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

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 247
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 32

Hector	Pacheco	412,500
Don	Gordon	392,500
Francois	Gagne	316,000
Brenda	Nelson	285,000
Elise	Schisler	262,500
Jack	Rosenthal	262,000
Zoltan	Czinkota	257,500
Brandon	Duvdivani	246,000
Shelly	Smith	232,000
Michael	Larkin	185,500
Joseph	Naso	142,500
Richard	Blanchar	134,000
Atanael	Thomas	131,000
Douglas	Mazzola	129,000
Elias	Nassif	128,500
Elliot	Goldman	127,000
Charles	Simon	113,000
Robert	Urspruch	107,000
Edward	Mandel	103,500
Amir	Baron	99,500
Jeffrey	Celestin	96,000
Kimberly	Jones	95,000
Edward	Mendes	86,000
Jhiisson	Andrey Campos	85,500
David	Miller	82,500
Mike	Bonsignore	81,500
Michael	Moreno	80,000
Rebecca	Dellagloria	75,500
Dongrui	Huang	72,500
Vince	Francavilla	45,000
Kevin	Matheson	36,500
Joe	Ritzie	33,500

"May $100,000 GTD:" Wrapping Up Flight 1E

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 247
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 39

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 tomorrow 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 1F (to be posted in the early morning hours of Saturday).  Coverage will pick back up tomorrow afternoon, with Day 2 getting underway at 12:00pm.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Gordon's Now Pacing The Field

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 247
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 48

Donald Gordon (Boynton Beach, FL)

Have you ever been trying to nail something to a wall, and found your finger in the way as the head of the hammer came down towards the nail?  Well that's exactly what happened to Jaime "Thor" Wiegrefe, as his "hammering away" at Table 4 met a roadblock in Donald Gordon.  Jaime's stack, which was once pushing 200,000, was down to 30,000 as well passed his seat moments ago.  He looked at us with a smile and shrugged his shoulders, as to say "easy come...easy go."  Those chips ended up in front of Donald Gordon (Boynton Beach, FL), who now sits as the only player in the field over 300,000.  Gordon is another Isle Poker Room regular, who mainly plays in the "daily" events, and has seen some success as of late.  With only one full level of play remaining, Gordon looks to be the favorite to bag the chip lead, but has his biggest competition sitting right next to him.  

Shelley Smith is over 250,000, having increased her stack by over 150,000 since returning from the last break (less than an hour ago).  The two haven't been involved in any pots against each other, but that's likely because Smith just joined the table a few minutes ago.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Only One Chance Left For This Group

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/200)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 247
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 57

The following players have been eliminated from Flight 1E play, and have only the 6:00pm (Flight 1F) flight remaining to try and bag chips for tomorrow's Day 2:

Nancy Birnbaum
Tom Gity
Changfei Cui
Zakarya Wolgamott
Preecha Taepakdee
Nikolla Sinishtaj
Robert Urspruch
Andrew Touchette
Craig Witz
Karin Powsner
Guillermo Irving

"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 1E Entries: 247
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 61

Hector Pacheco (Laughlin, NV)

It only took a few hands back from break for Hector Pacheco (Laughlin, NV) to assume the flight's chip lead.  After winning a big pot against Rahamim Ezra, Pacheco is up to 290,000, and threatening John Womack's overall Day 2 chip lead (380,000).  There are still three levels of play remaining in this flight, so a lot can change over the course of the next (80) minutes.  Posted below are some of the larger stacks in the remaining field:

Hector Pacheco - 280,000
Brandon Duvdivani - 190,000
Shelley Smith - 185,000
Jaime Wiegrefe - 175,000
Richard Blanchar - 160,000
Donald Gordon - 160,000
Joseph Naso - 155,000
Nigel Murray 125,000

"May $100,000 GTD:" "Thor" Looking To Bring Down The Hammer

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 247
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 75

Jaime Wiegrefe (Miami, FL)

As players get closer to their final break of the day, Jaime "Thor" Wiegrefe (Miami, FL) is doing his best impression of a one-man wrecking crew at Table 4.  In the last level alone, Wiegrefe has eliminated three of his table mates, increasing his stack by over 100,000 in the process.  Jaime has over $11,000 in career tournament earnings, most of which came during events from last year.  Seven of his ten recorded results were posted in 2016, the largest of which was an 11th place ($2,603) finish in the $350 No Limit Hold'em event during the Everglades Poker Open (Seminole Hard Rock).  Jaime is still looking to notch his first cash of 2017, which seems likely to happen in this event, as he sits with one of the top stacks (with only four full levels left to play).

