Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Official End Of Flight 1A Chip Counts

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 133
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 19

Greg	Spinder A	281,500
Mark	Kerness	270,000
Steve	Pollack	242,500
Jaquelyn	Scott	224,500
Andreas	Athanasopoulos	224,000
Michael	Amato	218,500
Erik	Christensen	199,000
Elliot	Goldman	176,000
Josh	Wasserman	161,000
Craig	Seeber	138,000
Trent	Smith	123,500
Ido	Ashkenazi	113,000
Karolis	Sereika	80,300
Paulius	Bikus	72,500
Ken	Bruno	57,000
Nicholas	Baunchter	40,500
David	Dubin	35,000
Robert	Keuznietz	15,000

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Opening Flight Of Event #7 In The Books, Spinder Bags The Lead

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 133
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 19

Gregory Spinder (Coral Springs, FL) bags up the Flight 1A chip lead of Event #7, earning himself a seat into Event #15 ($1,100 NLH | $150,000 GTD) in the process.

Gregory Spinder (Coral Springs, FL) was featured earlier in the day (Level 11), winning a sizable pot with a little aggression on the turn.  Since then, he flew under the radar, as he made his slow climb to the top of the leaderboard.  Spinder ends up the Flight 1A chip leader, bagging up 281,500 for Day 2, and earning a seat into Event #15 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em | $150,000 GTD).  The tournament staff is currently verifying the remaining stacks, with the official flight chip counts posted after that process has finished up.

That will conclude the live blogged coverage of today's action, but followers can check back shortly for the official counts from Flight 1A (around 9:00pm), and in the early morning hours for Flight 1B chip counts (around 4:00am).

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Three Tables Remain, Full Lineup Listed

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/400)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 27

The action has slowed down, with the stacks getting much deeper, as three tables now remain in the field. Listed below are the seating assignments for those tables:

Table 1:

1. Jacquelyn Scott
2. Karolis Sereika
3. Trent Smith
4. Jose Chapui
5. AJ Sosa
6. Alfonso Perez
7. Andreas Athanasopoulos
8. Luis Santoni
9. Steve Cardarelli

Table 2:

1. Josh Wasserman
2. Larry Krul
3. Bill Handwerker
4. Troy Parra
5. Craig Seeber
6. Jennifer Parker
7. Elliot Goldman
8. Erik Christensen
9. Paulius Bikus
10. David Dubin

Table 9:

1. Gaston Miculitzki
2. Ido Ashkenazi
3. Anthony Barbera
4. Robert Kuznietz
5. Michael Amato
6. Mark Kerness
7. Kenneth Bruno
8. Greg Spinder
9. Nick Baurichter
10. Steve Pollack

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Ashkenazi Finishes Strong Before Break, Official Numbers

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 133
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 33

Ido Ashkenazi (Queens, NY) won a seat into this event via the "package" satellite earlier in the week, and is now looking to earn yet another Event #15 seat (via the chip lead bonus).

Registration for Flight 1A of Event #7 ($360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD) is now closed, and the official numbers are in.  There were a total of (133) entries into the opening flight, equating to $40,565 going towards the overall prize pool.  There are still four active tables in the field, with Ido Ashkenazi (Queens, NY) leading the way.  With fifteen minutes left in Level 12, Ashkenazi was neck and neck with Steve Pollack, but he has since pulled away.

Ido Ashkenazi - 235,000
Steve Pollack - 140,000
Mark Kerness - 140,000
Paulius Bikus - 125,000
Luis Santoni - 110,000
Greg Spinder - 105,000
Alfonso Perez - 105,000
Jacquelyn Scott - 100,000

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Steve Pollack Promptly Wins Four-Way All-In

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 133

It took Steve Pollack (Sunrise, FL) most of the day to turn his 20,000 chip starting stack to 45,000...and then only minutes to spin that up to 154,000.

