Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Day 2 Seating Assignments (By Chip Count)

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/400)
Total Entries: 184
Players Remaining: 51

First	Last	Chips	Table	Seat
Joe	Marchese B	526,700	13	6
Adam	Adler B	380,000	5	5
Stephen	Smith A	290,000	13	1
Farid	Jattin	203,500	5	8
Stephen	Song	193,500	4	9
Tony	Ruberto	192,500	2	3
Neil	Blumenfield A	180,900	5	2
Brandon	Ageloff	154,000	2	4
AJ	Gambino	152,800	3	9
Frank	Scala	149,700	1	5
Ryan	Dangelo	147,500	13	8
Kane	Lai	146,000	14	7
Josias	Santos	140,100	4	7
Steven	Rosen	136,800	14	1
Rafael	Reis	133,700	9	2
John	Pappas	121,700	5	7
Ian	Cohen	117,600	3	4
Timothy	Miles	116,600	1	8
Mark	Smith	112,200	1	1
Dolphus	Powers	108,700	9	8
Greg	Spinde	100,700	14	6
Melisa	Singh	100,100	4	8
Raj	Vohra	98,300	9	6
Matthew	Smith	96,200	9	1
Michael	Moreno	94,700	14	2
Tom	Gity	83,900	1	3
Howard	Hoffman	81,900	2	9
Vaime	Wiegrefe	80,000	3	1
Paul	Shafran	75,400	14	4
Ken	Bruno	75,400	14	9
Israel	de la Cerda	75,000	13	3
Douglas	Nelson	73,200	2	5
Shea	Smith	73,100	2	6
David F	Rubenstein	72,200	2	1
Skip	McDonough	69,000	5	9
Ory	Hen	67,100	3	6
Nagui	Yassa	65,000	2	7
Uri	Kadosh	55,500	13	4
Kevin	Chan	55,200	14	3
Erik	Christensen	53,800	4	4
Stephen	Caplan	47,000	2	2
Darryll	Fish	40,900	4	6
David T	Rubenstein	40,700	4	5
Charlemagne	Benjamin	40,000	14	5
Manny	Perez	31,400	13	9
Daniel	Cruz	30,000	1	7
Marc	Sacheli	28,500	3	5
Michael	Aron	20,800	9	4
Daniel	Genachte	20,100	13	2
Tracy	Scala	19,600	1	6

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Official End Of Flight 1B Chip Counts

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 122
Flight 1B Players Remaining: 33

Joe	Marchese	526,700
Adam	Adler	380,000
Farid	Jattin	203,500
Stephen	Song	193,500
Tony	Ruberto	192,500
Brandon	Ageloff	154,000
Ryan	Dangelo	147,500
Josias	Santos	140,100
Rafael	Reis	133,700
John	Pappas	121,700
Ian	Cohen	117,600
Mark	Smith	112,200
Greg	Spinde	100,700
Melisa	Singh	100,100
Raj	Vohra	98,300
Michael	Moreno	94,700
Tom	Gity	83,900
Ken	Bruno	75,400
Israel	de la Cerda	75,000
Douglas	Nelson	73,200
David F	Rubenstein	72,200
Ory	Hen	67,100
Nagui	Yassa	65,000
Kevin	Chan	55,200
Erik	Christensen	53,800
Stephen	Caplan	47,000
David T	Rubenstein	40,700
Charlemagne	Benjamin	40,000
Manny	Perez	31,400
Daniel	Cruz	30,000
Marc	Sacheli	28,500
Michael	Aron	20,800
Daniel	Genachte	20,100

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Entering Final Level Of Play, Looking For That Second Bonus Stack

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 114
Flight 1B Players Remaining: 40

The remaining (40) players in Flight 1B just entered Level 12, which will be the final level played for the day.  Joseph Marchese (Coral Springs, FL) still looks to have one of the chip lead bonus seats locked up, with a large group of players still in the running for the second.  This level will play down to the 10:00 minute mark, at which point the clock will be paused, and (3) hands will be played.  The tournament supervisors will then break out the bags, and those players still remaining will pack up for tomorrow's Day 2.  Official chip counts from Flight 1B will be posted once the bags are verified, with Day 2 seating assignments to follow that.

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Marchese Clear Favorite For One Bonus, Helps Reis Get Into Contention For The Other

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 115
Flight 1B Players Remaining: 49

Joseph Marchese (Coral Springs, FL) had over 375,000 just moments ago, which was close to double the count of his nearest competitor.  That number dropped significantly during his last hand played, but he still sits as the flight's overwhelming chip leader (with two levels to play).  The referenced hand was against Rafael Reis, with Marchese calling a check-raise from Rafael on the turn, with a board reading K♠ 8♦ 6♠ J♣.  After the board paired on the river with the 8♠, Marchese bet 40,000, which stood for about 90% of Rafael's stack.  After asking for an exact count, Reis announced that he was all-in, leaving less than 20,000 for Marchese to call.

