WARM-UP ($565)

Alfie Adam shoved all-in from under the gun for 77,000, and Anzhela Vasylenko, on the button, quickly followed with an all-in of her own — pushing the blinds out of the way and putting Adams at risk.

Alfie Adam: A♥ 8♥

Anzhela Vasylenko: 8♦ 8♠

Vasylenko’s snowmen held firm on the 7♥ 4♣ 9♥ flop, though Adam picked up a flush draw for some life. The J♣ on the turn added potential for a chop, giving Adam a few more outs. But the river blanked, missing all of them, sending Adam to the rail while Vasylenko stacked the pot and chipped up.

Alfie Adams raised to 1,200 under the gun and was met with an unexpected response — four callers from the unknown lowjack, Anzhela Vasylenko in the cutoff, Hoang Nam Nguyen on the button, and Gagandeep Malik. Unimpressed by the growing pot, Hoang Nguyen decided to take control with a three-bet to 8,500, forcing all the other players to fold.

Alfie Adams, the very first player to register for the tournament, showed that the early bird doesn’t just get the worm—it gets the chips. Before his seat was even warm, Adams secured an early double-up and claimed the tournament’s first elimination.

Though the full action wasn’t caught, it unfolded in a 5-bet all-in preflop showdown. Adams tabled pocket Aces, looking poised for a strong start, while his opponent revealed Ace Ten. With the best hand by far, Adams must’ve known he had it in the bag. His aces held firm, sending his opponent to the rail—hopefully to hit the registration desk for another shot.