BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Official End Of Flight 1A Chip Counts

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 80
Players Remaining: 27

Scott	Levitt A	199,100
TJ	Shulman A	151,100
Victor	Firueroa	145,300
Chad	Fredman	138,700
Loni	Harwood	135,900
Jake	Schwartz	128,000
Bob	Dixon	121,900
Yaroslov	Nakorechnyy	116,300
Kyle	Carino	112,300
Donald	Williams	106,600
Matthew	Yorra	87,800
Kevin	Schaffel	86,100
Philip	Consolo	84,100
Jaime	Wiegrefe	81,700
Marcus	Obser	77,700
Steven	Cohen	70,800
Nancy	Thomas	64,400
Jeffrey	Saunder	63,100
Bill	Farnan	62,800
Shlomo	Bracha	59,000
Josh	Hillock	53,100
Ismael	Patel	52,200
Phillip	Hui	52,100
Glenn	Becker	48,200
Scott	Zakheim	43,800
Gail	Lutin	37,000
Jason	Atherley	22,100

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Levitt And Shulman Bag Top Two Stacks, (27) Players Make It To Day 2

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 80
Players Remaining: 27

Scott Levitt bagged the top Flight 1A chip stack (199,100), and earns himself a seat into next Thursday's Event #18 ($2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante $100,000).

TJ Shulman bagged the second largest Flight 1A stack (151,100), and earns himself a seat into next Thursday's Event #18 ($2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante $100,000).

Official Flight 1A chip counts will be posted once the bags have been verified by the tournament floor.

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Hillock's Day Just Got A Little Jolt

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 80

Joshua Hillock (Orlando, FL) was all smiles when he was all-in, but quickly saw his lead stolen away by a two-outer on the turn...only to reclaim the lead on the river.

Joshua Hillock (Orlando, FL) entered play just after Level 1, and since that point, never managed to get his stack above the 50,000 mark.  Hillock could be heard during break, talking about the absolute horrid run of cards he had been getting...until moments ago.  "The best player is all-in," Hillock said jokingly, as he was put at risk by Glenn Becker.  Hillock held a strong lead with K♣ K♥ against Becker's J♠ J♦, but that would all change on the turn, with the runout coming 9♣ 2♣ 3♠ J♣.  Joshua's smile quickly went away went the jack hit the board, but the quick celebratory fist pump followed the 8♣ on the river (as Hillock made a flush).  Joshua is still below the 77,000 chip average, but is in line to get through this day on a single entry.

Joshua Hillock - 45,000 (37bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Loni Harwood Leads The Way, As Players Enter The Final Level Of Play

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 80

Loni Harwood just won her fifth WSOP Circuit ring, taking down the $2,200 No Limit Hold'em High Roller during the series at the Rio.

The tournament clock just transitioned to Level 10, which will be the final level of Flight 1A.  Loni Harwood currently leads the field with just over 160,000, with Bob Hixson on her heels, as he enters Level 10 with 150,000.  There will be no runaway chip leader from this flight, as these final forty minutes will determine who walks away with the Event #18 seat.

The clock will be paused with 10:00 minutes remaining, with the remaining players then finding out how many hands are left in the night.  Once those hands are completed at each table, the bagging process will begin.  Official end of Flight 1A chip counts will be posted shortly thereafter, along with the winners of the chip lead bonus.

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Two Event #18 Seats Up For Grabs, As Top Stacks Earn A Chip Lead Bonus

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 80

Steven Rosen (Delray Beach, FL) has been running hot over the last two hours, and now finds himself second overall in chips.

With the cards back in the air, we can now focus on the race for the chip lead bonus, which will see the top two stacks (from each flight) earning an Event #18 seat.  The $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante event once again has a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool, and should attract a sizable field.  While Victor Figueroa (Miami, FL) still sits atop the leaderboard, there is a large group of players, all within one sizable pot of grabbing the lead:

Victor Figueroa - 165,000 (165bb)
Steven Cohen - 155,000 (155bb)
Bob Dixson - 125,000 (125bb)
TJ Shulman - 115,000 (115bb)
Phillip Consolo - 105,000 (105bb)
Glenn Becker - 100,000 (100bb)
Jeffrey Saunders - 100,000 (100bb)
Loni Harwood - 90,000 (90bb)
Phillip Hui - 80,000 (80bb)
Chad Freedman - 80,000 (80bb)
Nancy Thomas - 60,000 (60bb)
Scott Levitt - 55,000 (55bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Remaining Field, Heading To Flight's Final Break

