An Action Packed First Day of 2025 Pure Poker Tour #1

Russel Sluchinskr Heats Up to Take Event #1: $340 Seniors

After 12 hours of play, Russel Sluchinskr bested the 124 entry field to take home the Seniors trophy. He took down Robert Limpert in heads up play after both players agreed to a chop setting aside $500 for the larger stacked Sluchinskr. For the trophy, the two players flipped where Sluchinskr’s Ace high held strong to win him the trophy. For his efforts, Sluchinskr scored $8,625 while Limpert took home $7,625.

Many faces of the final table found success early in the tournament. Shawn Holland got off to a hot start finding an early elimination to take the chip lead. By the second break Sluchinski (99,000), Limpert (86,200), Holland (151,000), Naleen Narayan (120,000), Jeff Clarke (99,400), and Scott Wright (91,100) all sat well above the tournament average. Holland picked up another elimination to bring the field down to half of the initial entries.

Harold Boutilier joined the fray picking up his first reported pot. Shortly after another break occurred with Clarke holding the chip lead with 188,000. Also among the upper echelon were Naraya, Limpert, Holland, and George Broumas who held 128,000 at the time. Clarke added to his stack finding a set on the river against his opponent’s slow played top pair. He eclipsed the other chip leaders with 310,000 chips in play. Soon after, Sluchin found a perfect flop making the nut straight and slow playing to chip up to 160,000.

By the next break, Sluchin increased his stack to 213,000. Limpert, Naraya, and Holland all sat in podium positions with 485,000, 366,000 and 345,000 respectively. David McKee was the unlucky player to burst the bubble. He lost a flip with pocket tens against Clarke’s suited Ace-Queen where Clarke made the nut flush. Eliminations were rapid as Broumas, Wright, and Christian Clayton fell in rapid succession. Joseph Bernard moved all in and ran into the cowboys of Kim Graham to bring play down to a final table.

Graham would be the next to leave the felt as a four card flush board gave him a king high flush against Holland’s ace high flush. Clarke sent Brian Wells to the rail soon after to gain the chip lead at 820,000. Soon after, Sluchinskr woke up with a monster. After Naraya jammed from early position, Sluchinskr moved all in and was called by Elden Venning. Sluchinskr’s Aces held against the Naraya’s ace-queen and Venning’s pocket queens to net him the double elimination. Sitting at 850,000, Sluchinskr held the chip lead with five players remaining.

Limpert looked to be on his deaths door as his pocket aces were all in against Clarke’s flopped set of sevens. However, a miracle A♠ peeled off on the river for him to double to 815,000. Left short, Clarke soon hit the rail falling to the pocket aces of Sluchinskr. A short stacked Boutilier moved all in after flopping top pair on a ten high board. Sluchinskr was quick to call and revealed pocket queens bringing play down to three handed. Sluchinskr had an overwhelming chip lead with just over 2,000,000 in chips.

Shortly after, Holland moved all in with an open ended straight draw. Sluchinskr called off with pocket two’s and held to take play to heads-up. Limpert and Sluchinskr agreed to a chop of the first and second place money with Sluchinskr getting $500 more with his larger stack. The two players flipped against each other and luck was again on Sluchinskr’s side to take the trophy. Sluchinskr admitted that luck was a big factor in the tournament and he found hands at the perfect times. He got pocket aces at least six times and not once were they cracked by an opponent. Congratulations to Sluchinskr for taking home the Seniors event.

Pav Braich is Loud and Proud as He Takes Home Event #2: $340 NLH Bounty

The side event of the first day of the series, Event #2: $340 NLH Bounty saw plenty of action. With twenty minute blinds and the added incentive of bounties, play outpaced that of the seniors and a winner was crowned in under 9 hours. Pav Braich battled through the 104 player field to take home the lionshare prize of $6,197 plus accumulated bounties. He bested Michael St. Pierre in heads up play to take home the trophy. St. Pierre didn’t leave empty handed as he received $4,271 along with the 14 bounties he obtained throughout the tournament.

By the first break Avery Aloneissi and Weston Pring sat ahead of the pack with 76,500 and 63,200 respectively. Brett Doty was the only player in the money to have amassed a larger stack with 52,700 at the time. Pring clashed with last years API winner Mike Malm and left him with just 4,500 behind. Pring sat as the chip leader with 93,500. Along with Pring and Aloneissi, Doty (63,000) and David Cox (66,500) rounded out the list of chip leaders as registration closed.

Despite an early elimination, Braich’s second bullet seemed to fair better. He battled against Pring and the defending big blind to take a pot and increase his stack to 107,000. With just 18 players left, Chi Fang (197,000), Mal Hagen (189,000), and Michael St. Pierre (174,000) led the pack. St. Pierre continued his dominance as he called off as the largest stack against three all in players. His pocket kings held earning him a triple elimination and sending the remaining players into the money. He held an overwhelming chip lead headed into the final table at 720,000, while Braich sat in second with 380,000. No other player had over 200,000 chips leaving a large gap between the chip leaders.

Eliminations were rapid and Pierre’s dominance continued. He eliminated Yutong Feng in seventh place find aces against the latter’s ace-queen. His chip stack allowed him to maintain pressure and he soon found a double elimination with ace high. After a previous hand left Chris Mackenzie short stacked, he moved all in for his remaining and Braich made the call. Braich’s found a pair with 7♠10♣ and Mackenzie could not improve sending him out in third.

The pair swapped stacks as Braich took an early lead doubling through St. Pierre. It seemed it wouldn’t be simple though as the chip lead swapped back and fourth multiple times between the two players. After Braich regained the chip lead, a seemingly standard hand occurred between the two players as they called and checked preflop.

On the 2♣10♥5♥ board a small bet was made by St. Pierre and Braich took little time to call. St. Pierre continued for 120,000 on the 5♣ turn and Braich went nowhere. After the Q♠ peeled off on the river, St. Pierre moved all in and Braich made a quick call. He revealed Q♦J♥ to best St. Pierre’s J♣9♠ to take down the tournament and the trophy. Braich was talkative throughout the tourney and the definition of a social poker player. Congratulations Braich for winning Event #2: $340 Mystery Bounty. Stay tuned as the series progresses and make sure to check in for all your live updates and poker news needs.