Thursday, January 3, 2019

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Official End Of Flight 1C Chip Counts

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/5,000)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 102
Fight 1C Players Remaining: 15

NathanielMoore248,000
PedroPalacio224,500
JasonAtherley218,000
MichaelPawelek200,000
LindaLipkins192,500
NoelAtherley172,500
ThomasSvensen144,000
JohnMayers126,500
AndreRakusa120,000
MichaelIngber93,000
AlexanderPerez85,500
KimberlyJones72,000
DavidBleau65,000
JulianWohlgemuth53,500
RandyBurnstein46,500

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Entering The Final Level Of Play, Within Reach Of Finding A Bag

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/5,000)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 102
Fight 1C Players Remaining: 21


The tournament clock just transitioned over to Level 16, which is the final scheduled level of Flight 1C.  When there are 10:00 minutes remaining in the level, the clock will be paused, and the tournament supervisor will announce how many hands remain.  Once those hands are completed at each table, the bags will be brought out, and players will be handed their "ticket" for Day 2 (Sunday at 12:00pm).  There is a small caveat though...if the field reaches the 10% mark before the ten minute mark, the flight will end there.

Once the bagging process is completed, official chip counts from Flight 1C will be posted.


$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Thomas Svensen Feeling All Kins Of "Bleau"

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/4,000)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 102
Fight 1C Players Remaining: 23

Dave Bleau (Jupiter, FL) had one foot out the door, but outflopped the pocket aces of Thomas Svensen, and now has his sights set on bagging.

"You missed a big one just a few minutes ago," Thomas Svensen mentioned in passing, as he went into detail about said hand.  Svensen, who was one of the chip leaders in the field, decided to limp in with pocket aces.  When action came around to Dave Bleau, he would shove for just over 65,000, clearing out the players behind.  Svensen made the easy call, and would be up against Bleau's K J♠, in seemingly great position to chip up to 200,000.  

Unfortunately for Svensen, the flop brought both and king and jack, and Thomas would be unable to recover from Bleau flopping two-pair.  Svensen was left with just over 130,000 after the hand, while Dave chipped up to the same amount.

Thomas Svensen - 130,000 (32bb)
Dave Bleau - 130,000 (32bb)

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Remaining Players In the Flight 1C Field

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 14 (Blinds 2,000/3,000/3,000)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 102
Fight 1C Players Remaining: 24

The field is losing players at a rapid pace, but with the stack sizes growing across the tournament area, things should slow down a little bit.  Listed below, are the table lineups that remain active:

Table 1
  1. Yoav Levy
  2. Nathaniel Moore
  3. Mike Pawelok
  4. Pedro Palacio
  5. Steven Lipkins
  6. Chad Millward
  7. Jason Atherley
Table 3
  1. Joshua Wasserman
  2. Julian Wohlgemuth
  3. Randy Burnstein
  4. Dave Bleau
  5. Noel Atherley
  6. Kevin Jackson
  7. Thomas Svensen
  8. Tim Shane
Table 9
  1. Dai Lam
  2. Javier Sarache
  3. Khalil Hashir
  4. Kimberly Jones
  5. John Mayers
  6. Alexander Perez
  7. Michael Ingber
  8. Linda Lipkins
  9. Andre Rukasa

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Updated Chip Counts Following Flight's Final Break

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 13 (Blinds 1,500/2,500/2,500)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 102
Fight 1C Players Remaining: 26


Players are now back from their final break, and will play out the remaining four schedule levels (unless the 10% mark is reached before then, which is 11 players).  Updated chip counts from the field are listed below:

Jason Atherley - 175,000 (70bb)
Thomas Svensen - 150,000 (60bb)
Chad Millward - 150,000 (60bb)
Nathaniel Moore - 130,000 (52bb)
Javier Sarache - 130,000 (52bb)
Pedro Palacio - 125,000 (50bb)
Kimberly Jones - 100,000 (40bb)


$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Two Players Catching Heat, As Flight 1C Heads Towards Final Break

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/2,000)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 102
Fight 1C Players Remaining: 31

Chad Millward (Boca Raton, FL) is a "youngster" when it comes to tournament poker (in a brick and mortar room), but has shown a lot of potential over the last two years.

Just moments ago, play entered Level 12, with the final scheduled break to commence at the level's conclusion.  During the last two levels, their have been a pair of players to vault up the leaderboard, both sitting with over 120,000.  Chad Millward and Javier Sarache both sit at Table 5, and while the two haven't clashed just yet, the potential is there for some serious fireworks.  Millward made three final tables last year (here at the Isle), two of which came during "major" events.  He is still looking for his breakthrough score, with his largest cash currently sitting at $5,809.