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 80

Players are a few minutes away from heading on their final ten minute break of the day, and will be returning to finish out the final two levels.  Listed below are the table lineups for the remaining (41) players in the field:

Table 1

1. Jeffrey Saunders
2. Phillip Consolo
3. Matt Goldman
4. Lazaro Rodriguez
5. Yaroslav Nakonechnny
6. Loni Harwood
7. Kenneth Bruno
8. Bob Dixson
9. Edward Mandel

Table 3

1. Scott Levitt
2. Donald Williams
3. Bill Farnan
4. Jordan Meltzer
5. Steven Cohen
6. Robert Chusid
7. Moshe Wasser
8. Joshua Hillock

Table 4

1. Matthew Lambrecht
2. Steve Rosen
3. Victor Figueroa
4. Phillip Hui
5. Jason Atherley
6. Gail Lutin
7. Kevin Schaffel
8. Chad Freedman
9. Kyle Carino

Table 5

1. Michael Graffeo
2. TJ Shulman
3. Izzy Patel
4. Jaime Wiegrefe
5. Jerry Wong
6. Glen Becker
7. Jonah Miller
8. Shlomi Bracha

Table 9

1. Sheldon Gross
2. Marcus Obser
3. Scott Zakheim
4. Jake Schwartz
5. Matthew Yorra
6. Ariel Rosello Quintana
7. Nancy Thomas 

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Figueroa Finds The Perfect GIF...Could Be Calling His Shot

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 78

Victor Figueroa (Miami, FL) has an Isle Poker championship event final table under his bet (2016 Florida State Poker Championships), but seems to have a "feeling" about this particular tournament.

Earlier this morning, Victor Figeuroa (Miami, FL) sent out a tweet to the Isle Poker Room's Twitter handle (@PokerIslePP), inquiring about the break schedule.  Florida-based poker pro Sheddy Siddiqui sent out a reply, asking Victor if  "this is the one," in regards to shipping this Battles At The Beach Championship Event.  As he's done so many times before, Figueroa answered the question with a GIF:

pic.twitter.com/APqecPc7Tz

— Victor Figueroa (@mr_victorrr) March 22, 2018

Figueroa may have seen the "heat" coming, as he is now one of the chip leaders of the flight.  Victor is over 130,000, and trails only Chad Freedman on the leaderboard.

Victor Figueroa - 133,000 (166bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Hui Hits The River, Leaves Justin Harvell With Crumbs

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 78

Phillip Hui (San Antonio, TX) had been fairly quiet since arriving earlier in the afternoon, but just vaulted up the leaderboard, after getting max-value out of a rivered flush.

After action at Table 10 folded around to Phillip Hui (who was on the button), he would put out a raise to 1,500.  Justin Harvell was in the small blind, and casually placed forward a three-bet to 4,800, with the big blind folding.  Hui would take a peak at Harvell's stack (which was just under 25,000), and then decided to make the call.  The two watched, as the dealer fanned out a flop of A♠ J♥ 5♥, with Justin check-calling a bet of 4,000 from Hui.  The action then went check-check following the 3♦ on the turn, with the 4♥ falling on the river.  Harvell checked a third time, with Phillip collecting 18,000, and tossing it across his cards.  Justin announced a call, with Hui tabling 10♥ 9♥, having rivered a flush.  Harvell matched the river bet, and would be left with 2,000 in front of him.

The two players had a brief discussion about the hand after it's conclusion, with Justin telling Hui that he had two red aces (having flopped top set).

Phillip Hui - 77,000 (128bb)
Justin Harvell - 2,000 (3bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Levitt's Living The Dream, Now Clear Chip Leader In The Field

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 78

Scott Levitt (Delray Beach, FL) gives the thumbs-up, just minutes after winning the largest pot of the day.

