Event 16 (Flight 1C): Three Tables Remain

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 75
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 26

The Flight 1C field is down to three tables, with five levels (scheduled) remaining in the day.  If the field does reach the 8% point (6 players), the clock will then be paused, and the bagging process will begin.  We saw both flights get down to two tables yesterday, but the stacks become so deep, that eliminations are few and far between during those final levels.  Posted below are the remaining players in this flight, along with their seating assignments:

Table 1:

1. Stephen Smith
2. Tom Gity
3. Angelo Castaldi
4. Arthur Gallinaro
5. Thomas Gari
6. Linda Lipkins
7. Monty Berger
8. Paul Berensen
9. Gedas Bertulis
10. Frank Scala

Table 2:

1. David Light
2. Austin Rattet
3. Evan Lash
4. Albert Niebla
5. Albert Barney
6. TJ Shulman
7. Moe Heider
8. Ryan Hopp 
9. (Empty)
10. Mel Littman

Table 3:

1. Michael Hefley
2. Alicia Goldstein
3. (Empty)
4. Anthony Gregory
5. Lacselles Peart
6. Steve Lipkins
7. (Empty)
8. Zakarya Wolgamott
9. Washington Gavilanes
10. Joe Gallinaro

Event 16 (Flight 1C): Official Chip Counts (Flights A-B)

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 75
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 35

Event 16 (Flight 1C): Washington Holds Lead As Registration Closes

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 8  (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 75
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 45

Washington Gavilanes (Plantation, FL)

It's been a long time since we've seen Washington Gavilanes's (Plantation, FL) name on the blog, but it's a name this blogger will always remember.  Gavilanes was the winner of the first event that was ever "live blogged" here at the Isle Poker Room (to clarify, first live event on this particular blog).  Washington bested Al Efremoff in a heads up battle to take down the 2016 Isle Poker Open Event 1 trophy, navigating his way through a field of 1,148 entries to earn $26,137.

Washington is seemingly picking up where he left off, as he's cruised to a comfortable chip lead, sitting with over 155,000 in front of him.  He is the only player in the field to have eclipsed the century mark to this point, as we are about to reach the end of Level 8.  There will be a (10) minute break after this level, and once play resume with Level 9, registration will have closed for Flight 1C of Event 16.

Event 16 (Flight 1C): The Fashionably Late Crowd

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 70
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 62

Punctuality, unless it's having to arrive to start a Day 2, isn't something that's terribly important to tournament players.  One of the ongoing debates in the tournament world is whether or not arriving for "pre-ante" levels is a profitable move.  Regardless of reasoning, we've seen a wave of players arrive over the last (30) minutes, including the likes of (some players listed have been in play for longer):

TJ Shulman
Evan Lash
Ryan Hopp
David Walker
Albert Barney
Luis Santoni
Michael Boykin
Frank Traino

Event 16 (Flight 1C): Smith Already Feeling At Home In Florida

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 6 (Blinds 150/300/25)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 64
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 54

Stephen Smith (Montgomery, AL)

Flight 1C players are one level removed from their first (10) minute break of the day, with just under (90) minutes remaining in open registration for this flight.  A handful of players arrived towards the tail end of the break, including Tom Gity (Pompano Beach, FL), and 2017 Isle Poker Classic Event 2 winner Stephen Smith (Montgomery, AL).

We should update that "hometown," as Smith is now a Florida resident, as the first of this year.  Without a casino and/or poker room in his home state of Alabama, Smith would do a lot of traveling to play the game he loves, hitting up rooms Biloxi, Cherokee, and Jacksonville (just to name a few).  Now that Smith lives in Florida, he has numerous poker rooms within a short drive of his home, and he made his name known two weeks ago (here at the Isle).  

