By Sean Callander
The antes have started as Level 3 kicks-off after the first break on Day 1 (Flight 1) of the PokerStars.net APPT Grand Final. Today’s field is 179, which should help take the field well in excess of 500 players – a fantastic result for the first major international poker tournament ever held in Sydney.
We’re at 100/200 with a 25 ante, and already some of the big names have made a move – some up the chip count, some making their exit from the Star City poker room.
Sadly, one of those to be eliminated in the early going was Team PokerStars pro Greg Raymer. With four-way action, the board came Qc Qh 9d. All players checked the flop before a turn of 4s. Lei He made it 600, Raymer raised to 1600 and Lei He called.
The river blanked (5c), Raymer pushed in his remaining 6000 and Lei He made the call with Qd Jh, while Raymer showed Ks 10h for a busted straight draw. Always a popular addition to any major event, Raymer’s departure was an unfortunate one so early in the event.
Greg Raymer Eliminated
Earlier, we’d lost the first player when Ang Pang Leng from Singapore (who cashed in the APPT Macau main event) moved all-in with Ks 10h – the same hand Raymer was holding – on a board of Kh 8h 6s 5s Qd. But a call from another player with Ah Kc sent Ang Pang Leng to the rail.
Conversely, two players have made a rapid move to the top of the chip count. Team PokerStars pro Raymond Rahme took down a huge pot when his pocket aces held firm in a remarkable hand.
Two others were in the hand pre-flop, one elected to fold his pocket kings, while a second called with the other two kings! Rahme hit an ace on the flop, and it was all over. The South African is up to 50,000.
Sydneysider Nick Nicolaou, won of many highly rated locals playing in the APPT Grand Final, has also been an early mover and is up to 63,000.
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