FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): Dramatic Runout Sees Josias Santos Eliminated In 20th Place ($6,784)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 22 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/20,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 19

Josias Santos was just two cards away from a second Level 22 double up, but saw his lead stolen away on the turn, as his opponent made a winning straight.

Josias Santos was left super short before break, after doubling up Michael Aron, on the final hand of Level 21.  Santos would double up to start this level, and looked to have another locked up moments ago.  Josias and Antonio Salorio had the exact same stacks (350,000), and were all-in pre:

Santos: A♥ Q♥
Salorio: A♦ K♥

Runout: Q♠ J♠ J♦ 10♠ 7♠

Santos would steal the lead on the flop, leaving Antonio drawing to a king or ten.  "Could I have a ten please," Antonio said aloud, just seconds before the dealer place it on the turn.  There would be no miracle river for Josias, who would be eliminated in 19th place.  Day 2 will conclude after the next player busts from the field.

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): Updated Chip Counts At Break, Night Will End At Redraw

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 22 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/20,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 20

Players are on another ten minute break, and will be returning to Level 22, with new blinds being posted of 10,000/20,000/20,000.  The field also learned that the night will end when the field reaches (18) players, with the redraw to occur, and players then bagging up for tomorrow's Day 3.  A full list of chip counts from the field are listed below:

Table 1

1. Marc Duquette - 510,000
2. Sergio Giha - 325,000
3. David Shmuel - 1,650,000
4. Jonathan Jaffe - 2,300,000
5. Ido Ashkenazi - 385,000
6. Steve Karp - 1,700,000
7. Joshua Kay - 480,000

Table 3

1. Miguel Moreno - 1,675,000
2. Igor Merda - 880,000
3. Ray Millard - 690,000
4. Adam Adler - 870,000
5. Luis Zedan - 1,475,000
6. Raj Vohra - 440,000
7. TK Miles - 305,000

Table 4

1. Antonio Salorio - 340,000
2. Seth Gilson - 400,000
3. Steve Fox - 230,000
4. Josias Santos - 150,000
5. Michael Aron - 950,000
6. Dmitri Perfilev - 1,100,000

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): Failed Bluff Sees Christopher Papastratis Out In 21st Place ($6,784)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 21 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/16,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 20

Christopher Papastratis (Davie, FL) tried the good old zero equity bluff, but he couldn't get Dmitri Perfilev to lay down his pocket tens.

At Table 3, Dmitri Perfilev and Christopher Papstratis would be on a flop of J♠ 9♦ 6♣, with Dmitri haven bet 25,000.  Papastratis raised all-in (for 194,000), with Dmitri agonizing over the decision.  Perfilev did have 600,000 behind, but knew that if he called and lost, his stack would shrink down to just over twenty bigs. He eventually made the call, and quickly exposed his cards:

Perfilev: 10♦ 10♣
Papastratis: K♦ 2♣

Turn: 5♠
River: 5♥

Papastratis would sheepishly table his hand, knowing that he'd need a special runout to somehow win the hand.  The turn and river both bringing fives would seal Christopher's fate, as he'd be eliminated in 21st place ($6,784).

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): 22nd-24th Places ($5,634)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 21 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/16,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 21

The following players have been eliminated from Event #14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em $500,000 GTD) of the Florida State Poker Championship, and have cashed for $5,634:

22. James Salmon (Davie, FL)
23. Joshua Hillock (Orlando, FL)
24. Joseph Wilson (Wilton Manors, FL)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): James Salmon Eliminated In 22nd Place ($5,634), As Aces Get Cracked Once Again

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 21 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/16,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 21

James Salmon (Davie, FL) was looking to write a pretty special story, as he was able to build up a stack of 40,000 (at 10,000 big blind) to over 500,000...but saw things fall apart against Miguel Moreno.

Action at Table 3 would fold around to James Salmon (Davie, FL), who opened to 35,000.  Miguel Moreno was next to act, and he'd push forward a three-bet to 130,000.  The players remaining folded behind, with Salmon four-betting to 230,000, and Moreno announcing himself all-in.  James quickly made the call, and the hands would be tabled:

Salmon: A♦ A♠
Moreno: K♠ K♥

Runout: K♦ 7♦ 4♣ 6♥ 7♣

From just 50,000 a few levels ago, to the potential of cracking one-million, Salmon had to love the position he was in...until Moreno flopped top set.  The turn and river would bring no miracles for James, who exited the tournament in 22nd place ($5,634).

