Monday, May 15th: Bodden Ships "May $100,000 GTD," Structure Beast Returns!

Jonathan Bodden (Miami, FL)

ICYMI: The "May $100,000 GTD" was yet another successful "special" tournament, as (1,169) entries made up the $134,435 prize pool.  Yesterday's Day 2 saw (159) players return, all of which had their eyes on the $22,582 first place prize.  Players reached the money within the first level of the day, which set a tone for what was about to play out.  The field thinned out at a rapid pace, with only two tables remaining at the tournament's dinner break (6:30pm).  It was at that point that the event began to take shape, as Jonathan Bodden and Raminder Singh led the group as the cards got back in the air.

The two players owned the chip lead the rest of the way, taking turns atop the field while the short stacks dropped.  There was a quick discussion of chop when players reached the final table, as a majority of the stacks were in the (10-15) big blinds mark.  As expected, the top two (Singh and Bodden) weren't crazy about the numbers, and the action continued on.  The story of the final table, which was Jonathan Bodden, began with his elimination of Robert Tanner.  Bodden shoved over an open from Tanner, and eventually cracked Robert's pocket aces after flopping a flush.

It seemed as if it was just Bodden's night, as he got it all-in against Raminder Singh with four players left, holding pocket tens against Singh's pocket aces.  Once again, Bodden came from behind by flopping a set, and he'd end up with 80% of the chips at three-handed play.  The rest was basically a formality, as Patrick Carnakie and Kevin Scarola busted in succession, and Bodden would be the final player standing.  Jonathan earned his largest lifetime cash with the $22,582 first place money, and takes a bunch of confidence with him as he heads to the 2017 WSOP.

Tournaments: Coming off what was a great tournament, players don't have to wait long for another solid event to come along.  The "Structure Beast" returns this afternoon, a $150 No Limit Hold'em event with a $15,000 guaranteed prize pool, and "major-like" structure.  Players sit down to 12,000 unit starting stacks, and play (30) minute levels throughout the entire event (open registration through the first 10 levels).  It's an incredible structure, even better value, and one of the most popular tournaments with the players.

The evening tournament stays the same, as the $75 No Limit Hold'em event gets underway at 6:00pm, with a 15,000 unit starting stack and (20) minute levels.

Promotions: Outside of the "standard" high hand promotion, the weeks gets a "quick" start with "Turbo High Hands," offering $100 every (10) minutes from the period of 9:00am-12:00pm.  Rollovers do apply with this promotion (with each game in the house eligible), so it's not uncommon to see a player pick up anywhere from $100-$500 during the promotion.

11:00am - $150 No Limit Hold'em "Structure Beast" $15,000 GTD

- Players will begin with a 12,000 starting stack

- Late and re-entries for the first (10) levels

- Alternates and late entries sit down to full stacks

- Levels are (30) minutes in length

6:00pm - $75 No Limit Hold'em 

- Players will begin with a 15,000 starting stack

- Late and re-entries for the first (8) levels

- Alternates and late entries will receive full stacks

- Levels are (20) minutes in length throughout