"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Official End Of Flight 1A Chip Counts

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 73
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 9

Kathy	Sapp	213,500
TJ	Shulman	188,000
Greg	Spinder	180,000
Mark	Salerno	155,500
Saul	Gold	137,500
Mike	Fryett	115,000
Andre	Rakusa	100,000
Ken	Bruno	45,000
Adam	Koppel	18,000

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Only One Level Remains Before Bagging

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 73
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 13

The first group of bags are waiting to be filled, as Flight 1A of the "January $100,000" will conclude in less than thirty minutes.

The remaining Flight 1A players of this $360 No Limit Hold'em "January $100,000" are entering the final level of play (Level 15), with blinds now up to 1,500/3,000/500.  Once this level reaches the 10:00 minute mark, the tournament clock will be paused, and players will be informed of how many hands are left in the night.  Once those hands are completed at each table, the bagging process will begin, with official chip counts to be posted shortly thereafter (about 8:30pm).

Those that are interested in joining the action can do so in tonight's evening flight (Flight 1B), which got underway at 6:00pm, and has open registration until the end of Level 12.  

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Salerno's Dream Run Hits A Bump In The Road

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/400)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 73
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 14

Danny Nucci (Harwood, MD) would have been happy to see his shove get through, but ended up in an even better position, after he doubled through Mark Salerno.

Mark Salerno was looking to continue his upward trend since buying in last minute, but just saw some resistance from Danny Nucci.  Salerno opened from earlier position, and watched as players would fold around to Nucci, who was in the big bling.  Nucci three-bet shoved for 33,000, leaving Salerno to make a decision for close to half of his stack.  Mark took a good amount of time in the tank, and eventually made the call, dropping the chips on the felt.  "This is the real bingo one," Salerno said, as he waited to see what Nucci was going to turn up. 

Unfortunately for Salerno, his Q♦ J♠ was dominated by Nucci's A♥ Q♠, and he'd be unable to find a runout that would change that.  Danny ended up doubling up to over 70,000, while Salerno is back down to just two starting stacks (30,000).

Danny Nucci - 70,000 (35bb)
Mark Salerno - 30,000 (15bb)

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Landscape Of The Leaderboard Ever-Changing

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 73
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 14

Mark Salerno (Woodbridge, Ontario) bought into the flight just moments before Level 12 ended, and has already turned his 15,000 starting stacks into 70,000.

Players have returned from the final break of the day, with the opening flight of this event officially attracting (73) entries.  That means that $21,900 will be going towards the overall prize pool, which already puts things on pace to crush the guarantee.  The flight is scheduled to end at the conclusion of Level 15, but that's only if the field doesn't reach the (8) player mark.  Listed below are the updated chip counts of players remaining at registration's close.

Table 1

1. Mark Salerno - 70,000
2. Mile Belan - 30,000
3. Justin Harvell - 54,000
4. Elliot Goldman - 60,000
5. Adam Koppell - 73,000
6. Kathy Sapp - 98,000
7. Danny Nucci - 35,000

Table 3

1. A. Nonymous - 220,000
2. Michael Fryett - 140,000
3. Greg Spinder - 155,000
4. Andre Rakusa - 136,000
5. Kenneth Bruno - 80,000
6. TJ Shulman - 60,000
7. Larry Rosen - 58,000

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Two Tables Remain, As Registration Comes To A Close For Flight 1A

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 72
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 20

Play is now half the way through Level 12, which is the final level of play that has open registration.  Once this level is over, there is a final ten minute break, with players returning for Level 13 (1,000/2,000/300).  Once the cards are back in the air, we will be able to provide the official numbers from the flight.  Listed below are the lineups for the remaining tables in the tournament area.

Table 1

1. TJ Shulman
2. George Colli
3. Paul Shafran
4. Mile Belan
5. Justin Harvell
6. Elliot Goldman
7. Gregory Spinder
8. Adam Koppell
9. Kathy Sapp
10. Danny Nucci

Table 3

1. A. Nonymous
2. Michael Fryett
3. Craig H.
4. Scott Zakheim
5. Jonah Miller
6. Andre Rakusa
7. Kenneth Bruno
8. Leo Birov
9. Joe Gotblieb
10. Larry Rosen

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Spinder Trip Has Been Rocky, But He Steadies Again Versus Justin Harvell

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 72

Just a few minutes after Gregory Spinder was published as having eclipsed the 90,000 mark, he got involved in another sizable pot, losing close to half of his stack.  Gregory ran his A♥ K♥ into A♠ A♣, a dropped back below the chip average.  He just recouped a good chunk of those chips from Justin Harvell, after making a strong call against the savvy tournament pro.  

