Event 5 (Day 1B): Official End Of Day 1B Chip Counts

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 125
Players Remaining: 28

The last few hands of the night saw more action than we would have expected, and gave us the closest race we've seen of the series.  Michael Newman (Nanuet, NY) ended up surpassing Kobi Ribak just as the night was closing out.  The following players now have a day off, and will return for Day 2 on Sunday.

Michael	Newman *	246,400
Kobi	Ribak	236,300
Michelle	Shah	227,500
Sheddy	Siddiqui	168,100
John	Templeton	166,600
Mike	Chiappetta	161,500
Gil	Aboodi	152,800
Joshua	Lowing	152,000
John	DePersio	145,000
Moshe	Wasser	127,900
Zach	Milchman	126,800
Andrew	Touchette	110,900
Vlad	Grach	107,800
Nicholas	Mahabee	104,800
Brandon	Berkenfeld	103,300
Dolphus	Power	97,400
John	Restrepo	95,900
Joshua	Coates	94,900
Marc	Sacheli	66,200
Peter	Valdes	58,100
Mark	Gurley	57,500
Tim	Myers	51,200
Matthew	Wolfson	50,900
Sabas	Ferrer	49,400
Michael	Pawalek	48,200
Matthew	Frank	38,900
Scott	Hart	34,800
Debra	Levin	20100

* Denotes Flight Day 1B chipleader, and entry into $1,500 Isle Poker Open Main Event

Event 5 (Day 1B): Final Hands Of The Night

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 125
Players Remaining: 29

Kobi Ribak (Boca Raton, FL)

Players are about to find out how many hands remain in the flight, as the clock is paused with (10) minutes left in Level 12.  The race for the chip lead bonus is really to close to call at the moment, but if things stopped at this moment, it would be Kobi Ribak bagging the lead with over 220,000.  Once the players bag their chips and everything has been verified by tournament supervisors, the official chips for the flight will be posted.

Event 5 (Day 1B): Updated Chip Counts Down The Stretch

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 125
Players Remaining: 43

Nicholas Mahabee (Miami, FL)

Players returned from their final break just a few minutes away, and are ready to play down the last two levels of the flight.  John Despresio has continued to trend upward (and leads the field), but Nicholas Mahabee (Miami, FL) isn't far behind in second.  Mahabee is in the midst of a breakout year, having chopped the opening event of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open ($66,435).  His stack of 170,000 puts him just thousands short of Despresio, and adds some drama as we head to the Day 1B finish line.

John Despresio - 185,000

Nicholas Mahabee - 170,000

John Templeton - 160,000

Vlad Grich - 140,000

Mohammad Siddiqui  -140,000

Kobi Ribak - 120,000

Joshua Lowing - 80,000

Event 22: Final Satellite Into Event 5 Still An Option

Event 22 ($120 Satellite Into Event 5)

(10 Seats Guaranteed)

Level 6 (Blinds 300/600)

Total Entries: 60

The satellites are clearly a popular option here at the Isle, as once again we see a field that's a few entries away from adding another seat to give away.  The 11th place finisher would currently receive $300, but with another hour remaining of open registration, another seat will be "added" to the payouts for sure.  The official "winners" of the satellite will be posted shortly after the conclusion of the tournament.

Event 5 (Day 1B): Neighbors Heading Up The Chip Counts

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 125
Players Remaining: 62

John Depersio (left) and Josh Lowing (right)

Table 2 currently hosts two of the top ten stacks in the room, as Joshua Lowing (Pensacola, FL) and John Depersio (Parkland, FL) sit in seats eight and nine.  Both players are over 100,000, and both players are the owners of solid tournament resumes.

Depersio carries career earnings over $267,000, highlighted by a WSOPC ring won last year at the Palm Beach Kennel Club ($1,125 No Limit Hold'em - $30,000).  Most recently, John finished just short of the final table during the Florida State Poker Championship $1,500 Main Event (13th place - $5,528).

