Monday, August 22nd: Angelo Castaldi Tops Sunday's Eight-Way Chop, With Another "Final Table Finish" Headlining Tournament Schedule

ICYMI: If you're a poker player in South Florida (or visiting from out of the area), Sunday's $400 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) "Final Table Finish" is a "must play" tournament.  Yesterday's event saw registration closed with (239) entries, helping the prize pool eclipse the $80,000 mark (officially $80,782).  A small shift in the tournament rules now sees the event play with a ten-handed final table, meaning that would be the number of players reaching the money.  The posted payouts were so impressive (first place was scheduled to take home over $30,000), that an eight-way chop saw the top three players involved walk away with five-figure scores.  Angelo Castaldi (Sunrise, FL) took home first place money, with official results from the event listed below (along with an updated Player of the Month leaderboard):

1. Angelo Castaldi (Sunrise, FL) $13,025
2. Anthony Casas (Miami, FL) $12,047
3. Brian Barros (Stone Park, IL) $11,858
4. Patrick Tobar (Boca Raton, FL) $8,482
5. Brandon Schwartz (North Miami, FL) $8,114
6. Raymond Piccini (Boca Raton, FL) $7,989
7. Gil Nachum (Dania Beach, FL) $7,541
8. Justin Sousa (Plantation, FL) $6,182
9. Roni Zelichonok (Miami, FL) $3,231
10. Raffaello Locatelli (New York, NY) $2,313

Tournaments: At 5:00pm this evening, the $250 No Limit Hold'em ($20,000 GTD)s "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 12:00pm, there is a new promotion in June, offering boosted Early Bird High Hands.  The high hand at the top of the hour (:00) will be awarded $599, while the high hands at the bottom of the hour (:30) will be awarded $300.  From 12:00pm 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.

5:00pm: $250 No Limit Hold'em "Final Table Finish" ($20,000 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