The hand between the two players was approached on the river (of a board reading A♣ J♣ 7♦ 9♥ 2♣), just as Spinder tossed out a bet of 3,500.  Harvell had been trending upwards since the moment he sat down, and consistently "had it" whenever his hands reached showdown.  So when Justin dropped a raise to 11,500 on the felt, Spinder was visibly displeased.  Gregory took a solid minute to think about his decision, eventually tossing in the chips for a call.  Harvell tabled K♦ Q♠, which was beat by the J♥ 10♥ of Spinder, and drew some respect from the "young gun."

"It's a sick call," Harvell said to Spinder moments later, "but I like it."

Gregory Spinder - 70,000 (58bb)
Justin Harvell - 38,000 (31bb)

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Spinder Fades, And Vaults Up The Leaderboard

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 71

Gregory Spinder (Coral Springs, FL) went from the middle of the pack, to top of the leaderboard...all in the matter of one hand, that occurred just moments ago.

The action at Table 1 started with an open from a player in early position (UTG +1), and calls from four players (including Gregory Spinder).  The dealer would fan out a flop of K♠ 10♥ 5♥, and after the small blind checked, the original raiser continued for 5,400.  Two player folded behind, and action would end up on Gregory Spinder, who chose to raise to 12,000.  The small blind released behind, and action was back on the original raiser, who three-bet to 24,000.  Spinder quickly took the rest of his stack, which had his opponent covered, and pushed forward a four-bet.  With only 13,000 left behind, Spinder's adversary made the call, and watched as Gregory turned over 5♦ 5♠ (bottom set).  

Spinder was up against one of a few hands he was a massive favorite against (K♥ J♥), and needed to fade the turn and river.  The Q♠ on the turn ended up giving Gregory's opponent even more outs, but the 2♣ on the river sealed the hand for Spinder, who chipped up to 91,000.

Gregory Spinder - 91,000 (91bb)

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Updated Chip Counts Post Second Break

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 69

Kenneth Bruno (Lake Worth, FL) has recently made a habit of going deep in these multi-day (large guarantee) events, and is seeing success halfway through this opening flight.

It looked like TJ Shulman was going to head to the break as the chip leader, but he lost a sizable pot to a player that requested not be published on the blog.  A. Nonymous is actually the top stack at the moment, sitting with just over 130,000.  As we take our first look at chip counts from the field, we see Michael Fryett (Lake Stevens, WA) continuing is earlier good fortune, as he sits second in chips with 120,000.

A. Nonymous - 130,000 (162bb)
Michael Fryett - 120,000 (150bb)
TJ Shulman - 70,000 (87bb)
Kenneth Bruno - 50,000 (62bb)
Andre Rakusa - 47,000 (58bb)
Scott Zakheim - 42,000 (52bb)
Justin Harvell - 40,000 (50bb)
Nancy Thomas - 28,000 (35bb)

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Rakusa Finally Able To Gain Some Traction, Doubles Through Greg Rosen

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 69

Andre Rakusa (Coral Gables, FL) ran into some road blocks to start the day, but just doubles through Greg Rosen, to chip up above the current average.

Andre Rakusa's (Coral Gables, FL) start to this event didn't go exactly as planned, as he failed to chip up during each of his first two entries.  He's hoping that the third time is a charm, after having just doubled through Greg Rosen moments ago.  Rakusa and Rosen got the chips in pre-flop (for a pot worth over 35,000), with Andre holding A♥ K♦ against Rosen's 2♠ 2♦.  Rakusa flopped a pair of kings, and left Rosen looking for one of two outs, which never amounted on the turn or river.  

The double-up helped Andre eclipse the current chip average, which sits at 34,500, only fifteen minutes away from the second break of the day.  Greg Rosen dropped down to 8,000 after absorbing the loss, but still sits with more than ten blinds in these middle stages of the day.

Andre Rakusa - 38,000 (63bb)
Greg Rosen - 8,000 (13bb)

Players will be heading on their second break at the end of this level, and will be returning to Level 9, with new blinds of 400/800/100.  Once the seats are occupied after break, we will bring you the first look at updated chip counts from the field.

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Harvell Ends The Year Strong, Looks To Start 2018 The Same Way

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/75)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 66

Justin Harvell (Nashville, TN) finished third in Event #15 of the 2017 Isle Open ($17,774), and followed that up by reaching three major final tables to end the year.

One of the most recent entries into the Flight 1A field was Justin Harvell (Nashville, TN), who introduced himself to the blog during the 2017 Isle Poker Open.  Harvell reached the final table of Event #15 ($1,000 No Limit Hold'em), and ended up finishing in third place, and earning himself $17,774.  After that series, Justin went on to finish 2017 in strong fashion, earning over $75,000 combined in November and December:

Justin's career earnings are now over $157,000, as he looks to capitalize on what was his best year of tournament poker.  Harvell cashed for $134,232 in 2017, while his best year of tournaments was three years earlier, when he earned just under $10,000.