Lowing is a well traveled tournament pro, with earnings just under $200,000.  His career highlighting score came last November, when he won the Hollywood Poker Open $1,115 NLH Main Event for $33,907 (that's the Hollywood in Lawrence, IN).  Interesting to note that Lowing is ranked 20th in 2016 cashes, with an incredible (30) tournament scores this year alone!

Event 5 (Day 1B): Newman Flies Under The Radar

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 122
Players Remaining: 66

Stewart Newman (Coral Gables, FL)

It's hard to fly under the radar when the field gets down to 6-7 tables in play, but Stewart Newman (Coral Gables, FL) managed to do just that.  Like "Sheddy" earlier, Newman's resume is an extremely impressive one, with over $871,000 in recorded tournament earnings.  His (83) cashes have come primarily here in Florida, or at Las Vegas (WSOP).

Newman's career highlighting score came last year, when he earned a runner-up finish in the opening event of the 2015 Lucky Hearts Poker Open ($570 No Limit Hold'em), taking home over $133,000.  Stewart also has four other first place finishes on his resume, one of which came here at the Isle in 2011, when he won the $1,100 PLO (Heads-Up) event during the Isle Open Poker Championship ($9,800).

There are two interesting things to note on Newman's resume: he has over $871,00 in earnings and finds himself in 74th place on the "Florida All Time Money List," (that tells you the caliber of poker player from this state), and he broke the top 650 on the yearly money list for 2012, 2013, and 2014.  Being in the top "650" may not sound like such a feat, but take a look at the list each year (it's on average a pool of over 70,000!

Event 5 (Day 1B): Dinner Break

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 113
Players Remaining: 66

Players are leaving the tournament area and heading off on their (60) minute dinner break.  Play will resume with Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100), with registration open until the last hand of the night.  Live coverage will continue at approximately 7:20pm.

Event 5 (Day 1B): Field Chip Counts Before Dinner

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Day 1B Entries: 109

Santiago Gomez (Hollywood, FL)

Players in the Day 1B flight have just entered Level 8, with blinds going up to 300/600/75.  Those remaining will play out this level, before heading on a (60) minute dinner break from 6:10-7:10pm.  John Restrepo still leads the way after taking down his multi-way all-in, but there are a few players about to pass the century mark as well.

John Restrepo - 130,000

Santiago Gomez - 92,000

Andrew Touchette - 90,000

Mary Forsythe - 80,000

Walter Bravo - 77,000

Mohammad Siddiqui - 65,000

Event 5 (Day 1B): Restrepo Running Pure

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 108

John Restrepo (Miami, FL) seemed to have seen the end of a tough beat, but watched the turn and river run pure for the win.

Passing Table 3, John Restrepo would be spotted standing up, trying to get the attention of a friend also in the field at Table 1.  He was likely try to draw his friend's attention to the three-way all-in he was involved in, having the best hand and both his opponents covered:

Restrepo: A♠ A♣         Player X: K♥ K♠         Player Y: J♥ J♠

Flop: 4♣ K♣ 2♠

Turn: 9♣

River: 6♣

There was a collective reaction from the players at the table, as the dealer spread the flop with the K making an appearance.  Things looked pretty bleak for Restrepo's pocket aces, but the turn and river would both bring a club, capturing the pot back for John.  He now sits with close to 100,000, and is one of the chip leaders midway through the flight.

Event 5 (Day 1B): Reminiscing About The Past...Isle Open That Is

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 81

There have been a handful of occasions over the past week, where players have stopped the blogger and said, "We've been wanting coverage of these events for a long time."  Well...the coverage is now here, and the slow going of early part of this flight allows for some extra content.  The time machine has been turned on, and we are rolling back to October of last year, looking at the results from the 2015 Isle Open:

Event 1 (October 5-7) - $75 No Limit Hold'em $50,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: 1,098
Winner: Yves Ferquiere ($6,097)

Event 2 (October 8-11) - $570 No Limit Hold'em $300,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: 584
Winner: Nassin Vaknin ($30,000)

Event 3 (October 12) - $70 Pot Limit Omaha $20,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: N/A
Winner: Luis Deguzman ($3,000)

Event 4 (October 12) - $130 No Limit Hold'em $25,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: N/A
Winner: Evan Dollinger ($5,602)

Event 5 (October 13) - $250 No Limit Hold'em Bounty $30,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: 161
Winner: Luminita Petric ($5,488)

Event 6 (October 13) - $250 Pot Limit Omaha $10,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: 37
Winner: Diana Bernal ($4,500)

Event 7 (October 14-18) - $350 No Limit Hold'em $300,000 Guarantee
Total Entries: 1,142
Winner: Michael Tufaro ($76,026)

We will take a look at the second half of the series in a post later this afternoon.

