Saturday, July 7, 2018

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Marcin Plewinski Bags Flight 1E Chip Lead, Official Chip Counts

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/5,000)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 132
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 18


Marcin Plewinksi (Coconut Creek, FL) bagged the Flight 1E chip lead with 408,500, and will now be a participant in Event #9 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em).

Marcin Plewinksi - 408,500
Michael Marks - 386,500
Edgar Ostgor - 266,000
Terry Siele - 226,000
Eric Brewster - 195,000
Richard Wetter - 160,500
Gustavo Perla - 129,000
Joaquin Sosa - 123,500
Frank Traino - 120,500
German Zaga - 112,000
Alan Dobrow - 110,000
Eric Riley - 108,500
Jose Silva - 101,000
David Nowling - 88,500
Carol Saxton - 79,500
David Beyer - 53,500
Jeffrey McGee - 51,000
Alan Leon - 51,500



FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Entering Final Level Of Play, Race Too Close To Call

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/5,000)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 132
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 20


Level 16 just started a few moments ago, with play spread across two tournament tables.  The flight is scheduled to end at the conclusion of this level, but if the field reaches (14) players before then, it will stop at that moment.  Edgar Rojas still leads the field with 250,000, but has Michael Marks right on his heels, along with a few other names.  The player to win the chip lead bonus, as well as official counts from Flight 1E, will be posted right after it's conclusion.

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): No Surprise...Michael Marks Doing Well In A Multi

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/4,000)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 132
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 21

Michael Marks (N. Lauderdale, FL) seemed to have a permanent spot at the final table in multis (earlier this year), and hopes to grab another five-figure score this Monday.

In what's been a pretty rare feat, Edgar Rojas has managed to stay atop the leaderboard, even with a group of players trying to chase him down.  One of those players that has their eye on the chip lead bonus as well, is none other than Michael Marks (N. Lauderdale, FL).  Marks already has three five-figure scores in Isle Poker multis this year, and is in prime position to make yet another deep run.

Michael Marks - 220,000 (54bb)

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Players Remaining In The Field, Updated Seating Assignments

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 14 (Blinds 2,000/3,000/3,000)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 137
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 28


Table 1
  1. Gregory Spinder
  2. Edgar Rojas
  3. Jeff McGee
  4. Carol Saxton
  5. Jaquim Sosa
  6. Eric Brewster
  7. Eric Riley
  8. Gustavo Perla
  9. Terry Siele
Table 3
  1. Harry Freedman
  2. Michael Marks
  3. Alan Dubrow
  4. Sabas Ferrer
  5. Jose Ordonez
  6. Miguel Munoz
  7. Frank Traino
  8. David Nowling
  9. German Zaga
Table 9
  1. Richard Wetter
  2. Jose Silva
  3. Joelle Guarino
  4. David Beyer
  5. Corey Zeidman
  6. Marcin Plewisnki
  7. Richard Eichner
  8. Dominic Spadavecchia
  9. Alan Leon
  10. Alan Bieler

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Second Look At Updated Chip Counts From The Field

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 13 (Blinds 1,500/2,500/2,500)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 137
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 36



The cards are now back in the air, with four scheduled levels of play remaining in Flight 1E.  Listed below, are the top six chips stacks returning from break:

Edgar Rojas - 268,000 (107bb)
Alan Leon - 170,000 (68bb)
Terry Siele - 170,000 (68bb)
David Nowling - 165,000 (66bb)
Eric Brewster - 165,000 (66bb)
Alan Dobrow - 140,000 (56bb)



FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Rojas Still Holding Strong, But He's Got Some Competition

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/2,000)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 137
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 44


Alan Leon (Miami Springs, FL) has flown under the radar for most of the day, but now finds himself amongst the larger stacks remaining in the field.  

As players head to their final break of the day, Edgar Rojas still sits atop the leaderboard, but his competition is catching up.  Alan Leon (Miami Springs, FL) is just one sizable pot away from grabbing the overall lead, as are a handful of other players.  Alan has over $17,000 in career tournament earnings, but is still looking for his first Isle Poker cash.  Once play resumes in Level 13, we will bring you a second look at updated chip counts from the field.