Scott Levitt (Delray Beach, FL) has now claimed the overall chip lead, and has managed some nice separation between himself, and the rest of the field.  Levitt would find himself in a four-bet pot (pre-flop) with Anthony Utnage, with the two staring down at a Q♣ 10♠ 2♦ flop.  Utnage, who was the four-bettor, ended up check-calling a bet from Levitt.  After the 3♠ on the turn, Utnage checked once again, with Levitt announcing himself all-in (Anthony had over 30,000 remaining).  Utnage would be drawing dead after making the call, as his A♣ Q♠ had no hope against Scott's Q♥ Q♦.  Levitt couldn't help but give a little fist-pump as the river hit the felt, knowing that he just became an overwhelming chip leader.

Scott Levitt - 145,000 (241bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Jerry Wong Arrives, And Dispatches Brian Hastings

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/75) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 73

Jerry Wong (Margate, FL) may have missed the first four hours of the day, but he's already creeping up to the chip average, which currently sits at 44,700.

Jerry Wong (Margate, FL) arrived just after play resumed in Level 5, and was seated at Table 5.  Shortly after his arrival, a shorter-stacked Brian Hastings was moved to his table, with the two tangling just moments ago.  Hastings would be all-in pre-flop for just over 12,000, and at risk with 8♣ 8♦, against the A♥ K♦ of Wong.  The A♦ Q♥ 9♥ flop quickly gave Jerry the lead, with the 3♥ on the turn unknowingly leaving Hastings drawing dead.  We say "unknowingly," because after the river (which happened to be the 8♥), another player at the table stated that he had the 8♠.  That meant that the only remaining eight, which happened to appear on the river, would no longer help Hastings (giving Jerry the winning flush).

Brian walked over the cage, and has already re-joined the action, being seated at Table 9.  Jerry chipped up to 42,000 with the pot, and is quickly making up for lost time.

Jerry Wong - 42,000 (84bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): A Little Bit Of Something For Everyone, Nancy Thomas Sends Zakheim Packing

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 73

Nancy Thomas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) was one of the (24) players to have earned a seat in yesterday's $340 NLH Mega Satellite, and is seeing success at the flight's midway point.

"You missed a big one," Nancy Thomas said, after getting the blogger's attention.  There was an empty seat that was once occupied by Scott Zakheim, with Thomas about to detail his departure.  Nancy opened with A♠ 8♣ from late position, and got calls from both Sheldon Gross and Scott Zakheim.  The dealer fanned out a flop of A♦ K♦ 8♠, with Gross and Zakheim checking to Nancy, who chose to continue (sizing was unclear).  Scott would call after Sheldon folded, and then led after the 5♠ on the turn, with Nancy making the call.  Zakheim then shipped it all-in (for just over twenty bigs) after the 7♠ on the river, and would be called by Thomas, who still held top-two.  Nancy's A♠ 8♣ would be good after Scott tabled K♠ 8♥, having also flopped two-pair.  Zakheim quickly walked to the cage, and is now back in the field...and back at the same table he just exited from.

Nancy Thomas - 60,000 (150bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Updated Chip Counts After Break

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 70

Howard Charyn (East Meadow, NY) has over $51,000 in lifetime earnings (spanning twelve recorded results), but is still looking to grab his first cash here at an Isle Poker event.

Players are now ten minutes removed from break, with a couple of players looking to become the first to cross the century mark.  Yaroslav Nakonechnny (Las Vegas, NV) and Shlomi Bracha (Tel Aviv, Israel) are sitting with just under 100,000, and are currently pacing the field.  Scott Levitt continues to sit towards the top of the counts, while names like Joel Benson and Bob Dixson are climbing.

Yaroslav Nakonechnny - 96,000 (240bb)
Shlomi Bracha - 95,000 (237bb)
Scott Levitt - 82,000 (205bb)
Joel Benson - 72,000 (180bb)
Bob Dixson - 68,000 (170bb)
Donald Williams - 65,000 (162bb)
Chad Freedman - 60,000 (150bb)
Joshua Hillock - 55,000 (137bb)
Jake Schwartz - 40,000 (100bb)
Phillip Hui - 37,000 (92bb)
Brian Hastings - 30,000 (75bb)
Howard Charyn - 25,000 (62bb)
Matthew Lambrecht - 17,000 (42bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): TJ Shulman Exits, While Kyle Carino Chips Up

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 64

Kyle Carino (Hollywood, FL) chose to bypass a value bet on the river, but still won a pot that was worth close to 20,000.