When Event 2 was down to the final table, Smith held a commanding chip lead, which was even more powerful with the shallow stacks of his opponents.  After two of the shorter stacks were eliminated, the remaining eight players asked to hear the ICM numbers in regards to a chop.  Once the players agreed to the numbers that were presented, Smith was declared the winner, and walked away with over $28,000 (which happened to be close to $10,000 more than second place).  Stephen is back in action in this Flight 1C, and is looking to match Andrew Blake, who already has two trophies won during this series.

Event 16 (Flight 1C): Those That Play Together...Stay Together

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 59
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 50

Steve and Linda Lipkins (Boca Raton, FL)

We've seen a lot of different "combinations" in the fields of these tournaments since the live blog coverage started last October.  There have been brother/sister combos in the field (Michelle and Sean Shah), twin combos (Hector and Nestor Carballo), and husband/wife combos like we have in the field now.

Steve and Linda Lipkins knew each other when they were in sixth grade in Queens, NY.  They each headed down their own paths in life, until they crossed paths once again at their high school reunion (Forest Hills High School) at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island.  The two got to talking, and as the saying goes, the rest was history.  The two have now been married for nine years, and one thing that they enjoy doing together is playing poker.

Having relocated to Florida, the two would watch poker on television, and they decided to play live once

the game took of down here.  Since 2008, the two have been playing tournaments together, and they've amassed some pretty impressive resumes.  Linda has over $81,000 in career earnings, with her largest score coming in 2015 (2nd Place - MSPT Venetian $600 NLH $45,153).  Steve has over $46,000 in recorded tournament earnings, with his largest score coming in a WSOP circuit event in Atlantic City in 2008 (4th Place WSOPC Harrah's AC $340 NLH $14,091).

The two are in today's Flight 1C, and looking to bag chips for Day 2, so they can return on Sunday as a duo once again.

Event 16 (Flight 1C): The "All-Time" Money Wheel Winner

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 50
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 46

Sahadeo Seenarraine (Tamarac, FL)

If you look at Sahadeo's Seenarraine's (Tamarac, FL) tournament resume, you'll see that 2016 was a "light" year in terms of tournament play.  The year prior (2015), Seenarraine recorded (10) cashes, all together totaling $5,394.  Every single one of Sehadeo's tournament cashes came here at the Isle Poker Room, and for all he's given to this room, you can say the room "gave back" last year.  The "Spin To Win" promotion started last summer, and has quickly become the most popular high hand promotion in the room.  Players have the opportunity to spin the "money wheel" and walk away with $25,000.  In order to be eligible to win the $25,000, the qualifying high hand must be a royal flush, and the spin must then land on the jackpot slot.

Things weren't always like that though, and when the wheel hosted a $15,000 slot, Seenarraine was the first (and only) player to hit the wheel for that amount.  Sahadeo is someone you'll always see playing cash in the room on a daily basis, but this is the first we've seen him enter a tournament since the blog's inception.

Event 16 (Flight 1C): Familiar Faces Make Up Early Field

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 46
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 46

Tevy Wellins (Hollywood, FL) is coming off of his biggest Isle Poker tournament cash, earning second place money in the eight-way chop that ended Event 9.

Contrary to yesterday's starting flights, this afternoon flight of Event 16 is full of notables names and faces.  Tevy Wellins (Hollywood, FL) earned his "notable" status this past week, notching a $5,025 score in the Event 9 chop (eight-way).  Wellins's share was second place money, and was his largest tournament score since a deep run in the opening event of the 2012 Borgata Winter Poker Open ($31,096).  Other players in the field with the Isle Poker "notable" status include:

Stephen Smith

Francois Gagne

Michael Weinberg

Zakarya Wolgamott

Thomas Moran

Ian Cohen

Thomas Gari

Claude Ferland

Michael Hefley

Thursday, January 19th: Duo Of Event 16 Flights On Tap

The first day of Event 16 saw two flights that attracted a total of (135) entries, with (25) players successfully bagging chips for Sunday's Day 2.  The Flight 1A chip leader was Kevin Matheson (West Palm Beach, FL), who bagged 243,000, while Stefan Korolczuk bagged 301,000 as the Flight 1B chip leader.  One of the storylines of this final Isle Poker Classic event, is the emergence of new names and faces to followers of the blog.  Of the (25) players to bag chips, there were only a few recognizable names (Jeff Burdeen, Marcel Deschamps, Marc Culberson).

