Friday, June 30th: Great Thursday Turnout Yields Profitable Dealmaking, Friday's Focus Is On High Hand Promo

ICYMI: For the first time this month, the Thursday afternoon time slot was taken by the $80 No Limit Hold'em w/ $10 Bounties ($1,500 GTD).  The guaranteed number was eclipsed just before registration's close, as (26) entries made up the tournament's field.  David Echavarria (Bay Harbor Island, FL) was the first player to cash ($138), with his exit followed by the elimination of Brian Albano in third place ($213).  That would leave Brian Rodriguez and Brian Haines to begin heads-up play, but action never resumed.  The two Brian's would agree to an (almost) even chop, with Rodriguez earning an extra dollar, and "declared winner" honors for statistical purposes.

1. Brian Rodriguez (Pembroke Pines, FL) $451
2. Brian Haines (Southwest Ranches, FL) $450
3. Brian Albano (Boca Raton, FL) $213
4. David Echavarria (Bay Harbor Island, FL) $138

The evening is where the "big" tournament action happened, as a total of (230) entries made up the field for the $130 No Limit Hold'em ($20,000 GTD).  The guaranteed number was in the rear-view mirror long before registration closed, with the final number ending up a $22,310.  The payouts were bloated by the great turnout, with first through third places scheduled to earn a combined $11,000 alone.  The tournament ended up in a sizable eight-way chop, but before that occurred, a number of player notched an Isle Poker tournament score: Barry Chazen, William Underdown, Pedro Palacio, Robert Transue, and Steve Moreno.  After the eliminations of Stephen Smith and Zoltan Czinkota, the remaining eight players agreed to a deal, with everyone walking away more than $1,485 richer.

1. Herman Alter (North Miami, FL) $2,800
2. Andrew Thompson (Bloomfield Hills, MI) $2,548
3. Tuan Phan (Boynton Beach, FL) $2,359
4. Frederick Attias (Boca Raton, FL) $1,883
5. Niall Costigan (Lake Worth, FL) $1,835
6. William Smith (Miami Beach, FL) $1,550
7. David Kahan (Boca Raton, FL) $1,538
8. Joseph Ritzie (Hamilton, OH) $1,485

Tournaments: There is one tournament on the schedule today, an evening event that begins at 6:00pm ($75 No Limit Hold'em $5,000 GTD).  The tournament's structure offers players a starting stack of 15,000 units, and levels of (20) minutes throughout the event.  

Promotions: The weekend kicks off with a day that's full of bonus high hands, starting the moment the doors open.  From 9:00am-12:00pm, $100 will be awarded every (10) minutes to qualifying high hands, with rollovers.  This promotion is very exciting, as we've seen rollovers that are worth between $500-$1,000 on a consistent basis.  

That period is followed by some "richer" high hands, with $250 awarded every (20) minutes from 12:00pm-4:00pm, and $500 awarded every (20) minutes from 4:00pm-12:00am.  Rollovers apply with this promotion as well, but with so many tables in play, it's not something that happens as often.

6:00pm - $75 No Limit Hold'em ($5,000 GTD)

- 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