomon was the only player who stacked all three 100k heaps in front of him, and it helped him end the day as the chip leader with 27-players remaining. Nine players saw $300,000 go the way of errant ear wax flying off a the end of a finger, with two of them former SHRB Champions.
Here are the eliminations.
Justin Bonomo Axes Steffen Sontheimer
Steffen Sontheimer was the first player to hit the rail. The 2017 Poker Masters winner got short enough to stick it in with KQxx, and Justin Bonomo picked it apart calling with A2xx. Barry Greenstein’s ace on the river sealing Sontheimer’s fate.
Byrn Kenney Batters Giuseppe Iadisernia
Giuseppe Iadisernia was one of the most inexperienced players to part with $300,000, and it didn’t provide him with much of a ride. Iadisernia limped from UTG; Nick Petrangelo raised to 4,500 in the cutoff, Bryn Kenney called on the button as did Iadisernia. The flop contained more hearts than a pack of Swizzels Matlow candy (Ah6h2h), Iadisernia led for 11,000, Petrangelo stepped aside, Kenney put Iadisernia all-in, and the call arrived. Iadisernia showed KhTd for the flush draw, and Kenney showed AJss for top pair, and it was good after the turn and river remained as heartless as cancer.
Dan Smith Coolers Jake Schindler
Jake Schindler came into this one on a high after taking down the $100k at the World Poker Tour (WPT) Five Diamond World Poker Classic for over a million bucks, but he couldn’t make it to Day 2 in this one.
The Santa hat wearing Dan Smith opened to 4,500 from UTG with pocket aces and Jake Schindler three-bet with pocket kings. Smith called. The flop of 7h5c4s was great news for Smith and a nightmare for Schindler. Smith check-called bets of 11,000 and 28,000 on the flop, and 7s turn before the Ah arrived on the river. Smith checked for the third time, Schindler moved all-in for 72,500, and Smith called to end the tournament life of one of the in-form players in the world.
David Peters Vanquishes Christoph Vogelsang
Christoph Vogelsang will not win a second SHRB. The 2017 champion moved all-in on a two spade flop containing an eight and a jack, holding Q8ss, and David Peters had called holding AJdd for the higher pair. The spades stayed in the garden shed, and Vogelsang was in the dirt.
Bryn Kenney Bumps Rainer Kempe Into the Rail
One former German SHRB champion to another as Bryn Kenney sent the 2016 winner, Rainer Kempe, packing. Kempe thought KQo was good enough on the button. Kenney thought AJo was worthy of a fight in the big blind, and ace-high held after five community cards landed in the middle of the table.
Seth Davies Slaughters Ben Yu
Seth Davies opened to 6,500 in late position, Ben Yu moved all-in from the small blind for 57,000, and Davies called. At showdown, Yu was ahead with ATo v KQo, but a queen on the flop turned the tables, and Yu’s hand never recovered leaving him with a day off on Wednesday.
Dan Smith Destroys Dominik Nitsche
Ok, not quite that melodramatic.
The action folded to Dominik Nitsche who moved all-in from the small blind, and Dan Smith called in the next seat. Nitsche was in terrible shape with his T6dd up against AdTc, and the better hand pre-flop remained the better hand after the flop, turn and river.
David Peters Bests Bill Klein
David Peters bet 9,000 from UTG, Rick Salomon three-bet to 29,000 from the small blind, Bill Klein moved all-in for 122,000 in the big blind, Peters folded and Salomon called. It was a classic coin flip with Salomon’s AK looking to hit something against Klein’s pocket queens and hit something they did when an ace and king appeared on the flop to send the part-timer home early.
Fedor Holz Sends Cary Katz to The Rail
The final elimination was that of Cary Katz.
The man who created the tournament went searching for a straight draw at the same time Fedor Holz woke up with a set of jacks, and the turn and river dodged Katz’ hand giving Holz some much-needed chips for his Day 2 exploits.
Here is the end of day chip counts:
Chip Counts
1. Rick Salomon – 806,000
2. Ali Imsirovic – 661,000
3. Daniel Negreanu – 623,000
4. Stephen Chidwick – 553,000
5. Nick Petrangelo – 460,000
6. Seth Davies – 445,000
7. Adrian Mateos – 378,000
8. Bryn Kenney – 371,000
9. David Peters – 344,000
10. Sean Winter – 339,000
11. Justin Bonomo 335,000
12. Talal Shakerchi – 328,000
13. Isaac Haxton – 309,000
14. Mikita Badziakouski – 261,000
15. Fedor Holz – 240,000
16. Igor Kurganov – 237,000
17. Phil Hellmuth – 237,000
18. Brian Rast – 208,000
19. Dan Cates – 190,000
20. Matthias Eibinger – 180,000
21. Sam Soverel – 157,000
22. Alex Foxen – 127,000
23. Chris Kruk – 96,000
24. Koray Aldemir – 92,000
25. Jason Koon – 82,000
26. Dan Smith – 78,000
27. Ben Tollerene – 74,000
The plan is for the action to recommence on Tuesday at 14:00 (PT) where they will play down to the money, which, incidentally, is the final seven players.