Thursday, June 7, 2018

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Official End Of Flight 1C Chip Counts

$200 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 16 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 51
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 8

JamesHamburger214,500
DarlinQuezada Lagaras109,500
RodneyMoret-Rojas94,000
RudyMiret81,500
MatthewEvert74,500
BruceWarren64,000
BobMiller63,000
LeonardSt. Germain62,500

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Last Look At Updated Chip Counts, Two Levels Remain

$200 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 51
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 12


Play is about to enter Level 14, with blinds going up to 1,200/2,400/400, as two scheduled levels remain in the flight.  Updated chip counts of the remaining players are listed below, with official end of flight counts to follow the bagging process:

Table 1

  1. Andrew Thompson - 27,000
  2. Bob Miller - 78,000
  3. Bruce Warren - 85,000
  4. Leonard St. Germaine - 47,000
  5. Matt Ewert - 52,000
  6. Jim Bomar - 38,000
Table 3
  1. Juan Carlos - 90,000
  2. Rodney Moret-Rojas - 105,000
  3. James Hamburger - 120,000
  4. Rudy Miret - 49,000
  5. Quezada Baez - 88,000
  6. Iluta Strua - 9,000

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Remaining Field, As Flight 1C Players Head On Their Final Break

$200 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 51
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 14




Players are just past the midway point of Level 12, with the final scheduled break to occur at the conclusion of the level.  Those remaining will return to Level 13, and new blinds of 1,000/2,000/300, with a chip average of 55,000.  Here are the names of the remaining players in the field, along with the current seating assignments:

Table 1
  1. Andrew Thompson
  2. Bob Miller
  3. Bruce Warren
  4. Raymond Rickard
  5. Leonard St. Germaine
  6. Matt Ewert
  7. Jim Bomar
Table 3
  1. Juan Carlos
  2. Norman Costanza
  3. Rodney Moret-Rojas
  4. James Hamburger
  5. Rudy Miret
  6. Quezada Baez
  7. Iluta Sutra

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): The 10th Anniversary Of The Florida State Poker Championships Now Less Than A Month Away

$200 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 51
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 20


Posted below is the official schedule for the 2018 Florida State Poker Championship, which is the tenth anniversary of the prestigious series.  There are (17) primary events over the course of three weeks in July, including four "showcased" events, headed by the $1,500 No Limit Hold'em FSPC Main Event ($500,000 GTD).  The main event is one of the first "post-WSOP" majors, and has grown in popularity (and numbers) each and every year.  

Leading up to the main event, there are three other tournaments which carry six-figure guarantees, starting with Event #1.  The $175 No Limit Hold'em opening event has a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool, and eight opening flights for players to choose from.  Running from July 5th through July 9th, the event is sure to see one of the largest fields of the series.   Just a few days after Event #1's conclusion, Event #4 follows with the series' second six-figure guaranteed prize pool, as the $360 No Limit Hold'em event boasts a $200,000 guarantee.  With six flights running from July 12th through July 15th, the tournament will likely see the second largest prize pool of the series (behind the main event).  The third of four "showcased" events is Event #9, as the $1,100 No Limit Hold'em tournament offers yet another $200,000 guaranteed prize pool.  There are four opening flights that run from July 19th through July 22nd, with players returning on July 23rd for Day 2.

In between those events, there are thirteen other options for players to get their hands on a FSPC trophy, including four bounty events, an Omaha 8B Hi/Lo tournament, a Seniors Championship, and the addition of a six-max format.  

There is some excited news to follow in regards to the series, as both Scotty Nguyen and Vanessa Russo will be joining us for the FSPC $1,500 Main Event.  While they are in attendance, there will be a schedule meet and greet/autograph session (times and dates to be determined).  Structure sheets and satellite schedule will also be released in the upcoming weeks.

