Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Official End Of Flight 1A Chip Counts

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/5,000)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 88
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 13

Ross	Ramlal	307,000
Brett	Kelly	302,000
Marc	Wolfe	300,000
Michael	Delplancke	292,000
Jose	Genao	288,000
Patrick	Sparks	247,000
Maritza	Cuartas	204,000
Phillip	Zurbaran	178,000
Thao	Le	131,000
Steffen	Lue	130,000
Trent-Daryl	McInturff	112,000
Arthur	Gallinaro	81,000
Albert	Niebla	64,000

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Two Tables Remain, As Play Enters Final Level Of The Flight

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/5,000)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 88
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 15

The tournament clock just transitioned to Level 16, which is going to be the final level of the flight.  It looks like the 10% mark will not be reached before the end of the level, as (15) players remain at this point (and the 10% mark reached if the point where 8 players are left).  Once the final hands of the flight are finished, the bagging process will begin, with players packing away their stacks for Monday's Day 2.  Once all of the bags are verified by tournament staff, the official Flight 1A chip counts will be posted.

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Full Isle Poker Classic Schedule (Including Upcoming Satellites)

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/2,000)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 88
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 34

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Efremov Continuing Torrid Run, Now The First To Eclipse 200,000

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/1,600)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 88
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 38

If Oleg Efremov (Oakland Park, FL) looks comfortable...it's because he is.  Oleg has continued to trend in the right direction, since being featured earlier on the blog, and now has over 220,000 in front of him.

Every hand of Oleg Efremov's that have been witnessed, has seen him with premium holdings (jacks or better each time).  Moments ago, Efremov would re-shove over the all-in of a shorter stacked opponent, clearing the players that were behind.  Oleg quickly tabled K♣ K♥, with his adversary tabling J♥ J♦, followed by the board running out 9♥ 6♠ 6♦ A♣ 5♦.  

"Man, this guy is running crazy good," murmured one of the players on the opposite side of the table.  That is an understatement at the moment, as Efremov eclipses 200,000 with that pot, and only strengthens his chip lead over the rest of the remaining field.

Oleg Efremov - 225,000 (140bb)

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Updated Chip Counts From The Flight 1A Field

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/1,200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 88
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 43

Oleg Efremov (Oakland Park, FL) leads the Flight 1A field, sitting with over 160,000 at the beginning of Level 10.  A deep run in this event would assure Efremov of a career best cash, and the potential for his first trophy win.

After getting it in with J J against the K K of Jacquelyn Scott, Oleg Efremov (Oakland Park, FL) ended up flopping a set, and eliminating the former WSOP Ladies Event champion from the field.  The pot helped Oleg assume the Flight 1A chip lead, as he entered Level 10 with over 160,000.  Efremov has four lifetime tournament wins here at the Isle Poker Room, all coming during recurring events.  He has lifetime earnings of $14,805, and a career best tournament cash of $2,614.  

Updated chip counts from the Flight 1A field are posted below:

Oleg Efremov - 165,000 (137bb)
Marc Wolfe - 135,000 (112bb)
Alberto Niebla - 120,000 (100b)
Maritza Quartos - 115,000 (95bb)
Alexander Thomas - 105,000 (87bb)
Euclid Zurbaran - 105,000 (87bb)
Myles German - 95,000 (79bb)

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Opening Event #1 Flight Closes With (88) Entries, A Great Start To The Series

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/1,000)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 88
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 48

Registration for Flight 1A is now officially closed, and for a Thursday afternoon to start the series, the numbers are great!!!  The opening flight of Event #1 closed with a total of (88) entries, of which (48) players currently remain active in the field.  The $13,904 prize fund from this flight will be added to the number from the seven flights that follow, giving us our final number for the tournament.  If things continue to grow as the weekend closes in (which is a trend for these multi-flight events), we will be looking at a final number well above the posted guarantee (which is $100,000).

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Alberto Niebla Leads The Field, As Play Enters Final Level Of Open Registration

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/800)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 78

Alberto Niebla (Miami, FL) leads the Flight 1A heading to the registration break, but there are a handful of players within striking distance of his number.

Play entered Level 8 just a few moments ago, which happens to be the final level of open registration for Flight 1A.  There are a handful of players around the 100,000 mark in chips, but none hold more than Alberto Neibla (Miami, FL), who started Level 8 with 120,000.  Niebla went a stretch earlier this year, in which he recorded four final table finishes in a row.  One of those results was a trophy win during the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, taking down Event #41 ($150 No Limit Hold'em) for $5,423.  Alberto has one Isle Poker title to his name, winning Event #6 of the 2016 Battles At The Beach ($250 No Limit Hold'em Bounty).