Miguel Moreno - 1,400,000 (87bb)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): Joseph Wilson's Aces Cracked, Knocked Out In 24th Place ($5,634)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 21 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/16,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 22

Joseph Wilson (Wilton Manors, FL) was atop the leaderboard for most of the day, but got very unlucky to bust, as his pocket aces were cracked by Miguel Moreno.

Joseph Wilson would open from early position to 25,000, with action folding around to Miguel Moreno (in the blind).  The flop would come out 5♣ 3♣ 2♣, with Moreno check-shoving, after Wilson continued for 50,000.  Wilson would be at risk if he called, but took little time making the call, considering his holdings:

Wilson: A♣ A♦
Moreno: 10♣ 9♣

Turn: 3♥
River: K♦

Wilson was out flopped my Moreno, but was still drawing very live to double up.  The board pairing on the turn would only increase his outs, but Joseph would miss the river, and be eliminated in 24th place ($5,634).

Miguel Moreno - 1,150,000 (71bb)

Moments after Wilson's departure, Joshua Hillock (Orlando, FL) would be eliminated in 23rd place ($5,634).

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): 25th-27th Places ($4,797)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 20 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/12,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 24

The following players have been eliminated from Event #14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em $500,000 GTD) of the Florida State Poker Championship, and have cashed for $4,797:

25. Steven Rosen (Delray Beach, FL)
26. John Magnetta (Boynton Beach, FL)
27. Kobi Ribak (Delray Beach, FL)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): John Magnetta Eliminated In 26th Place ($4,797), Falls To Dmitri Perfilev

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 20 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/12,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 24

Dmitri Perfilev wasn't the biggest fan of John Magnetta's antics, and would end up being the player to knock him out of Event #14.

John Magnetta has been his usual boisterous self since dinner break, very chatty with the table, and basically anyone else who would listen.  After getting a handful of all-ins through (the past two levels), John would shoved out of the big blind (for 131,000), after Dmitri Perfilev opened to 25,000 from early position.  Perfilev took a good amount of time assessing the situation, eventually make the call after three minutes, putting Magnetta at risk:

Magnetta: K♥ 9♥
Perfilev: A♦ 10♠

Runout: J♥ 8♥ 2♦ 7♠ Q♦

Without flopping a pair, Magnetta did receive a pretty juicy flop, giving him extra outs to a flush.  The turn would bring even more outs, but the river was a brick.  John would be eliminated in 26th place, earning $4,797 for his efforts.

Dmitri Perfilev - 440,000 (36bb)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): 28th-36th Places ($3,997)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 20 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/12,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 27

The following players have been eliminated from Event #14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em $500,000 GTD) of the Florida State Poker Championship, and have cashed for $3,997:

28. Michael Chiappetta (Boca Raton, FL) 
29. Gavin Gowie (Cape Coral, FL)
30. Huicun Qiao (St. Cloud, FL) 
31. Chad Eveslage (Ramsey, IN)
32. Zyad Qasem (Cape Coral, FL)
33. Tom Gity (Pompano Beach, FL)
34. Paul Berger (Naples, FL)
35. Juan Martinez (Miami, FL)
36. Lanier Davenport (Royal Palm Beach, FL)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): Updated Chip Counts At Break (Full Field)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 20 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/12,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 28

Players are currently on a ten minute break, and will be returning to Level 20, with new blinds of 6,000/12,000/12,000.  Updated chip counts from the field are listed below:

Table 1

1. Marc Duquette - 1,200,000
2. Kobi Ribak - 270,000
3. Jonathan Jaffe - 1,600,000
4. Ido Ashkenazi - 185,000
5. Steve Karp - 420,000
6. Ray Millard - 630,000
7. Steve Rosen - 260,000

Table 3

1. Miguel Moreno - 305,000
2. Igor Merda - 540,000
3. Joseph Wilson - 770,000
4. Joshua Kay - 1,100,000
5. Michael Chiappetta - 245,000
6. TK Miles - 640,000
7. James Salmon - 525,000

Table 4

1. Seth Gilson - 805,000
2. Christopher Papastratis - 460,000
3. Steve Fox - 380,000
4. Josias Santos - 210,000
5. John Magnetta - 220,000
6. Joshua Hillock - 410,000
7. Dmitri Perfilev - 290,000

Table 9

1. David Shmuel - 1,400,000
2. Raj Vohra - 730,000
3. Antonio Salorio - 150,000
4. Adam Adler - 910,000
5. Luis Zedan - 825,000
6. Sergio Giha - 1,150,000
7. Michael Aron - 220,000

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): Vohra Gets His Request, Finds Fortune At New Table

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 19 (Blinds 5,000/10,000/10,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 31

Raj Vohra (Lake Worth, FL) began two experience the ugly side of variance, but things turned around after his was moved from Table 1.

