Cary Katz Picks Up Where He Left Off

Today, the entire poker world had their eyes locked on the ARIA, to see what the future would hold. Who would be playing in the Super High Roller Bowl come this summer? Which of the world’s best players were going to play in the year’s biggest event? Unfortunately, those questions weren’t fully answered just yet but while the poker world looked ahead, we looked back.

2016 was a banner year for the ARIA High Rollers. A denser schedule and bigger events quickly turned the series into one of the most popular in the world and after a month off to start the year, the anticipation to start the first High Roller series of 2017 was palpable.

Last year, Cary Katz was the most successful player through those ARIA High Roller events. This year, he picked up right where he left off. Katz ended 2016 with an unprecedented run, finishing 3rd and then 2nd in back-to-back $25,000 events and then closing the year off with a victory in a $100,000 Super High Roller event. He followed that historic run with another victory, claiming the first ARIA $25K High Roller title of 2017. 

The $322,640 score might dwarf in comparison to some of Katz’s best career finishes but on the day Super High Roller Bowl registration opened, the victorious sum seems to fit the narrative. Katz will hope that narrative holds throughout the rest of this series and year, including in the Super High Roller Bowl, but while everyone else looks to the future and the past, Katz will continue to thrive in the present. 

Relive the final table of the ARIA $25K High Roller with the updates below. Poker Central will also be back at the ARIA at 2 PM tomorrow, for another $25K High Roller and the live Super High Roller Bowl lottery. Thanks for following and we will see you then. 

2:30am: Heads up deal reached, Cary Katz takes first ARIA High Roller title of 2017
Level 21 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

A few minutes after the elimination of Justin Bonomo, Cary Katz and Dan Smith, pictured, began negotiating a chop of the remaining prize pool. In total, there was $617,760 up for grabs and after some deliberation, a deal was agreed upon that earned both players a sizable score for their one-day ARIA High Roller efforts. 

As he held the chip lead, Cary Katz will take home the first ARIA High Roller title of 2017, along with a $322,640 score. Dan Smith, who said this was his first tournament of the year, will take the silver medal and $295,120. 

A full tournament recap and winner’s story will be posted shortly. 

2:18am: Erik Seidel eliminated in 4th place ($84,240), Justin Bonomo eliminated in 3rd place ($131,040)
Level 21 – Blinds 25,000/50,000 (ante 5,000)

Almost immediately after the elimination of Isaac Haxton, two more players hit the rail. Erik Seidel lost a flip, his K♦Q♦ falling to Dan Smith’s 8♥8♦, to bust in 4th place, good for a $84,000 score, and then a few hands later, Justin Bonomo’s run ended in 3rd.

Bonomo, pictured above, had battled with a short stack for the better part of the last few hours and eventually, he was down to his final 175,000 in the big blind. Dan Smith folded his button and Cary Katz moved all-in from the small. The look on Bonomo’s face said it all, he didn’t like the spot, but after a few moments, he called to put himself at risk.

He needed to hit to stay alive, as he held Q♣3♦ to the big stack’s K♠4♦. The board ran out 10♣9♦4♣A♦8♠ and Bonomo was sent to the rail with the bronze medal. Bonomo will make just over $131,000 and we are now heads up for the ARIA $25K High Roller title, with Cary Katz holding a 2:1 chip lead over Dan Smith. 

Cary Katz – 2,600,000
Dan Smith – 1,300,000
Justin Bonomo – Eliminated in 3rd place ($131,040)
Erik Seidel – Eliminated in 4th place ($84,240)

2:01am: Isaac Haxton eliminated in 5th place ($56,160)
Level 20 – Blinds 20,000/40,000 (ante 5,000)

Action was picked up with Katz opening to 80,000 from under the gun and after some folds, Haxton, who had just over 500,000 in front of him, announced “all-in”.

Katz snap called and quickly tabled Q♠Q♦. Haxton shook his head while turning over his own pocket pair, 5♠5♥, and he’d need some serious help to stay alive. The J♦4♠3♠ flop didn’t do much for the at-risk Haxton but the A♠ gave him some additional outs heading to the river. Katz still had the better flush draw, so only a five or a deuce would keep the short stack alive.