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Gari Voicing His Displeasure, But Shulman Doesn't Mind

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 64

TJ Shulman (Boynton Beach, FL) is coming off of his best year of tournament poker, earning over $196,000 in 2017.

Walking past Table 5, TJ Shulman and Thomas Gari would be involved in a hand, with the two on the turn (of a board reading J♦ 4♦ 3♠ 7♣).  Piecing together a little of the prior action, we do know that Gari had opened the pot pre-flop, with Shulman calling out of the big blind.  As we approached, Shulman had just checked the turn, and then ended up calling a 2,000 bet from Gari.

The dealer then completed the board with the 2♥, with action going check-check, and Gari tabling his hand (A♦ Q♥).  TJ quickly rolled over 3♣ 6♣, taking down the pot with his pair of threes.  "You've got a lot of nerve," Gari said to TJ, who replied by saying, "What..I know you didn't have it."  The pair continued with a little discussion, which may have stemmed from something we did not witness during the hand.

Regardless of Gari's opinion on how Shulman played the hand, TJ is now the chip leader in the field, becoming the first player to eclipse the century mark.

TJ Shulman - 127,000 (317bb)

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Fryett Seems To Like His New Surroundings

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 56

Michael Fryett (Lake Stevens, WA) has been playing tournaments outside of Florida for the past two years, but it now back in action, and thriving in today's opening flight.

Michael Fryett (Lake Stevens, WA) is originally from the Pacific-Northwest, but started putting in serious tournament volume here in Florida.  Fryett's first recorded cash came during the 2010 WSOP $10,000 Main Event, when he finished in 628th place ($21,327).  There was then a five year gap on his Hendon Mob resume, with his return to tournament action coming in 2015 (at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood).  

Michael went on to record cashes only in Florida (in 2015), and then shifted his focus on the Northeast.  He spent the next two years primarily playing events in Maryland (Maryland Live! and MGM National Harbor), with an Atlantic City score sprinkled in.  Fryett made his Florida return this afternoon, and is off to a very good start, more than quadrupling his starting stack over the first four levels of play.  

We should remind players and followers, that it's no longer about how you do against the rest of the field in the flight you play in, but where you stand after all flights are completed (in regards to the chip lead bonus).  Therefore, it's likely that we will see players try and keep their foot on the peddle, as they finish up with the later stages of the flight.

Michael Fryett - 77,000 (256bb)

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Zakheim With Another Consistent Year, But Looking For The Big Score

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 48

Scott Zakheim (Davie, FL) has had over $20,000 in live tournament earnings every year since 2009, with 2011 his career best year ($164,487).

When it comes to tournament poker, variance is something that will usually rear it's head in the life of a player who puts in serious hours.  A professional tournament player's career may see years with six-figure earnings, and others with less than five-figures (yes...it happens).  Taking a look at Scott Zakheim's tournament career, one would see the following:

Zakheim has been the picture of consistency, earning an average of over $50,000 in live tournament earnings for the past ten years.  Scott is coming off of a 2017 in which he cashed in (19) events, with total earnings of $41,501.  While the numbers were his lowest since 2009, Scott still took in a more than respectable number for the volume he puts in, and continued what's been a super impressive streak.  Zakheim is still looking for that "huge" score, which he attained back in 2011, when he won a $1,000 No Limit Hold'em event a Palm Beach Kennel Club ($84,712).

Players are about to take their first break of the day, and will be returning to Level 5, with new blinds of 150/300/50.

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Rakusa Is Right In His Comfort Zone

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150/25)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 44

Andre Rakusa (Coral Gables, FL) earned his career best cash in a tournament of this price point, taking down the $360 No Limit Hold'em event during the Isle Open (in October of 2016).

The cards have now been in the air for just over an hour, with a total of (44) entries currently making up the field.  There are a lot of familiar faces across the tournament area, including that of Andre Rakusa (Coral Gables, FL).  Andre has over $125,000 in lifetime tournament earnings, a majority of which came from cashes here at the Isle Poker Room.  Rakusa's career best score came in a $360 No Limit Hold'em event, very similar to this one, run back in October of 2016.  Andre bested a field of 1,100 entries (this was during the Isle Open), eventually chopping the tournament heads-up, and earning himself $60,181.

