Event 5 (Day 1A): Jaffy Holds, Earns Himself Main Event Seat

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1A Entries: 98
Day 1A Players Remaining: 20

Ed Jaffy (Boca Raton, FL) looks over with a rye smile, possibly knowing during the last level, he'd be bagging chip lead.

One of the surprising occurrences throughout today's Day 1A flight, was the pace at which players were busting.  The structure is so good, that even a player buying in after dinner sits down to a comfortable stack.  Because of that pace of play, one would think that Ed Jaffy's would for sure be in danger of losing his chip lead at some point in the closing stages of the night.  That wasn't the case though, as the tournament veteran held strong, and has now booked his ticket into the $1,5000 Isle Open Main Event.  

There were some notables that were within striking distance, as Frederico Dabus (226,300) and Matthew Zarcadoolas (216,800) were just a few sizable pots from potentially reaching the mark that Jaffy had set.  Also bagging in this Day 1A flight were Michael Ortiz (187,300), Ken Bruno (113,000), and Joe Niblett (61,500)...all familiar names from Event 1.  Below you will find the official end of Day 1A chip counts (as well as their Day 2 seating assignments:

Event 21: Satellite Action Heading Up

Event 21 ($120 NLH Satellite Into Event 5)
(8 Seats Guaranteed)
Level 8 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Entries: 49
Players Remaining: 18

The Day 1 flights for a tournament structured as well as Event 5 could lack for real fireworks, being that the stacks are just so deep.  The "downtime" allows coverage to focus on the satellite, which is currently on break (and just minutes away from the closing of registration).  Depending on if anyone enters during this break, the field only finds themselves (10) eliminations from the packaged seats (and nine away from the money).  The 9th place finisher in Event 21 will earn themselves close to three times their buy-in in cash, as the prize pool just missed on a ninth seat being offered.  The official results of the satellite will be posted to the blog moments after it's conclusion.

Event 5 (Day 1A): Updated Chip Counts Before Break

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 95
Day 1A Players Remaining: 32

Michael Abitbol (Encitas, CA)

When we posted about Ed Jaffy before dinner, it looked as if he was going to run away from the field, but he's stayed steady at about 180,000, while a handful of others have begun to catch up.  One of those players trending up is Michael Abitbol, who is having a solid tournament campaign since last December.  Michael finished in third place during a $130 NLH ($100,000 Guarantee) at Coconut Creek for just over $10,000, and followed that with another highlighting score, finishing runner up in the $570 Heads-Up event during the WPT LA Poker Classic ($6,000).

Ed Jaffy - 180,000

Jose Chapui - 180,000

Frederico Dabus - 147,000

Michael Ortiz - 140,000

Matt Zarcadoolas - 135,000

Joe Niblett - 125,000

Michael Abitbol - 117,000

Nicholas Visconti - 105,000

Event 1 (Day 1A): Official October Tournament Schedule Posted

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 95
Day 1A Players Remaining: 36

The tournament supervisor just made the announcement of "level up" for Flight A, which means players will not be posting new blinds of 400/800/100.  The chip average amongst those remaining is currently sitting at 67,000, which is (82) big blinds, offering heaps of play. After this level will be the final (15) minute break of the day, and following that, players will finish off the last two levels of the night.

Players have been asking for an "easier to view" tournament schedule for the month, which you'll find posted below.

Event 5 (Day 1A): Back From Dinner, 7:00pm Satellite Underway

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 95
Day 1A Players Remaining: 39

The cards are back in the air for the Day 1A flight of Event 5, as the remaining (39) players try to navigate their way to the bagging and tagging process (after the conclusion of Level 12).  The night will end somewhere around the 10:45pm area for the flight, but the tournament are won't be clearing out at that time, as the Event 21 ($120 Satellite Into Event 5) field will be battling it out for the (8) guaranteed seats up for grabs.