The river didn’t bring either of those cards, instead supplying the K♥, which confirmed Haxton’s 5th place elimination. He’ll make just over $56,000 for his ARIA High Roller run but it’s Cary Katz who has been running wild at this final table, as he’s now working the better part of 2,000,000. 

Cary Katz – 2,080,000
Issac Haxton – Eliminated in 5th place ($56,160)

1:40am: Smith starts to ascend
Level 19 – Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 5,000)

Almost a full level went by without any significant action but then Dan Smith doubled and picked up another decent pot against Cary Katz to get himself back over the chip average. The first hand was picked up preflop, with Smith open shoving the small blind for 270,000.

Isaac Haxton, who was in the big blind with close to 750,000, checked his cards and then called, before tabling J♠9♠. Unfortunately, he was just drawing to three immediate outs, as Smith had him dominated with A♦9♥. The board ran out clean for Smith, who scored a much needed double to get out of the danger zone.

On the very next hand, Smith opened the button to 60,000 and chip leader Cary Katz defended his big blind to see a 10♥4♥2♣ flop. Katz led for 75,000 and Smith quickly called to see the 10♠ pair the board on the turn. Katz didn’t slow down, betting 100,000, and after some thought, Smith called after mentioning something about “getting lucky”.

The 3♥ completed a potential flush draw on the river and Katz bet for a third time, although this one was sized a bit differently. He slid out the minimum, 30,000, and Smith shot his opponent a wondering look. After taking inventory of his stack, which sat around 325,000, Smith raised to 265,000.

He had committed himself to the pot and the raise sent Katz deep into the tank. He used one of his “Time Extension” cards and while Smith enjoyed a massage, Katz tried to make sense of the hand. In the end, he elected to fold and while the small hit drops him near 1,200,000, he’s still in control of the chip lead. Smith looks to be sitting right below him, as he’s working the better part of 850,000.

Dan Smith – 865,000
Cary Katz – 1,220,000

1:15am: Five-handed counts
Level 19 – Blinds 15,000/30,000 (ante 5,000)

After two quick eliminations, a post-level break finally slowed the action. As it stands, Cary Katz still holds a sizable chip lead on the rest of the field but with the blinds and antes going up again, to 15,000/30,000, there could be some serious swings over the next few levels. 

While there won’t be that same tactical play that we saw on the bubble, the remaining payouts are steep. That should create an even more interesting dynamic, especially with Cary Katz controlling close to 40% of the total chips in play.

An updated look at the chip counts is provided below:

1. Dan Smith – 650,000 
2. Isaac Haxton – 460,000 
3. Cary Katz – 1,620,000 
4. Justin Bonomo – 870,000 
5. Erik Seidel – 800,000

12:49pm: Bryn Kenney eliminated in 6th place ($46,800)
Level 18 – Blinds 10,000/25,000 (ante 5,000)

Almost immediately after the elimination of Jason Koon, Bryn Kenney hit the rail in 6th place. Action was picked up with Kenney moving all-in for 215,000 from the button and after some thought, Erik Seidel re-shoved for 400,000 from the small blind. 

Dan Smith, who was waiting in the big blind, exhaled and then mouthed “Wow.” before he asked for exact counts of each player’s stack. He got the necessary information and elected to not attempt to score a double knockout, as he had both players covered, and folded. 

When the hands were tabled, Kenney was in great shape to score the double, as he held A♥Q♠ to Seidel’s A♠J♥. That advantage held through the 8♦6♥3♠ flop but the turn was not as kind. The J♠ shot Seidel in to the lead and the 10♦ was no help on the river, meaning Kenney was heading to the rail. He’ll make just under $47,000 for his ARIA High Roller efforts and Erik Seidel is now back near the chip average. 

Erik Seidel – 670,000
Bryn Kenney – Eliminated in 6th place ($46,800)

12:41pm: Koon loses “Russian Roulette”, Katz bursts bubble
Level 18 – Blinds 10,000/25,000 (ante 5,000)

Midway through Level 18, Cary Katz burst the ARIA $25K High Roller bubble. Katz had been very active over the last few orbits and after action folded to him in late position, he limped. Justin Bonomo folded the button and Katz made mention about how dangerous his limp could be.

“One out of six times you run into trouble.” Katz said to no one in particular, adding, “It’s kind of like Russian Roulette.”

