Event 1 (Flight B): Second Flight Says Goodnight

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Flight B Entries: 53
Flight B Players Remaining: 8

There are now two flights finished for Event 1 of this Isle Casino Poker Open, and everyone is still looking up at Rafael Reis (Brazil), who bagged 555,000.  Featured earlier on the blog, Marty Robbins ended up bagging the chip lead for Flight B, almost a full 200,000 behind Reis from Flight A.  Joining Martin with a free entry into Event 5 of this series are John Friedkes and Larry Douglas Sr.

Martin Robbins *	342,500
John Freidkes *	260,000
Larry Douglas Sr. *	208,500
John Valevich	199,000
Joel Deutsch	94,000
Sebastian Sanchez	91,500
Gregg Weiss	80,000
Sharon Pickard	51,000

*Denotes "Chip Lead Bonus"

Flight C still has around (90) minutes remaining in play for the day, and are currently taking their second to last break of the night.  The total numbers for the flight are as such:

Total Flight C Entries: 58

Flight C Players Remaining: 9

Total Flight C Prize Pool: $6,670

Once play has concluded for Flight C, we will bring you the final chip counts (bonus winners), along with a consolidated breakdown of the first three flights of Event 1.

Event 1 (Flight B): Everyone (Still) Loves Rankings (All Time Cashes)

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 14 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Flight A Entries: 53
Flight B Players Remaining: 19

We took a moment earlier to post our first "Top Ten" list, which broke down the all-time money leaders from Isle Casino Poker Room (tournament).  The all-time money list could be a little deceiving sometimes, as a player could potentially top the list with one large score (as was the example will Connor Drinan).  Connor has a ridiculous tournament resume, with over $10,000,000 in earnings, but his only score at Isle was in 2011 ($5,300 NLH Championship Event - Florida State Poker Championships).  The win in that prestigious event netted him $378,719, which has him on top of the Isle's all-time money list.

The all-time cashes list shows a player's long term success, and provides us names that may not be as familiar as those posted earlier:

1. Robert Transue - 46
2. Daniel Genachte - 36
3. Vasil Schita - 33
4. Louis Leo IV - 31
5. Maurice Hawkins - 31
6. Evan Teitlebaum - 30
7. Dave Henry - 29
8. Timothy Morgan - 28
9. Irwin Block - 28
10. Eric Riley - 28

Event 1 (Flight C): Completing The Trifecta

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Flight A Entries: 44

The final of the three starting flights for the day got underway about an hour ago, and we've already seen the number of entries grow to 44.  Those in Flight C will be playing deep into the night if they're interested in bagging for Day 2, as this flight is scheduled to end close to 2:00am.  That hasn't stopped many of the Isle Poker notables from taking there shot, as many recognizable names were spotted across the field:

Ken Schockett
Peter Betusca
Tom Gity
Mike Gutterman
John Costello
Dave Coughlin
Stephen Bromfield
George El-Kyouri
Miguel Briganty 
Domenico Barilla

Event 1 (Flight B): Faces In The Crowd (Part 2)

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight B Entries: 53

Flight B Players Remaining: 20

Now that Flight A has concluded, it gives us an opportunity to catch you up with Flight B, which is already in Level 11.  The flight's registration closed with a total of 53 entries, giving us a prize pool for the flight of $6,095.  Over half of the field has already been eliminated, but numerous Isle tournament regulars seem to be seeing success in this afternoon flight:

Sharon Pickard's (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) tournament resume is
just getting started, but she's already seen success in these large
field events.  Pickard made a deep run this past June, finishing
in 152nd place during the $100 NLH Monster Stack ($249).

Luke Rosenberg (Parkland, FL) is definitely no stranger to the
Isle Casino poker room, and is looking to build on a tournament
resume boasting over $12,000 in earnings.  Rosenberg most
recently finished 69th in August's installment of the $150 NLH
Monster Stack ($364).

Marty Robbins (Delray Beach, FL) was all smiles as we
approached Table 8, giving a fist pump to one of the dealers
as he continued on to his next table in the string.  Robbins has over
$159,000 in career tournament earnings, picking up his largest score
in August for just under $80,000 (5th Place - SHRPO Event 10).

