It's day 1A at the PCA and the tournament officials have told us that 660 players stumped up the $10,000 for a shot at the big time. These days, that's small-fry for the likes of Ylon Schwartz, the PokerStars Million Dollar Man who cruised to fourth in the World Series Main Event this summer (and autumn) and earned $3.8m for his troubles.

It's also a fairly small drop in the ocean of Scott Montgomery, another player who extended their summer foray to Las Vegas into the final table shebang in November. He took $3.1m for fifth place, staring across the same felt as Schwartz for several hours at the Penn and Teller Theater as they went to battle for those vast amounts.

Flash forward a couple of months to the Bahamas and Schwartz and Montgomery have renewed their acquaintance around the same day one table. There were more than 60 tables at the start of the day and they wound up right opposite one another again.

Both made comfortable starts, pushing their stacks up around the 25,000 mark. But that's before the good got way better for Schwartz. Looking at a flop of Kc-3d-9h, Schwartz's opponent bet 2,000, to which the Million Dollar Man added another 3,000 on the button. Call. The 6h turned and both players checked. Then the 8c came on the river and the original bettor fired 7,500 at it, prompting Schwartz to move all in for another 17,500. Think, think, call. Schwartz showed his pocket kings for the flopped set and he's now north of 50,000.

On a neighbouring table, there was a familiar Canadian chirp coming from the mouth of the Team PokerStars Pro Daniel Negreanu. "What do I think of my table?" he said. "None of them are going to make it through the day. They're all totally nuts online guys who play like they're crazy."

This, of course, was part mimicry of a another well-known live-action professional, and part tongue-in-cheek gibing at the stacked talents around him. One of them is indeed an "online guy" whose playing style might on occasion be described as "totally nuts". But few could doubt that there is a ruthless and effective method behind this particular online guy's madness: it's Chris Moorman, the British player better known as Moorman1 when he's rocketing to the top of all the online ranking ladders.

Negreanu and Moorman have kept out of one another's way to date, but we fully expect that to change in the levels to come.

Poker tournament reporting revolves around a few themes. Bad beats, cold decks, table banter, and the greatest of all fallback stories: The Table of Death. When all else seems mundane, the Table of Death always provides a few stories.

Let's just be honest with ourselves. There are no easy tables in the Imperial Ballroom. It's impossible to walk by a single felt without thinking, "Wow,there's a good player. There's a great player. That guy scares me."

There is no single table of death. The 660 people in the Imperail Ballroom make up a veritable morgue. This is The Room of Death if we've ever seen one.

However, if we were to start a debate about which table would be in contention, Table 55 would be in the top ten.

At the start of the day, we saw Team PokerStars Pro Lee Nelson tangling with Mark "markysals11" Salinaro as Eric "Rizen" Lynch sat nearby. Any one of the three would make the table tough. All three together turned into something out of 1980s Stephen King novel.

Salinaro and Lynch, side by side

Moments ago we learned that at a table in the running for Table of Death will spare no one. Salinaro, hurt earlier by boat under boat versus Lee Nelson, ended up getting his final chips in on a J-8-8 flop. His A-J was up against 7-8. Though he turned his ace, he couldn't catch up on the river.

Other recent notable bust-outs include PokerStars 6 member Dennis Phillips. His storybook run at the World Series did not have a sequel in it. He will now get to spend a few days on the beach before going back to figure out what to do with his millions.

Team PokerStars Pro Gavin Griffin (US) and Gavin Smith (Canada) are often confused for each other and rightly fully so. Both are professional poker players who share the same first name. Both have won an WPT event and they each have $4.5 million in career tournament earnings.

Right now, the two Gavins are sitting next to each other. The quiet Griffin is to the left of the always jovial Smith. Griffin's stack took a hit early on and he slipped to under 8,000. He's been fighting to keep his tournament life alive.

During one particular hand, Griffin opened for a raise. Action was folded to Gavin Smith in the big blind. He peeked at his cards and unleashed a groan. Smith quickly folded his hand and tossed it towards Griffin's cards. Griffin gathered up Smith's mucked cards and glanced at them.

Griffin pushed all four cards towards the dealer and muttered, "Wasn't even a good Omaha hand."

Even though he is only 44-years-old, Greg Raymer is among the more senior competitors lining up here at the PCA. But as has been documented on countless previous occasions, the extreme youth exhibited around the major poker tournament tables these days owes a large amount to Raymer, specifically his 2004 World Series victory, achieved as a PokerStars qualifier to the Main Event.