Jason Koon was in the small blind and after some thought, he announced himself “all-in” for what looked to be close to 400,000. The big blind folded and after Koon asked, “If this was one of those times that he was in trouble?” Katz then put a stack of chips across the line for a call. He tabled A♦A♥ and Koon’s question was answered.

Despite his disadvantage, Koon seemed optimistic about his chances, rubbing his suited K♥J♥ together as the Q♣8♦7♥ flop fell. There were plenty of pivot cards that could have given Katz a sweat and the 9♥ was one of them, as Koon had both flush and straight draws heading to the river. The 8♠ wasn’t one of those outs though, as the paired board meant Katz had won the pot and burst the bubble.  

When the dust settled, Cary Katz was behind just over 1,400,000, good for the chip lead. Katz and the remaining five players are all in the money and they’ll now play for $393,000 and the first ARIA High Roller title of 2017. 

Cary Katz – 1,440,000
Jason Koon – Eliminated 

12:22pm: Level up, updated counts with new leader
Level 18 – Blinds 10,000/25,000 (ante 5,000)

It’s been over two hours since this final table came together and while we can’t say for certain, we imagine the bubble will burst within the next level. That’s because there are a handful of players working just over ten big blind stacks, with an updated list of the chip counts provided below:

1. Dan Smith – 640,000 
2. Isaac Haxton – 990,000 
3. Cary Katz – 510,000 
4. Justin Bonomo – 470,000 
5. Jason Koon – 340,000 
6. Bryn Kenney – 325,000 
7. Erik Seidel – 530,000

12:22pm: A busy, busy bubble
Level 17 – Blinds 10,000/25,000 (ante 3,000)

There were just back-to-back doubles, which were followed by some other final table bubble action. The first double was picked up when Bryn Kenney moved all-in for 160,000 from middle position and after some folds, Isaac Haxton re-shoved from the small blind. Cary Katz gave up his big blind and Haxton had to hit to burst the ARIA $25K High Roller bubble. 

He held K♦9♥ and Kenney was ahead with A♣Q♠. The board ran out clean for the short stack, J♣J♠8♠5♠10♦, and Kenney earned a much needed double.

On the very next hand, Jason Koon moved all-in from under the gun. The only player who had his nearly 700,000 chip stack covered was Dan Smith and it folded past him, allowing Haxton to call all-in for 224,000 from the button. The blinds got out of the way and it was a classic flip, with Haxton tabling J♥J♦. Koon held A♠K♦ and the board ran out ten-high, meaning the short stack was getting some chips back after doubling Kenney on the previous hand. 

After the two doubles, Bryn Kenney moved all-in to steal the blinds and antes, with Dan Smith and Justin Bonomo doing the same. Those moves aren’t going to change much on the leaderboard but with almost 260,000 up for grabs each hand, those chips are extremely valuable to the current short stacks.

When the dust settled, despite some leaderboard movement, the final table was still stuck with seven players remaining.

Bryn Kenney – 420,000
Isaac Haxton – 530,000
Jason Koon – 375,000

12:05pm: Big stacks tangle, Bonomo gets shorter
Level 15 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 2,000)

While the focus on the immediate bubble is still on the short stacks, or we should say, stack, the chip leaders just got involved. Action was picked up with Jason Koon opening to 45,000 from middle position and after some folds, Dan Smith called on the button. Koon check-called 60,000 after the 10♦7♠2♠ flop and then checked for a second time after the Q♣ fell on the turn.

Smith went into the tank and shot a few glances around the table, before he slid 150,000 across the line. Koon quickly folded and after the hand, Smith moved back over seven-figures after a quick trip outside the Millionaire’s Club.

While Jason Koon is still comfortably stacked with 640,000, Justin Bonomo is not. The blinds just increased again, meaning his 300,000 chip stack is good for just a dozen big blinds. 

11:42pm: One more down, one more to go
Level 15 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 2,000)

Almost immediately after Brian Rast was eliminated in 9th place, Andrew Lichtenberger hit the rail in 8th place. “Lucky Chewy’ had been the low man on the totem pole for the better part of the last few levels and despite a double through Dan Smith earlier, he could not get enough traction to climb the leaderboard.

