Event 2 (Day 2): Six-Way Chop Agreed To, Smith Declared Winner

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 6
Chip Average: 1,943,000

Juan Rodriguez, Rami Ezra, Luminita Petric, Steve Smith, Hugh Hardy, Andrew Touchette (Event #2 "Winners")

The discussion latest about five minutes once the numbers were broken down, and everyone was happy with the numbers that ICM that were laid out.  We do not yet have the official breakdown of the payouts, but we can tell you that Steve Smith was declared the winner, and took home over $28,000.  The official payouts will be posted in about an hour.

Event 2 (Day 2): 1st Place - Smith ($28,462)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 6
Chip Average: 1,943,000

Stephen Smith (Montgomery, AL) 1st Place - $28,462

Stephen Smith's (Montgomery, AL) tournament resume began in January of 2015, which ended up being the only score he recorded that year.  Smith then went on to record (6) cashes last year, the largest of which came when he just missed the final table of a WSOPC event in Cherokee ($365 NLH - 11th Place $9,183).  Smith has now reached new heights in his poker career, almost doubling his career earnings with this one score.  Stephen's chip stack was almost double his nearest competitor, which is reason behind the difference between first and second place money in the deal.

Event 2 (Day 2): 2nd Place - Rodriguez ($19,141)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 6
Chip Average: 1,943,000

Juan Rodriguez (Boca Raton, FL)  2nd Place - $19,141

Juan Rodriguez (Boca Raton, FL) was coming off of a 2016 in which he recorded (8) cashes, totaling over $29,000.  Rodriguez had the comfortable position of being one of the larger stacks in the field during the latter stages of the tournament.  The $19,141 that Juan earns as part of this deal is the largest score of his tournament career.

Event 2 (Day 2): 3rd Place - Touchette ($18,430)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 6
Chip Average: 1,943,000

Andrew Touchette (Coconut Creek, FL)

Andrew Touchette (Coconut Creek, FL) is an accomplished tournament professional, coming off a 2016 in which he recorded (18) total cashes.  Those cashes earned him $81,298 for the year, and while his career earnings total over $238,409, this actually ranks as his second largest score of his career.  Andrew's run towards the final table got a strong start right around the money bubble, when he flopped a set to crack Alik Sitnyakovsky's pocket aces, winning one of the largest pots of the tournament to that point.

Event 2 (Day 2): 4th Place - Hardy ($17,267)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 6
Chip Average: 1,943,000

Hugh Hardy (Pompano Beach, FL) 4th Place - $17,267

Hugh Hardy (Pompano Beach, FL) continues the trend of players not only earning the largest score of their career, but eclipsing their career earnings with this score.  Coming into this tournament, Hardy's career earnings were $3,483, and his largest cash was $1,200.  Those numbers are definitely a little skewed though, as he is in attendance for a good number of "daily" events each week (so there is no telling what those cashes would bring his earnings to).  This is Hardy's second cash of the series, after finishing 31st in Event #1 ($208) earlier in the week.

Event 2 (Day 2): 5th Place - Ezra ($16,683)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 6
Chip Average: 1,943,000

Rahamim Ezra (Hallandale Beach, FL) 5th Place - $16,683

Quietly flying under the radar, Rahamim Ezra (Hallandale Beach, FL) is another player who is walking away from this event with the largest cash of his career.  Coming into the day, Ezra's largest recorded tournament cash was $2,988, and his career earnings were $8,943.  Almost doubling those earnings with just one result is surely the highlight Rahamim's poker career to date.

Event 2 (Day 2): 6th Place - Petric ($16,496)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 6
Chip Average: 1,943,000

Luminita Petric (West Palm Beach, FL) 6th Place - $16,496

Luminita Petric (West Palm Beach) looked like she was going to have to fire another bullet during Day 1B, playing a stack of less than (20) bigs in the middle stages of the day.  She ended up going on a little heater, and ended up bagging a stack that was right around average as she headed to Day 2.  Petric picked up where she left off once play resumed today, and she found herself as one of the big stacks when play reached the final table.  The $16,496 that she earned for her part of the deal is not only the largest score of her lifetime, it eclipses her combined career earnings leading up to this tournament.

Event 2 (Day 2): 7th Place - Hen ($5,160)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 6
Chip Average: 1,750,000

Ory Hen (Cooper City, FL) 7th Place - $5,160

The short stacks continue to fall, as Ory Hen (Cooper City, FL) runs his K♥ Q♦ into the A♠ A♣ of Rami Ezra.  Ezra would end up turning Ory dead, and Hen would notch his first recorded cash of 2017.  This comes after a very solid 2016, in which Ory recorded (26) cashes, totaling $88,604.  The remaining players are now pausing the clock to discuss a deal, which we will update you on once that conversation concludes.

