"May $100,000 GTD:" Official End Of Flight 1C Chip Counts

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 125
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 20

Gary	Levinger	231,000
Dennis	Rodriguez	200,000
Javier	Sarache	185,000
Ty	Akbasli	164,000
Marc	Sacheli	162,500
Michael	Newman	156,000
Paul	Mabel	140,000
Juan	Rodriguez	139,500
Douglas	Decker	134,000
Aftab	Shankoor	131,500
Jonathan	Goldstein	127,500
Scott	Levitt	125,000
Kevin	Scarola	123,500
Alton	Mendleson	95,000
Michael	Abitbol	95,000
Ralph	Spadafore	72,000
Leroy	Grant	69,000
Dominic	Campino	62,000
Gary	Viebahn	56,000
Corey	Goldsmith	54,000

"May $100,000 GTD:" Navigating The Waters Of One More Level

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 125
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 22

Players in Flight 1C have just entered the final scheduled level of play (Level 16), with blinds going up to 2,000/4,000/500.  Play will continue as normal until 10:00 minutes remain on the tournament clock...at which point the clock will be paused, and players will finish out a pre-determined number of hands.  Once those hands have been completed at each table, the bagging process will begin, and those still remaining will take a day off (before returning on Sunday at 12:00pm for Day 2).

That will conclude the "live blogged" coverage of today's action, but you can check back for official chip counts from this flight (posted around 7:00-7:30pm), as well as counts from Flight 1D (to be posted in the early morning hours of Saturday).  Coverage will pick back up tomorrow afternoon, with Flight 1E beginning at 11:00am, and expecting to be the largest of all the fields to date.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Continuing That Trend Upward

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 125
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 28

It's not often that a player makes back-to-back blog posts, but Dennis Rodriguez (Sunrise, FL) is the storyline at the moment.  After winning that 100,000 pot against Nataliya Allard, Rodriguez would win another six-figure pot just (15) minutes later.  After a short stack at the table shoved for 19,000 from early position, Rodriguez would three-bet to 36,000, looking to get heads-up.  His move didn't go as according to plan though, as the player behind him re-shoved for close to 65,000.  Dennis made the quick call, and the cards would be tabled:

Rodriguez: A♠ Q♣
Player X: A♦ 3♥
Players Y: J♠ J♦

Runout: 10♥ 6♥ 8♦ Q♠5♦

It looked like Dennis would be losing about a third of his chips after the flop, but he spiked a queen on the turn, and ended up knocking both players out.  The two eliminations would break Table 4, with Rodriguez headed to Table 1 with 210,000...the second player to eclipse that mark.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Rodriguez Vaults Up The Leaderboard

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/400)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 125
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 36

Dennis Rodriguez (Sunrise, FL)

Dennis Rodriguez (Sunrise, FL) is not a newcomer to the tournament scene here in Florida, having amassed over $70,000 in live earnings, all coming in the "Sunshine State."  Rodriguez has two tournament wins on the resume, including one "major" title during the 2014 Battles At The Beach series ($100 No Limit Hold'em - $3,457).

We can be pretty positive in assuming that Rodriguez had never played with Nataliya Allard (Houston, TX), a Texas native that was making what we think was her first appearance here at the Isle Poker Room.  Allard had played solid throughout the day, keeping herself above average since the first few levels of the day.  The action at Table 4 was approached on the turn of a board reading 3♦ 4♣ 7♦ 2♥, with Allard and Rodriguez heads up.  Allard had opened pre, bet flop, and then shoved turn for over 50,000.  Rodriguez was in the tank as we walked over, eventually making what would turn out to be a great call.  Dennis held 9♠ 9♣, and just needed to fade one of Allard's ten outs on the river (she held A♦ Q♠).  When the board paired with a 3, Rodriguez would scoop the pot, and eliminate Allard from the Flight 1C field.  That pot would take him over 165,000, which is exactly where we had him when last updated.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Updated Chip Counts Post Break

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 125
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 40

Michael Abitbol (Encinitas, CA)

An interesting thing to note about the remaining field is the lack a big stacks across the four table field.  There are only a handful of players over 100,000, with the rest of the field hovering at or below the current chip average of 69,000.  Michael Abitbol (Encinitas, CA) has trended in the right direction over the last few levels, and comes into this tournament off a career highlighting score.  Abitbol's last recorded cash was from the $570 No Limit Hold'em event during the 2016 Rock N' Rock Poker Open (Seminole Hard Rock).  Michael was part of an eight-way deal that ended the tournament, earning third place money, and taking home $38,085.