With the elimination of Andrew Lichtenberger, we are now on the ARIA $25K High Roller bubble, with a reminder of the payouts listed below:

1. $393,120
2. $224,640
3. $131,040
4. $84,240
5. $56,160
6. $46,800

11:42pm: Smith sends Rast to rail, moves over 1,000,000
Level 15 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 2,000)

After a tactical portion of play, the feeling around the ARIA $25K High Roller final table was that it was going to take a cooler or bad beat to break this nine-handed deadlock. That’s exactly what happened just a few minutes after break, as Dan Smith and Brian Rast collided in a sizable pre flop encounter.

Action was picked up with Smith opening to 45,000 from under the gun and after some folds, Rast announced “all-in” from the small blind. Erik Seidel folded his big blind and Smith quickly asked for a count. Rast neatly cut his chips and after a few moments, the dealer informed Smith that Rast’s shove was for 318,000.The dealer then started the timer and shortly after, Smith threw out chips for a call.

He had failed to score two short stack knockouts and he’d have to come from behind to send Rast to the rail, as Smith was drawing to just three immediate outs with A♦J♠. Rast held A♠Q♦ and kept his advantage through the K♥9♠7♥ flop. The K♦ on the turn gave Smith some chop outs but he was awarded the whole pot after the J♦ brutally fell on the river.  

Rast was visibly irritated by the final card and while the dealer shipped Smith the pot, one that would put him over 1,000,000, Rast collected his belonging and exited the tournament area. The first-ever Super High Roller Bowl champion will not be adding another title to his resume today but Smith now has a stranglehold on the final table once again, with over 25% of the total chips in play. 

Dan Smith – 1,050,000
Brian Rast – Eliminated 

11:30pm: Updated counts, still nine-handed
Level 15 – Blinds 10,000/20,000 (ante 2,000)

We’ve gone close to an hour and a half at the ARIA $25K High Roller final table and while there has been some action, some doubles and some movement on the leaderboard, we are still nine-handed. With six players cashing in this event, we imagine the tactical play will continue over the next few levels but with a sizable jump in the blinds, to 10,000/20,000, the short stacks are going to be forced to make some moves over the next few periods. 

Dan Smith still leads the way and there seems to be a logjam on the leaderboard below him, with a complete list of the final table chip counts provided below:

1. Dan Smith – 705,000 
2. Isaac Haxton – 355,000 
3. Cary Katz – 520,000 
4. Justin Bonomo – 380,000 
5. Jason Koon – 360,000 
6. Bryn Kenney – 475,000 
7. Andrew Lichtenberger – 240,000 
8. Brian Rast – 315,000 
9. Erik Seidel – 475,000

11:12pm: Smith ships another
Level 14 – Blinds 7,000/15,000 (ante 2,000)

During the last level, Dan Smith doubled Justin Bonomo and midway through Level 14, Smith doubled another short stack. This time, it was Andrew Lichtenberger, who moved all-in for 129,000 from the cutoff. The button and small blind folded before Smith, who was in the big blind, asked for an exact count.

We’ve gone close to an hour and a half at the ARIA $25K High Roller final table and while there has been some action, some doubles and some movement on the leaderboard, we are still nine-handed. With six players cashing in this event, we imagine the tactical play will continue over the next few levels but with a sizable jump in the blinds, to 10,000/20,000, the short stacks are going to be forced to make some moves over the next few periods. 

Dan Smith still leads the way and there seems to be a logjam on the leaderboard below him, with a complete list of the final table chip counts provided below:

He shot a few glances at the tournament clock and then took inventory of his own stack before he flicked a few chips across the line to signify a call. Lichtenberger’s A♠3♠ was ahead but he had to hold against Smith’s J♠10♥. The K♣10♠7♠ shot the big stack in front but Lichtenberger had picked up a flush draw, one that he would hit on the turn.

The 9♠ fell to complete the short stack’s flush draw and Smith immediately started cutting out the chips that would head across the table after the 3♥ completed the board. Smith is now 0-2 when it comes to knocking out short stacks but thankfully, he came into the final table with such a substantial lead that he can afford these small hits. 

There are just a few minutes remaining in Level 14, after which a complete update of the chip counts will be posted.