Event 5 (Day 1B): Flight Passes The Century Mark, Santoni "Coming Up Roses"

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 100

Luis Santoni (Aguada, FL)

Just a few moments ago, Flight B saw it's hundredth entry, meaning the field has already passed the number from yesterday (with that same trend expecting to continue tomorrow).  There have been numerous familiar faces to "late-reg" since we last checked in, including:

Robert Transue
Mary Jane Forsythe
Matthew Frank
Michael Newman
Joshua Coates
Elliot Zaydman

We also spotted a players that's here most every day, playing either 4/8 Omaha or 6/12 OE cash games, Mr. Luis Santoni.  What we didn't know is that Luis is basically as "O.G." as you're going to get in one of these events during the series.  Quick research on Luis showed that he has over $1,122,000 in career tournament earnings!  Suntan's biggest scores came in some of the more prestigious events that were played "back in the day:"

Luis's tournament schedule is much lighter now, as he shifted his focus from poker to fragrances, owning L & V Creations with his family working with him.

Event 5 (Day 1B): "Structure Sheet Clock"

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/25)
Total Day 1B Entries: 80

Yesterday in the early stages of the day, the "structure sheet clock" was posted, offering an insight into the exact time breakdown throughout the entire day.  In an event like this, where registration is open all day, there are many players who choose different arrival times.  Whether it's because the alarm doesn't go off until 12:30pm, or you're leaving the office after the end of a long work day, you can take a peak at the following breakdown to know exactly what you'll be walking in to.

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

Event 5 (Day 1B): November Tournament Schedule Is A Beast

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 76

Players are just returning from break, and will be sitting down to Level 4, and new blinds of 100/200.  The "structure street clock" will be posted shortly for players that want to know what levels coincide with certain times, but we have another four hours of play before today's dinner break (a trending time to join the flight for events that have all day registration).  

The Isle Poker "braintrust" is currently finalizing the tournament schedule for the month of November, and there are some great "new" things in store for players loyal to the "daily" schedule.  Outside of the standard daily schedule, and the guarantees that are offered, players should look forward to seeing a handful of "larger guaranteed" events, one of which will be termed the "Structure Beast."

The "Structure Beast" is a new event to the Isle, one that s offering a top structure for the price point.  Keep an eye on the blog to look for the schedule announcement, which should be made over the next few days.

Event 5 (Day 1B): Sheddy Showin' Up

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Day 1B Entries: 60

Mohammad Siddiqui (Pembroke Pines, FL)

If you're a mainstay of the Florida poker community, then the next notable in Flight B really needs no introduction.  Mohammad Siddiqui (Pembroke Pines, FL) a.k.a. "Sheddy," a.k.a "Shedrock," a.k.a "DFS Dabbler," has represented Florida really strong, both on and off the felt.  Sheddy is a poker player by profession, but a family man first.  

Sheddy has over $1,250,000 in career tournament earnings, with a resume that boast (68) cashes over the course of eight years.  Almost all of his major results have come at one of two places...Florida or Vegas (during the WSOP).  His breakout score came last year when he final tabled what could be considered the best tournament during the WSOP, outside of the Main Event...the $1,500 Millionaire Maker.  Shed fell four spots short of the $1,270,000 first place prize, but took home 5th place for over $333,000.  While "Shedrock" reps the Seminole Hard Rock patch wherever he goes, he is no stranger to the Isle Poker Room, and know great valued/structured tournament when he sees it.

