The $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl was unkind to accused poker cheater Bryn Kenney, who busted early on Day 1 when his flopped set of aces were cracked by the running quads held by Daniel Negreanu.
In just the third level of the opening session, Kenney was sent home on the PokerGO featured table. Many on social media cheered the quick exit, but some questioned why he was even permitted to play.
PokerGO suspended two other accused cheaters — Ali Imsirovic and Jake Schindler — from competition for the remainder of the year. But that ban didn't include Kenney or his former poker horse, Martin Zamani, who even won a Poker Masters event last week.
The seventh edition of the Super High Roller Bowl in Las Vegas kicked off with 24 players registered, all vying for what will be a seven-figure payday. When play concluded for the night, Negreanu was in the lead with 14 players remaining.
Tides Turning for Daniel Negreanu?
During the 1,000/2,000 blind level, Kenney raised from under the gun to 5,000 with ♦️a
The flop came out a♠️
Negreanu decided to lead out this time and wagered 10,000, to which he received a call. The river was a miracle for poker's third all-time winningest live tournament player — 3♣️ — but disastrous for poker's second all-time winningest live tournament player.
Sitting on quads, Negreanu bet out 25,000 before it was raised up to 105,000. Holding a slightly larger stack, "DNegs" then moved all in for Kenney's 97,000 on top. He didn't snap-call and actually pondered his decision for a bit, clearly realizing that even with aces full with a potential straight flush and four-of-a-kind out there, having the best hand was no guarantee.
It's nearly impossible to fold in that spot, even with $300,000 at stake, so he inevitably made the call and found out the bad news. For Negreanu, who had a brutal 2022 WSOP, the lucky hand was a sight for sore eyes. Last week, his aces were cracked by pocket jacks to bust on the bubble of the Poker Masters $50,000 buy-in series finale.
That wasn't the first time the poker world's seen aces full bust a high-profile player early on Day 1 of a major tournament. At the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event, former PokerStars Team Pro member Vanessa Selbst flopped a set of aces but was cracked by quad-sevens on the turn to the delight of her opponent Gaelle Baumann.
Like Kenney on Wednesday, Selbst tanked for a bit and was concerned her monster, nearly unbeatable hand was no good. Her instincts were correct, but she also couldn't find a fold and was out before registration had closed.
Negreanu Out in Front
When play resumes at noon PT (1 p.m. on PokerGO), Negreanu will have 250 big blinds (1,499,000) to lead the way with 14 players remaining. Mikita Badziakouski is in second place at 1,105,000. The winner will take home $3,312,000 and this event pays the top four finishers.
Michael Addamo, Stephen Chidwick, and of course Kenney were among the eight players who were unable to make it through Day 1. Justin Bonomo, who won the Super High Roller Bowl in 2018, along with pretty much everything else that year, will be among the biggest stacks when Day 2 kicks off on Thursday after bagging 936,000.
Super High Roller Bowl Day 1 Chip Leaders
| Place | Player | Chip Stack |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Negreanu | 1,499,000 |
| 2 | Mikita Badziakouski | 1,105,000 |
| 3 | Justin Bonomo | 936,000 |
| 4 | Nick Petrangelo | 746,000 |
| 5 | Orpen Kisacikoglu | 590,000 |
