Day 1 of the partypoker MILLIONS South America Super High Roller was something of a success at the Punta del Este resort in Uruguay. If you’re wondering where that is or what attracted players to the region as well as the money, then you obviously missed our recent preview. For many of the biggest names in poker, however, the Super High Roller was well worth attending, as they face one day of action to see if they can turn their $25,000 entry into a massive $325,000 score.

Day 1 saw some very big names not make the cut into Day 2 by surviving the day. Players such as Fabrizio Gonzalez, Robert Heidorn, Anthony Zinno, Kenny Hallaert and Yuri Dzivielevski all busted during Day 1, but while they floundered, others were making hay.

Only five players will cash in this event, so the fifteen who survived will see only a third of their number make a profit, the min-cash being worth $60,000. Day 1’s chip leader was Marty Mathis, who closed out the day having quadrupled his starting stack of a million chips at blinds of 2,500/5,000. Mathis was in fine form all day, and was very closely followed by his nearest challenger when the chips were bagged up, with James Romero totalling 4,300,000.

Another player to enjoy great success at the tables on Day 1 was Scotland’s most successful tournament poker player of all time, Niall Farrell. In one crucial hand, he raised it up with the queen-nine of spades only to see a three-bet from Antonio Martinac, who had pocket kings.