Alberto Niebla - 120,000 (150bb)

Players will take another (10) minute break at the end of this level, before returning to Level 9, and blinds of 500/1,000/1,000.  The official numbers will be posted for the flight at that point, followed by the first look at updated Flight 1A chip counts.

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Late Arrivals As The Registration Window Closes, $55 NLH Satellite Now Underway

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/600)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 75

Pedro Palacio (Coconut Creek, FL) is an example of how great satellites are for the poker community, giving players an opportunity to play in events they may not have (without the reduced entry cost).

Pedro Palacio (Coconut Creek, FL) is a tournament regular across the numerous poker rooms in the surrounding area, playing in a wide array of events, ranging from buy-ins of $80 to $2,500.  Now his comfort zone didn't always include the $1,000+ buy-in events, but a score earlier this year helped change that.  After winning entry into the $3,500 No Limit Hold'em Championship Event during the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown (via tournament leaderboard at Coconut Creek), Palacio proceeded to reach the final table of the event.  Pedro ended up finishing in 8th place, seeing a very healthy return of $86,740 (his largest lifetime cash).  Considering he didn't have to even buy into the tournament (out of pocket), the profits were even higher.  Pedro now has over $382,000 in lifetime earnings, with over $128,000 of that coming from this year's results.

Pedro's presence is a good segue into today's satellite for Event #1, which just started at 2:00pm.  The $55 No Limit Hold'em Satellite gives players the opportunity to enter this $200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack" for a fraction of the price.  The satellite is structured with 10,000 unit starting stacks, (20) minute levels, and registration that is open through Level 8.

Registration for this opening flight of Event #1 will be closing in less than an hour, at which point, we will bring you official numbers.

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): This "No Days Off" Thing Seems To Be Trending, As James Hamburger Also Finds His Way To The Field

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 6 (Blinds 300/500/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 65

James Hamburger (Hollywood, FL) was also at last night's final table at the Hard Rock (Event #15), earning seventh place money in the eight-way deal that ended the event.

Scanning the Flight 1A field, another player from last night's Event #15 (Rock N' Roll Poker Open) chop was spotted in the field.  James Hamburger (Hollywood, FL) took home seventh place money in the eight-way deal, earning $9,022 for his efforts.  The result is Hamburger's second largest live tournament score, and helps bring his career earnings (live) over $90,000.  We keep specifying "live," because James has a decorated online resume, boasting more than $1,000,000 in earnings.  After cashing for a career best $35,682 in 2017, Hamburger had just $2,999 in results before last night's result, and is already looking to better that number today.  James continues the long list of notables in this Flight 1A field, which now has over (65) entries:

Marc Wolfe

Oleg Efremov

Vendel Johnson

William Smith

Benjamin Robinson

Myles German

Anthony Bennett

Bryan Moon

Ellen Lambeth

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Mullennix Looking To Finish Off 2018 Strong, Allowing No Time For A Day Off

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/400)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 61

Zachary Mullennix (Pittsburgh, PA) is part of the "no days off" movement, in action just hours after chopping up Event #15 of the Rock N' Roll Poker Open (Hard Rock Hollywood).

Most of the time, when a player records a sizable tournament cash, they will take a day or two away from the tables.  That's certainly not the case for Zachary Mullennix (Pittsburgh, PA), who is less than (24) hours removed from a $13,958 result.  Mullennix was part of an eight way chop that ended Event #15 of the 2018 Rock N' Roll Open ($150 No Limit Hold'em).  Zachary earned himself third place money in the deal, which happens to be the sixth largest tournament cash of his career (his largest coming during the 2016 Florida State Poker Championships).  His earnings for the year are now over $56,000, and while that's his second best statistical year for tournaments, it's half of his number from 2016.  Mullennix still has time to surpass the $126,551 from two years ago, but it's going to take a very successful series here at the Isle Poker Room.  That could be the reasoning behind Zachary not taking a day off, but regardless of why he's in play...he's in play.  Mullennix headlines the first group of notables in the field, joining the likes of:

Frank Scala
Zaki Lichaa
Cory Williams
Justin Levy
Alberto Niebla
Francois Gagne
Julian Wolghemuth
Nancy Thomas
Jacquelyn Scott

Isle Poker Classic Event #1 (Flight 1A): Action Underway For Opening Event Of The 2018 Isle Poker Classic

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1)
$200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"
$100,000 GTD
Level 1 (Blinds 100/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: N/A

As the calendar year comes to a close, the final major series of 2018 begins, with the first hand about to be dealt in Event #1 (of the 2018 Isle Poker Classic).  The opening tournament of the nine-event series is a $200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack," which boasts a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool.  This "monster stack" is something new to the series, as players will be sitting down to starting stacks of 30,000 units.  The levels throughout the event will last (30) minutes, with registration during each of the starting flight, open through Level 8 (and the break that follows).  There are eight starting flights in total, playing out over the next four days, each of which are scheduled to end at the conclusion of Level 16 (unless the 10% mark is reached before that point).