On a flop of 10♣ 7♥ 6♦, Scott Levitt would lead for 1,500, only to be raised by Kyle Carino, who pushed forward 3,200.  TJ Shulman would go all-in for less (2,550), with Levitt calling Kyle's raise when action returned.  The turn then brought the 5♦, with Levitt check-calling a 5,000 bet from Carino.  After the board paired on the river (5♠), the active players would both check, with Carino flipping over A♦ 10♠.  "Ace-ten is good," Shulman said, as he got up from the table, and headed to the cage to re-enter.  Kyle Carino (Hollywood, FL) chipped up to 49,000 with that pot, sitting comfortably above the current chip average (37,000).

Kyle Carino - 49,000 (163bb)

Players will be heading on their second break in just a few minutes, returning to Level 5, and new blinds of 200/400/50.  The first look at updated chip counts from the field will be posted shortly after play resumes.

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Schwartz Comes From The Land Down Under

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 59

Jake Schwartz (New York, NY) spent close to a month in the land of kangaroos and Vegemite, but it now back in the comforts of one of the poker rooms he call home.

Sitting in the field just before break (which was after Level 2) was Jake Schwartz (New York, NY), a tournament veteran with over $1,407,000.  When a player has been around for a handful of years, and reaches WPT final table...and WSOP final tables...it's not often that they accomplish something for the first time.  Just over a month ago, that would change for Schwartz, as he recorded his first cash in the Aussie Millions series (adding the Australian flag to his Hendon Mob resume).  Jake ran deep in the A$2,250 No Limit Hold'em Six-Max event, finishing in 15th place, and earning A$7,085 ($5,687).  Schwartz was sharing the felt with travel-mate Matt Smith, who has since been moved to Table 6, in order to balance.

The long list of late arriving notables grows, with the following player showing up over the last hour of play:

Jose Parra
TJ Shulman
Matthew Lambrecht
Vincent Aloi
Gail Lutin
Sheldon Gross
Keith Nassetta

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Scott Levitt Already Sitting With A Day 2 Stack

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 54

Scott Levitt (Delray Beach, FL) recapped his last level with a smile, as he put a pretty brutal beat on an opponent, shoving from way behind (but coming out on top).

In these championship events, that have major-style structures, it's very rare to see massive pots during the opening levels of the day.  While a rarity, Scott Levitt (Delray Beach, FL) managed to find himself in two of them already, and now sits with over three starting stacks (92,000).  Levitt recapped the hands during break, starting with a limp with 10♠ 10♥.  After a raise from late position, and call from one of the blinds, Levitt decided to call and see the flop (4♥ 4♠ 2♥).  Levitt called a back-raise from the player in the small blind (12,000), and ended up shoving after a third heart hit on the turn (8♥).  Scott would be way behind when his opponent made the call, after having flopped a full house with 2♠ 2♣.  The 4♦ would fall on the river through, counterfeiting his adversaries full house, and giving Levitt the winning hand.

Just a few hands later, a player would shove a 2♥ 7♥ 4♥ flop, with Scott holding K♥ J♥.  He would make the call, and while we didn't get details about the hand he was against, Levitt did win that pot as well.  It's a little too early for Scott to leave for the day, but sitting with a Day 2 sized chip stack in Level 3, has to feel pretty comforting.

Scott Levitt - 92,000 (460bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): A Little Battles At The Beach Championship History Lesson

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 2 (Blinds 75/150) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 44

The inaugural Battles At The Beach series was run back in March of 2009, and had a $900 No Limit Hold'em Championship Event, which boasted a $150,000 guaranteed prize pool (how the times have changed).  The tournament attracted a total of (258) entries, and a prize pool just over $215,000.  Hayden Fortini (Vero Beach, FL) was the tournament's eventual winner, earning $59,044 for the win.  Listed below are the details from each of the "Battles" championship events that followed, with next year coming upon the series' tenth anniversary:

2010 Battles At The Beach: $900 No Limit Hold'em Championship, with an unknown amount of entries, but an official prize pool of $182,302.  The tournament's eventual winner would be Fred Bunchan (United States), who earned $51,736 for the win.

2011 Battles At The Beach: $3,200 No Limit Hold'em Championship, with (203) entries, and an official prize pool of $609,000.  The tournament was won by Anthony Spinella (Waxhaw, NC), who earned $174,870 for first place.  

