A talented cast of characters will assemble at Noon ET on Tuesday for the final table of the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Mohegan Sun High Roller Bounty Shootout. Each player to win his table on Day 1 pocketed $60,000.
In addition, every entrant had $5,000 placed on his head as a bounty. Luis Vazquez and Shawn Buchanan both barreled through the competition during Monday’s Day 1 play, knocking out four players to collect $20,000 in additional bounty money. Vazquez’s table was played five-handed, meaning that he took out every single person seated around him. In his final hand of action on Monday, Vazquez called the all-in of Peter Jetten holding A-9 of hearts on a board reading A-Q-2-9-3 for two pair. Jetten showed J-10 for a busted straight draw and Vazquez advanced to the final table on Tuesday. Other players who fell victim to Vazquez included Team PokerStars Canada member Greg DeBora, Curt Kohlberg, and NAPT Venetian Main Event winner Tom Marchese.
Buchanan moved all-in on a flop of A-Q-5 with two clubs and his opponent, Steve Sung, called all-in for his tournament life. When the cards were flipped up, Buchanan showed A-2 of clubs, while Sung held A-2 offsuit. Sure enough, the king of clubs hit on the turn, giving Buchanan the nut flush and sending Sung out in agonizing fashion. Buchanan navigated a veritable mine field to make the final table of the NAPT Mohegan Sun High Roller Bounty Shootout, as his competition included World Poker Tour (WPT) Southern Poker Championship winner Hoyt Corkins, Joe Cassidy, Scott Paston, and Team PokerStars Canada member Marcello Del Grosso.
Also advancing was 2009 Bluff Magazine Player of the Year Jason Mercier, a sponsored pro of PokerStars. Elijah Berg shoved with 9-7 on a flop of 10-9-4 for middle pair and received a call from Mercier, who held pocket aces. A six on the turn gave Berg an inside straight draw to an eight, but a king on the river punched Mercier’s ticket to the final table. Mercier’s competition also included Dan Smith, Steven Goosen, Team PokerStars Canada’s Anh Van Nguyen, and Matt Woodward. Mercier took third in the L.A. Poker Classic’s High Roller event in February, boosting his bankroll by $141,000.
Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka, who finished fifth in the NAPT Venetian High-Roller Bounty Shootout, also made the final table of the Mohegan Sun version. Perry Horwich pushed all-in with A-J on a flop of Q-3-4 for air and Jaka called with J-3 for bottom pair. Horwich failed to catch up and Jaka collected $60,000 for reaching the final table plus $15,000 in bounties. Jaka manhandled a starting group that included World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner Brian Lemke, Team PokerStars Pro front man Daniel Negreanu, Betfair young gun Sorel “Imper1um” Mizzi, and Joe Gibbons.
Matt Glantz defeated NAPT Venetian High Roller Bounty Shootout winner Scott Seiver to advance. Seiver was all-in with pocket queens on a board of 8-2-8-5, but Glantz held 10-8 for trips. The river was a three and Seiver hit the rails. Seiver is fresh off a fourth place finish in the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event on Sunday for $190,000. Other players at the table on Monday included Chau Giang, Pat Pezzin, Gregory Dyer, and Ashton Griffin.
In a battle of Steins, Sam Stein defeated Barry Greenstein to advance in the NAPT Mohegan Sun High Roller Bounty Shootout. In the duo’s final hand, Stein held pocket aces against Greenstein’s pocket fives and no help came on the board for the “Robin Hood of Poker.” Greenstein signed over a copy of his book, “Ace on the River,” and Stein moved on. Stein was the runner-up to Marchese in the NAPT Venetian Main Event, where he pocketed $522,000.
All players will start today’s action with 150,000 chips except Vazquez, who will receive 125,000 because of his five-handed table on Monday. He told the PokerNews.com Live Reporting team on Tuesday, “It’s no big deal, I’m used to starting with less chips. I’m used to coming from the bottom, this is my time to make it happen.” Here’s a look at the table draw for Tuesday:
Seat 1: Sam Stein
Seat 2: Jason Mercier
Seat 3: Matt Glantz
Seat 4: Shawn Buchanan
Seat 5: Faraz “The-Toilet” Jaka
Seat 6: Luis Vazquez
The player who collects the most number of bounties during the entire tournament will receive an all expenses paid trip to the next NAPT High Roller Bounty Shootout, although a date and location have not been announced. Tuesday’s champion will pocket $350,000 in the winner-take-all format, meaning that the other five players will only receive any bounties they claim. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the NAPT Mohegan Sun High Roller Bounty Shootout.