Javier Sarache - 265,000

Dennis Rodriguez - 170,000

Michael Abitbol - 155,000

Gary Viebahn - 150,000

Joseph Mancuso - 145,000

Marc Sacheli - 105,000

"May $100,000 GTD:" Final Break Of The Flight

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 125
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 43

The players that are still remaining in this flight are about to take their final (10) minute break of the day.  They will then return to Level 13, and new blinds of 1,000/2,000/300 (58,000 chip average).  While the players are away from the tables, updated chip counts will be collected, and then posted once the cards are back in the air.  The number to beat is 380,000 (John Womack), if players want to bag the overall chip lead, but there is currently only one player in the field above the 200,000 mark (Javier Sarache).  

"May $100,000 GTD:" Taking The Long, Dreaded Walk

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 125
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 51

The registration for Flight 1C closed less than an hour ago, but the field is already down to (51) players, less than half of the original number.  It's been an up-and-down day for many players that were once in the field, with the following list experiencing the negative end of variance:

Tom Gity
Nancy Birnbaum
Gyorgy Cseke
Charlemange Benjamin
Nikolla Sinishtaj
Luis Santoni
Esther Foley
Paul Shafran
William Underdown

"May $100,000 GTD:" Sarache Eclipses The Century Mark

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 125

Javier Sarache (Pembroke Pines, FL)

The action was spotted on the flop at Table 9, as three players stared down at a board of A♣ 10♠ 7♣.  Javier Sarache checked first to act, with an unknown player putting forward a bet of 7,000.  Luis Santoni made a quick call from the button, which was followed by Sarache immediately pushing all of his chips forward (37,000).  The original bettor took some time before eventually folding his hand, and with action back on Santoni, he'd drop his stack...and his cell phone on the table.  It seemed as if Luis was super confident about his holdings, but everyone at the table was surprised when the hands were turned over.

Sarache's hand was as advertised, as he tabled 10♦ 10♥, having flopped middle set.  Santoni's call was on the speculative side, as he turned over K♦ Q♥, hoping for a jack to complete his straight.  The Q♣ on the turn did nothing to help Santoni's cause, and after the 2♠ on the river, he'd be eliminated from Flight 1C play.  Sarache would just pass the 100,000 mark with that pot, and currently sits with a top five stack in the field.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Top Five Stacks Post Break

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 125

Gary Viebahn (Estero, FL)

The cards are back in the air for Flight 1C, and returning from break, it's Gary Viebahn (Estero, FL) holding the chip lead.  Viebahn has over $37,000 in recorded tournament earnings, much of which came from the opening event of the 2014 Florida State Poker Championships ($330 No Limit Hold'em).  Viebahn earned fifth place money ($31,794) as part of a six-way chop that ended the tournament.

Gary Viebahn - 135,000

Marc Sacheli - 115,000

Gyorgy Cseke - 110,000

Nataliya Allard - 85,000

Joseph Mancuso - 80,000

"May $100,000 GTD:" Registration Window Closing, Numbers Continue To Rise

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 116

Players are currently at the midway point of Level 8, which happens to be the last level of open registration for this Flight 1C.  There will be a (10) minute break at the level's conclusion, and once the cards are back in the air for Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100), players will no longer be able to enter this flight.  There are still three more schedule flights, with Flight 1D this evening (6:00pm), and Flights 1E and 1F schedule for tomorrow.  

Yesterday's flights saw a combined total of $33,350 going towards the prize pool, and with the addition of the $13,340 from this flight, we are almost half the way to the $100,000 guarantee.  The Saturday flights are always going to attract the largest fields, so it's really not a question of if the guarantee will be reached, but rather how much over the posted number will the prize pool go.  

Once the cards are back in the air post-break, we will take our first look at updated chip counts from the field, along with those that still remain.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Agrachov Gets No Respect...Then All The Respect

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 107

Dmitry Agrachov (Weston, FL)

After Luis Santoni opened to 1,300 UTG+1, two players would fold behind, and Javier Sarache would make the call.  After two more folds, action was on Dmitry Agrachov on the button, who three-bet to 3,900.  Both the blinds called, along with Santoni and Sarache, as the players went five ways to the flop of 7♣ 2♥ Q♠.  Action quickly checked around to Agrachov, who fired out a bet of 20,000.    Each player folded behind fairly swiftly, and although they might not have believed Dmitry's story pre-flop, their minds were changed just a few seconds later.