As the weekend approaches, the field sizes will gradually get larger, with yesterday's "intimate" fields more of an anomaly.  There are two more starting flights on the schedule today, with Flight 1C getting the dedicated "live blog coverage."

11:00am - Event 16 (Flight 1C) $150 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guarantee:

- Players receive 25,000 in tournament chips

- All late registrants and re-entries will receive a full stack

- Level will be (25) minutes in length

- Late registration and re-entries for the first (8) levels

- All Day 1's will play 16 complete levels, or until 8% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

6:00pm - Event 16 (Flight 1D) $150 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guarantee:

- Players receive 25,000 in tournament chips

- All late registrants and re-entries will receive a full stack

- Level will be (25) minutes in length

- Late registration and re-entries for the first (8) levels

- All Day 1's will play 16 complete levels, or until 8% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

Event 16 (Flight 1B): Official Flight 1B Chip Counts

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 78
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 14

Stefan	Korolczuk	301,000
Ed	Sparks	198,000
Elias	Nassif	196,500
Joseph	Petrolino	182,000
Marcel	Deschamps	147,000
Metin	Guner	146,000
Chad	Ducharma	139,000
Bogdan	Malinicio	136,500
Robert	Cavataio	102,500
Bruce	Rawdin	97,000
Armando	Del Pozo	95,000
Glen	Sugarman	87,500
Feguener	Gay	81,000
William	Summler	50,500

Event 16 (Flight 1A): End Of Flight 1A Chip Counts

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 57
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 11

Flight 1A Chip Leader Kevin Matheson (West Palm Beach, FL)

Each of the starting flights for Event 16 are scheduled to finish at the conclusion of Level 16, or when 8% of the field remains (whichever comes first).  For much of the afternoon, it seemed as if the 8% point was going to be reached first, as play was down to (13) players with three levels left in the day.  Things ended up slowing down as the stacks became deeper, and while four different players held the chip lead over the course of the final two levels, it was Kevin Matheson (West Palm Beach, FL) on top of the leaderboard after the final hand was dealt.

Flight 1A Chip Counts:

Kevin Matheson	243,000
Waldemar Wasilewski	210,000
Garrick Young	204,500
Jeffrey Burdeen	192,000
B. Nonymous	149,500
Marc Culberson	115,500
Rudy Miret	89,000
A. Nonymous	68,500
Jose Picado	67,500
Joshua Silva	53,000
Tony Gregory	32,000

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Another "Spin To Win" Jackpot Winner!!!!

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 57
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 11

The "Money Wheel" hits again, as the player with the qualifying hand from the 5:00-5:30pm period just hit for $5,000!!!  That is the highest amount the wheel yields, unless the player spinning held a royal flush as their high hand.  That's an unprecedented two weeks in a row that the $5,000 spot on the wheel has been hit!

Players in the Event 16 field will be finishing up the remaining hands in the level, and the bagging process will then begin.  Once the chips are verified and the tournament staff has made the numbers official, we will be posting the end of Flight 1A chip counts.