Alan Leon - 125,000 (62bb)

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Frank Traino Over 100,000, Thanks In Part To Same Opponent

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/1,600)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 137
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 53


Frank Traino (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) jumped into the top five of the Flight 1E chip counts, thanks to two hands versus the same player.

Frank Traino (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) vaulted up the leaderboard during Level 10, thanks to two hands against the same player.  Traino first put A. Nonymous in the cage, as he check-raised a 5,100 flop bet (to 25,000), on a board of A♠ 2 10♠.  A. Nonymous was in the tank for a good two minutes, before deciding to call the raise.  After the Q♠ came on the turn, Traino announced he was all-in, which covered his opponents stack.  Once again in the tank, A. Nonymous would eventually fold his hand, leaving himself with just over fifteen big blinds.

The remaining stack of A. Nonymous would end up in front of Traino just a few hands later, as he flopped trips, against the unknown player's top pair.  Frank would end up with over 120,000 after the set of hands were over, giving him a top five stack.

Frank Traino - 123,000 (76bb)


FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): First Look At Updated Chip Counts From The Field

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/1,200)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 137
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 59

Edgar Rojas would have to be the runaway favorite (at the moment) to win the chip lead bonus, sitting with 80,000 more than his nearest competitor.

Thanks to a massive pot won during Level 9, Edgar Ostro Rojas now leads the Flight 1E field, sitting with just over 190,000.  Rojas had pocket queens on a jack-high flop, with all of the chips getting in at that point, for a pot worth close to 150,000.  His hand ended up holding, and he'd find himself the chip leader at the point we update the counts for the first time today:

Edgar Rojas - 192,000 (160bb)
Alan Dobrow - 110,000 (91bb)
Herbert Nairn - 77,000 (64bb)
Jose Silvas - 75,000 (62bb)
Alan Bieler - 70,000 (58bb)
Gregory Spinder - 65,000 (54bb)

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Registration Closes With (137) Entries, Prize Pool Grows Larger

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/1,000)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 137
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 70



The cards are back in the air for Level 9, with registration for Flight 1E now officially closed.  The fifth (of eight) Event #1 flight ended up with (137) entries, which is the largest of the flight's to have been played to this point.  The combined numbers now see Event #1 grow to (599) entries, with an official prize pool of $80,865.  Like we mentioned this morning, the guarantee will be surpassed during this evening's flight (6:00pm), with tomorrow's action just padding the numbers.


FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): As Registration Closes, Alan Dobrow Is The One To Beat

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/800)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 129

Alan Dobrow (Melville, NY) has made a habit of doing well in recurring events here at the Isle Poker Room, and would love to add a sizable score in one of these multis to his resume.

Players will be heading on their second break of the day at the end of this level, and when play resumes in Level 9, the registration window for Flight 1E will be closed.  Alan Dobrow (Melville, NY), who is a two-time Isle Poker trophy winner, leads the field at thew midway point of Level 8.  His 140,000 chip stack is rivaled only by Richard Wetter, who is currently sitting in a distant second. Dobrow has won titles during the 2015 Isle Classic (Event #10), and 2016 Isle Open (Event #8), which were both "smaller" buy-in events.  A deep run in this tournament would be a career highlight for Dobrow, who has $65,000 in career earnings (mostly coming from recurring events).

Alan Dobrow - 145,000 (181bb)

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Herbert Nairn Wins A Big Flip, Finds Himself Atop The Counts

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/600)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 121

Herbert Nairn (Nassau, Bahamas) has been pretty active this afternoon, coming out on the better side of some critical hands, including the most recent versus Craig Witz.