Event 2 (Day 2): 8th Place - Mendoza ($3,673)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 7
Chip Average: 1,665,000

Juan Mendoza (Wilmington, NC) 7th Place- $3,673

After Nowling's exit, Mendoza would be the shortest stack (with just over ten big blinds), and he'd get those remaining chips in pre against Luminita Petric.  Mendoza would be racing with A♠ J♣ against the 6♦ 6♣ of Petric, and would find no help from the Q♣ 10♣ 2♦ 4♥ 2♣ runout.  This is Mendoza's first cash of the year, this after recording (26) cashes in 2016, totaling $126,339 in earnings.

Event 2 (Day 2): 9th Place - Nowling ($2,624)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 26 (Blinds 20,000/40,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 8
Chip Average: 1,370,000

David Nowling (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) 9th Place - $2,624

David Nowling (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) was the shortest stack for a good portion of the final table, and just lost a race to Rami Ezra to be eliminated in 9th place ($2,264).  Bowling got it in holding 8♥ 8♠ against Ezra's A♠ K♣, and an ace on the flop would leave David looking for one of two outs on the turn or river.  This is Nowling's second cash of the year, and first at the Isle since 2014.  Just an interesting fact, Nowling cashed a total of (7) times in the 2015 WSOP, and (3) times in the 2016 WSOP.  This cash brings his career earning above $200,000, and solid benchmark for professional tournament players.

Event 2 (Day 2): 10th Place - Ocampo ($2,011)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 25 (Blinds 15,000/30,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 9
Chip Average: 1,166,000

Anthony Ocampo (Miami, FL)

Anthony Ocampo is the first to depart the final table, losing a sizable flip to Luminita Petric to bust.  Ocampo announced himself all-in from early position, which was followed by a re-shove from Petric behind.  Action folded around to Touchette, who after a few moments of thought, tossed A♥ Q♠ face up into the muck.  Ocampo held 9♥ 9♠ against Petric's A♠ K♦, but after the 10♣ J♣ Q♥ flop, Anthony was in pretty rough shape.  He would be drawing dead on the turn, and collected his things before heading to the podium for his $2,011 prize money.

Event 2 (Day 2): Chip Counts At Break

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 25 (Blinds 15,000/30,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 10
Chip Average: 1,166,000

Posted below are the updated chip counts from break.  Players will be returning to Level 25 and blinds of 15,000/30,000/4,000:

1. David Nowling - 532,000
2. Rami Ezra - 936,000
3. Steve Smith - 995,000
4. Andrew Touchette - 1,262,000
5. Ory Hen - 561,000
6. Hugh Hardy - 2,250,000
7. Juan Mendoza - 458,000
8. Anthony Ocampo - 595,000
9. Luminita Petric - 1,370,000
10. Juan Rodriguez - 2,992,000

Event 2 (Day 2): Final Table Lineup

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 24 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 10
Chip Average: 1,166,000

Posted below is the seating assignments for the final table:

1. David Nowling
2. Rami Ezra
3. Steve Smith
4. Andrew Touchette
5. Ory Hen
6. Hugh Hardy
7. Juan Mendoza
8. Anthony Ocampo
9. Luminita Petric
10. Juan Rodriguez

Event 2 (Day 2): McVay Bubbles Final Table, Redraw Once Again

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 24 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 10
Chip Average: 1,166,000

Bryce McVay (Jupiter, FL)

Bryce McVay (Jupiter, FL) was one of the shorter stack of the (11) players that remained, but he gained some new life doubling through Rami Ezra when his A♥ K♠ > A♣ 9♣.  His ten big blind stack turned into just over twenty, and he'd find himself all-in once again, in the same position of being ahead.  This time though, his Q♦ Q♣ would be bested by the J♥ J♠ of Hugh Hardy on a runout of 3♠ J♦ 2♦ 5♣ 2♠.  McVay took the beat with class, collected his things, and headed to the podium to receive his 11th place money ($2,011).

Event 2 (Day 2): Chip Counts On Final Table Bubble

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 23 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 11
Chip Average: 1,060,000

With the recent elimination of Dustin Tragethon in 12th place, we are now on the final table bubble.  Here are the lineups from both shorthanded tables, along with chip counts:

Table 1:

1. Ory Hen - 500,000
2. Juan Mendoza - 630,000
3. Anthony Ocampo - 560,000
4. Steve Smith - 1,350,000
5. Juan Rodriguez - 2,650,000
6. Luminita Petrica - 1,450,000

Table 3: 

1. David Nowling - 650,000
2. Bryce McVay - 345,000
3. Hugh Hardy - 1,300,000
4. Andrew Touchette - 1,400,000
5. Rami Ezra - 1,200,000