Joseph tossed his hand in the much before the dealer could count down the difference, mucking what seemed to be an unsuccessful bluff.  Marchese was still left with 300,000 after losing the sizable pot, but he helped Rafael Reis get into chip lead bonus contention, as he now sits with 165,000.

Joseph Marchese - 305,000 (190bb)
Rafael Reis - 165,000 (103bb)

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Feeling Like Groundhog Day For Danny Shiff

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 114
Flight 1B Players Remaining: 52

Brandon Ageloff (Coconut Creek, FL) may have misclicked pre-flop, but players at the table seem to agree that the chips would have got in regardless of what happened.

It's been a "different day...same story" situation for Danny Shiff, who has watched his early chip lead diminish as the day played on.  Shiff and Brandon Ageloff would get it all-in pre-flop, with Danny having Brandon covered by just over 15,000 chips.  Ageloff held a strong lead with K♠ K♥ against Shiff's Q♠ Q♣, with the K♦ K♣ 10♦ flop leaving Danny drawing dead.  The double-up would bring Brandon to over 90,000, while Shiff dropped down to 15,300.

Brandon Ageloff - 93,000 (77bb)

Danny Shiff - 15,300 (12bb)

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Updated Chip Counts Before Flight's Final Break

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 110

Farid Jattin (Miami, FL) already won a single-hand flip for a seat into this event, but it looks like he won't have to use that "backup plan," as he sits with over 150,000.

Players are going to be heading on their final break at the end of this level, and will be returning to Level 10, and new blinds of 600/1,200/200 (61,600 chip average).  The pace of player entry has slowed down from earlier, with it looking more and more like a potential overlay for this event.  With Day 2 registration still on the table, we should see a group that joins the action tomorrow...but the likelihood of that number creeping into the twenties or thirties is very slim.  Satellite winner Joseph Marchese leads the field heading into break, with some new names climbing the leaderboard.

Joseph Marchese - 190,000

Farid Jattin - 155,000

Steven Song - 150,000

Peter Fellows - 145,000

Adam Adler - 135,000

Rafael Reis - 135,000

Erik Christensen - 125,000

Josias Santos - 120,000

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Fellows Doubles Through Richard Kirsch, Vaults To The Top Of The Leaderboard

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 108

Peter Fellows (Pembroke Pines, FL) is yet another satellite player in the field seeing success, winning the largest pot of the flight to assume one of the top spots on the leaderboard.

Richard Kirsch was one of the chip leaders in the Flight 1B field, and looked to gain some real separation moments ago...if it wasn't for an unfortunate runout.  On a flop of K♥ 6♦ 3♣, Richard would check to Peter Fellows, who put out a bet of 7,000.  Kirsch then check-raised to 25,000, with Fellows three-bet shoving for 67,900.  Kirsch immediately made the call, with his 6♠ 3♠ ahead of the Peter's 10♠ 10♦.  The turn (2♥) and river (2♠) would bring running deuces, counterfeiting Richard's two-pair, and helping Fellows more than double to 150,000.

Peter Fellows - 152,000
Richard Kirsch - 52,000

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Spinder Finds A Fortunate River, Doubles Through Sacheli

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 105

Gregory Spinder (Coral Springs, FL) was behind when the cards were turned up, but ended up stealing his all-in hand on the river.

Passing Table 5, there was a hand unfolding between Gregory Spinder, Josias Santos, and Marc Sacheli.  The three players were on the flop, which read A♠ 9♣ 7♣, with Sacheli leading out for 2,000.  Santos would make the call, and with action on Spinder, he would go all-in for his remaining 13,300.  Marc Sacheli took a solid minute or two before making the call, with Santos quickly releasing his hand behind.

When the hands were tabled, it would be the A♦ 10♣ of Spinder, against the 9♠ 7♥ of Sacheli.  Even though Sacheli was ahead, he needed to fade a handful of runouts to hold up.  His lead would strengthen (slightly) after the 3♣ on the turn, but the 10♥ on the river would give the pot to Spinder.  Gregory is now back up to the starting stack, which is a healthy fifty big blinds at the moment.

Gregory Spinder - 31,200

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Updated Chip Counts Before Second Break

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/75)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 94

Joseph Marchese (Coral Springs, FL) was one of the twelve players to earn a seat from last night's satellite, and is now seeing some success in the flight.

Players are about to reach the midway point of Flight 1B, with registration still open for close to five hours.  At the end of this level, those active in the field will head on a (10) minute break, returning to Level 7, and new blinds of 300/600/100.  The field is still over (50) entries away from reaching the guarantee, so the discussions of a potential overlay are still a real thing.  We will not know if the posted number will be reached until 12:01pm tomorrow afternoon, as players can still enter before the first card is pitched for Day 2.  