Greg Raymer

That success, coupled with Chris Moneymaker's the year before, was the inspiration for many of the new breed of players to take up the game. Among that clutch of youthful sensations is the likes of Mike "Timex" McDonald, who became the youngest European Poker Tour champion when he snaffled the title in Dortmund on season four, earning close to a million dollars as an 18-year-old.


And Greg Raymer with Mike McDonald

Today Timex sits beside the Fossilman in a neat quirk of the random draw. Also on the table is Evelyn Ng, among the best-known women players in the world game, and the three of them seem to be getting on famously.

Raymer, with platinum bracelet glistening on his right wrist, is happily chattering away to Ng, only pausing to receive an email on his palm pilot, then tapping out a quick reply. As he did so, Ng also went for her cell-phone and began writing to someone; it was as if the two of them were engaging in table-talk across the airwaves.

Whatever they were saying, and whoever they were saying it to, it had been Raymer whose poker skills had been speaking the loudest in the opening couple of hours. He rocketed close to the chip lead midway through level two after he got close to 10,000 in the middle pre-flop against a single opponent and then sighed "I have to call," after the player moved all in, for 14,500, on a ten-high flop.

Raymer tabled pocket jacks, his opponent flipped a suited A-K and the turn and river bricked out, giving the former world champ a stack of more than 55,000. That sent the PokerStars blog photographer Joe Giron over to shoot the dominant tournament force, and Giron skipped back moments after to report that Raymer's stack had swelled again, on the back of pocket aces.

It's been a while, but the Fossilman may be heading to the winner's enclosure again soon.

When entering a field of this size, the emotions run the gamut. The new kids on the block are nervous. The old hands are relaxed enough to show up late.

The PokerStars video blog team talked to folks like Hevad Khan and Shaun Deeb as they came in today.

Here's a look at what the field is saying today.

Watch PCA 09: A sample of the PCA field.. on PokerStars.tv

One player who is no longer in the field is one Chad Brown. The Team PokerStars Pro had a rough start to the day. So rough, in fact, he has since departed his spot at the table.

Time and respect when properly combined can confer upon a person a certain place of honor that he might not have otherwise been able to achieve. Governor Kirk Fordice, may he rest in peace, once made me an honorary Mississippian. I probably didn't deserve that.

If I were somehow appointed Governor of PokerStars Events, I can think of a few names I would designate honorary members of Team PokerStars Pro. Many of those people are here today. They are people who have put in so much time on the PokerStars circuit, they almost seem as if they never leave.

Perhaps the most dedicated and familiar face at events like these is Terrence Chan, A onetime star on the PokerStars staff, Chan took his life in a different direction in January 2005. He began a life on the road and a traveler and pro poker player. Though most of his time is spent playing big cash games, Chan has put in his time on the tournament circuit. From the APPT, to the World Series, to the PCA, Chan has been around longer than most of the big Team PokerStars Pro names.

Chan is not the only exceptionally familiar face in the room. Marcel Luske, Danny Ryan, Mike "Timex" McDonald and many others are making this PCA a regular reunion for the poker playing elite.

One lady who is a card carrying member of Team PokerStars Pro is Vicky Coren. She gave the video blog team a quick interview upon arriving in paradise.

Watch PCA 09: Victoria Coren arrives in paradise on PokerStars.tv

In many respects covering a huge poker tournament, both in terms of field size and prestige, is markedly easier than dealing with a smaller event. Although it's easy to be daunted by the mammoth line-up and long, long hours, one does not have to travel too far to find a story. And that's good for the shoe leather.

"I'm looking for some of the young online superstar players," said a friend a moment ago. He is the editor of a UK-based poker magazine and he was seeking to put faces to the names he reads about on the poker forums and in the results lists.

We didn't even have to move. "There's Danny Ryan," I said, pointing to the table immediately in front of where we stood. "He's THE_D_RY. And over there is apestyles, or Jon Van Fleet." That was one table behind.


Danny Ryan

Jon Van Fleet

A few paces across the room and there was John "PearlJammer" Turner. Behind him was a table featuring Jimmy "gobboboy" Fricke and Shaun "shaundeeb" Deeb. One step in the other direction was Adam "ajunglen" Junglen. We hadn't even covered half the tables.