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Last Look At Chip Counts

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 57
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 12

Flight 1A is about to enter the final level of scheduled play (Level 16), with (12) players still trying to navigate their way to the bagging process.  The action has slowed down considerably, with the stacks as deep as they are (chip average is 40 big blinds).  Here are the updated counts for the remaining players in the flight:

Table 1:

1. Jose Picado - 110,000
2. Jeffrey Burdeen - 170,000
3. Tony Dudley - 60,000
4. Joshua Silva - 38,000
5. Kevin Mathson - 160,000
6. Marc Culberson - 170,000

Table 3:

1. Garrick Young - 200,000
2. A. Nonymous - 130,000
3. Walter Walter - 180,000
4. B. Nonymous - 70,000
5. Tony Gregory - 40,000
6. Rudy Miret - 90,000

Event 16 (Flight 1A): "Walter Walter" Picks One Off

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 57
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 13

"Walter Walter" is actually Waldemar Wasilewski (Deerfield Beach, FL), and he's currently climbing up the leaderboard.  Waldemar was on the river against Jason Lin, on a board reading 7♠ 9♣ A♣ A♠ 3♣, waiting on Lin's action (Waldemar had bet 15,000 into a pot over 33,000).  Lin sat for about three minutes, eventually putting together chips for a sizable raise, and pushing forward a stack worth 53,000.  Wasilewski was visibly bothered by the raise, but grabbed a stack of yellow (5,000) chips, and slammed them down for the call.

Lin immediately tossed his hand in the muck (without showing), meaning Waldemar would win the pot uncontested.  He did not have to show his hand, but the one thing that was evident, he picked off Lin's bluff attempt.  Wasilewski is now the second player to eclipse the 200,000 mark, and sits with almost double the chip average (with 13 players remaining in the flight).

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Updated Chip Counts From Final Break

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 52
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 15

Flight 1A players are about to return from their final break of the day, and will return to finish out the remaining four levels (scheduled).  Here are the updated counts tallied during break:

Table 1:

1. Jose Picado - 95,000
2. (Empty)
3. Jeffrey Burdeen - 120,000
4. Michael Weinberg - 28,000
5. Tony Dudley - 88,000
6. (Empty)
7. Joshua Silva - 42,000
8. Kevin Mathson - 140,000
9. Bill Reich - 40,000
10. Marc Culberson - 135,000

Table 3:

1. Garrick Young - 210,000
2. A. Nonymous - 125,000
3. (Empty)
4. (Empty)
5. Jason Lin - 85,000
6. Walter Walter - 130,000
7. (Empty)
8. B. Nonymous - 84,000
9. Tony Gregory - 39,000
10. Rudy Miret - 58,000

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Down To The "Sweet Sixteen"

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 57
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 16

There has been a flurry of eliminations over the past (20) minutes, with only (16) players currently left in this opening flight of Event 16.  Here are the names (and seating assignments) of the remaining players:

Table 1:

1. Jose Picado
2. (Empty)
3. Jeffrey Burdeen
4. Michael Weinberg
5. Tony Dudley
6. (Empty)
7. Joshua Silva
8. Kevin Mathson
9. Bill Reich
10. Marc Culberson

Table 3:

1. Garrick Young
2. A. Nonymous
3. Robert Urspruch
4. (Empty)
5. Jason Lin
6. Walter Walter
7. (Empty)
8. B. Nonymous
9. Tony Gregory
10. Rudy Miret

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Young Looking To Strengthen Resume

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 57
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 22

Garrick Young (Miami Gardens, FL)

Garrick Young (Miami Gardens, FL) has a tournament resume with (3) recorded cashes over the course of 2014-15, all of which came here at the Isle Poker Room.  Young's highlighting score came during the 2015 Isle Poker Classic, when he final tabled Event #2 ($70 No Limit Hold'em), finishing in 5th place for $2,521.  

Young is currently the chip leader in the field, now sitting with over 160,000 in front of him.  There are (22) players remaining in this flight, and once we get down to two tables, a full list of players remaining will be posted.

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Two Players Separating From The Field

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 57
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 31

Jason Lin currently sits second in chips (90,000), with (31) players remaining in the flight.

