The good news was that Roger Spets had quads on the flop A♦ J♥ A♠. The bad news was that he earned just barely the minimum off it.
The UTG player opened to 225 preflop and saw the mid-position make the flat-call. Spets, who had the bullets A♥ A♣, made it 650 and only the UTG player stayed in the hand.
Both players checked the turn 5♣ while Spets tried to earn some more off it with a 650 bet on the river J♣… The UTG player wouldn’t be goaded and got away from his hand. Spets showed the table his ultra-premium hand and was perhaps disappointed that he did not get more for it.
On a board of 8♠ 3♣ Q♦, Ferenc Riech bet 300 and saw JR Alquiros call. Riech led out on the turn J♣ and was called by Alquiros. On the river 3♠ it was Alquiros who opened with 2,500. Riech made the call and was showed a busted flush draw: 10♣ 6♣ by Alquiros and his 10♠ 9♦ for the turned straight was good to take down the pot.
A pot of 1,600 was already in the middle when the flop J♦ Q♦ K♥ arrived with three players in the hand.
Norman Parado and the big blind checked their options but saw the button player bet 900. Parado re-popped to 2,000 forcing the fold from the big blind player but saw the button player make the call.
On the turn A♠, Parado opened to 4,000, which was enough to send the button player away
Four players checked the flop 9♦ 6♦ Q♠ on a raised pot. All checked the turn K♦ but on the river 2♦ Jessie Supnet fired 525… All three believed Supnet had a diamond and folded their hands.
An under-the-gun player opened to 150 pre-flop but saw Norman Parado from mid-position double it to 300. The UTG player called to bring the flop 6♣ 2♦ 4♠.
The UTG player check-called Parado’s 250 post-flop and Parado’s 300 on the turn 9♣.
On the river A♥, Parado fired the third time for 1,000 and this time forced the fold from the UTG opponent.
From under-the-gun, a player opened to 150 and found 3 callers including John King from the big blind.
All players checked the flop 5♥ J♥ K♥ and turn A♠ while King bet 350 on the river 6♠ to force all-folds from his three opponents.
On a flop of 2♦ 5♣ 9♦, Ferenc Riech opened to 300 and saw big blind Tetsuya Tsuchikawa make the call. Riech did the same on the turn J♣ and river 2♣ for 1,000 and 1,600, both of which was called by the Japanese.
Riech tabled A♦ 9♣ for mid-pair and was enough to take down the nice pot.
We have our first bust-out of Day 1A.
A player from the cut-off opened to 250 and found five callers including Jason Powers and Jose Lacsamana.
Flop: 10♦ 9♦ 4♣
Powers checked and saw the UTG player lead out for 875, which was called by the CO player and Lacsamana. Powers raised to a (way) bigger 5,000 forcing the fold from the UTG and CO player.
Not Lacsamana, who made the call to bring the turn Q♠.
Powers checked again while Lacsamana shoved and Powers made the snap-call!
Lacsamana: J♦ 8♦
Powers: 9♠ 9♣
Lacsamana had multiple outs but Powers was ahead and needed to avoid a diamond or a seven.
The river Q♥ arrived to give Lacsamana the straight but not enough to beat Powers’full-house.
Powers easily becomes our chip leader very early in the main event while Lacsamana is out of the tournament.
A player from under-the-gun opened for 125 pre-flop and had 3 callers.
Flop: 7♣ 9♦ 10♦
All three callers checked and the UTG player fired another 325. The cut-off player raised to 650, the blinds got out of the way with two players, including UTG player and Patrick Draper (cut-off), staying in the hand.
On the turn 7♠ Draper bet 500 first with only the UTG player calling. Draper fired another 1,000 on the river 5♣– this time, enough to force the fold from the UTG player.
Draper wins a nice pot early on in Day 1A.