2012 Battles At The Beach: $3,300 No Limit Hold'em Championship ($500,000 GTD), with a total of (164) entries, and official prize pool of $500,000.  The tournament ended in a three-way chop, with Vitor Coehlo (Tampa, FL) taking home $115,336 for first place.

2013 Battles At The Beach: $3,300 No Limit Hold'em Championship Event, with a total of (163) entries, and an official prize pool of $501,600.  The event was won outright by Stephen Bokor (Astoria, OR), who earned $155,496.

2014 Battles At The Beach: $1,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship Event, with a total of (510) entries, and an official prize pool of $510,000.  The event ended in a heads-up chop between Adam Levy and Jason Weber (Emery, SD), with the former earning $115,000 for first place.

2015 Battles At The Beach: $1,200 No Limit Hold'em Championship Event ($400,000 GTD), with a total of (579) entries, and an official prize pool of $619,530.  The event ended in a three-way deal, with William Kakon (Aventura, FL) taking home $121,003 for first place.

2016 Battles At The Beach: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Championship Event ($500,000 GTD), with a total of (516) entries, and an official prize pool of $696,000.  The tournament was won outright by John Dollinger (Gulf Breeze, FL), who earned $181,117 for the win.

2017 Battles At The Beach: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Championship Event ($500,000 GTD), with a total of (482) entries, and an official prize pool of $650,700.  The tournament ended in a three-way deal, with Uri Kadosh the declared winner, earning $120,035.

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Frank Scala Finally Gets The Coverage He Missed Out On

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 2 (Blinds 75/150/25) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 41

Frank Scala (Boca Raton, FL) finally gets his "blog love," after missing out on Day 2 coverage of Event #1 ($175 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD).

Event #1 live blogged coverage was cut short two weeks ago, with the usual Day 2 detailed coverage taking a back seat to "live results."  Because of that, the players that made a deep run, and eventually reached the final table, missed out on their blog notoriety.  One of those players to reach the final table was Frank Scala (Boca Raton, FL), a tournament veteran who earned himself a career best cash.  Scala was part of a five-way deal that was made, taking home $10,578 for fourth place money.  The results brought his lifetime earnings above $50,000, and also helps Frank sit down with a renewed confidence in this event (if he even needed it).  Scala already has a deep run in a Isle Poker $1,500 Championship Event, falling just short of the 2017 Isle Classic (December) $1,500 No Limit Hold'em final table (12th Place - $10,578).

Frank is seated at Table 3, and is joined by the likes of Brian Hastings, Joshua Hillock, and Michael Graffeo...all accomplished tournament players in their own right.  The field itself has almost doubled since the last published post, with the following players joining the action:

Nancy Thomas
Jaime Wiegrefe
Scott Levitt
Rodney Moret-Rojas
Erik Christensen

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Early Arrivals Hope To Have The Next Two Days Free

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 1 (Blinds 50/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: 28

Neil Blumenfield (San Francisco, CA) has experienced what some may say is the pinnacle of tournament poker, reaching the WSOP Main Event final table, and finishing 3rd in 2015 ($3,398,298). 

There are already four active tables across the tournament floor, as Event #14 is just past the midway point of it's first level.  The day started with (24) entries, with a handful more trickling in over the first twenty minutes.  Former "November-Niner" Neil Blumenfield (San Francisco, FL) was one of the first players to take their seat in the field, coming off a final table finish at Hard Rock, during the most recent Escalator Series. Neil ended up finishing eighth in the $150 No Limit Hold'em multi, adding $3,436 to his tournament resume, which now boasts earnings over $3,695,000.  The table talk has started early at Table 5, as Blumenfield shares the felt with Paul Shafran and Anthony Utnage.  Some other early notables in the Flight 1A field include:

Kenneth Bruno
Donald Williams
Moshe Wasser
Jeff Kessler
Matt Smith
Scott Zakheim

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): The Championship Event Journey Begins, Action Underway For Flight 1A

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 1 (Blinds 50/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1A Entries: N/A

After thirteen events over the last two weeks (and numerous satellites), the 2018 Battles At The Beach $1,500 Championship Event begins today (12:00pm).  Players started arriving about thirty minutes ago, eager to start the opening flight of the tournament.  The event is structured with starting stacks of 30,000 units, and levels that last (40) minutes on Day 1 (Level 1- Level 10).  Each of the opening flights are scheduled to play a complete ten levels, returning on Sunday for Day 2.  The interesting wrinkle in this year's championship event comes in the registration period, which stays open through two levels of Day 2 play.  Therefore, a player can choose to buy directly into Day 2, or could even re-enter after busting during the day's first two levels.

