Saturday, October 15, 2016

Event 5 (Day 1C): Waiting For Official Counts

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 225

Day 1B Players Remaining: 66

The tournament area is currently empty, as supervisors verify the bag and work on the table draw for tomorrow's Day 2.  Once everything is official and has been relayed to the media, we will post the Day 2 chip counts and seating assignments.  We will also update the race for the Day 1C chip lead bonus.

Event 5 (Day 1C): New Names Moving Up

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 224

Day 1B Players Remaining: 83

Charlemange Benjamin (Miami, FL)
Play has reached it's last level of the night, and players are starting to inquire about who holds the biggest stack, and how much their count is.  While Raquel Abut still sits on top of the leaderboard, a handful of new names have put themselves in contention for the bonus.  Once the chips are bagged and the counts are verified, the official numbers will be posted.

Jorge Martinez - 135,000
Manuel Soltero - 130,000
Nancy Thomas - 128,000
Charlemange Benjamin - 125,000
Maurice Lightner - 110,000
Mike Goldfard - 105,000


Event 5 (Day 1C): Raquel Reigns As We Wind Down

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 219

Day 1B Players Remaining: 83

Raquel Abut (Miami, FL)

With just over a level to play in the night, we have a lady leading the chip counts, as Raquel Abut eclipses the 200,000 mark.  Abut has been the most active player at the table, capitalizing on her situation at the moment (sending two short stacks home as Level 10 was ending).  Abut has only $12,000 in career earning, but one of her recorded cashes was a WSOP final table, finishing fifth in the 2005 $1,000 NLH Ladies Event).

Abut's currently the favorite to bag the chip lead bonus, but as we saw last night, the final stages of the flight are full of action.

Event 5 (Day 1C): Good Times At Table 10

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 214

Day 1B Players Remaining: 88


Ory Hen (Cooper City, FL)
One thing that can make the long hours of a tournament more bearable is good table mates.  Table 10 has hosted the most talkative table throughout the day, with players constantly laughing and chatting it up...of course with the dramatic pauses during big hands.

Ory Hen (Cooper City, FL) was involved in one of those dramatic moments just before dinner break, in a hand against Mark Dube.  Dube had shoved over Hen's raise, putting Ory at risk, and leaving him with what looked like a tough decision.  After about four minutes in the tank, Hen decided to fold and head to dinner.  

Since returning, Ory has trended upwards and currently sits with over 80,000.  Hen is a tournament legend when it comes to Florida poker, with over $1,123,000 in career earnings.  Ory has (7) first place finishes on his resume, one of which was an outright win here at the Isle during the 2010 Isle Poker Open Championship ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em - $40,527).

Players are about to head on their final break of the night, and will return to finish off Levels 11 and 12.

Event 5 (Day 1C): Notables Still In In The Field

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 209

Day 1B Players Remaining: 93

The tournament supervisor just announced the transition into Level 10, meaning players are posting new blinds of 500/1,000/100.  There will be a final (15) minute break after this level, and players will then return to finish out the last two levels of the night.  There is still a lot of time between now and bagging chips for tomorrow's Day 2, but the following players are still alive in the field:

Tom Gity
Jose Galvez
Charlemange Benjamin
Elliot Zaydman
Raymond Millard
Mark Dube
Melissa Dube
Jorge Martinez
David Henry
Ory Hen

Event 5 (Day 1C): Collecting Flags

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 204

Day 1B Players Remaining: 93

Adel Jo (Miami, FL)

Dinner break is a solid time to be able to scan the tables and find where some of the bigger stacks are sitting, having potentially been overlooked.  There was one seat that housed what looked like a chip leading stack, and when players returned, the owner was confirmed to be Adel Jo (Miami, FL). 