Dmitry turned over A♥ A♦ as the dealer was pushing him the pot, hoping to solidify a particular table image with his mates.  Agrachov is over 60,000 now, which is double the current chip average of 29,333.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Always A Good Time For Aces

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 97

Tournament players sometimes speak of the "blogger's curse," but that's because we always remember the big hands we lose more than those we win.  Joseph Mancuso was just mentioned about an hour ago, as we discussed his confidence coming into this tournament.  Call it confidence...call it run good...but Mancuso just tripled his stack moments ago, as he was involved in a three-way all-in.  The action was all pre-flop, as Mancuso, Tom Gity, and Sandy Sanchez had all of their chips in front of them.  When the hands were tabled, it would be Mancuso's A♠ A♥ against the A♦ K♠ of Gity, and J♥ J♦ of Sanchez.  The board would run out K♣ 3♣ 8♠ 6♦ 7♥, and although Gity kindly requested another king on the turn or river, it wouldn't arrive.

Joseph's stack was 27,225, which just covered both of his opponents, sending them both to the registration window once again.  Mancuso is now over 80,000 with that pot, and is one of the chip leaders in the field.

Joseph Mancuso - 83,000

"May $100,000 GTD:" Birnbaum Off To A Quick Start

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/25)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 94

Nancy Birnbaum (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

Outside of Vanessa Russo and Lily Kiletto, Nancy Birnbaum (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) is the top female on the state of Florida's "All Time Money List" (and it should be mentioned that nor Russo or Kiletto have called Florida home for a while now).  With over $666,000 in career tournament earnings, Nancy is a veteran of the tournament scene, and always one of the more accomplished players in many of the fields she play in.

Birnbaum is already off to a strong start this flight, having doubled the 20,000 starting stack in the first few levels of the day.  Nancy did see some success in the $100,000 guarantee that was run last month, finishing in 64th place, and earning herself $679.  That was already Nancy's eleventh cash of the year, after finishing in the money in four different events during the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open.

Nancy headlines a surprisingly large group of ladies in today's field, including the likes of:

Carey Pickus

Nataliya Allard

Esther Foley

Susan Krowitz

"May $100,000 GTD:" Mancuso Coming In With Confidence

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 79

Joseph Mancuso (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

Joseph Mancuso (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) is a tournament regular at the Isle Poker Room, and has the resume to show it.  Of the (24) recorded results on his Hendon Mob resume, all but two of them are from this poker room.  Joseph has one major title from the 2015 Florida State Poker Championships ($250 Limit Omaha 8B - $5,227), and now three wins in "daily" events.  The most recent came just three days ago, when he won first place money in a seven-way deal that ended the Tuesday "Monster Stack."  Mancuso earned $840 in the chop, which brings his career earnings above the $40,000 mark.  With five cashes this year alone, Joseph is surely seated at the table with confidence in his game, and is looking for that to translate into a Day 2 bag.

Mancuso, along with the rest of the field, will be heading on their first break of the day at the end of this level.  After (10) minutes away from the table, play will resume with Level 5, and new blinds of 150/300/25.  Other notables in the early field to join Joseph on the break include:

Frank Traino

Lascelles Peart

Luis Santoni

John Reslow

Nancy Birnbaum

Michael Boykin

Dmitry Agrachov

Gyorgy Cseke

William Underdown

"May $100,000 GTD:" Same Seat...Different View

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 68

Esther Foley (Tamarac, FL)

Esther Foley (Tamarac, FL) was in attendance for yesterday's opening flight of the "May $100,000 GTD," but was not successful in bagging chips for Day 2.  She's back in the field this afternoon, and it must feel like Groundhog Day to Foley, who's seated at the same table at yesterday...in the same seat.  Those that are superstitious may feel as if that's a "bad omen," but Esther seems to be "playing the cards she's dealt."  Foley is looking for a repeat performance of her finish last month, when she earned eighth place money in the twelve-way chop that ended the "April $100,000."  The $10,203 that she earned was her largest cash of her career, and third recorded cash of the calendar year.