Chad Millward - 125,000
Javier Sarache - 123,000

Once players return from their final break of the day, we will bring you a final look at updated counts from the field.

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): A Look At January In The Poker Room (Tournament Schedule And Promotions)

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/1,600)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 102
Fight 1C Players Remaining: 37



$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Updated Chip Counts, As The Field Begins To Shrink Down

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/1,200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 102
Fight 1C Players Remaining: 44


Now a full level removed from the registration break, the leaderboard is beginning to take shape.  Listed below, are updated chip counts from the field, tallied at the end of Level 9:

Allan Bieler - 120,000 (100bb)
Nathaniel Moore - 115,000 (95bb)
Pedro Palacio - 110,000 (91bb)
Linda Lipkins - 100,000 (83bb)
Javier Sarache - 80,000 (66bb)
Chad Millward - 75,000 (62bb)
Joshua Wasserman - 60,000 (50bb)
Jamie Wiegrefe - 55,000 (45bb)
Alexander Perez - 50,000 (41bb)

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Official Numbers From Flight 1C, Almost Halfway To The Tournament's Guarantee

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/1,000)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 102
Fight 1C Players Remaining: 49


Players are now back from their second break of the day, and the cards are in the air for Level 9 (which means that registration for Flight 1C is now closed).  The third flight of the "Isle New Year Kickstart" attracted a total of (102) entries, of which (49) still remain active in the field.  The prize pool from the flight is $16,116, and if you add that to the number from the first two flights, the combined number equals $49,138.  With five flights still scheduled, we are almost halfway to the tournament's guarantee.  During the next level, we will bring followers some updated chip counts from the field.


$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Allan Bieler Gets Late Holiday Gift, Climbs Up The Leaderboard

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/800)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 99

Allan Bieler is a tournament veteran, who wouldn't mind starting off the year with a nice five-figure score.

At Table 5, four players would limp for 600 (this hand took place late in Level 7), with action on Allan Bieler.  Bieler took a handful of chips (which totaled 2,900) and tossed them across his cards, waiting to see the action that followed.  Allan got called by one player, and the two would watch the dealer fan out a flop of J 5 4♣.  Bieler pushed forward a stack of orange chips (1,000 denomination), enough to put his opponent all-in.  Without much thought, the unknown player tossed in her remaining 13,000, and quickly turned over 6♠ 6.  Bieler followed by rolling over K J♠, with his hand holding up through the runout.  With that pot, Allan eclipsed the 90,000 mark, and finds himself amongst the top five chip stacks in the Flight 1C field.

Allan Bieler - 90,000 (112bb)

Players will be taking their second break at the end of this level, and once the cards are in the air for Level 9, registration will be closed for the flight. 

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): As Word Spreads About The "Kickstart," The Fashionably Late Notables Begin To Arrive

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/600)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 92

Kimberly Jones (Pompano Beach, FL) is currently sitting at one of the more "talkative" tables in the field, and looks to be enjoying the humor of Scott Efron.

When a tournament such a this "Isle New Year Kickstart" quickly gets out of the gate, word spreads amongst the community, about the likelihood of a massive prize pool.  That would explain the rush of late arrivals to this Flight 1C field, which is about to cross the century mark (in terms of total entries).  One of the most recent entries was Kimberly Jones (Pompano Beach, FL), who is hoping to "kickstart" her 2019.  After a 2016 in which she earned over $22,000, Jones followed that up with earnings of $2,845 (2017), and $3,850 (2018).  A final table finish in this event would likely eclipse those numbers alone (possibly combined), but first Jones needs to find a bag.  

Also looking to find a bag at the end of this flight (and also arriving late), are some of the following notables:

Thomas Millward
Chad Millward
Alan Munoz
Justin Levy
Eric Kolodny
Jason Atherley
Thomas Gari
Javier Sarache 

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Nathaniel Looking To Be Dormant No "Moore"

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 6 (Blinds 300/500/500)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 86

Nathaniel Moore (Boca Raton, FL) makes his way to the blog for the first time ever, as he holds a commanding lead over the Flight 1C field.

The most recent update showed Nathaniel Moore (Boca Raton, FL) atop the leaderboard, a name and face that wasn't recognizable to the Isle Poker Room's blog (and blogger).  A little bit of research helped shed some light on Moore's poker history, which is limited when it comes to tournament results.  Nathaniel recorded two cashes in 2017 (totaling $3,576), and has been absent from the spotlight since.  The lack of results would potentially lead one to assume about the ability of said player, but that would definitely be a poor judgment.  There are certain players that focus strictly on cash games, and rarely dip their feet in the tournament waters.  We don't know the reasoning behind Moore's absence from the tournament scene, but he's making his re-introduction in a big way.  Nathaniel still leads the Flight 1C field, containing to sit as the only player above the century mark.