While this particular event wasn't on the schedule during last year's Isle Poker Classic, it's equivalent (the $175 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD) was a very memorable tournament.  The event attracted a total of (919) entries, and an official prize pool of $125,065.  The action ended in a six-way deal, with notable Al Gomez (Miami Beach, FL) topping the chop, earning himself $13,350.

Similar numbers are expected for this tournament, with the 1,000 entry mark a very realistic possibility.  We will allow some time for the tournament area to fill up, before live blogged coverage begins for Flight 1A.

Thursday, November 29th: The 2018 Isle Poker Classic Is Finally Here!!! Event #1 Action Headlines The Day's Schedule

ICYMI: Wednesday's tournament schedule started with the $130 No Limit Hold'em "Survivor" ($3,000 GTD), which got underway at 11:00am.  The event saw registration close with (35) entries, and an official prize pool of $3,500, meaning three players were scheduled to be awarded an $1,000 prize (and a fourth place to earn $500).  Those numbers would be altered before the money bubble, as players agreed to a seven-way chop.  The breakdown of the deal is listed below:

1. Jorge Vaza (Tamarac, FL) $625
2. Daniel Genachte (Deerfield Beach, FL) $613
3. George Lucrassai (Parkland, FL) $522
4. Nathan Tompkins (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) $501
5. Paula Holder (Pompano Beach, FL) $490
6. Gregg Weiss (Delray Beach, FL) $487
7. Marc Freund (Plantation, FL) $262

At 6:00pm, there was a $55 No Limit Hold'em Satellite into Event #1 of the Isle Poker Classic, which is a $200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack" ($100,000 GTD).  The satellite was a great success, as the field grew to (39) entries, meaning seven seats would be awarded into the opening event of the series (and an eighth place that earned $160).  Official results from the satellite are listed below:

1. John Ambrosi (Isle Poker Classic Event #1 Seat)
2. Diane Linke (Isle Poker Classic Event #1 Seat)
3. Marianne Dewitt (Isle Poker Classic Event #1 Seat)
4. Stefania Deluca (Isle Poker Classic Event #1 Seat)
5. Allan Bieler (Isle Poker Classic Event #1 Seat)
6. Kareem Bernardo (Isle Poker Classic Event #1 Seat)
7. Scott Bailey (Isle Poker Classic Event #1 Seat)
8. Paul Smerdon ($160)

Tournaments: Today begins the 2018 Isle Poker Classic, and Event #1 of the series, which is a $200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack" ($100,000 GTD).  The tournament is structured with 30,000 unit starting stacks, (30) minute levels throughout the event, and registration open through Level 8.  Each of the opening flights are scheduled to play through Level 16, or until the 10% mark is reached (whichever comes first).  Players that reach the end of the flight, will bag up their chips for Day 2, which sees play resume on Monday (at 12:00pm).  There are two flights on today's schedule, with Flight 1A beginning at 11:00am, and Flight 1B getting underway at 6:00pm.

Sandwiched between the flights (2:00pm), is another $55 No Limit Hold'em Satellite into Event #1.  The satellite is structured with 10,000 unit starting stacks, (20) minute levels, and registration that is open through Level 8.  

Promotions: From the opening of the poker room (9:00pm) through 6:00pm, the high hands will be awarded every hour, with the winner earning $200.  The day's "standard" high hand period will last from 6:00pm-12:00am, with the opportunity to win $400 every (30) minutes.  During that period, the promotion sees tournament players eligible 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.  

It should also be noted that 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).

From 12:00am-3:00am, the high hand will be awarded $100 every (60) minutes.

11:00am - 2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1) | $200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack" ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1A

- Players start with 30,000 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 (30) minutes

2:00pm - $55 No Limit Hold'em Satellite Into Isle Poker Classic Event #1 ($200 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD)

- Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (20) levels

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (20) minutes

6:00pm - 2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #1) | $200 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack" ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1B

- Players start with 30,000 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 (30) minutes