Event 14 (Day 1B): Everyone Remembers Their First

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)

Total Entries: 49

Harrison Gimbel (Jupiter, FL)

As a tournament professional, no matter where you travel...and how many events you play over the course of your career...you're always going to remember your first tournament title.  Harrison Gimbel (Jupiter, FL) is a PCA Main Event champion (2010) and WPT winner (2016), with over $3,880,000 in live tournament earnings.  Of his (71) recorded results, six of them are wins, with the first ever coming here at the Isle Poker Room.  In June of 2009, Harrison won the Florida State Poker Championship $800 No Limit Hold'em Main Event, the result that starts his resume ($67,860).  Less than six months later, Gimbel would be in the Bahamas winning the $10,000 PCA Main Event, and earning $2,200,000.  Not a bad way to start a career, with over $2,250,000 combined in your first pair of live tournament cashes.

Harrison was 7th on the 2010 "Money List," and currently sits 11th all-time (tournament earnings) in the state of Florida.  Gimbel was one of the first players seated in this Day 1B field, joining the likes of:

James Wang

Marcel Deschamps

Hector Pacheco 

Luis Santoni

Ira Silverman

Carlos Molinet

Mark Wasserman

Event 14 (Day 1B): Official "Super Satellite" Winners (3/2)

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)

Total Entries: 34

At 6:00pm yesterday evening, the fourth satellite in Event 14 was run, a $175 No Limit Hold'em "Super Satellite," guaranteeing (8) seats into this Main Event.  Posted below are the results of the satellite, with eight total seats given away:

1. AJ Umstattd
2. Eliyahu Henn
3. Hector Pacheco
4. Marcin Plewinski
5. Zaki Lichaa
6. Evan Teitelbaum
7. Alejandro Funes
8. Brandon Virgilio

There is one more satellite remaining on the Battles At The Beach schedule, beginning at 6:00pm this evening, and guaranteeing another (10) seats into this event.

Event 14 (Day 1B): Official Flight 1A Chip Counts

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)

Total Entries: 26

Event 14 (Day 1B): Another Great Crowd Expected For Day 1B Flight

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)

Total Entries: N/A

The field size for Day 1A of the Battles At The Beach $1,500 Main Event deserves mention once again, as the official number for the flight ended at (106) entries.  It was a great start to the highlighting event of the series, and if it's a sign of things to come, players should expect another massive prize pool.  Of the entries to make up Day 1A, (34) players were able to to navigate their way through the day, and onto Sunday's Day 2.

Tournament Director Ralph Brandt just made the rules announcement to the field, and players are moments from getting the cards in the air.  The same rules apply for this flight, with 30,000 chip starting stacks, (50) minute levels (throughout the Day 1's, transitioning to an hour on Day 2), and open registration throughout the day (including and up to the moment the cards are in the air for Day 2).

Live blogged coverage of the flight will begin shortly after players settle in, as we start by taking a look at some of the notables across the field. 

Friday, March 3rd: After Strong Opening Day, "Battles" Main Event Continues On

The opening day of a multi-flight tournament is usually going to be the "slowest," especially for larger buy-in events such as the Battles At The Beach Main Event.  That was not the case yesterday though, as Day 1A of the Main Event saw a total of (106) entries, with over $143,000 going towards the prize pool (which is guaranteed to be at least $500,000).  There were many familiar faces in the opening flight's field, many of which were able to bag chips for Day 2, including Darryl Fish, Ryan Van Sanford, Andrew Touchette, Peter Vitantonio, and Bruce Yamron.  Of the (34) players to bag chips for Sunday's Day 2, Howard Charyn (East Meadow, NY) bagged the Day 1A chip lead with 252,400 (the only player to eclipse the 200,000 mark).

Cards will get in the air at 12:00pm for Day 1B of the Battles At The Beach $1,500 Main Event, with the final "Super Satellite" into the event this evening (6:00pm).  Live blogged coverage of Day 1B will begin the moment the cards get in the air, and continue through the bagging process (around 11:50pm).