Rakusa's last recorded cash came during the $360 buy-in event during the Isle Classic (Event #10), when he finished in 24th place for $1,545.  Andre is just one of numerous recognizable names across this early afternoon field, joining the likes of:

TJ Shulman

Paula Alibrandi

Maurice Hawkins

Adam Koppel

Eric Piderit

Thomas Gari

"January $100,000" (Flight 1A): Action Underway For First "Multi" Of 2018

"January $100,000"
$360 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight 1A Entries: N/A

The rules announcement was made just moments ago, with action about to begin for Flight 1A of the "January $100,000."  The $360 buy-in no limit hold'em event has six flights over the next three days, with players successful in bagging chips, returning for Day 2 on Sunday afternoon (12:00pm).  Each of the starting flights has the same structure, with players sitting down to starting stacks of 18,000 units, and playing levels that last (30) minutes.  The opening flights have open registration through Level 12, with action scheduled to conclude after Level 15 (or unless 10% of the field remains before that point).  It should be noted that there is a chip lead bonus for the tournament, but it's a little different this time around.  Opposed to the top stack from each flight earning a "bonus," the players that hold the top four chip counts heading into Day 2, will earn entry into the end of month $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD).

Each of the afternoon flights will have live blogged coverage, in addition to the Day 2 detailed coverage that followers have come to know and love.  Once the tournament area fills up a little more, we will take our first look at some notables in the field.

Thursday, January 4th: Paradis And Menorah Top Wednesday's Tournament Action, As The Multi-Flight Madness Begins Today

ICYMI: Wednesday's tournament action kicked off (11:00am) with the $120 No Limit Hold'em "Big Stack Turbo Bounty," which had a $3,000 guaranteed prize pool.  The event attracted a field of (40) total entries, which equated to a prize pool of $4,180.  When the payouts were posted, the players remaining would find out that five spots were going to get paid, with first place scheduled to take home $1,304.  Yesterday's "Big Stack Turbo Bounty" ended up playing down to an outright winner, with Richard Paradis (Coconut Creek, FL) besting Daniele Nucci (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) during heads-up play.  The full results from the tournament are listed below:

1. Richard Paradis (Coconut Creek, FL) $1,304
2. Daniele Nucci (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) $795
3. Robyn Handler (Pompano Beach, FL) $477
4. Gale Hand (Seaside, OR) $350
5. Marquis Grant (Ft.  Lauderdale, FL) $254

Wednesday's evening event was an $80 No Limit Hold'em tournament, with a $2,500 guaranteed prize pool.  The posted number was surpassed, with the addition of the optional add-ons seeing the prize pool close at $2,565.  Six spots were scheduled to get paid, but once the event reached the final table, the players that remained agreed to a chop.  Listed below are the full results from the deal:

1. Carolyn Mevorah (Boca Raton, FL) $392
2. Daniel Shortley (Lake Worth, FL) $387
3. Robert Cromwell (Deerfield Beach, FL) $363
4. Joann Nicolette (Hollywood, FL) $320
5. Abraham Mevorah (Boca Raton, FL) $253
6. Lisa Do (Parkland, FL) $210
7. Stephen Bromfield (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) $196
8. Alex Eaton (Schaumburg, IL) $184
9. Luke Rosenberg (Parkland, FL) $145
10. Luciano Bianchi (Venezuela) $115

Tournaments: Today begins the first multi-flight event of 2018, as the first flight of the $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) begins at 11:00am (Flight 1A).  The tournament has six starting flights over the next three days, all of which share the same structure.  Players in the event sit down to starting stacks of 18,000 units, with levels that last (30) minutes over the course of the event.  Registration is open through Level 12, with each opening flight scheduled to end after Level 15 is completed.  There is a small change when it comes to the chip lead bonus, as the top four stacks after all of the starting flights have been completed, with earn entry into this month's $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD).  There are two flights on today's schedule, with Flight 1A beginning at 11:00am, followed by Flight 1B at 6:00pm. 

Promotions: From (9:00am-10:00am), the high hand will award $150 every (30) minutes.  The high hands will then transition from 10:00am-12:00am (midnight), with the opportunity to win $400 every (30) minutes.  During that period, the promotion sees tournament players eligible (Isle Open events not eligible for high hand) each half-hour for $100 high hands, 2/2 limit hold'em players eligible for $200 high hands, 2/4 limit hold'em players eligible for $300 high hands, and all other raked games (1/2-5/10 NLH, 4/8 Omaha 8B, 6/12 O.E., etc.) eligible for $400 high hands.  From 12:00am-9:00am, players are eligible for $100 high hands every hour.

It should also be noted that started back on November 1st, players are able to win the high hand using only one card in their hand!!!  The payouts for those that use one card are different than the standard numbers listed above, and can be found (full listing of one-card payouts on flyers in the poker room).

11:00am - $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1A

- Players start with 18,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (12) levels

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (30) minutes

- All Day 1's will play (15) complete levels or until 10% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

- The top four stacks, after all of the starting flights have been completed, will earn entry into the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD) on January 26th.

6:00pm - $360 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1B

- Players start with 18,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (12) levels

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (30) minutes

- All Day 1's will play (15) complete levels or until 10% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

- The top four stacks, after all of the starting flights have been completed, will earn entry into the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD) on January 26th.