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Down To Two Tables, Updated Chip Counts From The Field

$200 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 51
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 20


Juan Carlos (Florida) is all smiles at Table 4, currently leading the group of twenty players that remain in the Flight 1C field.

With a player elimination just moments ago, the Flight 1C field is already down to two tables, with action scheduled to stop at the end of Level 16 (or if 6 players remain, whichever comes first).  With 765,000 total chips in play, it may be a while before we see stack sizes that of the chip leaders from Flight 1A and Flight 1B.  While Rodney Moret-Rojas still resides towards the top of the leaderboard, it is Juan Carlos grabbing the flight's chip lead:

Juan Carlos - 60,000 (60bb)
Bob Miller - 53,000 (53bb)
Andrew Thompson - 50,000 (50bb)
Rodney Moret-Rojas - 48,000 (48bb)
Josh Rittenberg - 42,000 (42bb)
James Hamburger - 38,000 (38bb)

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Registration For Flight 1C Closed, Players Remaining Looking To Find A Bag

$200 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 51
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 26



Registration for Flight 1C closed just a few minutes ago, and after a couple of players joined the action late, the field has closed with (51) entries.  The number from today, added with what we closed with yesterday, brings the overall total to (149) entries.  The total prize pool currently sits at $19,668, and while we are still a far from Saturday evening, the potential for an overlay in this event is a reality.  The weekend numbers are always strong in these events, so the discussion is likely premature.

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): A Shift In Focus, As We Take A Look At Tonight's (And Every Thursday In June) Full House Promotion

$175 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 48




For almost a year now, one of the most popular promotions in the poker room has been the "Early Bird Full House."  On Tuesday mornings, the first (25) full houses made in eligible cash games, earn up to $60.  There are no qualifiers...just win the hand with a full house, and get paid an amount determined by the game you are playing.  

Last month, we saw the introduction of the "Evening" Full House Promotion, which ran from 7:00pm to 10:00pm.  During that time period, the first (30) full houses earned anywhere up to $400.  There were different payouts for both type of game played, and ranking of full house...but the promotion was just as popular.  With the $1,000 high hands on Friday's in June, Thursday night hosts this "new" promotion, with the details pictured above.

Flight 1C players will be heading on their second break of the day at the end of this level, with registration closing after it's conclusion.  Once the first hand is dealt in Level 9, we will bring you the official numbers, from what is the third of eight starting flights.



$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Moret-Rojas Busts Boyadjian, Finds Himself In The Early Chip Lead

$175 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/75)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 45


Rodney Moret-Rojas (Troy, MI) was happy to see the flop checked-through, as he was able to turn a set, and win a nice sized pot.


Table 4 has been pretty talkative since play started, so it was no surprise that there was a little chatter during a multi-way pot moments ago.  Four players saw a flop of Q♣ J♠ 7, including the small blind, Joshua Wasserman (big blind), Rodney Moret-Rojas, and Georges Boyadjian.  After action checked around to Boyadjian, Joshua would say to him, "Don't do it...it's stupid," referring to putting out a wager.  

"You know what, it is stupid," Georges said aloud, before checking his option.  The 3 would fall on the turn, with action once again finding Boydjian, without any of his opponents betting.  He would then go all-in for just under 4,000, called only by Moret-Rojas.  When the cards were tabled, Boyadjian would be drawing dead, holding A♠ 7♣ against the 3♠ 3♣ of Moret-Rojas.  Rodney's turned set would be more than enough to win the pot, and help him chip up to 46,000.  Moret-Rojas finds himself in the chip lead, but action is still very early, and he'll need to continue that upward trend to stay in the top spot.

Rodney Moret-Rojas - 46,000 (92bb)

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): When It Comes To Multis At The Isle Poker Room, It's Michael Marks' World

$175 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 43


Michael Marks (North Lauderdale, FL) is very comfortable in this Isle Casino Poker Room multis, having won over $55,000 in these types of events since the year started.