12:00pm - Event 14 (Battles At The Beach) Day 1A $1,500 No Limit Hold'em $500,000 GTD

- Players receive 30,000 in tournament chips
- All late registrants and re-entries receive a full stack
- Levels 1-12 will be (50) minutes, Levels 13+ will be (60) minutes
- Late registration and re-entries for the first (12) levels, to include before the first card on Day 2

6:00pm - (Battles At The Beach) $175 No Limit Hold'em Main Event "Super Satellite" (10 Guaranteed Seats)

- Players receive 12,000 in tournament chips
- Level are (20) minutes in length
- We will award as many seats as the prize fund allows.  Any additional prize money will go to the player on the bubble in the form of cash.  The most cash that can be awarded in any satellite is $1,499.

Event 14 (Day 1A): Official Flight 1A Chip Counts

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)

Total Entries: 106

Players Remaining: 34

Howard	Charyn	252,400
Ryan	Van Sanford	158,700
Jose	De La Cruz	154,800
Nicholas	Augustino	146,000
Andrew	Touchette	142,300
Brett	Bader	137,700
TJ	Shulman	134,300
Francis	Margaglione	126,000
Daren	Stabinski	117,900
Rafael	Marcondes	115,700
Sheldon	Gross	110,900
James	Salmon	110,800
Barry	Peyner	105,300
Paul	Shafran	103,300
John	Freidkes	92,600
Bret	Beebe	92,100
Alex	Nguyen	88,800
Peter	Vitantonio	88,300
Carlos	Loving	75,400
Armando	Tate Palacio	73,700
Scott	Zakheim	71,900
Victor	Figueroa	70,600
Manuel	Angel Amaro	68,000
Darryl	Fish	66,200
Edward	Mander	63,700
Bruce	Yamron	63,600
Richard	Warren	63,100
Matthew	Zarcado	61,500
Tom	Gity	56,800
Kiaran	McLaughlin	39,600
David	Diaz	33,300
Paula	Alibrandi	30,200
Gabor	Peteri	26,300
Scott	Hart	17,800

Event 14 (Day 1A): Day 1A In The Books, Charyn Bags Chip Lead

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)

Total Entries: 106

The remaining Day 1A players are currently finishing up with their bagging process, and will take a few days off from this event, before returning Sunday for Day 2.  Over (30) players are left from the field of (106) entries, including notables like Ryan Van Sanford, Rafael Reis, Darryl Fish, TJ Shulman, and Alex Nguyen (just to name a few).

The tournament staff will verify all of the bags and chip counts, with an official "End Of Day 1A" list of chip counts to be posted here on the blog in just over an hour.  It was a great start to the highlighting event of the 2017 Battles Of The Beach series, with over $143,100 towards the prize pool, this is shaping up to be another special event.  Live blogged coverage will return for tomorrow's Day 1B, beginning at 12:00pm, and running through the conclusion of the flight.

Event 14 (Day 1A): Charyn Heads Into Final Level With Chip Lead

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)

Total Entries: 106

Howard Charyn (East Meadow, NY)

Day 1A play has just entered it's final level, with (40) players currently remaining from the (106) total entries.  For those who make it through this last level (and to the bagging process), it will have been a very long day of close to (12) hours of play.  Howard Charyn (East Meadow, NY) may have had to painfully fold a hand moments ago to a pre-flop shove, but all he has to do is look down and see that he still has the largest stack of anyone remaining in the field.

Charon currently sits with over 260,000, and is the only player to have eclipsed the 200,000 mark this flight.  Howard may not be a familiar name to followers of the blog, but he has just under $50,000 in live tournament earnings, including a WSOPC ring, won during a $345 No Limit Hold'em event in 2011 (Palm Beach Kennel Club - $24,650).  Just last month, Charyn cashed in the $3,300 WPT Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship Event, adding $6,930 to his resume (102nd place).