Esther currently shares the felt with Jeffrey Silverstein and Robert Tanner, just two recognizable names of the many in this early afternoon field:

Nikolla Sinishtaj

Howard Newman

Glenn Popkin

Kevin Scarola

Juan Rodriguez

Steven Bennett

Shlomo Maman

Michael Russo

"May $100,000 GTD:" Official Chip Counts (Flights 1A-1B)

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 63

"May $100,000 GTD:" Cards In The Air For Flight 1C

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: N/A

Tournament Director Ralph Brandt just went through the rules announcement once again, and the cards are in the air for Flight 1C of the "May $100,000 GTD."  Yesterday's pair of flights saw a total of (290) entries, with (39) players able to bag chips for Sunday's Day 2.  John Womack (Lauderhill, FL), a true legend of the game, ended up bagging the overall chip lead for the day (380,000).  Womack heads into Day 2 well above chip average, which sits at 150,000 after two full flights.  Some other notable names that have a Day 2 ticket booked include Thomas Gari (280,000), Jose Gallegos (191,000), Paula Alibrandi (169,000), Hari Sukhu (92,500), and Rafael Ramos (55,000).  

As of right now, the remaining flights need to average (145) entries per to reach the $100,000 guarantee, which should be easily attainable.  A full list of combined chip counts will be posted shortly, followed by coverage of Flight 1C, as the tournament area continues to fill up.

Friday, May 12th: "May $100,000 GTD" Continues With Two More Friday Flights

ICYMI: The $150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack $100,000 GTD began yesterday afternoon, as the first of two flights got underway (Flight 1A).  The first of six flights attracted a field of (133) entries, including a trio from the group that chopped the "April $100,000 GTD" (Dmitry Agrachov, Esther Foley, and William Underdown).  While those players weren't successful in finding a Day 2 bag, a new batch of names managed to book tickets for Sunday's Day 2.  John Womack (Lauderhill, FL) bagged the flight's chip lead (380,000), with Isle Poker tournament regular Thomas Gari the closest competitor, putting 280,000 in the bag.  A total of (18) players were able to navigate their way through the opening flight, and will be back on Sunday for Day 2 (12:00pm).

Joining the group from Flight 1A were the (21) players that bagged chips in the evening flight.  Flight 1B started at 6:00pm, and by the time the registration window closed, a total of (157) entries made up the flight.  Matthew Andrews (320,500) had the top stack after the final hand was dealt, followed by Gina Minshew (303,000) and Marc Bronstein (234,500).  A full list of combined chip counts will be posted later this afternoon, as two more flights are on the schedule today...

Tournaments: ...The first of those two flights begins at 11:00am, as Flight 1C offers players a third opportunity to join the action.  "Live blogged" coverage begins the moment cards are in the air, and continues through the bagging process.  The evening flight (Flight 1D) begins at 6:00pm, with official chip counts posted in the early hours of Saturday.

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.

11:00am - $150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack $100,000 GTD (Flight 1C)

- Players will begin with a 20,000 unit starting stack

- Late registration and re-entry for the first (8) levels

- Levels 1-16 will be (25) minutes, transitioning to (30) minutes from Level 17+

- All late registrants and re-entries will receive a full stack

- All Day 1's will play 16 complete levels, or until 10% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

6:00pm - $150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack $100,000 GTD (Flight 1D)

- Players will begin with a 20,000 unit starting stack

- Late registration and re-entry for the first (8) levels

- Levels 1-16 will be (25) minutes, transitioning to (30) minutes from Level 17+

- All late registrants and re-entries will receive a full stack

- All Day 1's will play 16 complete levels, or until 10% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

"May $100,000 GTD:" Official End Of Flight 1B Chip Counts

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 157
Flight 1B Players Remaining: 21

Matthew	Andrews	320,500
Gina	Minshew	303,000
Marc	Bronstein	234,500
Daniel	Pearlman	201,500
Alicia	Goldstein	193,500
Mike	Shannon	186,000
Farrell	Lapi	182,000
Eric	Kolodny	180,500
Alexander	Thomas	171,500
Paula	Alibrandi	169,000
Steeve	Smith	168,500
Franc	Nemanic	148,000
Eugene	Alkes	117,500
Craig	Stern	93,500
Robert	Poggio	92,000
Christopher	Mull	85,500
Ron	Ostrow	85,000
Barry	Chazen	71,000
Rafael	Ramos	55,000
Juan	Mubarak	54,000
Ilan	Hadido	43,500