Isle Casino Poker : 10/07/17

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Official Flight 1G Chip Counts

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 237
Flight 1G Players Remaining: 36

Sheldon	Gross ^G	477,500
Preecha	Taepakdee	352,500
Avery	Bass	218,000
Jason	Young	210,000
Michael	Tobkes	202,000
Jeffrey	Lutin	169,500
Scott	Hecker	161,500
Larry	Hirschfield	161,500
Chris	Aiken	160,000
David	Goodman, Jr	156,500
Jeff	Silverstein	155,500
Oniel	McCalla	154,000
Justin	Levy	153,500
Joaquin	Sosa	148,500
Al	Gomez	148,500
Paulo	Castro	145,000
Daniel	Mijal	144,500
Fernando	Pages	137,000
Norman	Simmons	118,500
Sam	Sayegh	112,500
Andres	Florez	109,000
Linda	Lipkins	109,000
Fred	White	105,000
Charlemagne	Benjamin	100,000
Joseph	Doyle	94,000
Philip	Tuttle	92,500
Johnathan	Steward	89,000
Arno	Kruger	85,000
Elmer	Dermido	83,500
Errol	Gunter	65,000
Joesef	Saivos	38,500
Dolline	Willis	37,000
Marc	Sacheli	29,000
Washington	Gavilanes	25,500
Steve	Lake	24,000
Manny	Perez	8,500

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Sheldon Catches Fire To Bag The Bonus, Official Counts To Follow

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 237
Flight 1G Players Remaining: 38

Flight 1G chip leader Sheldon Gross (Hillsboro Beach, FL) taking a look at his last hand of the flight.

The final hands of the flight were dealt just moments ago, and to no surprise, it's Sheldon Gross (Hillsboro Beach, FL) as the Flight 1G chip leader (with over 440,000). Sheldon earns himself a seat into Event #15 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em | $150,000 GTD), leaving just one more "bonus" seat available, for this evening's Flight 1H chip leader.

The tournament staff is currently verifying all of the bags, and once the process it done, we will bring you the official counts from the flight. This will conclude the "live coverage" for the day, but followers can check back for official Flight 1G chip counts (around 7:30pm), official Flight 1H chip counts (around 2:00am), as well as Day 2 seating assignments (around 3:00am).

Coverage will pick back up tomorrow afternoon, with the cards in the air at 12:00pm for Day 2. The blog will offer updates from the moment Day 2 begins, until the moment our first 2017 Isle Open winner has been crowned.

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Sheldon's "Big Bang" Has Helped Him Runaway With The Chip Lead

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 237
Flight 1G Players Remaining: 42

It seemed as if the race for the chip lead bonus was going to come down to the wire, but Sheldon Gross's last two levels have made it a runaway. Even after losing 50,000 from his stack just moments ago, Sheldon was still left with over 415,000, which sits close to 200,000 more than any of his opponents. The field is about to enter Level 16, which will be the final level of the flight. The clock will be paused with 10:00 minutes remaining, and those still remaining will finish three hands, before the bagging process then begins. We will bring you a final update with the flight's chip leader (Sheldon), and then follow that with the official chip counts from Flight 1G.

Players have one more opportunity this evening to try and bag chips, with Flight 1H getting underway in less than (15) minutes (6:00pm).

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Sheldon Gross Has A New Favorite Dealer, Now Over 380,000

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/400)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 237
Flight 1G Players Remaining: 47

Sheldon Gross (Hillsboro Beach, FL) has requested that there be no push for the rest of the flight, as he's chipped
up more than 250,000 since Leslie sat down in the box.

As Level 13 was reaching it's midway point, Sheldon Gross (Hillsboro Beach, FL) was sitting with just over 140,000 in front of him. Just over thirty minutes later, he'd call two all-ins on a flop of 10♣ 8♠ 4♠, for a pot worth close to 175,000. Gross (who held J♦ 10♠) made sure to wait for his opponents to table their hands, with Andre Chaviano tabling Q♠ 7♠, and an unknown player tabling 9♠ 6♠. Both of Sheldon's opponents held spade draws, but he'd also have to fade the straight outs...and a queen. The turn (3♣) and river (K♥) came out clean for Gross, as he would yell in celebration, "you have become my favorite dealer of all time!!!"