An updated chip counts post will be published once the cards are back in the air for Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300).

"May $100,000 GTD:" All A Part Of Naso's "Heater"

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 247
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 82

Joseph Naso (Boca Raton, FL)

Some players like to play the "rush," when they feel as if they're experiencing a combination of good cards, and some run good to go along.  Joseph Naso (Boca Raton, FL) was heads up with Chanfei Cui on a flop of 9♦ 6♠ 5♣, and managed to get his stack in (80,000), with Cui calling his shove.  Naso seemed disappointed after Cui made the call, but would be in good shape, holding 9♥ 5♠ against Changfei's 7♠ 7♣.  The turn and river would miss Cui, giving Naso the pot, which was worth close to 130,000.

Just moments later, Naso would call a sizable raise out of the big blind, telling his table mates that he was "playing the heater."  Naso then led out on the ten high flop, watching as his opponents folded behind, and chipping up to over 175,000.  It looks as if Naso is in uncharted territory at the moment, with only one cash on his resume, coming during a "daily" event at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood in 2014.  Regardless of prior experience coming in, Naso is playing carefree and aggressive, a good combination when sitting with one of the big stacks.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Cui Hoping For A Bet, Settles For The Pot

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 247
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 102

Changfei Cui (Kendall, FL)

Changfei Cui (Kendall, FL) may be a name that's familiar to followers of the blog, after the coverage of his deep run during the opening event of the 2017 Battles At The Beach series ($175 No Limit Hold'em).  Cui was eliminated in fifth place from the final table, moments before a deal was agreed to between the remaining players.

Cui was a later entry in today's field, and just won a pot to bring his stack over double the chip average (which is currently 49,000).  On a flop of A♠ K♠ 6♥, Cui led into a four way field for 4,500, with the player on his direct left asking the dealer, "Are these hands we play eligible for the high hand?"  After that statement, the other players to act folded their hands, and the two players watched as the dealer placed down the A♣ on the turn.  Changfei bet once again, this time tossing out 5,500, only to watch as his opponent min-raised to 11,000.  Cui made the call after a few moments of thought, and would check after the 10♦ fell on the river.  His opponent checked back, and turned over K♥ 9♦, with Cui giving him a quick smile before turning over A♥ J♥.  

"You thought I was going to bet again," Cui's opponent asked him.  Whether he was trying to induce a bet for value, or actually worried about his hand, Changfei scooped the pot, and now sits with over 100,000.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Lots Of Big Stacks Emerging From The Field

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 247
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 117

Brandon Duvdivani (Sunrise, FL)

Zoltan Czinkota may have been the first to separate himself from the field, but a handful of players managed to not only catch up, but eclipse his stack from Level 8.  Richard Blanchar (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) is currently the chip leader with over 175,000, but Brandon Duvdivani (Sunrise, FL) sits right behind him with 165,000.  Brandon is another relatively unknown player, with just one recorded cash on his tournament resume, a 97th place finish in last year's $100 No Limit Hold'em "June Monster Stack" ($310).

Richard Blanchar - 175,000

Brandon Duvdivani - 165,000

Zoltan Czinkota - 143,000

David Clark - 135,000

Danielle Bastarache - 125,000

Michael Bosignore - 115,000

"May $100,000 GTD:" Czinkota Leads The Way As Registration Closes

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 228

Zoltan Czinkota (Davie, FL) 

As registration winds down on this second-to-last flight of the tournament, one player has set himself apart from the rest...Zoltan Czinkota (Davie, FL).  Czinkota is a well-known Florida-based tournament professional, with over $313,000 in live earnings.  Czinkota's highlighting score came last year, when he finished in 12th place, during the SHRPO $3,500 NLH Main Event ($49,627).  Zoltan sits with over 150,000 in front of him as players get ready to take their second break of the day, with updated chip counts from the field to follow once cards are back in the air.