The field is through one "post-registration" level, with the flight officially attracting a total of (57) entries.  Two players have emerged from the group with sizable stacks, with Garrick Young sitting with a stack over 105,000, and Jason Lin looking to eclipse the century mark.  Lin has just over 90,000, which is close to double the chip average at the moment (49,000).  The structure of this tournament is similar to that of Event 10, except the levels are five minutes longer.  That small difference makes a big deal as these opening flights play out, with the average stack holding on to (49) big blinds.  That's a far cry from the (10-15) big blind stacks that were prevalent during the same stage of that earlier event.

Today's play is scheduled to conclude after Level 16, unless the field reaches 8%, which would be five players.

Event 16 (Flight 1A): ICYMI, The "Money Wheel" Strikes Again!

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 52
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 35

Actual wheel not photos

Flight 1A play has just entered Level 8, which means the window for registration is quickly closing (players have until the cards are in the air for Level 9).  The field has more than doubles since things started about three hours ago, with the future flights expected to host much larger crowds.

One of the possible reasons for the "intimate" showing this morning could be the high hand promotion for the day..."Spin To Win."  It's been the most popular promotion since it's inception last year, and after a week like last (where over $25,000 was given away on just a handful of spins), it's no surprise the cash games are super active.

Last week started with a $5,000 winner, and continued with three more $5,000 winners!!! There was also one $3,000 spin, and three $2,000 spins!!!  Things are off to another strong start, as the fourth spin of the day yielded another $2,000 winner!!!

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Damsky Continues To Experience The Wrong Side Of Variance

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 43
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 36

Ryan Hopp (Grand Rapids, MI)

After the beat that Steve Damsky took to bust Event 10, one would think that things would eventually turn around for him.  That wasn't the case moments ago though, as he found a good percentage of his stack at risk against Ryan Hopp.

On a flop of 9♣ 6♠ 3♠, Rodolfo Miret would lead out from the small blind for 1,200, with Damsky raising to 4,000 (next to act).  Action was then on Ryan Hopp (Grand Rapids, MI), who took a good amount of time before announcing himself "all-in," for just over 10,000 total.  Miret then folded behind, and Damsky took some time himself, before pushing his chips forward for a call.  Damsky would be in good shape holding A♦ 9♦ against Hopp's 8♠ 6♣.

"I was trying to get you to lay down jacks or tens," Hopp said as the hands were tabled.  Although Ryan was behind, it only took a matter of seconds to change that, as the 8♦ hit on the turn.  The river brought no help to Damsky, and he'd double up Ryan, leaving himself with just under 6,000.  After the stacks were matched and the pot was pushed to Hopp, he'd be over 28,000.

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Official Results Updated

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/25)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 41
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 36

Flight 1A players of Event 16 have just returned from their first (10) minute break of the day, and return to new blinds of 150/300/25.  Discussion amongst the Isle Poker "braintrust"  predicted a total of (55) entries for this opening flight, which seems to be the exact number we are on pace for.  Registration is open until the conclusion of Level 8 (and the break that follows), so once the cards are in the air for Level 9, players will have to look at the 6:00pm (Flight 1B) as their opportunity to join the field today.

Those players who have been looking for the results to this point in the series can check the "updated" results sidebar.  The results from each tournament of this series will be updated and posted before this flight's conclusion (click on event number to see results).

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Poker PSA...Don't Celebrate Too Early

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 29
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 29

Steven Damsky (Homestead, FL)

It's something that almost every poker player has seen at some point in their career...the premature celebration.  Not only do some feel as if it's "bad luck" to celebrate too early, it makes the eventual loss of the hand that much worse.  Just a few days ago, Steven Damsky was down to the final two tables of Event 10, and in the running for the the $12,176 first place prize.