Jimmy Fricke (seat one) and Shaun Deeb (seat four)

None of these players are much north of 25-years-old and most are significantly younger. We can safely expect a sizeable handful of the ever-growing crop of online professionals to go very deep into the money here, and few would bet against an all-out victory.

After all, there are rumours that ElkY had played the odd hand of online poker before his success here last year.

The first level of a poker tournament is sort of like the first day back to school. During a quick stroll through the tournament area, you're bound to discover a couple of familiar faces along with some folks you haven't seen in months or even years on the tournament trail. Handshakes and hugs are exchanged among the friendlier pros, while nods and winks seem to be the norm among the players trying to keep a low profile.

Alas, that's the ebbs and flows of tournament poker. Sometimes you will see the same person at every single event for a year and then they disappear for an undetermined amount of time only to resurface at the PCA.

In the early level of play, action is a little slow due to the 20,000 deep stacks that every players began Day 1A with. Here's some of the little tid bits that I encountered while wandering around the tournament room...

- Team PokerStars Pro Barry Greenstein was spotted catching up on his currents events as he read a newspaper.

- Jon "apestyles" Van Fleet took a hit early on. He turned a straight but the board paired on the river. His opponent overbet the pot and Van Fleet managed to get away from the hand. He slipped to around 16,000.

- Team PokerStars Pro Lee "Final Table" Nelson took an early lead after a 'boat over boat' situation.

- PokerStars Six Member (and November Nine finalist) Ylon Schwartz is seated new to fellow New Yorker Steve Zolotow.

- 2008 bracelet winner David Kitai from Belgium is seated at the same table as 8-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel.

- Sorel Mizzi is one of the many players in the room employing the various massage therapists.

As has become standard operating procedure on the PokerStars-sponsored circuit, the PokerStars video blogging team is on the ground and capturing everything our many words can't convey.

Over the course of the next week, you will be able to see countless video blogs (not to mention a ton of live action) over at PokerStars.tv.

In the meantime, here's your first look at the PCA, courtesy of the venerable video bloggers on our team.

Watch PCA 09: A taste of things to come on PokerStars.tv

Team PokerStars Pros represent some of the premier tournament players in the world. But it's not their astute poker acumen that makes them among the most luminous stars in the galaxy. They are true international rounders and ambassadors of poker constantly on the move representing PokerStars wherever they play... Asia, Europe, Australia, Las Vegas, and the Bahamas.

By now, I'm sure you are familiar with some of the players who represent Team PokerStars Pros. Among those elite group of players include a quartet of former WSOP Main Event World Champions; Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), and Tom McEvoy (1983).

There are the previous two PokerStars Caribbean Adventure champions; Stephen Paul-Ambrose (2007) and Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier (2008) who are members of Team PokerStars Pros. Both gentlemen are attempting to become the first player to win multiple PCAs and ElkY is trying to win back-to-back events.

Let's not forget about a couple of Las Vegas sharks with multiple bracelets (Daniel Negreanu and Barry Greenstein) lurking around azure-tinted waters surrounding Paradise Island. Also in the mix are Gavin Griffin, the first Triple Crown winner (WSOP bracelet, WPT title, and an EPT title) along with his fellow Yanks; Chad Brown, Victor Ramdin, and Hevad Khan.

There are also the lovely ladies of Team PokerStars Pros such as Vicky Coren, Katja Thater, Isabelle Mercier, and Vanessa Rousso.

The PCA also attracted other international members of Team PokerStars who flocked to Atlantis from the farthest corners of the globe including Humberto Brenes (Costa Rica), Andre Akkari (Brazil), Marcin Horecki (Poland), Dario Minieri (Italy), Lee Nelson (New Zealand), Luca Pagano (Italy), Noah Boeken (Holland), Alex Kravchenko (Russia), Alexandre Gomes (Brazil), and William Thorson (Sweden).

Moments before the kick off to the event, the contingency of Team PokerStars Pros entered the Imperial Ballroom led by last year's champion Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier. They sauntered down the middle aisle and gathered in front of the massive tournament room.

Team PokerStars Pros in action on Day 1A include.... Joe Hachem, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Greg Raymer, Alex Kravchenko,Vanessa Rousso, Chad Brown, Stephen Paul-Ambrose, Gavin Griffin, Luca Pagano, Vicky Coren, Tom McEvoy, Humberto Brenes, and Andre Akari, and Marcin Horecki.