Nathaniel Moore - 124,000 (248bb)

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Early Flight 1C Chip Counts

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/400)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 78



Players are back from their first break of the day, posting new blinds of 200/400/400 in Level 5.  With four full levels now in the books, here is a look at some of the updated chip counts from the Flight 1C field:

Nathaniel Moore - 120,000 (300bb)
Alan Bieler - 70,000 (175bb)
John Mayers - 60,000 (150bb)
Pedro Palacio - 47,000 (117bb)
Shlomo Maman - 40,000 (100bb)
Linda Lipkins - 40,000 (100bb)
Scott Efron - 38,000 (95bb)
Andre Rakusa - 34,000 (85bb)

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): After Being Within Arms Length, Daniel Diamond Has His Eyes On An Isle Poker "Major" Title

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 4 (Blinds 200/300/300)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 71

Daniel Diamond (Plantation, FL) broke out onto the tournament scene last year, thanks to a second place finish in Event #3 of the Isle Open.

Daniel Diamond (Plantation, FL) was a relative unknown on the tournament scene (at least on the Isle Poker Room's blog), until his result Event #3 of the 2018 Isle Open.  Daniel found himself heads-up for the trophy, across the table from former WSOP Main Event runner-up Joshua Beckley.  Chips were fairly even when heads-up play began, but the two would play things out, as Beckley declined a chop on numerous occasions.  Diamond eventually had to settle for runner-up honors, falling to a very formidable opponent.  The $15,785 prize he earned for second place was the largest cash of Diamond's career, and helped make 2018 Daniel's "breakout" year.  After recording just over $3,000 in cashes over two years, Diamond finished 2018 with over $22,470 in results.  

After a final table in the most recent Fun In The Sun series at Hard Rock, Diamond feels primed for another deep run, with goals to best that runner-up finish.  Diamond headlines the second list of notables in the Flight 1C field, which includes names like:

Richard Wetter
Alberto Niebla
Scott Efron
Julian Wohlgemuth
Frank Scala
Francois Gagne
Kenneth Bruno
Alexander Perez
Melissa Kaiser
Linda Lipkins

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): A New Year Is Blank Slate, And Pedro Palacio Has A To Paint To Match Last Year's Picture

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 61


2018 was a special year for Pedro Palacio (Coconut Creek, FL), as he earned a career-best $131,891 over the past twelve months.

With the changing of the calendar year, everyone's tournament stats start fresh, and players look to build on what they've accomplished to that point.  If Pedro Palacio (Coconut Creek, FL) wants to best his results from last year, he's going to need to do something special in 2019.  The past twelve months were the best of Pedro's career (statistically), with over $131,000 in tournament earnings in 2018.  Much of the success was attributed to his final table run in the $3,500 No Limit Hold'em Championship Event, in which he finished in 8th place (for $86,740).  Pedro was lucky enough to earn entry into that event, via the tournament leaderboard at Coconut Creek.  Palacio parlayed that seat into a career best tournament score, and rode the hot hand for the rest of the year.  

Pedro did a lot of traveling after the score, and actually took some time off from poker, focusing on his family (and non-poker interests).  He's looking to start off strong this year, with a Day 2 bag helping that case.  Palacio was one of the first notables spotted in today's Flight 1C field, joining the likes of:

William Swicicki
Tracy Scala
Paul Shafran
Gary Fitzgerald
Tim Shane
Shlmo Maman
Zaki Lichaa
John Mayers
Michel Gariepy
Thomas Svensen

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Official Chip Counts (Flight 1A-Flight 1B)

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 2 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 51


$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1C): Live Blogged Coverage Returns, As The "Isle New Year Kickstart" Continues To Impress

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 1 (Blinds 100/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: N/A


After two evening flights to begin the $200 No Limit Hold'em "Isle New Year Kickstart" ($100,000 GTD), we have reached our first afternoon starting flight.  With that being said, we have also reached the point where live blogged coverage returns, and will stick around until the conclusion of the tournament.  

The "Isle New Year Kickstart" got off to a very impressive start, with a total of (209) entries over the first two starting flights.  Tuesday's Flight 1A attracted (122) entries, which was a number that would have never been predicted by people "in the know."  Of the combined entries to this point in the event, (22) players have bagged chips for Sunday's Day 2, led by Kevin McGillicuddy (who bagged up 340,000 last night).  Julio Fernandez bagged the Flight 1A chip lead with 281,000, but now sits in the third spot overall, as Tom Gity also eclipsed his number during Flight 1B (302,000).  A full list of chip counts will be posted in about thirty minutes, as a start to this afternoon's live coverage.