Some other familiar faces still active in the Flight B field include Charlie Odenz, Ken Bruno, Jared Carter, and Gregg Weiss.

Event 1 (Flight A): Final Chips Counts

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Flight A Entries: 69
Flight A Players Remaining: 9

The turnover was quick, as the remaining nine players from Flight A bagged their chips, and the Flight C newcomers took their seats.  It should come as no surprise that Rafael Reis (Brazil) bags the Flight A chip lead, holding steady on the top of the chip counts from about Level 10 on.  Regardless of how he finishes on Day 2 of this event, he's already parlayed the Day 1 (Flight A) finish into an entry in Event 5 ($570 NLH) later in the series.  

Here is how the first flight of Event 1 rounded out to end the day:

Rafael Reis *	555,500
Jacob Richardson *	239,500
A. Nonymous *	214,500
Christopher Morris	186,000
Dave Price	182,000
Tom Moran	102,000
Lawrence Hawkins	92,000
Hollander Preap	80,500
Daniel Mijac	72,500

* Denotes "Chip Lead Bonus"

As this event continues on, we will be posting the complete chip counts as the accumulate, which will include the Day 2 seating assignments for Monday.

Event 1 (Flight A): Reis Wraps Up A Bonus

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Flight A Entries: 69
Flight A Players Remaining: 10

When the players not involved stand up and step away from the table mid-hand, it's pretty clear that someone is contemplating a big decision.  Over on Table 1, that player happened to be Rafael Reis, who was facing an all-in of 145,000 on a flop of 4♦ 10♣ 3♦.  The action pre-flop has not yet been verified, but regardless of what happened before we arrived at the table, a call from Reis would give us a pot well over 370,000.  

After just a few moments, Reis made the call, as he tabled his hand simultaneously.  Rafael showed Q♣ Q♥, and happened to catch his opponent hand in the proverbial "cookie jar."  His opponent held Q♠ 6♦, clearly hoping his aggression would somehow get Rafael to fold.  As it always is in poker (especially all-in scenarios), the 10♦ on the turn would bring Reis's opponent outs to a win, but the 3♣ on the river sealed the hand for Rafael.  The tournament director quickly helped rack Reis's chips (over 555,000), as Flight A is now down to one table, and ten players:

1. Chris Morris
2. Rafael Reis
3. Giovanni Contatore
4. Daniel Mijac
5. David Price
6. A. Nonymous
7. Jake Richardson
8. Hollander Preap
9. Tom Moran
10. Larry Hawkins

The players are finishing their remaining hands (with the clock paused), and we will post the end of flight counts shortly thereafter.

Event 1 (Flight A): Final Break Of The Flight

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight A Entries: 69
Flight A Players Remaining: 11

The eleven remaining players of Flight A are taking their final (5) minute break of the night, and will be returning to Level 15, and blinds of 2,000/4,000/500.  The quick break gives Tournament Director Adam Kemper the time to color off the black (100 denomination) chips, and allows those left to step away from the table, before returning to close out the flight.  Play will conclude after Level 16, or when six players remain in the flight.  Once we wrap things up with Flight A, we will post the chip counts for you, and shift our focus to Flight B (which started at 3:00pm).  

There are currently 47 entries in the (B) flight, with over an hour remaining to register.

Event 1 (Flight A): Anonymously Moving Up The Counts

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 14 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Flight A Entries: 69
Flight A Players Remaining: 12

As we approached Table 3, one of the larger pots of the flight was brewing.  Tom Moran was heads up on the turn of a board reading 5♥ 4♠ 7♥ 10♦, and after leading for 25,000, got shoved on (for 120,000) by a player who requested to remain anonymous.  Enough time had passed to whereas Moran's opponent called "clock," and as the countdown was being made by the tournament director, Moran announced a call.  Tom held 6♥ 7♦ for a pair and straight draw, but would at best be drawing to a chop, as his opponent flopped the straight with 6♦ 8♠.  