After cruising for most of the day, Raj Vohra would experience a downward spiral, with his million-plus stack dipping down below 400,000.  In order to balance tables, Raj was removed from Table 1, and Brough to Table 9.  "Please get me away from that table, I need this new table," Vohra said, as he racked up his chips.

Thirty minutes after moving, we'd approach a hand between Raj Vohra, Chad Eveslage, and Sergio Giha.  On a flop of 4♠ 6♥ 7♣, Vohra checked, with Eveslage betting out 30,000.  Giha made the call, with Vohra then check-raising to 100,000, eliciting a fold from Eveslage.  Giha decided to make the call, with Raj shoving for 173,000, after the Q♣ on the turn.  Giha called, and the cards would be tabled:

Vohra: 3♥ 5♦
Giha: 9♥ 9♦

River: 8♠

The river was inconsequential, as Vohra flopped the seven-high straight, and had Sergio drawing dead.  "I said I needed to get away from that table," Vohra said once again, scooping up his newfound chips.

Raj Vohra - 680,000 (68bb)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): 37th-45th Places ($3,480)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 19 (Blinds 5,000/10,000/10,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 36

The following players have been eliminated from Event #14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em $500,000 GTD) of the Florida State Poker Championship, and have cashed for $3,480:

37. Paul Balzano (Sunrise, FL)
38. Michael Amato (Delray Beach, FL) 
39. Ryan Gianquitti (Boca Raton, FL) 
40. Santana Noronha (Davie, FL) 
41. Chris Bolek (Boca Raton, FL) 
42. Ruslan Dykshteyn (Hollywood, FL) 
43. David Coughlin (Lighthouse Point, FL) 
44. Ian O'Hara (Coconut Creek, FL) 
45. Michael Batherwich (Hollywood, FL) 

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): It's Luis Zedan's World, We're Just Living In It

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/8,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 39

The leaderboard was getting pretty crowded before dinner, but Luis Zedan has since taken control of things, while other top stacks have dipped a little.

After going to break as the chip leader, Luis Zedan would eliminate Ruslan Dykshteyn in 42nd place ($3,480), to increase that lead.  Moments ago at Table 9, we'd catch a pot that was four-ways, with players on the turn of a board that read K♥ 10♣ J♣ 2♠.  After Zedan checked, Michael Aron bet 45,000, which was called by Ryan Gianquitti and Luis Zedan.  The river would bring the 9♠, with Zedan now leading out for 125,000.  Aron quickly released his hand, as would Gianquitti, but not after a good amount of time in the tank.

With that pot, Zedan would eclipse the 1,500,000 mark, and has now furthered his lead over the rest of the field.  His nearest competitor is more than 400,000 chips behind him, as his stack approached the (200) big blind mark.

Luis Zedan - 1,500,000 (187bb)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): From One Big Blind On The Bubble, To Thirty After Dinner

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/8,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 43

Tom Gity (Pompano Beach, FL) was in real jeopardy to bubble this event, but a number of things fell his way, and he now has bigger goals in mind.

Right after the power outage, Tom Gity (Pompano Beach, FL) would return from the unscheduled break with just 5,500.  The blinds at the time were 2,000/4,000/4,000, and with his big blind approaching, Gity would shove for 5,500 (after Jacobo Fernandez opened from early position).  After action folded around to Juan Martinez in the small blind, he would three-bet to 24,000.  Fernandez then four-bet to 64,000, causing Martinez to fold his A♠ Q♦ face up.  

Gity would turn over A♦ 8♦, up against Fernandez's K♥ K♠, and looked to be heading out the door.  The A♣ A♥ Q♠ flop helped him more than triple up...thanks to Martinez folding what would have been the flopped nuts.  Since tripling up, Gity has been able to continue the spin, and now sits with 240,000 after dinner.

