Even with the 60k starting stacks it took less than a level before tournament director Jack McClelland was announcing that the pressure was off and telling the field they no longer had to worry about being the first eliminated.  Though one player managed to get rid of his 60k starting stacks a large portion of the field is still right around where they started the day.  The registration cage stayed busy during the first level and over 190 players were registered by the end of the level with more expected to pony up the $15k throughout the day.

Amit “Amak316″ Makhija (right) was able bet a river, get raised, reraise and then get called.  On the board of 654J3 Makhija bet 1,800 and was raised to 4,800.  Amit announced another raise, putting in just over a minimum raise and making it 3,500 more for the other player to call.  He did and Amit tabled his AA for the ace high flush while the other players showed the KQ.  “No fear huh,” Gavin Smith asked of Makhija.  “What did I have to be scared of” was the reply from Makhija.  Smith went on to comment that Makhija “had the ace of clubs, what was the other guy raising with?  The king?” A laughing Makhija replied that he wasn’t old enough to be afraid of straight flushes yet but did admit he wasn’t stacking off there.

For Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy top set on a 9-8-2 board was only good enough to cost him some chips.  By the time the turn and river were out a 7 and ten were added to the community cards and Bax folded in disgust when he was raised on the river, showing his pocket nines.  The other player showed that his gutshot had arrived as he turned over his QJ to take the pot.

• October 21, 2009 -- End of Day 1; Registration Still Open
• October 21, 2009 -- Building Stacks
• October 21, 2009 -- Sixty to Zero
• October 24, 2009 -- Baxed