Gross is now the Flight 1G chip leader (405,000), and clearly the favorite to win the chip lead bonus.

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): "Late Entries" Into The "Race For The Chip Lead Bonus"

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 237
Flight 1G Players Remaining: 58

Justin Levy (Boynton Beach, FL) holds the top beard...and currently, the top stack in the field.

With only three levels remaining in the flight, the race for the chip lead bonus is beginning to take shape. The Event #15 seat is truly anyone's to grab at the moment, as it looks like this will be a race that goes right down to the wire. The current favorite would have to be Justin Levy (Boynton Beach, FL), who leads the field with 230,000, but is followed closely by Avery Bass (220,000). There are also some new names (post-break) that have put themselves in position to make noise in these late stages:

Justin Levy - 230,000
Avery Bass - 220,000
Linda Lipkins - 175,000
Jason Young - 160,000
Sheldon Gross - 145,000
Al Gomez - 120,000

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): There's Always Going To Be "Blog Love" For The Notables

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 237
Flight 1G Players Remaining: 68

John Palace (Jupiter, FL) has managed to reach the final break, after buying into the flight with just over (20 bigs).

The standard pattern for coverage during these afternoon flights sees updated chip counts during Level 13, and then a full field update (of those remaining) during Level 14. Because of the size of today's field, there will be too many players during Level 14 to list everyone, so we are taking this time to make note of certain notables still alive.

One of those notables is John Palace (Jupiter, FL), who entered the field just before registration closed, and has managed to survive to this point (with a below average stack). Palace has a lot of work to do in order to catch good friend Bryce McVay, who bagged the chip lead during yesterday's Flight 1E (295,500). Some other Isle Poker notables still active in this field include:

Linda Lipkins
Steven Lipkins
Jeffrey Silverstein
Peter Fellows
Nader Bahur
Manny Perez
Scott Hecker
Alexander Thomas

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Lots Of Big Stacks Emerging Across The Field

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 237
Flight 1G Players Remaining: 77

Chris Gilkey (Lake Worth, FL) has more than doubled his stack since returning from break of (90) minutes ago.

As the field continues to shrink, and the short stacks pick their spots to try and double, we are seeing some sizable stacks emerge across the field. Chris Gilkey was second in chips coming back from the most recent break, but has more than doubled that number since, and leads the field with 190,000. Gilkey (Lake Worth, FL) has lifetime recorded earnings of $2,690, with two results on his resume. His first came back in 2011, when he finished in third place during a $200 No Limit Hold'em Bounty event at Palm Beach Kennel Club ($2,381). His last results was just two months ago, finishing in 84th place during the "August 100,000" here at the Isle Poker Room ($309).

Chris Gilkey - 190,000
Sam Sayegh - 155,000
Andre Chaviano - 148,000
David Goodman - 140,000
Larry Hirschfield - 130,000
Norman Simmons - 115,000

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Sayegh Goes With It, And Fades To Pick Up Nice Pot

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 237
Flight 1G Players Remaining: 101

Sam Sayegh (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) climbs the leaderboard, fading Angelo Miele's outs to win.

"Raaiissee," was the first thing that could be heard, coming loudly from the dealer at Table 9. She was announcing Sam Sayegh's (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) raise, in a hand between Angelo Miele and an unknown player. On a flop of Q♦ 6♥ 3♥, there was a lead for 5,000, with Miele making the call, and Sam Sayegh raising to 13,500. Miele put together his full stack (just under 40,000), and pushed it across his cards. Sayegh made the call, with the original bettor folding, leaving Miele at risk for his tournament.

When the hands were tabled, Sayegh turned over K♦ Q♠ (top pair), followed by Miele showing A♥ 4♥ (flight draw with an over-card). Angelo stood from the table, hoping to grab the lead on the turn or river, but neither brought him help, and he'd be eliminated form Flight 1G. Sayegh would collect the 80,000 pot, bringing his total to 145,000.

Sam Sayegh - 145,000

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Initial Look At Updated Chip Counts

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 237
Flight 1G Players Remaining: 128

Michael Tobkes (Davie, FL) finds himself atop the leaderboard, as players return from their second break.