Event 2 (Day 2): 13th-15th Places ($1,574)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 23 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 12
Chip Average: 970,000

The following players have been eliminated from Event #2 of the 2017 Isle Poker Classic, and have cashed for $1,574:

13. Ricardo Eyzaguirre (Orlando, FL)
14. Greg Barker (Delray Beach, FL)
15. David Poces (Boca Raton, FL)

Event 2 (Day 2): 16th-18th Places ($1,312)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 23 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 14
Chip Average: 832,000

The following players have been eliminated from Event #2 of the 2017 Isle Poker Classic, and have cashed for $1,312:

16. Hector Pacheco (Davie, FL)
17. Maury Halperin (Lauderdale By The Sea, FL)
18. Casey Affleck (Coconut Creek, FL)

Event 2 (Day 2): 19th-27th Places ($1,137)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 23 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 15
Chip Average: 777,000

The following players have been eliminated from Event #2 of the 2017 Isle Poker Classic, and have cashed for $1,137:

19. Evan Teitelbaum (Parkland, FL)
20. Bryan Breen (Boca Raton, FL)
21. David Moreno (Hallandale Beach, FL)
22. Raminder Singh (Delray Beach, FL)
23. Ido Ashkenazi (Davie, FL)
24. Edward Novak (Simbury, CT)
25. Vincent DeVita (West Palm Beach, FL)
26. Erik Christensen (Hallandale Beach, FL)
27. Kenneth Bruno (Lake Worth, FL)

Event 2 (Day 2): Redraw At (18)...Now (17)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 23 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 17
Chip Average: 686,000

After a pure runout for Juan Rodriguez to eliminate two players (A♣ K♦ > > Q♣ J♣ > A♠ K♥) on a board of 3♣ 7♣ 4♥ K♣ 6♣, the field is now down to (17).  Tournament staff just completed the first re-draw of the tournament, and here are the new table lineups:

Table 1:

1. Ory Hen
2. Ricardo Eyzaguirre
3. Juan Mendoza
4. Greg Barker
5. David Poces
6. Anthony Ocampo
7. Steve Smith
8. Juan Rodriguez
9. Luminita Petrica

Table 3:

1. Dustin Tragethon
2. David Nowling
3. Maury Halperin
4. Bryce McVay
5. Hugh Hardy 
6. Hector Pacheco
7. Andrew Touchette
8. Rami Ezra

Event 2 (Day 2): Full Field Chip Counts

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 22 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 22
Chip Average: 530

Posted below are the updated chip counts of the remaining Event #2 players:

Table 1:

1. David Moreno - 320,000
2. Raminder Singh - 260,000
3. David Nowling - 380,000
4. Rami Ezra - 815,000
5. Anthony Ocampo - 850,000
6. Steve Smith - 740,000
7. Hugh Hardy - 281,000
8. Andrew Touchette - 240,000

Table 2:

1. Bryce McVay - 605,000
2. Greg Barker - 900,000
3. Hector Pacheco - 710,000
4. Ricardo Eyzaguirre - 290,000
5. Luminita Petrica - 510,000
6. Ory Hen - 620,000
7. Maury Halperin - 140,000
8. Casey Kaplan - 365,000

Table 3:

1. Dustin Tragethon - 640,000
2. Bryan Breen - 260,000
3. David Poces - 310,000
4. Evan Teitelbaum - 405,000
5. Juan Mendoza - 620,000
6. Juan Rodriguez - 1,200,000

Event 2 (Day 2): Tables Lineups As Players Head To Dinner

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 22 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 26
Chip Average: 448,000

Players are about to head on their (45) scheduled dinner break, and will return to Level 22 (blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000).  That will be the final extended break of the night, as the tournament will be played down to a conclusion.  Here are the remaining (26) players in the tournament, as listed by table assignments:

Table 1:

1. David Romero
2. Raminder Singh
3. David Nowling
4. Rami Ezra
5. Anthony Ocampo
6. Steve Smith
7. Hugh Hardy
8. Andrew Touchette

Table 2:

1. Bryce McVay
2. Greg Barker
3. Hector Pacheco
4. Luminita Petrica
5. Ory Hen
6. Maury Halperin
7. Vinny DeVita
8. Casey Kaplan

Table 3:

1. Dustin Tragethon
2. Ido Ashkenazi
3. Ricardo Eyzaguirre
4. Bryan Breen
5. Dave Poces
6. Edward Novak
7. Evan Teitelbaum
8. Juan Mendoza 
9. Juan Rodgriguez

Dinner break will last from 6:25-7:10pm.