Zoltan Czinkota - 154,000

"May $100,000 GTD:" Last Look At The Fashionably Late Crowd

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 214

Flight 1E eclipsed the (200) entry mark just moments ago, making it the largest of the five flights to have been played to this point (with over 45 minutes of open registration still remaining).  The evening flight (Flight 1F - 6:00pm) only needs (75) entries to reach the guarantee, meaning we are looking at yet again, another massive prize pool.  The value in the tournament is evident, and we are seeing players take notice, as certain names are arriving to the table for the first time all week:

Qasem Jamhour
Nicholas Chiappetta
Seamus Hoban
Brian Vasquez
Allan Bieler
Robert Peoples
Kimberly Jones
Steven Damsky
Elise Schisler

"May $100,000 GTD:" Gelley Hoping For A Repeat Performance

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 193

David Gelley (Boca Raton, FL)

David Gelley (Boca Raton, FL) is a seasoned tournament player with over $116,000 in career earnings.  He has (35) recorded results spanning the last nine years, from properties all over the country.  While just more than half of his results are from Florida, it had been close to four years since David's last Isle Poker Room result, before taking second place money in the deal that ended the "April $100,000 GTD."

Gelley was only behind Dmitry Agrachov in the deal, as David earned himself $15,418.  It was Gelley's second largest score of his career, and also his second cash of 2017.  David is sitting with an above average stack (50,000), and looking for a repeat performance of his last feat.  Some later arrivals in the field include:

Rahamim Ezra

Nigel Murray

Waymond Jones

Guillermo Irving

Hector Pacheco

Joseph Block

"May $100,000 GTD:" Bastarache Feeling Right At Home

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/25)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 180

Danielle Bastarache (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

There aren't many players in the field that feel more "at home" playing in this room than Danielle Bastarache (Ft. Lauderdale, FL).  Whether it's a tournament during a series, a daily tournament during the week, or a "special" event like this one...Danielle is most likely in attendance.  Bastarache has over $106,000 in live tournament earnings, and while a bulk of that number came from a huge score at Hard Rock Hollywood (2012 SHRPO - $350 NLH 2nd Place - $84,137), the rest of her resume mainly reads Isle Poker Room results.

One of Danielle's most recent scores came in January, when she finished runner-up in the ever popular $40 No Limit Hold'em $10,000 GTD, a "daily" event that normally attracts fields well over (300) entries.  That finish earned just just under $2,050, which was her largest score in almost two years (recorded).  Danielle is off to a strong start this afternoon, having already turned her 20,000 starting stack into over 70,000.

Bastarache heads a group of players in this field that would be considered "everyday" Isle Poker Room tournament players:

Barry Cohen

Frank Scala

Jeffrey Silverstein

Francois Gagne

Peter Odiot

Karin Powsner

"May $100,000 GTD:" Looking To Stake Her Claim In The "Sunshine State"

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 133

Nataliya Allard (Houston, TX)

Prior to this tournament, Nataliya Allard was a relative unknown player to the blog.  She announced her presence during yesterday's flight though, with a strong showing for most of the day, before trying to pull off a bluff that didn't end up going as planned.  Allard had herself in good position late in the flight, but was clearly looking to bag a top stack, rather than limp into Day 2.  The Texas native has one recorded result on her resume, a final table finish from the Ladies Event during the 2016 WPT Choctaw series (7th Place - $964).

Allard is seated at Table 5, surrounded by a handful of Isle Poker Room notables, and is the headlining name in our second wave of familiar faces in the field:

Steven Bennett

Andrew Touchette

Edgard Mendes

Kenneth Bruno

Benjamin Robinson

Charlemagne Benjamin

Carl Cajuste

Joseph Mancuso

Martin Markov

Jacquelyn Scott

Ralph Spadafore

Players will be taking their first break of the day at this level's conclusion, and will be returning to Level 5, and blinds of 150/300/35.

"May $100,000 GTD:" Looking To Flip the Script

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 129

Zakarya Wolgamott (Coconut Creek, FL)

The last we saw Zakarya Wolgamott, it was during the final table action of the 2017 Battles At The Beaches $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event.  Zakarya was there supporting his roommate Joseph Couden, who ended up getting second place money, after the final three players agreed to a deal.  Wolgamott, who focuses primarily on cash games rather than tournaments, does have close to $10,000 in career live tournament earnings.  