Coming into 2018, Michael Marks' best year of tournament poker was 2013, when he cashed for over $24,200.  Just six months into this year, Marks has $56,956 in earnings, courtesy of multi-flight tournaments at the Isle Casino Poker Room.  Listed below, are Michael's results since the calendar year transitioned:


Marks had only one five-figure score leading up to this torrid run he's been on, coming back in 2013, during a WPT Regional event at Coconut Creek ($350 No Limit Hold'em $250,000 GTD).  The results he's experienced over the past few months have definitely come through in his play, which came through during his most recent tournament win ($200 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD).  The later stages of Day 2 weren't easy, as Michael had to grind an average stack for most of the day.  It wasn't until there were two tables left, that he caught some heat, and put himself in position to take first place in the chop that was agreed to.  Another deep run out of Marks would be no surprise, but he first needs to find himself a bag for Sunday's Day 2.

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Robert Johnson Looking To Return To Form, Arrives Just Before Break

$175 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/25 )
Total Flight 1C Entries: 35


Robert Jonsson (Deerfield Beach, FL) got a lot of "face time" on the blog this past January, bubbling the final table of the $250 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) multi that was run.

There was a small rush of notables to join the action during Level 4, looking to sit down to a comfortable stack, that was well over fifty big blinds.  One of those recognizable names was that of Robert Jonsson (Deerfield Beach, FL), who was last featured during January's $250 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) multi.  Robert and good friend Zack Fish both made deep runs in the event, with Fish finishing in 12th place ($2,625), and Jonsson departing next in 11th place ($2,625).

The recorded result would bring Jonsson's career tournament earnings to $31,204, a number that it's held steady at since that evening.  Like Engelberth Valera (who was featured earlier), Jonsson splits his time between tournament and cash, which is the likely reason behind his gap in cashes.  Also joining the field around the same time as Jonsson, were names like:

Rodney Moret-Rojas
Daniel Diamond
James Hamburger
Jeffery Hoch
Nader Bahhur

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Valera Putting In Some Tournament Time, Looking To Bag On First Attempt

$175 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 30


Engelberth Valera (Venezuela) put in some time at the 1/2 NLH tables this morning, but is now shifting his focus towards finding a Flight 1C bag.

Engelberth "Steve" Valera (Venezuela) is primarily a cash game player here in Florida, but his poker past is firmly rooted in tournaments, having seen a lot of success outside of the United States.  From August of 2010, to October of 2016, Valera recorded over $187,00 worth of cashes (with only one of those results coming on U.S. soil).  His tournament cashes were mostly from the LAPT (Latin America Poker Tour), in places like Peru, Punta Cana, Brazil, and Chile.  Valera's best career result came during August of 2011, when he final tabled the $2,500 NLH Main Event during a LAPT stop in Punta Del Este (3rd Place - $88,970).

Since arriving in Florida, Valera's tournament volume has decreased, as he spends most of the time at the cash tables.  After putting in a short session this morning, Engelberth is in the Flight 1C field, in hopes of recapturing some of that tournament magic.  Some other notables joining Valera in the field include:

Brenda Nelson
Robert Miller
Raymond Rickard
Francis Cruz
Daniel Watson
Juan Carlos

Players in the Flight 1C field are about to take their first break of the day, and will be returning to Level 5, with new blinds of 150/300/25).

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Save The Date, As CardPlayer Poker Tour Makes A Stop At The Isle Casino Pompano Park (August 16th-27th)

$175 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150/25)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 28



Followers of the Isle Casino Poker Room's blog are now the first to know, that the CardPlayer Poker Tour will be making a stop here in Pompano Beach at the end of August.  The series, which will run from August 16th-27th, will feature an $1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event ($250,000 GTD).  The schedule, which will be released in the coming weeks, will also have a $360 No Limit Hold'em opening event (with a six-figure guarantee attached).  More information, including the official schedule, will be available here on the blog, on the poker room's Twitter handle (@PokerIslePP), and on the casino's main website.