The first thing that stands out when you look at Adel's tournament resume are the "non-US" flags that are listed.  As a tournament players, recorded cashes on your Hendon Mob are great...but cashing in spots all over the world are better.  Adel has one Bahamian flag (from the 2012 PCA Main Event), and another from "Peters Poker Tour" in Santo Domingo ($1,850 NLH - 34th Place $3,803).  Jo cashed three times in this years Battle Of The Beaches, and with a stack of 155,000, someone to keep an eye on as the tournament progresses.

Event 5 (Day 1C): Field Heading To Dinner

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 8 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 187

Day 1B Players Remaining: 111

The final few minutes are ticking off the clock for Level 8, which means players are about to take their dinner break for the day.  The hour long pause lasts from 6:10-7:10pm, and will see players returning to Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100).  The number of entries continues to rise at a pretty steady pace, so considering that we will see at least (10) entries before Day 2 tomorrow, the guarantee doesn't seem as much at risk now than earlier.

Live coverage of the flight will continue when the cards are back in the air, and will take you through the conclusion of the bagging process.

Event 5 (Day 1C): Updated Counts Before Dinner

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Day 1B Entries: 184

Day 1B Players Remaining: 119

Jose Galvez (Hialeah, FL)
The field is about a quarter of the way through Level 8, and will be departing on at (60) minute dinner break at level's conclusion. David Henry (Pompano Beach, FL) still holds the chip lead going to dinner (140,000), but Joseph Levitt (who was featured earlier) had rocketed up the ranks, now sitting with 130,000.

At the outer tournament tables, we spotted Jose Galvez (Hialeah, FL), a seasoned tournament veteran with over $111,000 in career earnings.  Up until last year, all of Jose's recorded cashes were in Florida, but a 1924th place finish in the Colossus Event (WSOP) year changed that ($1,398).  Galvez does have a recorded win on his resume, taking down a $570 NLH event during the Winter Poker Open in Hard Rock Tampa ($42,000).

David Henry - 140,000
Joseph Levitt - 130,000
Jose Galvez - 95,000
Mark Dube - 90,000
Ira Silverman - 88,000
Elliot Zaydman - 77,000
Jorge Martinez - 75,000


Event 5 (Day 1C): The "Overlay Alert" Has Been Posted

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 175

Day 1B Players Remaining: 120

With registration open throughout the flight tonight, and also up until the cards are in the air for Day 2, it's going to be a close one in regards to making the $250,000 guarantee posted on the event.  The field would need another (105) entries to reach the guaranteed number, so Ralph Brandt took to Twitter to let the Florida poker followers about the potential overlay:



Event 5 (Day 1C): Henry Grabs The Early Lead

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 169

Day 1B Players Remaining: 122

David Henry (Pompano Beach, FL)

The dynamic of an early chip leader in these multi-day events is always interesting, especially when there is a bonus on the line, as is this flight ($1,500 Main Event seat).  David Henry is the clear leader at the moment, sitting with over 140,000 (over four times the current average).  Henry is looking to get back in the winner circle, having one two events here (in a two week span) during the 2015 Battle At The Beach.  

The wins in Event 3 and Event 11 during the series earned Henry just under $8,000, helping push his career tournament earnings to $40,000.  David has already cashed in this series, finishing in 66th place ($306) earlier in the week during Event 1.  While it's not a complete freeroll, Henry must be feeling like he's "playing with house money," having been one of the (10) players to satellite into this flight last night.

Players are about to take their second break of the day, and when they return to Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50), the length of each level transitions to (50) minutes.

Event 5 (Day 1C): Levitt Likes This Price Point

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 159

Day 1B Players Remaining: 124

Joseph Levitt (Delray Beach, FL)
The $570 buy-in for this event isn't for everyone (which is why there are so many great satellites offered), but it is one at which you'll see both recreational and professional poker players slide into.  

This same buy-in event during last year's Florida State Poker Championship drew a total of (740) entries, and boasted a prize pool of $361,000.  It was a memorable one for Joseph Levitt (Delray Beach, FL), who took top billing in an eight-way chop that was agreed to at the final table.  Levitt walked away with $49,523, which is Joseph's highest tournament cash by far.

