$5,000 Main Event
Day 1b Started
2017 PokerStars Championship Bahamas
$5,000 Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2017 PokerStars Championship Bahamas
Buy-in
$5,000
Prize Pool
$3,376,712
Entries
738
Level
31
Blinds
80,000 / 160,000
Ante
20,000
![[user323482]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Day 1b of the PokerStars Championship Bahamas is set to kick off at 11 a.m. on the dot! The field on Day 1a attracted 229 players, up from 210 at 2016’s PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. Last year, Day 1b brought in 700 players, meaning if that number is also surpassed, the field could very well cross 1,000 players.
Defending champion Mike Watson, was eliminated early on in the day, opening up a spot for a new winner to claim the title. Other notable players to hit the rail included Friend of PokerStars and pro golfer, Sergio Garcia, actor and comedian, Kevin Hart, 2015 WSOP Main Event Champion, Joe McKeehen, and Team PokerStars Pro Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier.
While many familiar faces fell on Day 1a, some new ones will emerge today. This includes actor Aaron Paul, 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion and Team PokerStars Pro, Chris Moneymaker and 2016 EPT Prague High Roller Champion, William Kassouf, to name a few.
Play begins at 11 a.m. and players will complete a total of eight levels. Everyone will begin with a stack of 30,000 and will begin at 50/100 with no ante. Levels will be a total of 75 minutes long.
Stay locked in on PokerNews for live updates, chip counts and photos! The live stream will begin on Day 2 with James Hartigan and Joe Stapleton leading the way. Feel free to follow us on Twitter and send us a message at @PokerNews if you have any comments, questions and/or suggestions!
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Actor Aaron Paul, a well-known poker aficionado, has just taken his seat at the PokerStars Championship Bahamas. The Breaking Bad star is wearing sunglasses and has his face tucked away under a big hat, but he couldn't escape our attention.
Paul isn't the only known player to sit down. A league of others have joined him to battle it out on Day 1b today. Here's an early look:
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Harrison Gimbel, who won this event when it was the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, is in the field.
Celebrity sightings include actor Jennifer Tilly and former pro football player Richard Seymour.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
30,000
30,000
|
30,000 |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
As we walked up to Table 1 the flop was already out in a pot between Pascal Lefrancois and Frederic Steffens. Lefrancois checked on 
and Steffens bet 425. Lefrancois called before both of them checked the 
on the turn. The 
completed the board and Lefrancois checked again. Steffens bet 500 and Lefrancois check-raised to 3,000.
"You got me," Steffens said before he slid his cards into the muck.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
31,500
1,500
|
1,500 |
|
|
||
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
It didn't take long for the first elimination to occur here on Day 1b. Just 19 minutes in fact.
We missed the hand play out between the UK's David Friendship and Germany's Karin Wehner, but we learned some details after the fact. As it was told to us, Wehner held 
and Friendship 
.
An appeared on the flop, some chips got in, and then both committed even more on the turn. When the fourth completed the board on the river, all the chips got in and Friendship scored the first elimination of the day with quads!
He's now got twice the starting stack while Wehner's day came to an early end.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted |
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
|
|
||
|
30,000 | |
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Actor, producer and four-time Emmy Award winner Aaron Paul, is in the building and has already jumped right into the action. Already with an impressive list of awards under his belt, the Breaking Bad star is now making a run for the coveted PokerStars gold spade trophy.
Paul has been seated with Team PokerStars Pro Victor Ramdin, and neither of them has backed down from fighting for table captain early on in this Main Event. Ramdin boasts over $4 million in recorded live cashes, with his biggest cash of $1.3 million along with a WPT title. He also earned himself a PokerStars spade trophy after winning a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em side event at the 2011 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure here on Paradise Island.
In a recent hand, Ramdin raised to 300 from under the gun and the player on the button called. Paul was in the big blind and he put in a three-bet to 650. Ramdin quickly four-bet to 2,500 and the button decided to get out of the way and let him battle it out with Paul. Action was back on Paul and he opted to call.
The flop came 
. Paul checked, and Ramdin immediately fired out a bet of 3,000. Paul went into the tank, staring Ramdin down for a full minute before deciding to call.
The turn was the 
. Paul quickly reached into his stack and led out for 6,000. Ramdin called.
The river was the 
. Paul bet 6,000 again, and this time Ramdin released his hand.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
41,000
11,000
|
11,000 |
|
|
20,000
-10,000
|
-10,000 |
|
|
||
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Dennis Phillips was in the small blind and bet 3,000 into a pot of 4,500, and big blind Scott Stewart called with the board reading 
. When the river arrived, Phillips bet 5,000 and received an immediate call, with the pot being pushed to the former November Niner before we even registered fifth street, as Phillips had shown down 
for a boat.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
39,700
9,700
|
9,700 |
|
|
18,000
-12,000
|
-12,000 |
|
|
||