Registration has now closed for Flight 1G, with a total of (237) entries making up the field, (128) of which still remain active across the room. That brings the combined total to 1,011 over the first six flights, and a prize pool that sits at $136,485. This tournament is going to exceed all expectations, and will likely finish up with a prize pool close to $175,000, and an eventual first place well over $25,000.

Our earlier chip leader (Jonathan Steward) has seen his stack cut in half since being featured on the blog, with some new names returning from break in the top three:

Michael Tobkes - 95,000
Chris Gilkey - 94,000
Sheldon Gross - 90,000
Evan Braunstein - 75,000
Charlemagne Benjamin - 70,000
Marc Sacheli - 64,000
Jonathan Steward - 58,000

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Registration Winding Down, This Twitter Thing Starting To Catch On

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 222

The final few minutes are winding off the tournament clock for Level 8, with players taking their second break of the day. Once they return to the table, those players remaining will resume action in Level 9, with new blinds of 400/800/100. The beginning of Level 9 will also signify the close of registration for Flight 1G, which has been the largest of the event. We will bring you the official numbers once they are available, along with a first look at updated chip counts from the field.

Speaking of updated chip counts, one way to make sure that your stacks are noticed, is to include @PokerIslePP in your posted Twitter updates. It's still something new to the poker room, but those that choose Twitter as their "choice" social media outlet for poker, will most likely be spotted...no matter how large the fields are. It also gives the blogger an opportunity to read about hand histories, see bustout tweets, and learn who's in the crowd (as noticed in the tweets below):

Firing up this Day 1 @PokerIslePP $100,000 GTD. Looking to bag big today. Rocking both celtics… https://t.co/GlcBB32buz
— David Ward (@NoLimitCeltic) October 7, 2017

Heading to @PokerIslePP @IsleCasinoPP looking to make day2
— CHAD GRABER (@CHADGRABER) October 7, 2017

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): In A Field Of This Size, Someone Is Going To Start Fast

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/75)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 211

Jonathan Steward (Pompano Beach, FL) was a relative unknown coming into the day, but if things continue the way
they started, lots of people will recognize the name.

With the amount of entries already in this flight, and the number of chips in play, it was a given that an abnormally big stack was going to pop up somewhere. We have been seeing the first player cross the century mark just before the second break (in Level 8), but Jonathan Steward (Pompano Beach, FL) was sitting with 100,000 just as Level 7 was beginning. Steward is a relative "wild card" in the field, with a tournament resume that consists of just one recorded result. Steward's tournament cash came here at the Isle Poker Room on July 3rd of this year, when he finished in 12th place during a $60 No Limit Hold'em ($12,000 GTD). Jonathan would earn $261 for his efforts, besting (297) entries to reach that point, in one of the largest fields we've seen in that particular $60 No Limit Hold'em event (which has been a staple on the "recurring tournament" schedule).

Jonathan Steward - 115,000

Numbers like that are what we expect for this evening's flight (Flight 1H), which means that seating will be limited. Players that are planning on coming in for the 6:00pm flight should plan to arrive on time, because one the tournament tables are filled, the alternate list will start.

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Jason Young Has The Tournament Bug

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 207

Jason Young (New York, FL) brings a very impressive tournament resume to the table, including a WSOP bracelet.

In June of 2008, Jason Young (New York, NY) won a WSOP bracelet in a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Shootout event, earning $335,565. It was a jump start for a tournament poker career that continues to this day, with Young amassing total earnings over $805,000. As the years passed, Jason's focus shifted from poker, with much of his time devoted to family (his daughter) and work.

Poker continued to play a roll in Young's life, but it wasn't nearly as prevalent on a daily basis. Since moving to Florida a few years ago, tournament were played here and there, while cash games took up much of his time at the tables. Then came the last week of August, and the "August $100,000," a $150 No Limit Hold'em event run here at the Isle Poker Room, outside of a major series. Jason experienced a Day 2 that players dream of, basically catching fire after the tournament reached the money. He would end up part of a six-way deal that ended the event, earning second place money in the chop, worth $12,174. It was Jason's largest cash since 2011, and would light the "proverbial tournament fire." Jason cashed in a $350 No Limit Hold'em event at Council Bluffs (Iowa) last month, and is back in the field today.

Some other late entries into the field include:

Lisa Teebagy
Andre Rakusa
Al Gomez
Kimberly Jones
Justin Levy

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Benjamin Breaks Out...But Now Looking To Best Those Numbers

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 190

Charlemagne Benjamin (Miami, FL) is about to make 2017 the best year of his poker career.

