Big Huni in Front of Big Field After Day 1 in $25,000 8-Handed
The biggest-field high roller so far of the 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) in The Bahamas wrapped up early this morning with $25,000 8-Handed that saw 52 players remaining out of a field of 78. That's a change of pace from other recent high-stakes offerings here at Baha Mar Resort that have attracted anywhere from eight to a few dozen entries.
Leading the way after 10 levels of play on Day 1 is Brian Kim with 631,000, followed closely by Chris Hunichen with 565,000 and Timothy Adams with 479,000. Those are hardly the only notable names in the event as Michael Addamo, Stephen Chidwick, Adrian Mateos, Yuri Dzivielevski, Mike Watson and $100,000 Super High Roller champion Isaac Haxton also found bags.
$25,000 8-Handed Top 10 Chip Counts
| RANK | NAME | COUNTRY | CHIPS | BIG BLINDS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Kim | United States | 631,000 | 158 | |
| 2 | Chris Hunichen | United States | 565,000 | 141 | |
| 3 | Timothy Adams | Canada | 479,000 | 120 | |
| 4 | Joao Vieira | Portugal | 462,000 | 116 | |
| 5 | Tauan Naves | Brazil | 418,000 | 105 | |
| 6 | Jean-Noel Thorel | France | 400,000 | 100 | |
| 7 | Eric Worre | United States | 391,000 | 98 | |
| 8 | Dylan Destefano | United States | 379,000 | 95 | |
| 9 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | Turkey | 316,000 | 79 | |
| 10 | Matas Cimbolas | Lithuania | 314,000 | 79 |
Speaking of champions finding bags, Jonathan Jaffe ended with a stack of 289,000 just hours after taking down the $50,000 8-Handed event. The second-place finisher in that event, Orpen Kisacikoglu, busted in just one hand but made the most of a second bullet and will enter Day 2 with 316,000.
The tournament started with just three tables but that gradually multiplied to six and beyond as more players put up the $25,000 stake. Many were eliminated on their first entry but were quick to get back in the mix, including Fedor Holz, Justin Bonomo, Dylan Destefano and PokerStars Ambassador Sam Grafton.
The field included all the usual suspects, but also a few newcomers like Rodrigo Seiji, Arthur Conan, Weiran Pu and Rodrigo Selouan.
The second and final day of the event will commence at 2 p.m. local time with the Level 11 blinds being 2,000/4,000/4,000. Late registration remains open until the completion of Level 12, so expect the field to grow during that time.
The PokerNews live reporting team will be back on-site tomorrow to provide updates on the latest high-roller ahead of the next winner being crowned.