Live coverage of today's will continue through the bagging process, as the "chip lead bonus" race returns for this event.  The top two stacks from each starting flight will earn a seat into Event #18 ($2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante $100,000 GTD).  Coverage will return for each of the following starting flight, and will continue through Day 2...and Day 3.  This is known as one of the best events of the year at the Isle Poker Room, so big things should be expected over the next four days.

Thursday, March 22nd: The Time Is Now...2018 Battles At The Beach Championship Event Begins Today

ICYMI: Yesterday was "satellite Wednesday," with thirty seats guaranteed to the Battles At The Beach $1,500 Championship Event, which begins today (at 11:00am).  If the success of the satellites were a sign of things to come for the prestigious event, we may be in for a very special tournament.  The opening event of the day was a $340 No Limit Hold'em Mega Satellite, which boasted a (20) seat guarantee.  A total of (121) entries made up the field after ten levels of open registration, offering up (24) seats, and a 25th place that paid cash.  Listed below are the players to have won themselves a seat into Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Battles At The Beach Championship $500,000 GTD):

1. Frederic White
2. Al Gomez
3. Ariel Quintan
4. Scott Efron
5. Daniel Genachte
6. Dennis Rodriguez
7. Matthew Yorra
8. Ismail Patel 
9. David Hixson
10. Elliot Zaydman
11. Rafael Reis
12. Jeff Kessler
13. Tim Shane
14. Frank Traino
15. Marco Cantizani
16. Nancy Thomas
17. Robert Chusid
18. Larry Hirschfield
19. Piotr Wielopolski
20. Dominic Jones
21. Paul Shafran
22. Nancy Birnbaum
23. Moshe Wasser
24. Donald Francois
25. Marc Sacheli ($300 Cash)

The 6:00pm time slot hosted a $175 No Limit Hold'em Satellite, which guaranteed (10) seats into Event #14.  Once again, the numbers would surpass the guarantee, as the field official closed with (124) entries.  That meant that (12) seats were going to be awarded, with a 13th place player walking away with a cash prize.  Listed below are the results from the evening satellite, and the players that will be playing in Event #14 for a fraction of the buy-in:

1. Scott Levitt
2. John Ambrosi
3. Jack Battaglia
4. Haim Nagar
5. Marc Sacheli
6. Marc Duquette
7. Paulius Bikus
8. Joseph Di Chiaro
9. Yousef Nassr
10. Michael Larkin
11. Ward Martin
12. Sal Accardi
13. Thomas Starkey ($600 Cash)

Tournaments: Today begins Event #14, which is the $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Battles At The Beach Championship Event.  The tournament has a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool, which is the one of the largest posted numbers on the year's schedule.  The first of three starting flights kicks off at 12:00pm this afternoon, with players sitting down to starting stacks of 30,000 units.  Play for the three opening flights will have levels of (50) minutes, transitioning to (60) minutes on Day 2.  The day is scheduled to end after Level 10, with registration not only open throughout the flight, but into Day 2 play.  The registration window for Event #14 will close after Level 12, which is just over an hour into the start of Day 2.  Live coverage of the Championship Event will begin when the first card is pitched, and will continue through the bagging process.  

There is another satellite in the 6:00pm time slot, as players can try to parlay a $175 buy-in, into an Event #14 seat.  The satellite guarantees (8) seats, but after what we saw last night, it should be no surprise if more than the posted number are awarded.  The event is structured with starting stacks of 12,000 units, and levels that last (20) minutes (with registration open through Level 8, and the break that follows).

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).

12:00pm - 2018 Battles At The Beach Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Battles At The Beach Championship Event ($500,000 GTD)

- Players start with 30,000 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 (50) minutes during each opening flight (Level 1-Level 10), transitioning to (60) minutes Level 11+.

6:00pm - 2018 Battles At The Beach | $175 No Limit Hold'em Satellite Into Event #14 (8 Seats GTD)

- Players start with 12,000 in tournament chips

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

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (20) minutes