Andrew Litchenberger – 275,000
Dan Smith – 680,000

10:58pm: Katz doubles, cuts down Haxton
Level 14 – Blinds 7,000/15,000 (ante 2,000)

After the blinds and antes increased, another short stack found a double and this time it was Cary Katz. Exact pre flop action was missed but after a raise from Isaac Haxton, Katz three-bet a decent percentage of his stack. Haxton went into the tank and eventually announced himself “all-in”, which meant Katz was facing a decision for his tournament life. 

Katz didn’t seem thrilled about the possibility of flipping at this stage of the tournament but when he called, he saw he was in much better shape. He held A♣K♠ and Haxton held A♦Q♣.

The board ran out clean for big-slick and Katz scored the double to more or less flip the script with Haxton. Just a few minutes into Level 14, Katz is now over the chip average for the first time since the final table came together and Haxton is now down below 20 big blinds. 

Cary Katz – 570,000
Isaac Haxton – 250,000

10:49pm: Bonomo boats to double
Level 13 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

In one of the final hands of Level 13, short stack Justin Bonomo got a much needed double through chip leader Dan Smith. Action was picked up with Smith opening the cutoff to 25,000 and after Cary Katz called the small blind, Bonomo completed his big to see the Q♥Q♦9♦ flop.

All three quickly checked and after the J♦ fell on the turn, Katz checked for a second time. Bonomo followed along and Smith bet 50,000. Katz immediately folded and Bonomo inspected his stack, before announcing himself “all-in”. Smith double checked his cards and then called, tabling K♦4♦.

He had turned a flush but Bonomo simultaneously tabled Q♣J♣, for a turned full house. The river meaninglessly fell and while it did, Bonomo cut out 131,000. Smith completed the bet and when the dust settled, Bonomo was near the chip average for the first time in recent memory. While Smith took a small hit, he’s sitting with 760,000, which is still good for the chip lead. 

Justin Bonomo – 345,000
Dan Smith – 760,000

10:34pm: Bryn builds, pressure builds on short stacks
Level 13 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

As predicted, the pace through the first few orbits of final table play has been slow. While there has been some changes to the leaderboard, they’ve been small. The majority of hands have been contested pre flop, with simple raises and the occasional three-bet being enough to get the job done. 

Bryn Kenney has seen the biggest increase to his stack, as he’s put himself withing touching distance of a half-million but the focus will remain on the few short stacks that are still alive. Three players are all either near or below the 20 big blind mark and with the blinds set to make a sizable jump to 7,000/15,000 within the next 15 minutes, they’ll continue to feel the pressure. 

10:20pm: Dan Smith leads ARIA $25K High Roller final table
Level 13 – Blinds 5,000/10,000 (ante 1,000)

For the first time in 2017, the eye’s of the poker world were focused on the ARIA and for good reason. Registration for the Super High Roller Bowl opened at 1 PM and the first ARIA High Roller of the year began at 2 PM. In total, 39 players, the majority of whom arrived early to put down their $30,000 SHRB deposits, came together to build just shy of a seven-figure prize pool.

Nearly 8 hours after play began, we are now down to the final table. Jake Schindler shoved just over 140,000 from late position with J♣10♦ and after some thought, Erik Seidel called in the blinds with Q♠J♠. The board ran out clean for Seidel and he’ll now take just over 500,000 into the final table.

Dan Smith will be pacing the field though, as he’s leading the way with just under 1,000,000. That’s good for almost double his nearest competitor, Isaac Haxton. Those two, including Seidel, are the only players over the chip average and with so many short stacks, there will certainly be some tactical play over the next few levels as this High Roller field plays towards the bubble. 

A complete list of the remaining player’s chip counts and their final table seating assignments are listed below:

1. Dan Smith – 990,000
2. Isaac Haxton – 520,000
3. Cary Katz – 375,000
4. Justin Bonomo – 380,000
5. Jason Koon – 330,000
6. Bryn Kenney – 280,000
7. Andrew Lichtenberger – 220,000
8. Brian Rast – 210,000
9. Erik Seidel – 510,000

The ARIA $25K High Roller payouts are also listed below for your convenience:

1. $393,120
2. $224,640
3. $131,040
4. $84,240
5. $56,160
6. $46,800

ARIA High Roller updates are provided by Poker Central and Will O’Connor.