Even though registration is still open (until the break after this level), tables have been breaking over the last hour or so.  The most recent one to break was Table 6, with those players finding new homes, and new table mates.  Steve Pollack (Sunrise, FL) was moved to Table 2 with about 45,000 in chips, but now has over 150,000...after the first hand.  Pollack sat down to the table, and was all-in with K♥ K♦, against players holding A♦ K♠, A♠ J♦, and 10♠ 10♣.  The board would run out clean for Pollack, and he'd end up going from middle of the pack...to chip leader.  Ido Ashkenazi was the flight's leader before that hand, with the two players heading to the final break as co-favorites to bag the bonus.

Steve Pollack - 154,000
Ido Ashkenazi - 143,000

Players will be returning to Level 13 after the final break, with new blinds of 1,000/2,000/300.  Once the cards are back in the air, we will bring you the official numbers from the flight, along with updated chip counts from the field.

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): No Show From Spinder, After Ahmadi Folds To Check-Shove

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 131

Greg Spinder (Coral Springs, FL) used the good ol' check-shove successfully, chipping up to over 75,000 in the process.

Action at Table 5 was picked up on the flop, in a hand between Abbey Daniels, Greg Spinder, Andreas Athanasopoulos, and Nick Ahmadi.  After the K♥ 6♥ 5♦ flop, the three players would check to Ahmadi, who fired out a bet of 2,400.  Each player made the call, and would check to Ahmadi once again, after the 10♠ on the turn.  Nick then put out a bet of 10,500, and after Daniels laid her hand down, Greg Spinder would check-shove for 45,000.  

The shove would also get Andreas to release his hand, and Ahmadi would be left with a decision for the rest of his chips.  After giving some thought, and then counting down his stack, Nick tossed his hand towards the muck.  Spinder pushed his cards slowly towards the dealer, and collected the pot, worth close to 77,000.

Greg Spinder - 76,600

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Pearlman Triples Up, Hears About It Afterwards

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 131

Daniel Pearlman (Hollywood, FL) tripled-up at the expense of both Jeff Fogel and Michael Amato, but not without some needling from others at the table (all in a joking manner).

Table 6 was approached after a hand had concluded between Daniel Pearlman, Michael Amato, and Jeff Fogel.  The board of J♦ Q♣ 4♠ 2♠ 5♣ would still be out, along with the three player's hands, as Pearlman held the winner (J♣ 10♣).  Amatio's A♥ K♥ and Fogel's K♣ 9♣ were still face up, as the dealer worked out a side pot, but the action leading up to that point was unknown.

That was until Vincent Aloi threw a playful dig the way of Amato, reassuring that Michael knew he lost the hand.  "I tried to get them to fold," Amato said to Aloi, as the details of the hand began to unfold.  Jeffrey Fogel opened the pot for 3,500 from the cutoff, with Pearlman calling on the button, and Amato shoving out of the small blind.  Fogel made the call (having Amato covered), as did Pearlman, who happened to be the shortest of the three stacks (just over 14,000).  

Daniel ended up flopping the best of it, and managed to fade his opponents outs, ending up with close to 50,000 at the hand's conclusion.

Daniel Pearlman - 48,000
Jeff Fogel - 34,000
Michael Amato - 4,800

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Updated Chip Counts Post Break

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 128

Larry Klur (Pembroke Pines, FL) was cashing for six-figures, when many of these players in the field were still in middle school.  He's leading the way at the moment, and looks to bag chips on one attempt in this opening flight.

Since returning from break, the landscape of the leaderboard has changed, with initial chip leader Rafael Calero slipping from the top spot.  The players closest to the century mark is currently Larry Klur (Pembroke Pines, FL), a veteran of the game, with over $555,000 in lifetime earnings.  Larry's largest cashes came years ago, first finishing in fourth place during the $10,000 Foxwoods Poker Classic in 2006 ($292,264).  Klur's next six-figure score would come in 2013, when he finished tenth in the $5,300 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Main Event ($116,350).  He has continued to stay active in the tournament community, and currently leads the field with 93,000.