The action leading up to the point we approached Table 4 is unknown, but as we walked up, Craig Witz and Herbert Nairn would both have their stacks in the middle (pre-flop).  Both had above average stacks, with Nairn just covering Witz, and putting him at risk.  The cards were then tabled, with the two hands holding basically even equity heading to the runout:

Witz: 3♠ 3
Nairn: J 10

Runout: J♠ 9♠ 9♣ 2 A♣

Nairn would grab a commanding lead on the flop, which wouldn't be relinquished through the runout.  The dealer began to count down the stacks, but it was just a formality, and Witz knew he held the lesser of the totals.

Herbert Nairn - 74,000 (123bb)

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Tweeting Her Arrival, It's What Willis Is Talking About

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 300/500/500)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 100


The fashionably late players continued to arrive through break, as the Flight 1E field eclipses the century mark.  One of those arrivals was spotted on Twitter, which could quite possibly be the easiest way to make the blog.  Players can Tweet about their arrival, chip counts, hand histories...and as long as @PokerIslePP is tagged, it's likely to make the blog (or at least get noticed by the blogger).

Dolline Willis (Plantation, FL) was already known by the blogger, and likely most of the blog followers, after her deep run in May's $200 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD).  Dolline reached the tournament's final table, eventually getting second place money in a six-way chop.  The $16,140 she earned is her largest career cash, the last result on her resume.  Willis hopes to change that on Monday, but needs to bag chips, before she can think about a deep Day 2 run.  Other late arrivals to Flight 1E include:

Jason Atherley
Noel Atherley
David Miller
Jeffrey Silverstein
Michael Marks

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Kaiser Looking To Record First Isle Poker Room Cash

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 4 (Blinds 200/300/300)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 83

Melissa Kaiser (Aventura, FL) has yet to record a tournament cash here at the Isle Poker Room, but it looking to change things this weekend.

There are a lot of new faces in the crowd this afternoon, which is always an occurrence during the four major series run throughout the year, as players recognize the great value in the schedule.  Melissa Kaiser (Aventura, FL) enters today's flight looking to bag up chips for Day 2, and record her first ever cash in this poker room.  To this point, all but one of her results came from Seminole Hard Rock, with the lone non-Hard Rock cash coming during the WSOP Circuit Ladies Event at Palm Beach Kennel Club (4th place for $670).  Kaiser has $6,390 in career earnings, with four of her last five recorded results being final table finishes.

Some other names in the Flight 1E field that are new to the blog include:

Morris Husarsky
Luis Bastidas
Jerrold Jacobs
Jill Fiorentino
Jeffrey McGee
Lawrence Mage

Players will be taking their first break of the day at the end of this level, returning to Level 5, and new blinds of 300/500/500.

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): As The Main Event Reaches Day 3, We Have One WSOP Bracelet Winner In The Field

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/200)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 70

Corey Zeidman (Coral Springs, FL) doesn't frequent many no limit hold'em tournaments these days, with his focus primarily on high limit mixed games.

While the poker world has their eyes on the WSOP $10,000 Main Event, our focus is on Flight 1E of Event #1, which is off to another strong start.  The numbers are already well ahead of the prior pair of afternoon flights, with over (70) entries heading into Level 3.  One of those entries is WSOP bracelet winner Corey Zeidman (Coral Springs, FL), who takes his seat in an event here for the first time in a while.  Corey won his bracelet in 2012, besting (622) players in the $1,500 Stud 8B (Hi/Lo) event, and earning $201,559.  Zeidman's official earnings are just over $653,000, with his most recent tournament cash coming in August of last year.

Some other notables in the Flight 1E field include:

Linda Lipkins
Steve Lipkins
Richard Wetter
Alan Dobrow
Eric Brewster
Craig Witz
Marc Sacheli

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): Official Chip Counts (Flight 1A-Flight 1D)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 2 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 


FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1E): "Saturday At Pompano Park, The Weekend After Fourth Of July"

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 1 (Blinds 100/100)
Total Flight 1E Entries: N/A


Event #1 of the 2018 Florida State Poker Championship continues to grow larger, with another successful day of play yesterday.  In addition to the (244) entries from the first pair of starting flights, we saw (218) total from Friday's duo.  The overall total now sits at (462), with the combined prize pool growing to $62,370.  

