Friday, April 7th: Incredible Showing For Last Night's $20,000 GTD, "Higher" High Hands On Tap To Begin Weekend

ICYMI: There were two tournaments on yesterday's "daily" schedule, and while a notable name made his return to the winner's circle, it was the evening event ($130 No Limit Hold'em $20,000 GTD) that stood front and center.  The afternoon tournament, a $80 No Limit Hold'em w/ $10 Bounties ($2,000 GTD), got underway at 11:00am.  Registration closed with (26) total entries, and a prize pool of $1,740 ($260 bounty pool).  Four spots were schedule to get paid, and once the field reached that point, the remaining players agreed to a deal:

1. Joseph Mancuso (Deerfield Beach, FL) $593
2. Michael Dotson (Jupiter, FL) $438
3. Gerald Blum (Boca Raton, FL) $355
4. Stanley Sternberg (Highland Beach, FL) $354

The win is Mancuso's third ever here at the Isle Poker Room, and brings his career earnings above the $40,000 mark.

The evening tournament, which was being run for the first time on the schedule, was a $130 No Limit Hold'em ($20,000 GTD) event.  Being that it's the "tail end of the season," many in the community were wondering what the turnout would be like...but nobody could have predicted what happened.  A total of (296) entries made up the field, building a massive prize pool of $29,600!  The posted first place prize was $8,294...one of the largest we've seen for a "daily event."  The feeling across the room had more of a "serious" vibe, as players realized they were competing for a serious amount of money.  There were (27) places schedule to get paid, and once the money bubble burst, a handful of notables made their way to the podium to collect their min-cash ($266), including Jordan Meltzer (Delray Beach, FL), Willie Wiggins (Mirimar, FL), and Christian Rodriguez (Boynton Beach, FL).  The field continued to shrink, with players like Ira Horowitz (11th Place - $414), Carl Cajuste (15th Place - $355), and Daniel Koff (17th Place - $311) falling short of the final table.  

It was close to 1:30am when the final table was reached, and after the eliminations of Donald Maloney Jr. (10th Place - $414) and Devond Marshall (9th Place - $533), the remaining eight players began talking deal.  With less than an hour remaining before the poker room's close, players knew that it was either make a deal, or bag chips and return this evening.  Those left eventually came to an agreement, with the payouts posted below:

1. Renato Paiva (Woonsocket, RI) $4,850
2. Patrick Carnakie (West Palm Beach, FL) $3,652
3. Nancy Birnbaum (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) $3,505
4. Daniel Miller (Pompano Beach, FL) $3,062
5. Gary Blais (Hollywood, FL) $2,933
6. Steve Olivier (Miami, FL) $2,306
7. Mauricio Duarte (Coral Gables, FL) $1,754
8. Robert McManus (Cape Coral, FL) $1,371

Those that missed this great tournament still have two more opportunities to join the action this month, as the same structured event is run next Thursday (April 13th), and the following Thursday as well (April 20th).  Next week's installment should be even bigger, with the posted guarantee even higher than last night ($25,000 GTD).

Tournaments: There is one tournament on the schedule this evening, a $150 No Limit Hold'em ($10,000 GTD), beginning a 6:00pm.  Tom Gity (Pompano Beach, FL) was last week's winner of this event, heading a deal that saw him earning $1,621.

Promotions: Things start off "quickly" this afternoon, with the "Turbo High Hands" running from 9:00am-12:00pm.  During that window, $100 will be awarded every (10) minutes to the qualifying high hand (rollovers do apply).  The promotion will then transition to $250 every (20) minutes (rollovers do apply), from 12:00pm-4:00pm...laddering up one more time to $500 every (20) minutes (rollovers apply), from 4:00pm-12:00am.

6:00pm - $150 No Limit Hold'em ($10,000 GTD)

- Players will begin with a 20,000 starting stack
- Late and re-entries for the first (8) levels
- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack
- Levels are (25) minutes in length