$5,000 Main Event
Day 5 Started
2017 PokerStars Championship Bahamas
$5,000 Main Event
Day: 5
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
The PokerStars Championship Bahamas Main Event began with 738 players, but today just 16 will return to action. They're all guaranteed $24,640 in prize money, but each have their eyes set on making the final table to stay in contention for the $480,012 first-place prize.
The man best positioned to make a run at it is Canada's Michael Gentili holds the chip lead with 3,708,000, which is over 150 big blinds. Gentili has $666,302 in live tournament earning, of which $494,797 came when he finished runner-up this past summer in the 2016 World Series of Poker Event 59: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em.
Gentili holds a healthy lead as his next closest competitor is Russia’s Aleksei Opalikhin, who sits with 2.084 million. Others returning to action are former PokerStars Big Game “Loose Cannon” Nadya Magnus (1.87 million), 2016 WSOP Main Event third-place finisher Cliff Josephy (1.331 million), poker pro Christian Harder (1.305 million), 2012 PCA champ John Dibella (1.294 million), 2013 WSOP Main Event champ Ryan Riess (371,000), and the short-stacked PokerStars Team Pro Jason Mercier (340,000).
Day 5 kicks off at Noon local time with action picking up in Level 23. Here's how things stack up:
| Table | Seat | Name | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Marcin Kapkowski | Poland | 950,000 | 40 |
| 1 | 2 | Michael Bartholomew | Canada | 877,000 | 37 |
| 1 | 3 | Rodrigo Cordoba | Argentina | 1,777,000 | 74 |
| 1 | 4 | Christian Harder | USA | 1,305,000 | 54 |
| 1 | 5 | John Dibella | USA | 1,294,000 | 54 |
| 1 | 6 | Jason Mercier | USA | 340,000 | 14 |
| 1 | 7 | Michael Gentili | Canada | 3,708,000 | 155 |
| 1 | 8 | Cliff Josephy | USA | 1,331,000 | 55 |
| 2 | 1 | Pedro Cabeca | Portugal | 540,000 | 23 |
| 2 | 2 | Aleksei Opalikhin | Russia | 2,084,000 | 86 |
| 2 | 3 | Nadya Magnus | USA | 1,870,000 | 78 |
| 2 | 4 | Michael Vela | USA | 1,811,000 | 75 |
| 2 | 5 | Ryan Riess | USA | 371,000 | 15 |
| 2 | 6 | Allon Allison | Canada | 1,015,000 | 42 |
| 2 | 7 | Alan Schein | USA | 635,000 | 26 |
| 2 | 8 | Rasmus Glæsel | Denmark | 1,319,000 | 55 |
Level: 23
Blinds: 12,000/24,000
Ante: 4,000
Level 23
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Rasmus Glæsel opened to 53,000, this time from the hijack after having done the same the hand before but getting no resistance. This time, he would meet someone willing to dance. It was Pedro Cabeca in the cutoff that shoved all in for what appeared to be 505,000.
The button and both blinds folded before Glæsel quickly called.
Rasmus Glæsel: 
Pedro Cabeca: 
The flop came 
and Cabeca was already getting up from the table to say his goodbyes. The 
on the turn and 
on the river were blanks and Cabeca was headed for the exit.
Down to 15 players now, all guaranteed $32,200 from here on out.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,976,000
657,000
|
657,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 23
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Team PokerStars Pro Jason Mercier opened with a raise from early position and Rodrigo Cordoba called from the small blind.
Cordoba proceeded to check-call a bet of 43,000 on the 
flop and then opted to lead out for 64,000 on the 
turn. Mercier folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,020,000
243,000
|
243,000 |
|
234,000
-106,000
|
-106,000 |
|
||
![[user326915]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 23
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
The former WSOP Main Event winner Ryan Riess is out in 15th place after being in the dominating position preflop. Reiss was all-in for 303,000 over the top of a Nadezhda Magnus opening bet to 52,000 pre-flop which Michael Vela had called. Once Riess was committed, Vela was the only caller.
Michael Vela: 
Ryan Riess:
The flop of 
flipped the odds on their head and Riess was two cards from elimination. The 
turn gave Riess additional outs, but the , left Riess in pieces and Vela stacking up over two million chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,180,000
369,000
|
369,000 |
|
||
|
Busted | |
|
||
Level 23
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
A short-stacked Jason Mercier moved all in for 178,000 from the cutoff and action folded to Michael Bartholomew in the big blind.
"I have to call," he said before doing just that.
Bartholomew: 
Mercier: 
Mercier had a kicker problem, and it didn't get resolved on the 
flop. The 
turn paired the board and gave Mercier a bunch of chop outs, but the river was not one of them.
With that, the last Team PokerStars Pro remaining in the field hit the rail.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,150,000
273,000
|
273,000 |
|
|
Busted | |
|
|
||
Level 23
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Players are now on their first break of the day.
Level 23
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
Alan Schein was eliminated after an aggressive hand against Aleksei Opalikhin ended up finishing the American's tournament. Pre-flop, Schein made it 53,000 and Aleksei Opalikhin raised to 147,000. Schein called to a flop of 
and Opalikhin moved all-in. Schein called off his remaining stack and he needed help.
Aleksei Opalikhin: 
Alan Schein: 
The turn of and river couldn't help Schein and he was out in an unlucky 13th place. We have a dozen players left, one of whom will be the first ever PokerStars Championship Main Event winner.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
3,060,000
976,000
|
976,000 |
|
Busted |
Level 23
: 12,000/24,000, 4,000 ante
John Dibella raised to 54,000 under the gun and Christian Harder defended from the big blind. Harder check-called a bet of 64,000 on the 
flop, and then wound up check-folding to one of 128,000 on the turn.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
1,520,000
226,000
|
226,000 |
|
|
||
|
1,179,000
-126,000
|
-126,000 |