Event 22: Last Chance To Satellite Into Event 5

To this point in Event 5, there are a total of (156) entries...with almost one third of that number coming from "satellites" into the event.  For only a fraction of the cost of the $570 buy-in, players are in the running for this guaranteed $250,000 prize pool.  Last night's satellite was only a few entrants short of offering another seat (on top of the eight guaranteed), and with (10) seats on the line tonight, we expect to some good numbers.  The cards get in the air at 7:00pm, with official results posted as soon as the tournament is finished.

Event 1 (Day 1B): Faces In The Crowd

Event 5 ($570 NLH - $250,000 Guarantee)
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 47

TJ Shulman (top), Eric Mutschler (bottom left), and Gil Aboodi (bottom right)

The numbers for this afternoon's flight are currently on pace with yesterday, which ended with (98) total entries, but we expect a push in numbers (being that it's the weekend).  The field once again is littered with recognizable names and faces, with the three pictured above the first that were spotted.  Gil Aboodi's (Tenafly, NJ) was mentioned a handful of times on the blog during Event 1, as he was making a "deep-ish" run, finishing in 55th place ($340).  Aboodi's tournament resume seemed to have just started this year, but he's already amassed close to $7,000, spread across only four total cashes.

TJ Shulman (Deerfield Beach, FL) on the hand has a tournament resume thats over $500,000 dollars, including the Mike Sica Memorial Seniors Event at Borgata earlier this year.  Shulman's start to the series though didn't get off to the start he would have imagined, as he bagged a short stack in Event 1, and was eliminated in the opening moments of Day 2.

Eric Mutschler (Oakland Park, FL) on the other hand, started this series off with a bang, reaching the final table of Event 1.  Mutschler finished in 9th place for $2,151, which was his second consecutive final table cash.

Event 5 (Day 1B): Day 1B Cards In The Air At 12:00pm

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

After a strong start to Event 5 yesterday, we are looking forward to this weekend's action picking up even more.  Today's flight will really go a long way towards determining whether this guarantee is going to be somewhat of a sweat, or if we're going to cruise past it, and have ourselves an incredible event.  The same rules apply as yesterday, with players sitting down to a 25,000 starting stack, as well as the ability to buy into the event throughout the flight...even on Day 2 as well (until the cards get in the air to begin the day).  Levels start at (40) minutes from Level 1-6, and then transition to (50) minutes from Level 7 on.  

Day 1A play showed us that this structure is great, as it offers deep play throughout the entire first day, regardless of when you buy-in.  There is an opportunity to really "play some poker," which we saw an example of yesterday.  Ed Jaffy (Boca Raton, FL) took a chip lead midway through the day, and managed to stop on top of the leaderboard until the bags were out and the night was over.  For those efforts, Jaffy earned himself entry into the $1,500 Isle Open Main Event, which tonight's chip leader will do as well.  Posted below for you is a structure sheet for the day, with live coverage following around 12:20, once the Day 1B cards are in the air.

Event 21: Official Satellite Results

Event 21 ($120 NLH Satellite Into Event 5)
(8 Seats Guaranteed)

October 13, 2016
Total Entries: 49
Players Remaining: 9

This evening's satellite wasn't short of drama, as the pace slowed down to a crawl as players reached the proverbial "money bubble."  Tournament professional Tom Gity (Pompano Beach, FL) was one of the bigger names to come out of group and collect a seat, and he'll now look to add to his $100,000 career earnings with a deep run in this event.  Posted below are the official results of the satellite:

1. Tom Gity (Event 5 Seat)
2. Dave Henry (Event 5 Seat)
3. Daniel Kolchov (Event 5 Seat)
4. Marc Bronstein (Event 5 Seat)
5. Freddy Moreno (Event 5 Seat)
6. Robert Blanchette (Event 5 Seat)
7. Norman Zapczynski (Event 5 Seat)
8. Manuel Luna (Event 5 Seat)
9. Edward Gatswirth ($440)

We will keep an eye on these players throughout their Day 1 flights, as they look to write a storyline that is very attainable in poker.