Like the pregame beers before a big party, PokerStars and Monte-Carlo?Casino European Poker Tour got under way with a bit of a soft launch as the main attraction on Tuesday was the €10,300 Eight-Handed Shot Clock Single Reentry.

The event drew 47 entries with registration yet continuing for two more one-hour levels on Wednesday. Most of the field advanced, with 31 players dropping chips into bags to end the night. At the head of the pack was a close race between two North American pros who crossed the pond.

Timothy Adams bagged 220,600 with Maria Ho, who held the lead most of the way late in the short Day 1, finishing just shy with 214,200. WSOP Main Event third-place finisher Benjamin Pollak trailed in a distant third with 149,500.

"It's only the first day," Adams said. "There's tons more poker to be played. It went really smoothly. I had a pretty fun table draw, a lot of action. I felt good."

Adams found a lovely spot to chip up significantly after he coolered Lily Kiletto, who had just doubled through Adrian Mateos with a flopped set of jacks as Mateos tried shoving her off of it with a gutshot Broadway draw.

Freshly armed with a nice stack, Kiletto put in a three-bet in the small blind to 7,000 over an Adams button open and watched as Adams four-bet to 18,000.

"Probably should have just shoved," Kiletto commented as she put in calling chips.

Not so, as Adams held aces, but Kiletto thought she saw a nice enough flop and check-jammed for about 45,000 when the board came paired with two fives and an eight. Her queens were smashed though, and Adams collected the hefty pot before going on to sneak past Ho just before bagging time.

Adams shipped one of the €25K High Rollers last year here in Monte Carlo for €366,500, so he's in prime position to add another PokerStars trophy in the EPT's big return to one of its flagship cities.

Another notable name advancing was Sam Greenwood, who has been quite possibly the most successful players in the high roller circuit in recent months. He's coming off of two very recent wins — one at WPT Amsterdam and another at partypoker MILLIONS Grand Final — and bagged 57,600 here. However, he was one of the players who used his reentry, so he'll need a strong Day 2 if he's to profit here.

Here's a look at the top 10 chip counts as Day 2 looms at 12:30 p.m. local time starting at 600/1,200/1,200. PokerNews will be on hand to track the event and bring a recap when a champion is crowned.

Tags: Maria HoTimothy Adams