Larry Klur - 93,000
Rafael Calero - 85,000
Patrick Biancone - 77,000
AJ Sosa - 75,000
Jeffrey Silverstein - 70,000
Jacquelyn Scott - 65,000
Abbey Daniels - 63,000
James Salmon - 60,000

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Rafael Calero Heads To Second Break With Chip Lead

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 123

Rafael Calero (Deerfield Beach, FL) has experience besting a large field/multi-flight event, winning a $100 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD event here at the Isle Poker Room (in June of last year).

Players are about halfway through Level 8, and will head on the second break of the day at the level's conclusion.  This is the point where it's common for registration to close, but these opening flights of Event #7 have registration open until after Level 12 (approximately 5:30pm).  Rafael Calero (Deerfield Beach, FL) was the first player to eclipse the 100,000 mark in the field, and stands as the largest stack heading to break.

Calero has a tournament resume with it's first result coming last year, and continued to build with a very strong result following shortly thereafter.  His second ever recorded tournament cash was a win here at the Isle, when he headed a seven-way chop of the "June Monster Stack" event.  The $100 No Limit Hold'em event had a $100,000 prize pool, but eventually soared past that number.  The field would end up with 1,793 entries, equating to a $197,440 prize pool, and making his first place money worth $30,000.  Rafael has went on to record eleven more cashes, with his most recent Isle Poker cash coming earlier this year, during the 2017 Battles At The Beach.

Play will return from break in Level 9, with new blinds of 400/800/100 (32,000 chip average).  Once players are back in their seats, we will take a first look at updated chip counts from the field.

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Biancone From Worst To First, Climbs The Leaderboard

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/75)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 117

Patrick Biancone (Arcadia, CA) had no way to know he was holding the worst of three hands, but once he flopped the lead and the hands were tabled, he'd see his path from "worst to first"."

The afternoon isn't starting great for Luis Santoni, who just exited the field for the second time today, with his chips going to Patrick Biancone (Arcadia, CA).  Table 9 was approached with a player already all-in pre-flop, and Santoni and Biancone still active, with the three players looking at a flop of 10♦ 8♠ 7♣.  Biancone shoved for 9,775 after Luis checked, putting Santoni at a decision for his stack (players were within a few hundred chips of each other).

"Alright, I guess I call," Santoni said, waiting to see what he was up against.  Biancone table A♣ 10♥, having flopped top pair, and would be up against A♠ J♣ (Santoni) and A♦ Q♥ (all-in player).  Patrick was able to scoop the pot after the turn and river would come running-threes, chipping up to 65,000.  Biancone now has over triple the starting stack after out flopping both opponents, and is double the chip average (30,900).

Patrick Biancone - 65,000

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Stuart Newmark Doubles Starting Stack, Sends Hawkins To The Cage

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 112

Stuart Newmark (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) may have arrived late to the party, but he's now sitting well over average stack, after rivering Maurice Hawkins in a sizable pot.

Stuart Newmark (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) was one of the later arriving players in the field, but it didn't take long for him to introduce himself to his table mates.  In a multi-way raised pot, Newmark would lead for 5,000 on a flop of 8♠ 6♥ 5♣, into four players.  Maurice Hawkins was the next player to act, and after pausing his music and assessing the situation, he would drop his stack across his cards (all-in for just under the 20,000 starting stack).  

The players behind would release their hands, and with action back on Newmark, he'd collect his remaining chips and drop them across his cards as well.  Maurice quickly tabled J♥ J♣, and would be ahead of Newmark's 7♦ 8♦, having flopped top pair and an open-ended draw.  The turn brough the K, which strengthened Maurice's lead, but he wasn't able to fade the river (4♠).  Hawkins collected his things and went to re-enter, while Stuart chipped up to 44,000 with the pot.

Stuart Newmark - 44,000

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Final Table Reunion From Event #1

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 109

Andreas Athanasopoulos (Tamarac, FL) is one of four players in this Event #7 field, that was at the final table of Event #1, and ended up as part of the eight-way deal that ended the tournament.

As the field continues to grow larger, and players are finding themselves at new tables, we are seeing some interesting table lineups.  Table 5 currently hosts three players from the final table chop that ended Event #1 ($175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD).  Andreas Athanasopoulos, Abbey Daniels, and Luis Santoni were all part of the deal that ended the event, with Santoni earning third place money ($11,591), Athanasopoulos earning fourth place money ($10,459), and Daniels taking home sixth place money ($9,340).