The tournament's current prize pool sits at $33,022, which is well ahead of the pace needed to eclipse the $100,000 guarantee.  There are still six flights remaining to be played (including this flight), with an afternoon and evening flight on the schedule, today through Saturday.

The Flight 1C action is about to begin, so make sure to update that browser throughout the day, as we bring you coverage of the "Isle New Year Kickstart's" third starting flight. 

Thursday, January 3rd: With Two More Flights On Today's Schedule, The "Isle New Year Kickstart" Is On Pace To Crush Guarantee

ICYMI: Yesterday's tournament schedule was similar to Tuesday's, with a recurring event at 11:00am, and an "Isle New Year Kickstart" flight at 6:00pm (with a satellite sandwiched in between). The 11:00am recurring event was a $130 No Limit Hold'em "Survivor," which ran with a $3,000 guarantee.  After a slow start, players began arriving at a rapid pace, as the field closed with (26) entries at registration's close.  The $3,000 prize pool was scheduled to be paid out across three $1,000 sports, but with five players remaining, a deal was agreed to.  Official results of the tournament are listed below:
  1. Miguel Marrero (Cooper City, FL) $1,000
  2. Daniel Genachte (Deerfield Beach, FL) $500
  3. Richard Bramwell (Lauderdale Lakes, FL) $500
  4. Zaki Lichaa (Pompano Beach, FL) $500
  5. Marc Freund (Plantation, FL) $500
After a very successful opening satellite for the "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Wednesday), yesterday's $55 No Limit Hold'em Satellite attracted a total of (30) entries, and awarded six seats into Flight 1B.

Flight 1B of the $200 No Limit Hold'em "Isle New Year Kickstart" ($100,000 GTD) was going to have a hard time living up to the opening flight (which attracted 122 entries), but definitely did not disappoint.  After eight levels of open registration, the Flight 1B field would close with (87) entries, (9) of which bagged chips for Sunday's Day 2.  Kevin McGillicuddy bagged the Flight 1B chip lead (and the overall chip lead) with 340,000, with the official counts from Flight 1B listed below:

Kevin McGillicuddy - 340,000
Tom Gity - 302,000
Didier Bramy - 218,000
Gavin Gowie - 207,000
Jeff Oldakowski - 204,500
Steve Bromfield - 195,000
John Young - 142,500
Greg Weiss - 65,000
Jonathan Ounlian - 61,500

After two completed flights, the "Isle New Year Kickstart" now has a combined total of (209) entries, of which (22) players have tickets booked for Sunday's Day 2.  The current prize pool sits a $33,022, and is well ahead of the pace needed to eclipse the posted $100,000 guarantee.

Tournaments: Today's schedule focuses strictly on the "Isle New Year Kickstart" with two starting flights (and a satellite) on the slate.  Flight 1C (at 11:00am) and Flight 1D (6:00pm) both carry the same structure: with 20,000 unit starting stacks, (30) minute levels, and registration that is open through Level 8.  Play is scheduled to conclude after Level 16, or if the 10% mark is reached before that point (which has happened the first two flights of the event).

At 2:00pm, there is a $55 No Limit Hold'em Satellite into the "Isle New Year Kickstart." The satellite it structured with 10,000 unit starting stacks, (15) minute levels, and registration that is open through Level 8.

Promotions: The high hands will run from 9:00am-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 - $200 No Limit Hold'em "Isle New Year Kickstart" ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1C

- Players start with 20,000 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
- Day 2 on Sunday, January 6th (12:00pm)

2:00pm - $55 No Limit Hold'em Satellite Into "Isle New Year Kickstart"

- Players start with 10,000 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 (15) minutes

6:00pm - $200 No Limit Hold'em "Isle New Year Kickstart" ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1D

- Players start with 20,000 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
- Day 2 on Sunday, January 6th (12:00pm)

$200 NLH "Isle New Year Kickstart" (Flight 1B): Official End Of Flight 1B Chip Counts

"Isle New Year Kickstart"
$200 No Limit Hold'em

$100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/4,000)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 87
Flight 1B Players Remaining: 9

KevinMcGillicuddy340,000
Tom Gity302,000
DidierBramy218,000
GavinGowie207,000
JeffOldakowski204,500
Steve Bromfield195,000
JohnYoung142,500
GregWeiss65,000
JonathanOunian61,500