Levitt is currently seated at Table 5, looking to spin up his stack which is sitting at around 20,000.  Also sharing the felt at Table 5 is Raymond Millard (Ft. Lauderdale, FL).  Millard  is another Florida based tournament player with an impressive resume, amassing over $278,000 in earnings.  A large chunk of that number came in 2006, all in events with buy-ins of $1,500 or higher.  There is a gap in the resume between 2008-2014, but since returning to play, Millard's numbers have continued to climb.

Event 5 (Day 1C): Previewing The "Monday Afternoon Structure Beast"

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 150


We previewed the "November Poker Calendar" earlier this week on the blog, and with everything being finalized, we can now tell you about the newest addition to the "daily" schedule.  On November 7th and November 21st, the "Structure Beast" will be running, carrying with it a $20,000 Guarantee.  The event offers one of the best structures for a $150 price point you'll find almost anywhere...with a 12,000 starting stack and (30) minute levels.  The tournament offers almost (6) hours of registration, and even a dinner break (which you never see in a "daily" tournament).

The full calendar for the month will be released to all outlets shortly, and will be published here on the blog for all necessary future planning.




Event 5 (Day 1C): Reminiscing...(Part 2)

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 132


The first (15) minute break of the day is in the books, and the field is currently playing Level 4, with blinds of 100/200.  The downtime in action allowed for the second half of yesterday's "Reminiscing About The Past" post to be finished, as we bring you the remaining numbers breakdown from last year's Isle Poker Open:

Event 8 (October 19) - $120 No Limit Hold'em $20,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: 217
Winner: Andrew Ballas ($6,054)

Event 9 (October 19) - $130 No Limit Hold'em $20,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: 83
Total Entries: James Newcomb/Richard Bluestein/Gabriel Hazan ($1,505)

Event 12 (October 22-26) - $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: 447
Winner: David Diaz ($134,523)

Event 13 (October 22) - $100 No Limit Hold'em Green Chip Bounty 
Total Entries: 199
Winner: Gregory Barker ($2,384)

Event 14 (October 26) - $100 No Limit Hold'em Bounty 
Total Entries: 258
Winner: Michael Marks ($6,025)

Event 16 (October 27) - $120 No Limit Hold'em $15,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: 131
Winner: Anwar Mohamed ($2,731)

Event 5 (Day 1C): "The Dube's" Highlight Late Rush

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 123

Nobody knows the intricacies of these tournaments better than Tournament Director Ralph Brandt, so when he is pleasantly surprised by the pace of entry so far today, we will take his word for it.  "It's nice to be seeing a lot of new faces," Ralph mentioned moments ago, as he handed back tournament receipts to Mark and Melissa Dube (Ft. Lauderdale, FL).  

The Dube's now call Florida home, and while their tournament schedule keeps them traveling across the world throughout the year, it should be no wonder this area holds a place in their hearts.  Mark's biggest lifetime score came in Florida last year, when he finished runner up during the WPT Lucky Hearts Open $3,500 Championship Event, earning himself over $434,000.  Now that number only makes up a quarter of his over $1,600,000 in career earnings.  

Melissa Dube has a long way to go to match her husbands resume, but inched a little close this summer, final tabling the $400 NLH Ladies Event during the Deepstacks Extravaganza in Vegas (4th Place - $6,245).  The two are making their debut for the series, and highlight a group of players to arrive over the past few minutes:

Robert Blanchette
Yves Fequiere
Larry Douglas
Steve Moreno
Elliot Zaydman
Sheldon Gross
Luis Santoni

Event 5 (Day 1C): Lightner's Late Departure Fuels The Flame

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 3 (Blinds 75/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 113


Reece Lightner (Miami, FL)

It hasn't even been a week since Reece Lightner (Miami, FL) was getting up from his seat at the Event 1 final table, and heading to the tournament podium to get paid.  The sixth place finish and over $5,000 earned is really nothing to be disappointed about, but in most tournaments (as in sport), there is usually just one person truly satisfied with their finish in the end.  