Event 14 (Day 1A): Updated Counts After Final Break

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)

Total Entries: 106

Day 1A players have just over (90) minutes of play remaining, as the bagging process will begin with 10:00 minutes remaining in Level 12.  Listed below are some updated chip counts, tallied during the beginning stages of Level 11:

Andrew Touchette - 160,000

Sheldon Gross - 155,000

Nicholas Augustino - 152,000

Matthew Zarcadoolas - 150,000

Jose De La Cruz - 138,000

Darren Stabinski - 135,000

Francis Margaglione - 130,000

Rafael Reis - 110,000

Howard Charyn - 108,000

Kiaran McLaughlin - 105,000

Event 14 (Day 1A): "Just Let Them Hold This Time"

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)

Total Entries: 105

Dion Jagroo (Sunny Isles Beach, FL)

Dion Jagroo (Sunny Isles Beach, FL) opened a pot moments ago from early position (to 2,200), with Jordan Meltzer three-bet shoving for just over 13,000.  An unknown player in the hijack then re-shoved for over 60,000, having both players well covered.  Jagroo quickly called with action back on him, and the cards were tabled:

Jagroo: A♦ A♣

Meltzer: K♠ J♣

Player X: 10♦ 10♥

Runout: Q♦ 9♠ 9♥ 3♦ 8♣

It was a super strong flop for Jagroo, as Meltzer was drawing dead on the turn, and Dion only needed to fade the pocket tens hitting a two-outer on the river.  Jagroo's pocket aces would end up holding, and he'd would almost triple up to over 70,000.

Dion Jagroo - 73,000

Players will be taking their final break in just a few minutes, and will return play the final pair of scheduled levels.

Event 14 (Day 1A): Tomorrow's Another Day

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)

Total Entries: 103

The following players have busted this Day 1A flight, and have chosen not to re-enter.  There are still two flights remaining (Day 1B tomorrow, and Day 1C Saturday), along with open registration before the cards get in the air on Day 2.

Yigal Hen

James Plate

Changfei Cui

Dimitry Agrachov

Marcus Stein

Evan Teitelbaum

Vasilii Leshchenko

Sharon Bachar

Event 14 (Day 1A): McLaughlin Introducing Himself To Everyone

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)

Total Entries: 102

Kiaran McLaughlin (Garden City, FL)

During the last break, the tournament staff raced off the green chips (25 denomination) from the stacks, which allowed for better visualization of chip stacks.  The largest stack in the field now belongs to Kiaran McLaughlin (Garden City, FL), a relatively unknown player to the blog, who has four results to his name.  His career earnings total $11,335, with his largest cash coming in 2014 during the WSOPC at Palm Beach Kennel Club ($365 No Limit Hold'em - 4th Place $4,131).  These larger buy-in events are always full of "storylines," and some of the greatest storylines in sport have involved the proverbial "underdog."  Nobody is saying that Kiarin is an underdog, but a story it would be if he could make a deep run in a prestigious event such as this.

Kiarin McLaughlin - 140,000

Matt Zarcadoolas - 105,000

Darryl Fish - 100,000

Darren Stabinski - 100,000

Rafael Reis - 90,000

TJ Shulman - 83,000

Andrew Touchette - 80,000

Francis Margaglione - 77,000

Event 14 (Day 1A): Stabinski Starts To Heat Up

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)

Total Entries: 99

Darren Stabinski (Miami, FL)

Darren Stabinski (Miami, FL) was in the poker room late last night, playing in one of the two "MAP" sit-n-go's that ran last night.  "MAP" stands for multi-action poker, a format that allows players to play two separate stacks simultaneously.  The $340 buy-in sit-n-go awarded (2) seats to this event, with Darren winning one of those two seats.  A deep run in this event would be even more profitable for Stabinsky, being that he's in for a fraction of the buy-in, and he's currently on a course that would put him in great position heading into Day 2.

Darren has won some critical pots since returning from dinner, and is now the field's chip leader, with over 135,000.  Stabinski, who was featured on the blog during an earlier event in the series, is no stranger to deep runs in this poker room.  His largest tournament cash came here at the Isle in 2015, when he took third place in the 2015 Isle Poker Classic $1,200 Main Event ($65,000).