Wolgamott had two results from 2010, but then went six years before recording another tournament cash last year.  Zakarya had his best tournament year last year with six recorded results, and just recently booked his largest tournament score (last month's "April $100,000 GTD" - 22nd Place $1,562).  Wolgamott is back in the field this afternoon, and looking to best that result, which would help make 2017 his top tournament year to date (statistically).  Zakarya is joined in the field by numerous notables, some of which are listed below:

Craig Witz

David Clark

Preecha Taepakdee

Danielle Bastarache

Raymond Nalbandian

Tom Gity

Nikolla Sinishtaj

Robert Urspruch

Luis Santoni

Katherine Hoyle

Zoltan Czinkota

Nancy Birnbaum

"May $100,000 GTD:" Official Chips Counts Flights 1A-1D

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 55

"May $100,000 GTD:" First Of Final Two Flights Getting Underway

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

It's the final day of flights for the $150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack $100,000 GTD, and Ralph Brandt has just made his last rules announcement of the week (not counting the modified announcement made at tomorrow's Day 2).  There have been a total of (592) entries into this tournament to this point, with (81) players having bagged chips for tomorrow's Day 2.  That equates to a total of $68,080 towards the overall prize pool, with (139) entries needed for each of today's flights to make the $100,000 guarantee.

Live coverage of this Flight 1E will begin shortly with a look at some of the players in this early field, and will continue through the bagging process.

Saturday, May 13th: Registration Wrapping Up For The "May $100,000 GTD"

ICYMI: The second weekend in May started off with two more flights of the $150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack $100,000 GTD ("May $100,000 GTD"), with a combined (302) entries over the course of the day.  Flight 1C had a total of (125) entries, with (20) players managing to make their way to tomorrow's Day 2.  While Javier Sarache and Dennis Rodriguez led the way for most of the afternoon, it would be Gary Levinger (Wellington, FL) who bagged the flight's chip lead, with 231,000.  Levinger is coming off of his best year of tournament poker (with eight recorded cashes), but is still looking to notch his first 2017 score on his resume.

Flight 1D, which attracted the largest field size of the four flights to have been completed, saw a total of (177) entries.  Once the bagging process was completed to end the night, (22) players were left with "passes" to Day 2.  John Womack still holds the overall lead heading into Day 2 (380,000), but Flight 1D chip leader Dylan Drazen (New York, NY) made a solid run at eclipsing that number (371,000).  Some other notables that bagged chips for tomorrow were Edward Medoff, Sergio Amato, Harmeet Singh, Larry Stoddard, and Elliot Zaydman.

Tournaments: Players looking to join in on this great tournament have two final chances this afternoon/evening, as Flight 1E begins at 11:00am, followed by Flight 1F at 6:00pm.  There have been a total of (592) entries combined to this point, with $68,080 going towards the overall prize pool.

Promotions: The high hand promotions take another "breather" today, between yesterday's (11) hours worth of "turbo" high hands, tomorrow's (7) hours of $300 high hands (awarded every 15 minutes).  The "standard high hand" procedure is in place, awarded prizes to qualifying high hands every (30) minutes (with rollovers).

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

- 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 1F)

- 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 1D Chip Counts

"May $100,000 GTD"
$150 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1D Entries: 177
Flight 1D Players Remaining: 22

Dylan	Drazen	371,000
Edward	Medoff	315,500
John	Tanner	253,000
Simon	Welds	235,500
Sagi	Zommer	212,500
Sergio	Amato	210,000
Russ	Stampler	205,000
Harmeet	Singh	202,500
Jerrold	Solov	188,500
David	LeVine	166,500
Dan	Recke	151,500
Larry	Stoddard	147,000
Elliot	Zaydeman	133,000
Robert	Chusin	112,500
Mike	Jones	103,500
Alex	Recio	100,000
Ghassan	Toubia	89,000
Cory	Petruny	87,500
Chein	Min Chin	85,000
Edina	Pantinchin	58,500
Ross	Willner	53,500
Terry	Wooten	51,500