Tom Gity - 240,000 (30bb)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): 46th-54th Places ($3,046)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/8,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 45

The following players have been eliminated from Event #14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em $500,000 GTD) of the Florida State Poker Championship, and have cashed for $3,046:

46. Michael Graffeo (Boca Raton, FL) 
47. Ivan Starostin (Aventura, FL) 
48. Brian Hastings (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) 
49. Christopher Barrett (Denver, CO)
50. Joshua Phillips (Plantation, FL) 
51. Jacobo Fernandez (Coral Springs, FL)
52. Marc Levy (Boynton Beach, FL) 
53. Jake Schwartz (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
54. Michael Garavuso (Glendale, NY)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): Players Heading On Dinner Break (6:00PM-7:00PM), Updated Chip Counts

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/8,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 47

Players in Day 2 of Event #14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em FSPC Main Event $500,000 GTD) are about to head on dinner break, and will be returning at 7:00pm.  When play resumes with Level 18, the new blinds being posted will be 4,000/8,000/8,000.  Some of the larger stacks remaining are listed below:

Luis Zedan - 1,300,000 (162bb)

Jonathan Jaffe - 1,175,000 (146bb)

Raj Vohra - 1,000,000 (125bb)

Joseph Wilson - 820,000 (102bb)

Joshua Kay - 750,000 (93bb)

Juan Martinez - 680,000 (85bb)

Steve Fox - 590,000 (73bb)

Adam Adler - 520,000 (65bb)

A more comprehensive list of chip counts will be posted once play resumes.

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): Players Remaining In The Field (By Seating Assignment)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 17 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/6,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 52

Players are about to head on their scheduled dinner break, which will last from 6:00pm-6:50pm.  Before the tables emptied out, we were able to grab the lineups for each of the six active tables remaining in the Day 2 field:

Table 1

1. Marc Luquete
2. Christopher Barrett
3. Gordon Gowie
4. Ian O'Hara
5. Jonathan Jaffe
6. Ido Ashkenazi
7. Steve Karp
8. Paul Balzano
9. Steve Rosen

Table 2

1. Christopher Papastratis
2. Ray Millard
3. TK Miles
4. Juan Martinez
5. Chad Eveslage
6. Jacobo Fernandez
7. Tom Gity
8. Michael Amato
9. Huicun Quao

Table 3

1. Michael Moreno
2. Joshua Phillips
3. Joseph Wilson
4. Zyad Qasem
5. Joshua Kay
6. Santana Noronha
7. Michael Graffeo
8. Mike Batherwich
9. James Salmon

Table 4

1. Kobi Ribak
2. Marc Levy
3. Christopher Bolek
4. Steve Fox
5. Ivan Starostin
6. David Coughlin
7. John Magnetta
8. Joshua Hillock
9. Dmitri Perfilev

Table 5

1. Sergio Giha
2. David Shmuel
3. Seth Gilson
4. Josias Santos
5. Igor Merda
6. Raj Vohra
7. Marchant Davenport
8. Michael Chiappetta

Table 9

1. Paul Berger
2. Ryan Gianquitti
3. Ruslan Dykshteyn
4. Antonio Salorio
5. Adam Adler
6. Luis Zedan
7. Brian Hastings
8. Michael Aron

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): 55th-63rd Places ($2,680)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 17 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/6,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 54

The following players have been eliminated from Event #14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em $500,000 GTD) of the Florida State Poker Championship, and have cashed for $2,680:

55. Joseph Couden (Tamarac, FL) 
56. Tan Nguyen (Merrit Island, FL) 
57. Rafael Calero (Deerfield Beach, FL) 
58. Julio Fernandez (Miami, FL) 
59. Scotty Nguyen (Las Vegas, NV) 
60. Scott Zakheim (Davie, FL) 
61. Harold Lam (Hialeah, FL) 
62. Brandon Ageloff (Coconut Creek, FL) 
63. Merek Madro (Tamarac, FL)

FSPC Event #14 (Day 2): It's All Over Baby...Scotty Nguyen Eliminated In 59th Place ($2,680)

2018 Florida State Poker Championship
Event #14 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD)
Level 17 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/6,000)
Total Event #14 Entries: 564
Event #14 Players Remaining: 58

Scotty Nguyen (Las Vegas, NV) may have fell short of his ultimate goal, but he does add his first ever Isle Casino Pompano Park cash to an already incredible resume.

After Jonathan Jaffe opened the action for a raise at Table 1, players would fold around to Scotty Nguyen, who shoved on the button (85,000).  The blinds folded behind, with Jaffe quickly making the call:

Nguyen: J♠ J♦

Jaffe: K♠ K♦

Runout: Q♠ Q♦ A♦ A♣ 8♦

Scotty would be in bad shape when the cards were tabled, and after whiffing the flop, he'd need to hit a two-outer on the turn or river.  No jack would appear on the final streets, and the former WSOP Main Event champ would be eliminated in 59th place ($2,680).  Scotty's presence in the tournament was enjoyed by almost all of the players he shared the table with, as he brought life to the felt.