Players in the flight are about to head on another (10) minute break, and will be returning to Level 9, with blinds increasing to 400/800/100.

Event 14 (Day 1A): Teitelbaum Eliminated After Tough Spot

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)

Total Entries: 96

The last week spoke of Evan Teitelbaum (Parkland, FL), he had just turned an 8,000 stack to over 70,000.  In a hand before dinner, Evan was faced with a 17,000 bet (from a player that was all-in), with TK Miles also left to act behind.  The 17,000 was a raise of Miles' initial bet, so when Evan threw out five yellow chips (equaling 25,000), the question was posed from Miles...does that constitute a raise (since it was a qualifying amount to make a raise binding).  The floor did decide that Evan had to raise, and once he did, Miles shoved all-in for only 11,000 more.   Teitelbaum made the call, but his flush was behind both player's full houses, costing Evan a good chunk of his stack.  

Teitelbaum shoved his (10) big blind stack in pre-flop just moments ago, and was eliminated by Andrew Touchette (A♥ 5♥ < A♣ 10♦).  It was definitely an unfortunate scenario for Teitelbaum, who confirmed moments ago that it was his intention to call the original bet, but threw out one extra chip than needed.  He is now in the evening's super satellite, looking to put things behind him, and earn a seat into one of the two remaining flights. 

Event 14 (Day 1A): Zarcadoolas Front And Center Post Dinner Break

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)

Total Entries: 92

Matthew Zarcadoolas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)

Day 1A players have returned from their hour long dinner break, and the cards are now back in the air.  Leading the field at the moment is Matthew Zarcadoolas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), who is one of two players above the century mark (120,000).  Zarcadoolas is a Florida-based tournament player with over $136,000 in live tournament earnings, headlined by a seventh place finish in the 2016 Rock And Roll Poker Open $3,500 Championship Event at SHR ($87,552).  

Zarcadoolas is joined in the "century club" by Francis Margaglione (Davie, FL), a player that's been mentioned numerous times throughout this series.  Francis has only one cash to show from this series (Event 1), but has found himself at (or near) the chip lead in a handful of events.  Margaglione sits with just over 110,000, but that number is definitely expected to fluctuate, as Francis has shown the propensity to play a lot of pots.

Event 14 (Day 1A): Dinner Break Approaches, "Super Satellite" Begins At 6:00pm

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)

Total Entries: 87

Day 1A players of this Battles At The Beach Main Event are about to take their scheduled dinner break, and will return to Level 7 (250/500/50) at 6:35pm.  While players are on dinner break, the $175 No Limit Hold'em "Super Satellite" will be getting underway, an event that's offering up (8) guaranteed seats into this $1,500 Main Event.  "Live blogged" coverage will continue once the cards are back in the air, and will continue through the bagging process at the end of the night.

Event 14 (Day 1A): Teitelbaum Goes From "Peanuts To Piles"

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)

Total Entries: 82

Evan Teitelbaum (Parkland, FL)

Just over an hour ago, Evan Teitelbaum was down to just 8,000 in chips, which is less than one-third of the day's starting stack.  It was still over (40) big blinds at the time, but Evan was clearly trending in the wrong direction.  He would river a straight against a player who had trips, more than doubling up in the hand, and feeling like he had some "new life."

"When I get over 30,000 again, you guys are definitely in trouble," Teitelbaum stated to what are now his former table mates.  Evan continued to trend upwards after that hand, and just moments ago doubled up once again, moving him close to the top of the leaderboard.

Evan opened UTG to 800, with action folding all the way around to the big blind.  The player in the big blind three-bet to 2,500, which was followed by Teitelbaum four-betting to 8,000.  The big blind made the call, and after seeing a flop of J♠ 6♣ 8♠, led out for 11,500.  It didn't take Teitelbaum long to make his next move, as he announced himself all-in for over 30,000 (having the player in the big blind covered).  After about three minutes of thought, Evan's opponent decided to make the call, and wasn't happy to see Teitelbaum roll over A♥ A♦.  