From 2010 through 2015, Charlemagne Benjamin (Miami, FL) played poker recreationally, entering tournaments on a sporadic basis. Then came 2016, and a complete shift in focus for Benjamin, as he took things much more seriously. The results did the talking, as he earned just over $10,000 combined in the five year period (2010-2015), and then $132,727 last year (2016). His year was highlighted by (3) five-figure scores, including second place money in a chop that ended Event #6 of the 2016 Rock N' Roll Poker Open ($39,865).

The breakout year was a special one for Charlemagne, but "big things" continued happening at this year started, and he earned the largest tournament cash of his career. Benjamin finished in fifth place during the $1,100 WPT DeepStacks Main Event at Seminole Hard Rock (Lucky Hearts Poker Open), taking home $77,127 for his efforts. With that kickstarting the year, and the numerous results that followed, Charlemagne is only a few thousand dollars short of besting his earnings from last year ($131,340). A "deep-ish" type run in this event would help him make 2017 even better than last year, squashing any claims that he may have been a one-hit wonder. In order to cash in this event though, he needs to first find a bag, and has today's pair of flights to do that.

Benjamin headlines our second look of notables in the field, including the likes of:

Maury Halperin
Michael Goldfarb
William Swicicki
Seamus Hoban
Joseph Mancuso
Frank Traino
Sheldon Gross
Evan Braunstein
Linzell Borders
James McCaffrey
Danielle Bastarache

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Crowded Field Growing Even Larger

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 170

David Ward (Miami, FL) may be from Florida, but you'll be hard pressed to find a bigger Boston Celtics fan.

With just over an hour into the afternoon, we are seeing numbers for the flight that are already larger than five of the six to have been completed to this point. The tournament area is full with tables, as the entries continue to file in. Many players have waited for this Saturday flight to join the action for the first time, including David Ward (Miami, FL). Ward has good memories from last year's Isle Open, and it hoping to recapture some of that magic this month.

Ward finished in fourth place during Event #9 of last year's series ($360 No Limit Hold'em), which was good for a $20,948 payday. The cash still stands as the second largest of his career, behind only his first ever recorded result ($61,126). After two years of results, Ward now has over $110,000 in live earnings, and feels right at home in this poker room.

Ward joins a list of players that are in the field for the first time this event:

Try Hen
Washington Gavilanes
Lou Stadler
Dolline Willis
Preach Taepakdee
Fernando Pages
Michael Rizzuto
Willie Wiggins
Jeffrey Lutin
Gail Lutin

Players will be taking their first break of the day at the end of this level, and will return to new blinds of 150/300/50 (Level 5).

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Follow @PokerIslePP For Even More #IsleOpen (And Poker Room) Coverage

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150/25)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 135

The Isle Casino Pompano Beach is pleased to launch the Isle Casino Poker Room Twitter account @PokerIslePP, which will be a platform for followers to receive, share, and communicate information relevant to the Isle Poker Room community. The handle will be tweeting out information concerning the news of upcoming events and announcements, as well as sharing the content we regularly post on the poker room's blog. We also adopted the hashtag #IsleOpen for the 2017 Isle Open, and we are going to continue using "major series" hashtags as the new calendar year begins (and the 2018 installments of our tournament series take place). Throughout the year, and outside of major tournament series, we've adopted #IslePoker as the go to hashtag. We hope than many of our players (and those in the community) choose to follow @PokerIslePP, and we can build a vibrant following around the Isle Casino Poker Room.

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Official Event 1 Chip Counts (Flights 1A-1F)

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 115

Isle Open Event 1 (Flight 1G): Big Numbers Expected, As Final Pair Of Event 1 Flights Underway

2017 Isle Open | Event #1
$175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight 1G Entries: 60

Tournament Director Ralph Brandt just finished up the rules announcement for the Flight 1G field, which is off to the quickest start of any of the starting flights to this point (already 60 entries). After registration closed during last night's Flight 1F, the prize pool had eclipsed the guaranteed mark, as the (774) total entries make up a $104,490 pool. With the largest of the flights expected today, one can only surmise where the final number will close. A total of (108) players have bagged chips for tomorrow's Day 2 (12:00pm), with the top ten stacks listed below:

Cameron Collins - 512,500

Michael Russo - 393,000

Neil Zonenashuili - 332,000

Manfred Rosenow - 330,000

Brian Dunn - 325,500

Paulius Bikus - 318,500

Sean Jones - 303,000

Bryce McVay - 295,500

Robert Schafer - 274,500

Juan Rodriguez - 269,500

With the action getting underway, we will go over the structure for each flight once again. The structure mirrors the first two days of action, with players sitting down to starting stacks of 20,000 units, and playing levels of (25) minutes over the course of the flight. Play is scheduled to conclude after (16) completed levels, but if the field reaches the 10% number, then the clock will pause and the bagging process will begin. That is exactly what happened last night in Flight 1B, with the action stopping with just over three minutes in Level 15. Therefore, Day 2 will now begin at that point, meaning the big stacks begin the day even deeper planned (along with the shorter stacks as well, which is even more important to those players).

Live coverage of Flight 1G will continue throughout the afternoon, updating followers on all of the action, including the "race for the chip lead bonus." The official counts from the opening pair of flights, along with a reminder of the new Twitter handle (@PokerIslePP) will be posted, before we shift our focus onto the notables in today's flight.

Saturday, October 7th: With A Prize Pool Already Over $100,000, Event #1 Is A Special One

ICYMI: With last night's Flight 1F being the largest of the six to have been played (210 entries), it helped the prize pool cross the guarantee a few levels before registration closed. Adding in the total from the afternoon flight (Flight 1E), brings the total combined number to 774 entries, with (108) already returning for tomorrow's Day 2. The prize pool currently sits at $104,490, and with the largest flights expected over the course of today, we could potentially see a final number that eclipses $150,000.

Yesterday's afternoon flight (Flight 1E) finished with (120) entries, and consisted of a mixture of new players, along with those taking another shot at bagging (after unsuccessfully doing so). Bryce McVay (Jupiter, FL) made his presence known from the moment he sat down in the field, and kept himself towards the top of the counts throughout the day. While challenged by players like Alan Saltzman and Rob Klassman, it was Bryce's day to shine, as he bagged the top stack (295,500) and earned a seat into Event #15 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em | $150,000 GTD).

The evening flight (Flight 1F) had all of the drama that one can ask for in a "chip lead race," as the top three stacks were all within 6,500 chips of each other. Once the bagging process had concluded, and the chips were verified by dealers and tournament supervisors, it would be Neil Zonenashuili (332,000) topping the group. Neil earned the seat into Event #15, with the bonus falling just out of reach for Manfred Rosenow (330,000) and Brian Dunn (325,500).

There are two more "chip lead bonuses" up for grabs this afternoon, as the final pair of starting flights get underway at 11:00am.

Tournaments: Today's schedule offer the final opportunity to players to join this opening event, which is shaping up to be a special one. Each of today's starting flights have the same structure, with entrants sitting down to starting stacks of 20,000 units, and playing levels that last (25) minutes over the course of the event. Registration for each flight is open through Level 8 (approx. 2:40pm), and is scheduled to conclude after Level 16 (approx. 6:10pm). The chip lead bonus is back, as the player to bag the largest stack from each flight will earn a seat into Event #15 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em | $150,000 GTD).

Promotions: When the doors open for the day, the first hour (9:00am-10:00am) will award $150 every (30) minutes. The high hands will then transition from 10:00am-12:00am (midnight), with the opportunity to win $400 every (30) minutes. During that period, the promotion sees tournament players eligible each half-hour for $100 high hands, 2/2 limit hold'em players eligible for $200 high hands, 2/4 limit hold'em players eligible for $300 high hands, and all other raked games (1/2-5/10 NLH, 4/8 Omaha 8B, 6/12 O.E., etc.) eligible for $400 high hands. From 12:00am-3:00am, players are eligible for $100 high hands every hour.

11:00am - 2017 Isle Open Event #1 (Flight 1E): $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)

- Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (8) levels

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Level will last (25) minutes throughout the event

- All Day 1's will play (16) complete levels or until 10% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

- The chip leader from each flight will earn a seat into Event 15 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em)

6:00pm - 2017 Isle Open Event #1 (Flight 1F): $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)