With the blinds increasing at a rapid rate, and the stacks super shallow across the field, Damsky got his chips all-in (for a pot worth close to 30 big blinds) against Tevy Wellins.  Damsky held 7♦ 7♠ against the A♠ 9♣ of Wellins, and right after the deal spread the 7♥ 9♦ 10♠ flop, Damsky put his hands in the air and began celebrating.  Considering he was a 95% favorite to win the hand, you can't really blame him for reacting that way.  The turn would bring another 10♣, and his equity dropped just slightly to 90%, meaning he would win the hand nine out of ten times.  Unfortunately for Damsky, that moment happened to be the time he'd lose, as the river brought the 9♠, giving Wellins a larger full house.  Damsky would be eliminated from the tournament in 17th place, and ended up collecting $302 for his efforts.

We're pretty sure that if Damsky finds himself in a similar situation, he may be waiting for the river to fall before he does any celebrating.

Event 16 (Flight 1A): Looking To Recapture The Magic

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 23
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 23

Jeffrey Kessler (Plantation, FL)

Of the group of players currently in the field, only a handful are names familiar to those that follow the blog.  Jeffrey Kessler (Plantation, FL) may not be a player that blog followers know too much about, but if you play in the poker room at all, he's a face you'd recognize.  Kessler has a tournament resume that boasts (19) recorded cashes over the span of the last four years.  Kessler's $73,264 in recorded tournament earnings are made up, in large part, to a win during the 2013 Isle Poker Classic. Part of what was the Deepstacks Poker Tour (now WPT Deepstacks), the $330 No Limit Hold'em tournament ended in an eight-way deal, with Kessler earning the winner's share of $42,558.  Kessler seems like the Isle Poker Classic, as his last tournament cash recorded in this poker room was during the last installment of this series.

The rest of the players that were registered for this flight (before the post was published) include the likes of:

Robert Tanner

Katsuhide Yamamoto

Bernie Boudle

Michael Weinberg

Prae Godd

Paul Smerdon

William Reich

Bruce Klein

Joseph Mancuso

George Duffield

Daniel Wayson

Waldermar Wasilewski

Matthew Marmie

Craig Schlesinger

Robert Valentine

Andrew Reid

Anthony Gregory

Event 16 (Flight 1A): The Penultimate Isle Poker Classic Event Underway

Event 16 ($150 No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry)
$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 16
Flight 1A Players Remaining: 16

The 25,000 chip starting stacks will be 25,000,000 in total chips after eight flights pass this weekend.

The cards are in the air for the final event of the 2017 Isle Poker Classic, a $150 buy-in No Limit Hold'em Re-Entry tournament with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool.  This event would be considered the third of three "majors" on the Isle Classic schedule, sharing the largest guarantee of the series with Event 2.

This is the first of eight flights to played, with one more flight this evening, and six on the schedule over the course of the next three days.  The "intimate" start that we are seeing to start the day should not come as a surprise, as players see this first starting flight almost as the "unofficial" beginning to the event.  

The smaller field does allow for "live coverage" to focus on everyone currently in the tournament, as we will update followers on who all of our "early birds" are that are currently in action.  Followers of the blog can also look forward to updated results from events held over the course of the last week.

Wednesday, January 18th: The Deals Continue, Isle Classic "Main Event" Starts Today

Greg Barker (Delray Beach, FL)

There were two tournament on the Isle Poker Classic schedule yesterday, both following the trend of the series, and ending in chops.  The afternoon event was a $100 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack" ($5,000 Guarantee).  The tournament attracted a total of (92) entries, ending up with a prize pool of $7,360.  The were ten spots being paid in the event, so everyone that reached the final table would be cashing.  There was no talk of chop when the final ten shared the felt for the same time, with some notable names notching a cash on the their resume, including Arlene Vasquez (6th Place - $397).  The next player to be eliminated was Japneet Chawla (New Delhi, India), a player who is related to one of the most successful Isle Poker tournament players, Raminder Singh (Delray Beach, FL).  The deal making didn't begin until three players remained, with Greg Barker (Delray Beach, FL) declared the "winner" of the event.  Alan Munoz (Miami, FL) was the "runner-up," with George Lukawski (Parkland, FL) taking home third place money.  Official results will be posted on the blog later today.

