Monday, February 28th: Botabayev Returns To Form, Topping Sunday's $400 No Limit Hold'em ($20,000 GTD)...Highest Hand Promotion Returns!!!

ICYMI: Sunday's $400 No Limit Hold'em ($20,000 GTD) continues to show why it is one of the more popular tournaments on the weekly schedule, almost doubling the posted guarantee!  Registration for the tournament closed with a total of (89) entries, and an official prize pool of $30,972.  A total of twelve players were scheduled to reach the money, with some healthy payouts up top.  Action played down to a six-handed final table, at which point a deal was agreed upon.  Official results from the tournament are listed below:

1. Darkhan Botabayev (Sunny Isles, FL) $6,393
2. Lisa Teebagy (Lighthouse Point, FL) $4,280
3. Jonathan Marcu (Boca Raton, FL) $3,940
4. Luis Dominguez (Miami, FL) $3,900
5. Kevin Naim (Miami Beach, FL) $3,693
6. Joseph Duchman (Miami, FL) $2,951
7. TJ Shulman (Boynton Beach, FL) $1,239
8. Wendell El (Atlanta, GA) $1,084
9. Philip Whitaker (Miami, FL) $983
10. Brian Malik (Pittsburgh, PA) $898
11. Jean Marie Mednesse (Boynton Beach, FL) $836
12. Daniel Steele (North Palm Beach, FL) $775

Tournaments: At 6:00pm this evening, the $250 No Limit Hold'em ($20,000 GTD) "Final Table Finish" returns, with a little wrinkle.  This particular tournament had such a good structure, that the final table action ran into the closing time of the poker room (players are then faced with chopping, or bagging for a Day 2).  To keep that from occurring, there will be some slight changes moving forward.

The event will be structured with 25,000 chip starting stacks, (20) minute levels, and open registration through Level 8 (and the break that follows).  The new format-wrinkle comes into play when discussing payouts, as the tournament will pay out just the final table, regardless of how many entries.  Exact payout percentages are as follows (final tables are now nine-handed):

1. 40%
2. 18%
3. 10%
4. 7%
5. 7%
6. 6%
7. 6%
8. 3%
9. 3%

Promotions: From 9:00am (the minute the doors open) until 11:00pm, $300 high hands will be awarded every (30) minutes. These high hands must be aces-full or better, use both hole cards, and be the winning hand (in a pot that has at least $10).  From 11:00pm until close, $100 high hands will be awarded every (30) minutes.

In addition to the high hands, there is a "bonus" promotion in place, which offers $1,000 to the highest hand from the 9:00am-12:00pm time period.  If a player makes a straight flush in the 9:00am-9:30am qualifying period, and that is the best qualifying high hand from 9:00am-12:00pm, they will earn an extra $1,000 (in addition to the $300 they were awarded for the half-hour time period).

6:00pm: $250 No Limit Hold'em "Final Table Finish" ($10,000 GTD)

• Players start with 25,000 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