The river would bring the 3♥, and although Moran made a straight, it would be second best.  Our anonymous player would double up, and assume the chip lead with just over 265,000.  Tom took a big hit to his stack (left with 60,000), and looks to rebuild as we close out the final two levels of play for the flight.

Event 1 (Flight A): Going "Bonus Hunting"

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Flight A Entries: 69
Flight A Players Remaining: 15

Rafael Reis (Curitiba, Brazil)

As we mentioned in the last post, the three players with the largest stack at the end of each flight will receive a little "bonus," which earns them free entry into Event 5 ($570 NLH) of this series.  With only three levels of play remaining in Flight A, now would be a good time to update you on a few players currently in contention for those top stacks.  

Rafael Reis (Brazil) is no stranger to deep tournament runs, amassing career tournament earnings just under $310,000.  His standout scores both came at Seminole Hard Rock (Hollywood), with cashes of $87,000 (2015) and $91,000 (2014).  Reis currently leads the way with (15) players remaining, and hopes to continue that trend to end the flight:

Rafael Reis - 220,000
Tom Moran - 155,000
Giovanni Cantatore - 140,000
Chris Morris - 110,000

Event 1 (Flight A): Everybody Loves Rankings (All Time Money)

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight A Entries: 69
Flight A Players Remaining: 20

Play is already down to two tables in the opening flight of the tournament, and while the action begins to pick up at this time, there is still a lot of "down time" during these early stages of such a massive event.  This allows the blog team to put together some great features, one of which is the "Top 10," in relation to the Isle Poker Room.  Our first rankings list will feature the top ten all-time money list, which shouldn't surprise most people, as Florida has pumped out some of the top players in the world:

Isle Casino Pompano Beach Poker Room
All-Time Money List:

1. Connor Drinan ($378,719)
2. Hans Winzeler ($378,159)
3. Adam Levy ($308,996)
4. Hayden Fortini ($305,192)
5. Anthony Ruberto ($263,955)
6. David Diaz ($262,890)
7. Joseph Couden ($261,159)
8. Barry Hutter ($258,426)
9. Mohammed Siddiqui ($257,590)
10. Eric Riley ($245,345)

The list for the Isle Poker Room is basically a "who's who" in terms of the tournament poker community, and that's without mentioning names that just missed the cut: (11) Mukul Pahuja, (12) Matthew Waxman, (18) Samuel Panic, and (19) Ian O'Hara.

While it's unlikely that any of the players named above will be entering this opening event, we are sure that their presence will be made during the $1,500 Championship Event (October 27-31).

Event 1 (Flight B): Second Time Around

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Flight A Entries: 24

Tournament Director Adam Kemper just made the announcement for dealers to get cards in the air of the (B) flight of Event 1.  Players are quickly filling the seats as new tables open up, while those departing early from the (A) flight use their second opportunity to try and bag chips for Monday's Day 2.  The same structure applies for all of the opening flights of this event, with a 25,000 starting stack, and (25) minute levels throughout the event.

One thing that was not mentioned earlier was the "Chip Leader Bonus" that is attached to each flight.  The top three stacks from each of the eighteen flight will receive entry in Event 5 of this series, a $570 buy-in NLH event with a $250,000 guarantee.  We will be posting the chip counts for each flight at their respected conclusion, and will include those players that received the bonus.

Event 1 (Flight A): Faces In The Crowd (Part 1)

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight A Entries: 71
Flight A Players Remaining: 29

Larry Hawkins (West Palm Beach, FL) doesn't show results on Hendon Mob,
but the crack research team will be on that shortly, as he's one to never let a
tournament series pass by without showing up.  Hawkins was just moved to a
new table, so he'll be hoping to spin his 13,000 stack up as we move towards
bagging and tagging.

Edgard Mendes (Deerfield, FL) is one of many familiar faces in this Flight A
field, and is no stranger to deep runs here at Isle.  Mendes's lone tournament
win came in March during the "Battle Of The Beaches," when he took down
Event 3 ($80 NLH) for $2,650.