The evening event was the ever-popular "Tuesday $10K," a $40 No Limit Hold'em event with a

Vasile Schita (Oakland Park, FL)

$10,000 Guarantee.  Last night's installment attracted a total of (404) entries, and after the addition of the "optional add-on," had a prize pool of $13,688.  There were (45) spots paid in the tournament, with the posted first place prize over $3,600.  The event ended in a nine-way chop, with Vasile Schita (Oakland Park, FL) taking home the "winner's share" ($1,752) and the tournament's trophy.

Today's tournament schedule hosts the first two flights of the 2017 Isle Poker Classic's "Main Event."  The third of three headlining events is a $150 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) tournament with a $100,000 Guarantee.  Each of today's flights (11:00am and 6:00pm) is scheduled to play (16) levels, and will see those players that bag chip return on Sunday for Day 2.

11:00am - Event 16 (Flight 1A) $150 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guarantee:

- Players receive 25,000 in tournament chips

- All late registrants and re-entries will receive a full stack

- Level will be (25) minutes in length

- Late registration and re-entries for the first (8) levels

- All Day 1's will play 16 complete levels, or until 8% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

6:00pm - Event 16 (Flight 1B) $150 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guarantee:

- Players receive 25,000 in tournament chips

- All late registrants and re-entries will receive a full stack

- Level will be (25) minutes in length

- Late registration and re-entries for the first (8) levels

- All Day 1's will play 16 complete levels, or until 8% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

Tuesday, January 17th: Blake Earns Isle Classic "Double", "Monster Stack" And "Tuesday $10K" Return

Andrew Blake (Boynton Beach, FL)

Yesterday's Isle Poker Classic schedule saw two bounty events on the schedule, both of which ended in a chop.  The first tournament, a $125 No Limit Hold'em w/ $25 Bounties ($20,000 Guarantee) event, attracted a total of (228) entries.  The prize pool was over $16,400, and while the first place prize that was posted was $4,595, Andrew Blake (Boynton Beach, FL) earned $2,203 for the "winner's share" in a nine-way deal.  Receiving the "winner's share" is becoming a regular thing for Blake, who less than a week ago, took down Event #7 in a heads-up chop.  Blake earned $4,950 for his share of a heads-up chop, and would have to be considered the "Player Of The Series" to this point of the Isle Poker Classic.

The agreement was spread pretty evenly amongst those involved, with the difference in first and ninth place money just under $1,400.  The full results will be posted to the blog, including a list of the (26) other players to cash in the event.

Yesterday's evening event (Event #13) was a $100 No Limit Hold'em "Deepstack Turbo" w/ $25 Bounties ($5,000 Guarantee).  The tournament also ended up in a

Adel Jo (Miami, FL)

chop, but this time it was heads-up, with Adel Jo (Miami, FL) earning his second Isle Poker trophy in the last five weeks.  Adel earned $1,583 for the win, with Alberto Weber ($1,000) taking home $1,000 for his second place finish.  The full results from this event will also be posted to the blog, including the list of the (7) other players to cash in the event.

Tuesday's Isle Poker Classic schedule sees the return of the "Monster Stack" in the early afternoon (11:00am), followed by the ever-popular "Tuesday $10K," one of the most popular events each month (even when a series isn't going on).




11:00am - Event 14 $100 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack" ($5,000 Guarantee):

- Players receive 25,000 in tournament chips
- All late registrants and re-entries will receive a full stack
- Levels are (20) minutes in length
- Late registration and re-entries for the first (8) levels

6:00pm - Event 15 $40 No Limit Hold'em ($10,000 Guarantee):

- Players receive 12,000 in tournament chips
- All late registrants and re-entries will receive a full stack
- Levels are (20) minutes in length
- Late registration and re-entries for the first (8) levels
- Optional add-on at the end of Level 8 ($20 for 8,000 tournament chips, 100% goes towards the prize pool