Thomas Gari was also in this Event #7 field, but saw his first attempt at bagging cut short, and is currently an alternate.  Gari earned himself seventh place money in the deal, which was worth $8,405.  There are some other new names that were either just seated, or on a shirt wait for their alternate number to be called, including:

Daniel Pearlman
Jose Parra
Nichlolas Mahabee
Michael Amato
Vincent Aloi
Marcela Newmark 

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Title Two For The Series? Hawkins Takes His Seat In The Field

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 84

Maurice Hawkins (Plantation, FL) has one goal when he sits down in a tournament field...win.  Anything short of first place is a failure for this tournament veteran, who "called his shot" earlier this week in Event #4.

This "lunchtime hour" has seen a rush of late entries into the field, as another new table opens in the tournament area (Table 6).  One of those late arriving players was Maurice Hawkins (Plantation, FL), a well-known and well decorated tournament veteran, with over $2,913,000 in lifetime earnings.  Maurice added to those earnings as recent as this week, recording his 21st tournament win, taking down Event #4 of this series.  The $130 No Limit Hold'em ended in a five-way deal, and although Maurice didn't hold the largest chip stack, negotiations saw him walking away with the largest prize (therefore, making him the tournament's winner).  The win was Maurice's fifth Isle Poker title, and also helped his standing on the all-time money list (USA), moving up to 250th.  

Joining Hawkins in the "late-arriving rush," were names like:

Jeff Fogel
Ido Ashkenazi
Alik Sitnyakovsky
Paulius Bikus
Stanton Drazen
Nancy Birnbaum
Joshua Wasserman

These later arriving players won't be getting too comfortable just yet, as the first break of the day has them leaving the table at the end of this level.  After (10) minutes away, players will return to Level 5, and new blinds of 150/300/50.

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Switching Hats, Hillock Back In Tournament Mode

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150/25)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 73

Joshua Hillock's (Orlando, FL) primary focus is on cash games, but when there are "major" events in the South Florida area, he's most likely going to be in attendance.

This opening flight of Event #7 is on pace to eclipse the century mark, and is off to a very strong start.  The field is full of notables players to the Isle Poker Room, including everyone's "favorite runner-up," Joshua Hillock (Orlando, FL).  The runner-up reference is in regards to his last Isle Poker tournament score, in which he fell in heads-up play to Ian O'Hara, during the first installment of the $2,500 Single-Day Series.  The event attracted a total of (75) entries, and had a prize pool over $170,000...meaning Josh's second place finish was worth $31,050.

The result helped Hillock eclipse the $800,000 mark in lifetime earnings, which he continued to add to last week, finishing in 26th place during the $1,675 WSOP Circuit Main Event at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood ($8,041).  Hillock's lone tournament win came here at the Isle Poker Room in 2011, when we won the $2,200 NLH Six-Max event during the Florida State Poker Championships ($31,323).  He joins a group in this opening flight, all looking to add a "major" trophy win to their resume:

Tom Gity
Chien Chiu
Jennifer Parker
Eric Piderit
Alberto Niebla
Luis Santoni
John Magnetta

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Follow @PokerIslePP For Even More #IsleOpen (And Poker Room) Coverage

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 40

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.

For those that have already followed the poker room's Twitter account, the past eight days have been an introduction to what the handle will offer moving forward.  Announcements regarding the day's schedule, winners from events prior, "live look-ins" of current tournaments, save-the-dates, etc.  It's really a must follow for anyone that frequents this blog, as well as those that would like to be in the Isle Poker Room "know."