Jim Hambuger (Delray Beach, FL) can be seen at most tournaments here at
the Isle Poker Room.  He was one of the first players seated in today's flight, and
has already increased his starting stack to just under 50,000.  Hamburger has over
$39,000 in career earnings, all of which have come in the state of Florida.

Event 1 (Flight A): The Calm Before The Storm

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight A Entries: 69

The Event 1 trophy of the 2016 Isle Poker Open is a good looking one, but
players are likely more interested in the five-figure score that will come
along with a win in this opening event

Players are currently on their second (10) minute break of the day, and will be returning to Level 9 and blinds of 500/1,000/100.  The talk around the room has surrounded the impending weather (Hurricane Matthew), and while Florida still sits in a state of uncertainty, you can be certain that any news pertaining to poker room announcements will be found here on the blog.

When players return to their seats, it will also signify the closing of registration for Flight A, with numbers as followed:

Total Flight A Entries: 69

Flight A Players Remaining: 37

Prize Pool (Flight A): $8,050

The second of three flights for the day will be beginning at the top of the hour (3:00pm), but before that starts, we will take a look at some of the familiar Isle Poker Room faces in the crowd.

Event 1 (Flight A): Isle Poker Open "Going Up...On A Tuesday"

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight A Entries: TBD

The first "shuffle up and deal" announcement of the 2016 Isle Poker Open is less than an hour away, and the buzz across the poker room is evident.  The month long series kicks off with one of the most popular events on the schedule, the $150 buy-in NLH Monster Stack, which did carry a $300,000 guarantee.  Due to the unpredictable behavior of mother nature (Hurricane Matthew), the guarantee has been removed from this event, but don't be surprised if we see the closing prize pool hit that number at the conclusion of Flight R (final flight on Sunday).

The action for Flight A begins at 11:00am, with players entering sitting down to a 25,000 starting stack.  With blinds starting at 25/50, that's over 500 bigs to begin Level 1.  Levels for this event will be 25 minutes in length throughout, with registration for each flight ending after the completion of Level 8.  Players have the "re-entry" option during each and every "Day 1" flight, and will have three flights to choose from to play (Tuesday-Sunday).  These starting flights will conclude at the completion of Level 16, or if 8% of the field remains (whichever comes first).

Here is the schedule for Tuesday, October 4:

11:00am     Event 1 ($150 NLH Monster Stack) Flight A
3:00pm      Event 1 ($150 NLH Monster Stack) Flight B
7:00pm      Event 1 ($150 NLH Monster Stack) Flight C

Live coverage of Event 1 begins at 11:00am today, and will continue through the Day 2 (and the final table) on Monday (October 10).

Isle Poker Open "Going Up...On A Tuesday"

Event 1 ($150 Monster Stack NLH)
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight A Entries: TBD

The first "shuffle up and deal" announcement of the 2016 Isle Poker Open is less than an hour away, and the buzz across the poker room is evident.  The month long series kicks off with one of the most popular events on the schedule, the $150 buy-in NLH Monster Stack, which did carry a $300,000 guarantee.  Due to the unpredictable behavior of mother nature (Hurricane Matthew), the guarantee has been removed from this event, but don't be surprised if we see the closing prize pool hit that number at the conclusion of Flight R (final flight on Sunday).

The action for Flight A begins at 11:00am, with players entering sitting down to a 25,000 starting stack.  With blinds starting at 25/50, that's over 500 bigs to begin Level 1.  Levels for this event will be 25 minutes in length throughout, with registration for each flight ending after the completion of Level 8.  Players have the "re-entry" option during each and every "Day 1" flight, and will have three flights to choose from to play (Tuesday-Sunday).  These starting flights will conclude at the completion of Level 16, or if 8% of the field remains (whichever comes first).

Here is the schedule for Tuesday, October 4:

11:00am     Event 1 ($150 NLH Monster Stack) Flight A
3:00pm      Event 1 ($150 NLH Monster Stack) Flight B
7:00pm      Event 1 ($150 NLH Monster Stack) Flight C

Live coverage of Event 1 begins at 11:00am today, and will continue through the Day 2 (and the final table) on Monday (October 10).