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Official Chip Counts (Flight 1A-Flight 1B)

$175 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 19



$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Second Pair Of Starting Flights Underway, As Players Arrive For Flight 1C

$175 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 8




Players are getting settled in their seats, as the second pair of starting flights for the $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) got the cards in the air moments ago.  Players in Flight 1C will try to join the (11) names that successfully bagged chips from yesterday's action.  Over the course of the tournament's first two flights, there were a total of (98) entries combined, with the overall chip leading stack belonging to Richard Wetter (Palm Beach Gardens, FL).  Wetter ended up with a bag that held 312,500, which was almost 100,000 more than his nearest Day 2 competitor (James Tomblin II with 235,000).

Flight 1C players will be sitting down to the same 15,000 unit starting stacks as those that came before them, playing levels that last (25) minutes over the course of the event.  Action is scheduled to play down to the conclusion of Level 16, but both of yesterday's flights stopped before that point (after reaching the 10% mark).  While that does not mean that today's flights will end early, it does mean that Day 2 will currently pick up action with 8:00 minutes remaining in Level 15.

A full list of Day 2 chip counts will be posted shortly, before we take a look at some of the names and faces in this Flight 1C field.

Thursday, June 7th: The Surge Of Entries Expected To Arrive Today, As $175 NLH $100,000 GTD Off To An "Intimate" Start

ICYMI: Yesterday was the beginning of the $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) multi, with the first pair of starting flights (of eight total).  Flight 1A started at 11:00am, and ended up with a field of (51) entries, after eight levels of open registration (and two breaks).  The action would finish short of the scheduled Level 16 stop time, as the field reached the 10% mark.  With six players remaining, Richard Wetter would be left with a massive chip lead, putting 312,500 in a bag for Sunday's Day 2.  The official counts from Flight 1A are listed below:

Richard Wetter - 312,500
Larry Bonetti - 117,500
Alan Saltzman - 114,000
Dan Blackburn - 83,500
Allan Bieler - 69,000
Neal Gersony - 65,000

Flight 1B got underway just a few minutes after the bagging process (for Flight 1A) concluded, and would end up with (47) entries at registration's close.  The tournament clock would end up being paused with just over eight minutes in Level 15, as the 10% mark was reached once again.  James Tomblin II would bag the chip lead, taking 235,000 to Day 2 this Sunday.  Official counts from Flight 1B are listed below:

James Tomblin II - 235,000
Sadly Hevia - 185,000
Charles Glover - 111,000
Eric Kessler - 98,000
Richard Zisser - 76,000

After two flights, the $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) has a total of (98) entries, with (11) players successfully bagging chips for Day 2.  The current prize pool sits at $12,936, with six flights remaining to get to the $100,000 posted number.  Action continues today, with two more flights on the schedule.

Tournaments: The second pair of starting flights get underway at 11:00am, as the tournament will reach it's halfway point at the conclusion of the 6:00pm flight.  Players will be sitting down to starting stacks of 15,000 units, and playing levels that last (25) minutes over the course of the tournament.  Registration is open through Level 8, and the break that follows, which equates to just under four hours for players to get in. Play is scheduled to conclude after Level 16, unless the field reach the 10% mark before that point.  Those players that successfully bag chips in each opening flight, will be returning to play on Sunday for Day 2 (12:00pm).


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 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).

From 7:00pm-10:00pm this evening, we will see the "evening" Full House Promotion:



11:00am - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1C

- Players start with 15,000 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

6:00pm - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1D

- Players start with 15,000 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

$175 NLH $100,000 GTD (Flight 1B): Official End Of Flight 1B Chip Counts

$200 No Limit Hold'em
$100,000 Guaranteed
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 47
Flight 1B Players Remaining: 5


JamesTomblin II235,000
SadanyHevia185,500
CharlesGlover111,000
EricKessler98,000
RichardZisser76,000