Event 2 (Day 2): 28th-36th Places ($962)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 21 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 27
Chip Average: 432,000

The following players have been eliminated from Event #2 of the 2017 Isle Poker Classic, and have cashed for $962:

28. John Page (Wellington, FL)
29. Yigal Hen (Cooper City, FL)
30. Pasquale Caiazza (David, FL)
31. A. Nonymous (Parts Unknown, USA)
32. Jordan Meltzer (La Crosse, WI)
33. Marc Sacheli (Miami Beach, FL)
34. John Palace (Los Angeles, CA)
35. Glen  Canelstein (Coconut Creek, FL)
36. Adewale Adeyemi (Pembroke Pines, FL)

Event 2 (Day 2): 37th-45th Places ($787)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 19 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 34
Chip Average: 315,000

The following players have been eliminated from Event #2 of the 2017 Isle Poker Classic, and have cashed for $787:

37. Luiz Ferreira (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil)
38. Adel Jo (Miami, FL)
39. Joseph Duchman (Miami Beach, FL)
40. Carlos Torres Vasquez (Weston, FL)
41. Roy Paulena (West Palm Beach, FL)
42. Fredric White (Coral Springs, FL)
43. Eduardo Christ (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
44. Neil Blumenfield (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
45. Karin Powsner (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

Event 2 (Day 2): The Price Is Right For Barker

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 19 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 33
Chip Average: 353,000

Greg Barker (Delray Beach, FL)

We approached Table 2 at what happened to be a critical time, with Greg Barker just announcing himself all-in, leaving Marc Sacheli to make a decision for what could be his tournament life.  The two were on the turn of a board reading J♣ 9♠ 7♥ 4♥, and with over 200,000 already in the pot, Barker check-raised (all-in) Sacheli's 100,000 turn bet.  Sacheli had about 160,000 behind, which is still (20) big blinds, so he used some time before eventually calling.  Barker was ahead with 9♣ 9♥ (flopped set), but needed to fade hearts, as Sacheli held K♥ J♥.  The river K gave Sacheli a meaningless two pair, and Barker would become the first person to reach 1,000,000 in chips.

Event 2 (Day 2): "It Doesn't Mean Anything Until I Win"

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 19 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 37
Chip Average: 315,000

Slum Donkey's David Moreno and Raminder Singh (Delray Beach, FL)

"It doesn't mean anything until I win," were the exact words out of the mouth of Raminder Singh, this after winning the largest pot of the tournament to date.  Singh called the all-in of both Joseph Duchman and an unknown player, holding A♠ K♠ against J♠ J♣ and Q♠ Q♣.  Singh, who had been grinding a stack of 100,000-200,000 for most of the day, had both players covered.  He'd need a some help from the runout, and help he would get, as a K spiked on the flop, and things ran out clean from there.  Raminder is not the chip leader with 630,000, but he's top three at the moment, and right back in a position he's extremely comfortable with (atop the leaderboard at the Isle).

Event 2 (Day 2): Updated Chip Counts, Rodriguez Leads

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 18 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/500)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 42
Chip Average: 277,000

Juan Rodriguez (Boca Raton, FL)

The action has slowed down to a crawl, which should maybe be expected, considering that the stacks are just so deep at the moment.  Juan Rodriguez (Boca Raton, FL) leads the field with just over 600,000, trying to build off of what was one of his most successful years of tournament poker.  Rodriguez recorded (8) cashes in 2016, totaling $29,158 in earnings.  Juan's largest tournament cash came last year as well, here at the Isle, so he's likely comfortable in the position he's currently in.

Juan Rodriguez - 600,000

Andrew Touchette - 555,000

Anthony Compano - 550,000

Ricardo Eyzaguirre - 530,000

Evan Teitelbaum - 500,000

Event 2 (Day 2): 46th-54th Places ($700)

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 17 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 45
Chip Average: 260,000

The following players have been eliminated from Event #2 of the 2017 Isle Poker Classic, and have cashed for $700:

46. Robert Transue (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
47. Kimberly Jones (Pompano Beach, FL)
48. Stefan Brand (Dresden, Germany)
49. Nikolla Sinishtaj (Hallandale Beach, FL)
50. Alfonzo Gomez (Miami Beach, FL)
51. Maury Barrett (Orlando, FL)
52. Johnathan Booker (Deltona, FL)
53. Ilan Hadida (Boca Raton, FL)
54. Rafael Ramos (Cape Coral, FL)

Event 2 (Day 2): Event #2 Field ITM!!

Event 2 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Entries: 583
Players Remaining: 54
Chip Average: 216,000

Sometimes things just happen so quickly, that they aren't spotted in "real time."  As the post regarding the hand between Touchette/Sitnyakovsky was being published, the field was two spots away from the money.  Once the camera, pad, and pen were collected, two eliminations had occurred, and the "in the money" announcement was made.  We will now be posted the players to cash by pay jump, along with chip counts and updates through the tournament's conclusion.