Just a reminder, the player who bags the chip lead in this (A) flight will be earning entry into the $1,500 Isle Open Main Event.  Our focus will turn to chip counts and updates from the field as the final levels wind down.

Event 21 Structure Sheet

Event 5 (Day 1A): Jaffy Makes The Most Of His Words Early

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Day 1A Entries: 93

Ed Jaffy (Boca Raton, FL)

The tournament clock is currently ticking down on Level 8, and when the clock hits all zeros, players will be going on a (60) minute dinner break (6:10-7:10pm).  Ed Jaffy (Boca Raton, FL) may be soft-spoken, but he's making some noise at the moment.  The research on Jaffy show results dating back to 2007, but only lists (10) recorded results over the span of the last nine years.  The noticeable thing about those cashes...when Ed cashes in an event, he's usually going deep.  Eight of the ten cashes on his resume are over $1,000, and we are referencing events that carry smaller buy-ins ($100-$500).

Jaffy is the leader in the room now before dinner, but it's where things finish for the day that matter, and he knows that.  His 130,000 stack is just one of two in the field that have eclipsed the century mark:

Ed Jaffy - 130,000

Jose Chapui - 110,000

Michael Ortiz - 95,000

Joe Niblett - 80,000

ICYMI: It's Going To Be Renamed The "Winning Wheel"

Wednesday's "Wheel" promotion has quickly turned into one of the most popular throughout the week.

There is something about Wednesday's promotion that brings a little buzz into the room.  Every (30) minutes from 12:00-10:00pm (Wednesday's only), the "high hand winner" gets the opportunity to spin the "money wheel" that sits on one of the two poker room "stages."  The wheel consists of a variety of amounts that, when landed on after a full spin, will be awarded to the player spinning.  The lowest amount on the wheel is $250, with the potential to win $25,000!  There are also some prestigious stops that could win someone $1,000, $2,000, $3,000, or even $5,000.  

This isn't like a wheel at a carnival though, that lands in the same spots repeatedly because it's "weighted."  We've seen most everything so far, including a $15,000 winner just three weeks...and not one, but two $2,000 winner last night!!!  If you're looking for a good weekday/weeknight to come out and play...Wednesday looks like the choice.

ICYMI: Isle Open Official Results (Event 4)

2016 Isle Poker Open - Event 4 ($100 NLH Deep Stack Turbo Bounty)

$20,000 Guarantee

October 12, 2016

Al Efremoff (Hollywood, FL)

It's not often that a tournament poker play gets a chance at "redemption," because of the incredible variance in the game.  Al Efremoff (Hollywood, FL) got that chance last night though, as he found himself on top of the payouts, this after an eight-way chop of Event 4.

These types of tournament series will always see a few "breakout' performances over the course of the month. Efremoff has almost matched his career earnings in the last week alone, and will be a player to look out for as the series continues on.

ICYMI: Isle Open Official Results (Event 3)

2016 Isle Poker Open - Event 3 ($200 Pot Limit Omaha w/ $100 Re-buys)

$10,000 Guarantee

October 11, 2016

Anyone checking the blog this past Tuesday afternoon would have noticed an announcement in relation to a potential "overlay" for Event 3.  It's quite possible that extenuating circumstances were the reason behind the "intimate" PLO showing (first day/night of the Jewish holiday), but we did see the first overlay of the series during Event 3.  There were (19) entries into the tournament (with additional re-buys), with the event ending in an eight-way chop:

Event 5 (Day 1A): Meltzer Makes His Isle Open Debut

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Day 1A Entries: 78

Jordan Meltzer (Decorah, IA)

As mentioned in an earlier post, there are a lot of players in this Day 1A field that we were "introduced" to during Event 1.  The price point of this event will begin to bring out a different player pool, with that trend continuing at the Main Event (Event 13).  Jordan Meltzer (Deborah, IA) wasn't spotted during the first few events of this series, but made his debut a few hours ago in this Day 1A flight.  