Danny Shiff (Miami, FL) was one of the early chip leaders from yesterday's flight, but ended up falling short of bagging.  He's off to a smilier star this afternoon as well sitting with over 145,000 in front of him...one of the only players to have eclipsed the century mark.  Updated counts from the field are posted below, tallied during the middle of Level 6:

Danny Shiff - 148,000

Rafael Reis - 86,000

Joe Marchese - 85,000

Melisa Singh - 83,000

James Wang - 77,000

Tony Ruberto - 75,000

Ian Cohen - 70,000

Charlemagne Benjamin - 70,000

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Adler Triples Up, After He Fades "The Other Flush Draw"

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 82

Adam Adler (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) seemed to think he was on his way to the cage to re-enter, but ended up tripling up to over 60,000.

Table 10 was approached in the middle of a hand between Adam Adler, Peter Fellows, and Jose Parra.  The three players were on the turn of a board reading K♥ Q♥ 10♦ 8♦, with Fellows betting out 5,000, and Parra making the call.  Adam Adler would then shove for 17,500, with Fellows casually asking for an exact count, as he ate some food ordered during break.  Once finding out the total, Fellows would make the call, with Jose Parra following suit.  The action would go check-check after the 3♦ fell on the river, completing any potential backdoor diamond draws.

The two active players were hesitant to show there hands, with Adler standing and tabling A♠ K♦.  His top pair was good to take down the pot, as both players held "the other flush draw" (Fellows had A♥ 5♥, while Parra held 2♥ 4♥).  Adler would triple-up to over 60,000, and now saves himself a trip to re-enter the flight.

Adam Adelr - 63,000 (157bb)

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Late Arriving Crowd Showing Up A Little Earlier Than Normal

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 74

Sean Shah's (Delray Beach, FL) most recent Isle Poker tournament cash came back in May, when he went deep in a $130 No Limit Hold'em event on the recurring tournament schedule.  He spent a handful of months traveling around the circuit, but has returned to Florida, just in time for the end of the Rock N' Roll Poker Open...and beginning of this Isle Classic series.

The starting flights for past Isle Poker Room major series all began at 12:00pm, so many of the players have that time ingrained in the internal clock.  The 2:00pm-4:00pm period is usually when the late arriving crowd begins to file in, but we've seen an earlier rush with the 11:00am start time this afternoon.  Sean Shah (Delray Beach, FL) was one of the most recent entries into the field, returning to the Isle Poker Room for the first time since before the summer.  After spending a good amount of time in Las Vegas for the WSOP, Shah continued his travels, hitting up different spots across the East Coast.  Recently, Sean has reached a final table during the WSOP Circuit at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood, and had a trio of cashes during the Rock N' Roll Poker Open (also Seminole Hard Rock).  

Listed below are a few other names to join Sean in the "fashionably late" crowd:

Phil Hui

Steve McKoy

Richard Kirsch

Ryan D'Angelo 

Michael Marx

Steven Song

Adam Adler

Elliot Zaydman

David Inselberg

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Satellite Winners From Yesterday Evening

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 58

Andre Rakusa (Coral Gables, FL) has over $125,000 in live tournament earnings, a majority of which came from his Isle Open Event #9 ($360 No Limit Hold'em) win last year ($60,181).

Last night's $175 No Limit Hold'em Satellite Into Event #1 attracted a field of (129), and a prize pool that eclipsed the (10) guaranteed seats posted on the event ($19,350).  There were (12) seats awarded from the satellite, along with a thirteenth place spot that paid $1,350 in cash.  Listed below are the results from the satellite:

1. Stephen Caplan (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
2. Michael Marrero (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
3. Michael Marks (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
4. David Rubenstein (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
5. Matthew Yorra (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
6. Peter Fellows (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
7. Gregory Spinder (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
8. Andre Rakusa (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
9. David F. Rubenstein (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
10. Russell Williams (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
11. Joseph Marchese (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
12. Pasquale Caiazza (Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 Seat)
13. Ayca Erakbas ($1,350 Cash)

Players will be heading on their first break at the end of this level, and will be returning to Level 4, with new blinds of 150/300/50.

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): From The Rail To The Felt, Benjamin's Back In Action

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 2 (Blinds 75/150/25)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 37

Otherwise known as "the best name in the game," Charlemagne Benjamin (Miami Gardens, FL) is already seated in the Flight 1B field, after missing the $2,500 Single-Day to be on the rail for friend Michael Newman.

Charlemagne Benjamin (Miami Gardens, FL) rarely goes without missing the premier events in the South Florida area, but he had a great reason for passing on Wednesday's $340 No Limit Hold'em Package Satellite...and the following day's $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Day ($100,000 GTD).  Benjamin was on the rail for good friend Michael Newman's final table run in the $3,500 No Limit Hold'em Rock N' Roll Poker Open.  Newman, who is also a regular in at the Isle Poker Room, ended up winning the tournament, taking home a career highlighting score of $374,240.

