2017 Caribbean Poker Party Day 1: Barny Boatman Amasses Huge Stack

The 2017 partypoker LIVE Caribbean Poker Party got underway in Punta Cana on November 17 with Day 1a of the MILLIONS Open and Day 1 of the $10,300 MILLION High Roller. What happened on Day 1 of the $10 million guaranteed festival? Let’s find out.

MILLIONS Open Day 1a

A total of 133 players bought into Day 1a of the $1,100 MILLIONS Open, a $1 million guaranteed event, and 73 of those starters progressed to Day 2. Topping the overnight chips counts, and by quite some distance, was two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Barny Boatman.

Boatman finished the night with the welcomed problem of trying to fit 7,413,000 chips into the overnight bag, 1,642,000 more than second-placed Oskar Prehm of Germany. Boatman is one of the game’s true legends and now that he has a colossal stack, he is going to be a much bigger threat than usual and it would take a brave person to bet against the British star going very deep in this tournament.

Also flying high in the chip counts is Maria Ho with 3,870,000 chips. Ho recently finished sixth in the €10,300 WSOP Europe Main Event at King’s Casino, Rozvadov for €174,365 and is already looking like adding to her impressive $2,394,046 lifetime winnings.

Boatman and Ho will be joined on Day 2 by a handful of partypoker ambassadors and sponsored pros. Luiza Simao bagged up 3,057,000 while her husband Joao Simao ended Day 1a with 2,081,000.

Roberto Romanello (2,900,000), Charlie Godwin (1,872,000), and Natalia Breviglieri (1,645,000) also made it through eight 60-minute levels, but partypoker Chairman Mike Sexton and Anatoly Filatov were among the opening day casualties.

MILLIONS Open Day 1a Top 10 Chips Counts

Place | Player | Country | Chips
1 | Barny Boatman | United Kingdom | 7,413,000
2 | Oskar Prehm | Germany | 5,771,000
3 | Jan Erlei | Germany | 4,147,000
4 | Maria Ho | U.S.A | 3,870,000
5 | Santiago Soriano Ramos | Spain | 3,868,000
6 | Martin Weiemann | Germany | 3,800,000
7 | Iaron Lightbourne | United Kingdom | 3,627,000
8 | Janos Kurtosi | Hungary | 3,268,000
9 | Stepan Mikhno | Russia | 3,266,000
10 | Stuart Taylor | Canada | 3,255,000

$10,300 MILLIONS High Roller Day 1

Day 1 of the $10,300 MILLIONS High Roller saw 67 entries processed, meaning 33 players need to buy in before the beginning of the 13th level, approximately 16:30 local time, if the $1 million guarantee is to be hit.

On course to cash, as they lead the 43 players who navigated their way through to Day 2, is Canada’s Francois Billard with 3,899,000 chips. Canadians enjoyed a fruitful day at the felt in Punta Cana with Daniel Dvoress and Mike Watson finishing the night in second and third place with 3,496,000 and 3,076,000 chips respectively.

Also making it through to the second day’s play was partypoker’s Kristen Bicknell with 553,000 chips.

As you would expect from a high stakes tournament, the MILLIONS High Roller saw some big names make it through the first 12 levels of play. Among those returning for Day 2 are such luminaries as Mustapha Kanit (2,779,000), Rainer Kempe (2,141,000), Adrian Mateos (2,008,000), Philipp Gruissem (1,719,000), Stephen Chidwick (1,709,000), former WSOP Main Event champion Ryan Riess (1,158,000) and David Peters (924,000).

MILLIONS High Roller Day 1 Top 10 Chips Counts

Place | Player | Country | Chips
1 | Francois Billard | Canada | 7,413,000
2 | Daniel Dvoress | Canada | 5,771,000
3 | Mike Watson | Canada | 4,147,000
4 | Martyn Frey | United Kingdom | 3,870,000
5 | Mustapha Kanit | Italy | 3,868,000
6 | Dmitry Makarov | Russia | 3,800,000
7 | Gal Yifrach | U.S.A | 3,627,000
8 | Sergio Aido | Spain | 3,268,000
9 | Barry Hutter | U.S.A | 3,266,000
10 | Reiner Kempe | Germany | 3,255,000

Stay tuned to the partypoker blog throughout the 2017 partypoker LIVE Caribbean Poker Party and follow all of the live updates from all of the events with the PokerNews Live Reporting team’s updates.