Isle Open Event 7 (Flight 1A): Second Isle Open "Major" Kicks Off Today, With Flight 1A At 11:00AM

2017 Isle Open | Event #7
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight 1A Entries: N/A

The second "major" event of the 2017 Isle Open begins today, as the first of pair Event #7 ($360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD) flights starts at 11:00am.  The tournament boasts the second largest guarantee on the championship schedule ($200,000), and also offers one of the more "generous" structures.  Players in the six opening flights sit down to starting stacks of 20,000 units, and play levels lasting (30) minutes (through Level 15).  The time will then transition to (40) minutes (Levels 16+), and stay that way through the conclusion of the tournament.  Registration is open through the first (12) levels of each flight, which is approximately 5:30pm.  The "chip leaders bonus" is back, as the players with the largest stack from each flight will earn a seat into (Event #15 | $1,100 No Limit Hold'em | $150,000 GTD).  Live blogged coverage also returns for the event, with each afternoon flight (Flight A, Flight C, and Flight E), and Day 2 getting the "live look-in."

This event during last year's Isle Open was a $350 buy-in event (Event #9), with a $300,000 guaranteed prize pool.  The tournament ended up attracting a total of 1,110 entries, and saw registration close with an official prize pool of $315,000.  The tournament finished in a heads-up chop between Andre Rakusa and Avery Bass, with the former being awarded the trophy, and first place money worth $60,181.

The tournament's supervisor will go over the rules with all of the players in the early Flight 1A field, with the cards getting in the air shortly thereafter.

Thursday, October 12th: Ageloff Heads Event #6 Chop, Second Isle Open "Major" Begins Today

ICYMI: Event #6 of the 2017 Isle Open was another "recurring" tournament (that we see on the monthly schedule) making it's way to the championship schedule, and once again...it was a great success.  The tournament's field would be comprised of (268) entries, and after the optional add-ons were factored in (post-registration), the official prize pool would close at $16,490.  When the payouts were posted, players would see (27) spots reaching the money, and a first place prize of $4,620.  With the "healthy" numbers up top, it's no surprise that the event ended in an eight-way chop, as everyone walked away with at least $1,104.  Brandon Ageloff (Coconut Creek, FL) was the tournament's "declared winner," continuing his breakout year, which now consists of over $180,000 in earnings.

1. Brandon Ageloff (Coconut Creek, FL) $2,255
2. Alfred Cotton (Cutler Bay, FL) $2,015
3. Daryl Cahuasqui-Vega (Hollywood, FL) $1,918
4. Ronald Sorci (Parkland, FL) $1,689
5. Steve Raeman (Pompano Beach, FL) $1,594
6. Donald Maloney (Glendale, AZ) $1,295
7. Tony Fitzpatrick (Miami Lakes, FL) $1,185
8. Nancy Nieto (Homestead, FL) $1,104
9. Yves Fequiere (Miami, FL) $297
10. Alexander Thomas (Gainesville, FL) $231

Tournaments: The second "major" event of the 2017 Isle Open begins today, as the first of pair Event #7 ($360 No Limit Hold'em | $200,000 GTD) flights starts at 11:00am.  The tournament boasts the second largest guarantee on the championship schedule ($200,000), and also offers one of the more "generous" structures.  Players in the six opening flights sit down to starting stacks of 20,000 units, and play levels lasting (30) minutes (through Level 15).  The time will then transition to (40) minutes (Levels 16+), and stay that way through the conclusion of the tournament.  Registration is open through the first (12) levels of each flight, which is approximately 5:30pm.  The "chip leaders bonus" is back, as the players with the largest stack from each flight will earn a seat into (Event #15 | $1,100 No Limit Hold'em | $150,000 GTD).  Live blogged coverage also returns for the event, with each afternoon flight (Flight A, Flight C, and Flight E), and Day 2 getting the "live look-in."

Promotions: From (9:00am-10:00am), the high hand 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 (Friday morning), players are eligible for $100 high hands every hour.

11:00am - 2017 Isle Open  Event #7 (Flight 1A): $360 No Limit Hold'em ($200,000 GTD) 

- Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (12) levels

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (30) minutes through Level 15, and will the transition to (40) minutes Level 16+

- All Day 1's will play (15) 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 #7 (Flight 1B): $360 No Limit Hold'em ($200,000 GTD)

- Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (12) levels

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (30) minutes through Level 15, and will the transition to (40) minutes Level 16+

- All Day 1's will play (15) 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)