Lighter spent years experiencing the wonderful aspect of variance when it came to tournament poker, and mentioned that he was "focusing more on cash games," here in Florida.  The deep Event 1 run must a lit a spark under him though, as he's back in the tournament area, looking to better his final table finish (in the same week).  Reece was just one of numerous notables spotted across the tournament field:

Reggie Bautista
Glen Sugarman
Adrian Gray
John Kwon
Jorge Martinez
David Ward
Hector Pacheco
Michael Goldfarb

Event 5 (Day 1C): Those Already Heading To Day 2

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 103


There aren't many things that tournament poker players like better than a day off...well, maybe bagging on one bullet would be up there as well.  There are (48) players that don't have to worry about their plans tomorrow, as they've already booked a seat in Day 2.  There has been mention made of the two chip leaders from each flight, but a lot of notables also found themselves a bag.  Towards the top ten of the leaderboard we have Sheddy Siddiqui (168,100), and just above him, Frederico Dabus (226,300).  Other familiar names include Gil Aboodi, Andrew Touchette, Michael Ortiz, and Joe Niblett.

Official Day 2 Chip Counts and Seating Assignments

Event 5 (Day 1C): One Satellite Winner Slides Under The Radar

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 89



Tom Gity (Pompano Beach, FL)

At the moment, over 10% of the field is made up of satellite winners from last night's Event 22, one of which is Tom Gity (Pompano Beach, FL).  Gity has "flown under the radar" since the beginning of blog coverage last week, but that's no more for the accomplished tournament player.

To say this year has been a good one for Gity would be an understatement, as he earned almost $100,000 alone in July-August.  He run would start at Seminole Hard Rock in the end of July, chopping the opening event during the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open ($66,434).  Tom would then follow that up with a deep run in that same series $5,500 Main Event (35th Place - $25,000) in the first week of August.  If those two scores weren't good enough, Gity came here to the Isle only days later to win one of "monthly guaranteed" events here.  

Our coverage will focus on how the satellite players are doing in this flight, those which include:

Michael Boykin
Martin Markov
Bart Lino
David Coughlin
Anthony Petruzzi
Gary Kazaks
Peter Sayet
John Scigliano
David Henry

Event 5 (Day 1C): Final Flight For Event 5 Underway Shortly

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: N/A


We are less than (30) minutes away from the final starting flight of Event 5 (Day 1C), and are expecting some big numbers this afternoon.  To this point there have been 223 total entries, with (48) players finding bags and heading to tomorrow's Day 2 already.  The same rules apply today as the two that just passed, but we will give you a quick reminder.  Players sit down to a starting stack of 25,000, and will be playing (12) levels today (which ends right around 10:45pm).  The levels are (40) minutes for Level 1-6, and they then transition to (50) minutes from Level 7 on.  Registration is open throughout the entire day, and if that's not going to fit into your schedule, you can always buy in tomorrow before the Day 2 card are in the air.

The chip leader of today's flight will also receive entry into the $1,500 Isle Poker Open Main Event, with two players "tickets" already booked.  Ed Jaffy was the Flight A chip leader with 297,400, and Mike Newman followed up by bagging 246,400 in yesterday's Flight B.  Live coverage of Day 1C will begin shortly after play gets underway, and will continue in detail through the conclusion of the event tomorrow.  



Event 22: Official Satellite Results

Event 22 ($120 Satellite Into Event 5)
(10 Seats Guaranteed)

The following players have earned their seats for tomorrow's Day 1C flight of Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee):

  1. David Henry
  2. Anthony Petruzzi
  3. David Coughlin
  4. Gary Kazaks
  5. John Scigliano
  6. Bart Lino
  7. Michael Boykin
  8. Peter Sayat
  9. Juan Rodriguez
  10. Martin Markov
  11. Michael Gutterman ($500)