Meltzer is a tournament veteran, coming off the best year of his career, a year that included a win here during the 2015 PPC Isle Casino Winter Series.  The tournament (Event 4 - $350 NLH) did end in an eleven-way chop, with Meltzer earning the most in the deal ($23,500), and also notched a check mark in the "win" column for Jordan.  

2016 has also been a quality tournament year for Jordan, with (14) of his (40) recorded cashes coming during this calendar, including a cash in the WSOP Main Event.  Meltzer headlines the second wave of notables in the field, those which include:

Tyler Wilson

Carlo Rodriguez

Scott Belovicz

Jeff Morrison

Frederico Dabus

Eduardo Christ

Event 5 (Day 1A): First Break, The " Day 1 Structure Street Clock"

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Day 1A Entries: 76

Event 5 players are about to head on their first break of the day, and after the (15) minutes way from the table, will return to Level 4 and blinds of 100/200.  During their tournament series at Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA (called Big Stax), all of the "major" events have registration open throughout Day 1's (as well as the option to buy in on Day 2, before cards get in the air).  There are a lot of tournament players who don't like to enter "pre-ante" levels, or would rather enter a Day 1 with (25) bigs opposed to (500).  There were always questions posed to the poker room, like "what time do players return from dinner break," or "if I want to enter at 6:00pm, what are the blind levels?"  So...one of the most popular posts of the day during coverage was structure sheet, with coinciding times posted.  We give you...the "Day 1 structure sheet clock:"

Level	Small Blind	Big Blind	Ante	"Real Time"
1	25	50		12:00-12:40pm
2	50	100		12:40-1:20pm
3	75	150		1:20-2:00pm
		Break		2:00-2:15pm
4	100	200		2:15-2:55pm
5	150	300	25	2:55-3:35pm
6	200	400	50	3:35-4:15pm
		Break		4:15-4:30pm
7	250	500	50	4:30-5:20pm
8	300	600	75	5:20-6:10pm
		Dinner Break		6:10-7:10pm
9	400	800	100	7:10-8:00pm
10	500	1,000	100	8:00-8:50pm
		Break		8:50-9:05pm
11	600	1,200	200	9:05-9:55pm
12	800	1,600	200	9:55-10:45pm

ICYMI: Isle Open Official Results (Events 16-20) *Satellites*

"Satellites" are so important to tournament poker, that without them, many of these series that you see here (and at other venues) would have a completely different complexion.  For example, there have already been (33) seats given away to Event 5 to this point, all through satellites run earlier this week (and one on October 2nd).  That's $18,810 towards the prize pool before the cards are even in the air for Day 1A, helping both reach the $250,000 posted guarantee, which entail attracts more players wanting to join in on a massive tournament.  Outside of the satellites run that offered entry into Event 5, there have also been (2) "Step 1" satellites into the Mega (satellite into the Main Event) run as well.  Here are all of the results of all satellites run to this point in the series:

Isle Poker Open - Event 16 ($120 No Limit Hold'em Satellite Into Event 5) 
(5 Seats Guaranteed)
October 2, 2016

1. Tom Gity
2. Sabas Ferrer
3. Marc Duquette
4. Jameel Harris
5. Maxim Bjelos

Isle Poker Open - Event 17 ($70 No Limit Hold'em Step 1 Satellite Into Mega on 10/26)

(3 Seats Guaranteed)

October 10, 2016

1. Rick Kalgstein
2. Robert Cavataio
3. Paul Shafran

Isle Poker Open - Event 18 ($70 No Limit Hold'em Step 1 Satellite Into Mega on 10/26)

(3 Seats Guaranteed)

October 11, 2016

1. Frank Traino
2. Thomas Gari
3. Giovanni Cantatore

Isle Poker Open - Event 19 ($120 No Limit Hold'em Satellite Into Event 5) 

(8 Seats Guaranteed)