"I have to be on the rail...I'm his good luck," Benjamin said, when asked why he was going to miss two of the highlighting events of the month (November).  Clearly that was a statement of truth, as Benjamin could be seen celebrating front row, the moment Newman won the tournament (pictured on the Hard Rock's live updates blog).  

Charlemagne now has some business of his own to take care of, as he tries to put himself in position to win his first ever Isle Poker major title.  Outside of Benjamin, some other notables in this early Flight 1B field include:

Tom Gity

Kenneth Bruno

Frederico Dabus

Nagui Yassa

Melisa Singh

Noel Fatherly

Ian Cohen

Francklin Michel

Ory Hen

Isle Classic Event #1 (Flight 1B): Action Underway For Final Starting Flight Of Event #1

2017 Isle Classic | Event #1
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD)
Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 28

The second of two starting Event #1 flights began just fifteen minutes ago, with the field already ahead of the pace from yesterday.

Four tables are active in the tournament area, and action has already begun for Flight 1B of Event #1 (Isle Classic $1,500 No Limit Hold'em $300,000 GTD).  The $175 No Limit Hold'em Turbo Satellite is wrapping up registration shortly, with (3) seats guaranteed from that tournament.  The structure for today's action is the same as yesterday, with players sitting down to starting stacks of 30,000 units, and playing (40) minute levels over the course of this opening flight (Levels 1-12).  The level lengths will transition for Level 13+ (as well as the final table), but that's something we will focus on for Day 2 (tomorrow afternoon).

Registration for this flight is open until the bagging process begins, and will stay open until the first cards are pitched tomorrow at 12:00pm (Day 2).  The field is currently a mix of tournament notables, satellite winners, and players that were unsuccessful in bagging yesterday.  We will take our first look at the field momentarily, as the players continue to file in at a steady pace.

Saturday, December 2nd: Action Starts Early, As Saturday Is All About The Isle Classic Main

ICYMI: Yesterday's tournament schedule hosted the opening flight of the 2017 Isle Classic $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event ($300,000), which is Event #1 of the series.  After twelve full levels of play, the bagging process would begin, with (18) players packing chips up for tomorrow's Day 2 (from a total of 62 entries).  Stephen Smith (Juno Beach, FL) ran away with the Flight 1A chip lead (290,000), earning the first of two chip lead bonus seats (into Event #16).  The second bonus seat wasn't decided until one of the final hands of the flight.  Neil Blumenfield (San Francisco, CA) doubled through Tracy Scala to chip up to 180,900, and grab that second bonus seat.  Other notables to bag in the flight included AJ Gambino (152,800), Kane Lai (146,000), Matt Smith (96,200), and Darryl Fish (40,900).  A full list of Flight 1A chip counts can be found by clicking here.

The (62) entries in Flight 1A equate to $83,700 towards the overall prize pool, which is guaranteed at $300,000.  Today's Flight 1B is the final starting flight of the tournament, with (161) total entries need to reach the guaranteed number.

Tournaments: Today's schedule sees the second flight of the Isle Classic Event #1 $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event ($300,000 GTD).  Action begins at 11:00am, and sees the bagging process begin just after 7:30pm.  The tournament is structured with starting stacks of 30,000 units, and levels that transition throughout the event.  The opening flights have levels that are (40) minutes, transitioning to (50) minutes on Day 2, and then (60) minutes once the final table is reached.  Registration is open through each starting flight, also to include Sunday afternoon, before the first cards are pitched for Day 2.

For those that would like the opportunity to get into this opening event for a fraction of the price, a $175 No Limit Hold'em "Turbo"  Satellite Into Isle Classic Event #1 begins at 10:00am, and guarantees (3) seats.  The satellite is structured with starting stacks of 10,000 units, and levels that last (15) minutes over the course of the evening.

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 (Isle Open events not eligible for high hand) 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-9:00am, players are eligible for $100 high hands every hour.

It should also be noted that starting November 1st, players are able to win the high hand using only one card in their hand!!!  The payouts for those that use one card are different than the standard numbers listed above, and can be found (full listing of one-card payouts on flyers in the poker room).

10:00am - 2017 Isle Open (Secondary Schedule): $170 No Limit Hold'em "Turbo" Satellite Into Event #21 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em | $500,000 GTD) | 3 Seats Guaranteed

- Players start with 10,000 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 (15) minutes throughout the event

11:00am - 2017 Isle Classic Event #1 (Day 1B) | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Isle Classic Main Event | $300,000 GTD

- Players start with 30,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (12) levels, to include before the first card on Day 2

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (40) minutes (Levels 1-12), transitioning to (50) minutes Levels 13+, and once again to (60) minutes once the final table is reached