Today's third pair of starting flights begin in just a few moments, as action will be underway for Flight 1E.  The official chip counts for the completed flights to this point will be posted shortly, followed by our first look at some of the notables in the field.

Saturday, July 7th: Live From Pompano Park...It's Saturday Flights Live

ICYMI: The success of Event #1 (2018 Florida State Poker Championship) continued yesterday, with the second pair of starting flights on the schedule.  After the opening day of play saw a total of (244) entries over two flights, yesterday's numbers grew to (218), with (23) players successfully bagging chips for Monday's Day 2.  

Flight 1C had a total of (102) entries, and saw action end with eight minutes left in Level 15, as the 10% mark was reached.  The biggest beneficiary of the early ending was Steve Legault (Naples, FL), who would be awarded the chip lead bonus.  Legault bagged 370,500, besting Vito Polera (342,000) by a smile margin, thanks to the final hand of the flight (where Legault eliminated a short-stacked Paul Shafran).   

The race for the chip lead bonus wasn't as competitive for Flight 1D, as Jason Prest bested the (12) players that bagged chips (from a total of 116) entries.  The flight also ended prematurely, with just over a minute remaining in Level 15.  Jason bagged an impressive 403,000 for Day 2, which is currently leading the overall Day 2 field.  Luke Rosenberg was second in chips from the flight (272,500), with Eric Von Guttenberg rounding out the top three (267,500).

After two days of play (and four opening flights), there have been a total of (462) entries to this point, which equates to a $62,370 prize pool.  There are four more scheduled flights, including a pair today, beginning at 11:00am and 6:00pm.

Tournaments: Today's schedule hosts the third pair of opening flights for Event #1 (of the 2018 Florida State Poker Championship), which is a $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD).  There will be four more starting flights over the next two days (Saturday and Sunday), with players that bagged chips returning on Monday, for Day 2 action.  Each of the flights have the same structure, with players sitting down to starting stacks of 20,000 units, and levels during the tournament that last (25) minutes.  Registration for each flight is open through Level 8 (and the break that follows, allowing almost four hours for players to join the action.  The "chip lead bonus" is back, as each of the flight's chip leaders will earn a seat into Event #9, which is an $1,100 No Limit Hold'em ($200,000 GTD).

Each of the afternoon flights will have live blogged coverage, kicking off at 11:00am, and offering updates through each of the flight's bagging process.  Evening flights will have official counts posted at their conclusion, with follower's getting wall-to-wall coverage during Monday's Day 2.

Promotions: From (9:00am-10:00am), the high hand will award $150 every (30) minutes.  The high hands will then transition from 10:00am-6:00pm, 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.  

Then, from 6:00pm-12:00am, players can win up to $1,500 every (30) minutes.  If the high hand is made on the flop, and then qualifies as the winning hand for the half hour, the player will be awarded $1,500 (no limit Hold'em games only).  If the hand is flopped in a limit Hold'em game or tournament, and it holds up for the thirty minute period, they will be awarded $750.

Following that promotion, from 12:00am-9:00am, eligible high hands will be awarded $100 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).

11:00am - 2018 Florida State Poker Championship 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
- Levels will last (25) minutes
- All Day 1's will play (16) complete levels or until 10% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

6:00pm - 2018 Florida State Poker Championship #1 (Flight 1F) | $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
- Levels will last (25) minutes
- All Day 1's will play (16) complete levels or until 10% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1D): Official Flight 1D Chip Counts, Jason Prest Bags The Bonus

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #1 | $175 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/4,000)
Total Flight 1D Entries: 116
Flight 1D Players Remaining: 12

JasonPrest 403,000
LukeRosenberg272,500
EricVon Guttenberg267,500
NaguiYassa242,000
DavidCoughlin240,000
JeffMorford217,000
RodneyMoret164,000
KenBruno150,500
DanBlackburn119,000
ShawnVrenna117,000
JerryCavicchi68,000
ChrystianSantos65,500