October 11, 2016

1. Thiago Cunha
2. Rodney Victor
3. Edward Rapp
4. Keith Morea
5. Michael DiNardo
6. Peter Valdes
7. Brenda Hinds
8. Hugh Hardy

Isle Poker Open - Event 20 ($120 No Limit Hold'em Satellite Into Event 5) 

(20 Seats Guaranteed)

October 12, 2016

1. William Underdown
2. John Kwon
3. Tyler Wilson
4. Mark Carattini
5. Miguel McDonald
6. Angel Dominguez Sr.
7. Manuel Soltero Luna
8. Archibald Barrant
9. Michael Boykin
10. David Padilla
11. George Lukawski
12. Alan Dobrow
13. Debra Levin
14. Salvatore Sollecito
15. Nicholas Visconti
16. Jakub Paulik
17. Michael Abitbol
18. Michael Wetcher
19. Giovanni Cantatore
20. Rogelio Padilla Jr. 

ICYMI: Isle Open Official Results (Event 2)

2016 Isle Open - Event 2 ($100 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack")

$25,000 Guarantee

October 10, 2016

As Event 1 was winding down, and there were about (20) players remaining, the tournament area began to fill up with Event 2 players.  It seems as if the "one-day" structure (with turbo-ish levels) is very attractive to the Isle poker playing crowd, as the tournament fielded (315) entries.  As Event 2 got into the money, the buzz from the opening event's final was evident, as players continuously got up from their seats to take a gander at the remaining players/action.  Paula Alibrandi (Miramar, FL) was the only players to cash in both events, finishing Event 1 in 13th place ($1,109), and then finishing in 22nd place ($189) in Event 2 after late-regging.  There was a discussion of a chop with three tables remaining, but those remaining couldn't come to an agreement, but a deal was then made with (12) remaining.  Below are the official results (with adjusted payouts) for the event:

ICYMI: Isle Open Official Results (Event 1)

2016 Isle Open - Event 1 ($150 No Limit Hold'em)

October 4-10, 2016

Event 5 (Day 1A): Coming Back For More, This Time For Free

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Day 1A Entries: 63

Andrew Touchette (Wakefield, MA)

This afternoon's Day 1A flight is off to a strong start, with over (60) players already seated, and registration open all day (including Day 2, before the cards are in the air).  Now that we are a week into the Isle Poker Open, many of the names and faces are becoming very familiar.  Andrew Touchette (Wakefield, MA) earned his seat to this event by bagging a top three stack during his Event 1 flight.  While Touchette would have likely traded this entry for a different result in the opening tournament (70th place - $306), it's still a free-roll.  Andrew is just one of a handful of players currently in the field that made runs into the money in Event 1:

Kenneth Bruno

Martin Robbins

Edward Medoff

Joe Niblett

Michael Ortiz

Giovanni Cantatore

John Palace

Event 5 (Day 1A): Quarter Milllion Guarantee Begins Today (At 12:00pm)

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Day 1A Entries: N/A

We have a lot of action to catch up on from this week, but first the focus on the opening flight of Event 5, a $250,000 guaranteed tournament with a $570 buy-in.  Tournament players will sit down to starting stacks of 25,000, with levels beginning at (40) minutes. Those levels will shift to (50) minutes after Level 7, offering a lot of play for both Day l and beyond. There are three starting flights for this event, with Day 2 resuming on Sunday.  In addition to the satellites that were run this week (giving away numerous entries into this event), there will be a handful of Event 1 players that are in this tournament via their "chip lead bonus."  The chip leader for each flight of this tournament will receive entry into the $1,500 Isle Poker Open Main Event.

Live coverage of Event 5 will begin shortly after cards are in the air, as we also catch you up on all of the Isle Poker Open happenings to this point.

*** There is a discrepancy between the posted schedule and structure sheet.  All of the Day 1 flight for Event 5 begin at 12:00pm!!! ***