The player in the big blind held Q♥ Q♠, and while he stood up and shook hands with Evan after the A♠ on the turn, he may not have realized that he gained more equity with a spade draw.  The feeling of defeat was a correct one though, as the river brought the 3♣, sealing the win for Teitelbaum.

Evan Tietelbaum - 78,000

Event 14 (Day 1A): First Look At Updated Chip Counts

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/50)

Total Entries: 81

Carlos Loving (Sarasota, FL)

Players have just returned from their second break of the day, and are now playing Level 5, with new blinds of 150/300/50.  The structure of this event, and the quality of play in the field, doesn't really bode well for seeing any really large chip counts during these early stages.  James Salmon (Davie, FL) currently holds the early chip lead with 85,000 and is continuing the solid play we've seen to this point in the series.  Right behind Salmon is Carlos Loving (Sarasota, FL), a player with over $530,000 in career earnings, who's coming off a very succesful WSOPC series at PBKC.  Loving cashed in four events during the two-week series, and earned just over $35,000 combined in those events.

James Salmon - 85,000

Carlos Loving - 73,000

Matthew Zarcadoolas - 70,000

Marcus Stein - 64,000

Darryl Fish - 60,000

Rafael Reis - 58,000

Andrew Touchette - 50,000

Event 14 (Day 1A): A Look At Last Years "Battles At The Beach" Main Event

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 4 (Blinds 100/200/25)

Total Entries: 68

Last year's installment of the Battles At The Beach Main Event was also a $1,500 buy-in, which attracted a total of (516) entries.  The official prize pool ended up at an even $696,000, over $196,000 more than the guarantee, which was the same as this year's ($500,000).  The event was won by John Dollinger (Gulf Breeze, FL), who will also be in attendance this year, after a winning a seat into the tournament in yesterday's $340 No Limit Hold'em "Mega Satellite."  The win is still the largest tournament score of Dollinger's career to date, for a player who has also seen a lot of success playing online as well.  There were some other familiar names at that final table, including two players that are currently in today's field (Raminder Singh and Staffan Lind).  Some other big names to cash in last year's event include Philip Hui (11th place), Zohair Karim (16th place), Ryan Dunn (27th place), Jonathan Jaffe (30th place), Loni Harwood (32nd place), Maurice Hawkins (34th place), and Jake Schwartz (54th place).

Event 14 (Day 1A): Nguyen Putting In Some Tournament Time

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 4 (Blinds 100/200/25)

Total Entries: 67

Alex Nguyen (Coral Springs, FL)

Alex Nguyen (Coral Springs, FL) is another local player who shares time playing both cash and tournaments.  Nguyen has over $147,000 in live tournament earnings over (23) results, with over half of those cashes coming here at the Isle Poker Room.  Alex's name may be one that followers of the blog will remember, having reached the final table of the 2016 Isle Poker Open $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event.  Nguyen had to deal with a super strong final table that day, sharing the felt with Isaiah Goldman, Sam Panzica, Joshua Hillock, and Edward Novak.  He would end up finishing in fifth place for $31,770, which happened to be the largest tournament score of his career.  Nguyen is coming off a successful WSOPC series at PBKC, cashing in three events and earning just over $40,000.  Just as the first table int the field breaks, we continue to spot more notables across the room:

Marcus Stein

David "Lefty" Diaz

Daren Stabinski

Ronald Hirsch

Andrew Touchette

Changfei Cui

Vasilii Leshchenko

Event 14 (Day 1A): Fish Returns Home Off "High Roller" Win At Parx

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200)

Total Entries: 65

Darryl Fish (Cape Coral, FL)

To say that Darryl Fish (Cape Coral, FL) has a busy travel schedule would be an understatement, having basically travelled around the world since the calendar turned.  Darryl started the year off in Australia, playing in the Aussie Millions, and cashing in two events (Event 1 - AS $1,025 No Limit Hold'em and Event 6 - AS $1,025 No Limit Hold'em Six Max).  He then returned to the states to play in the WSOPC at Palm Beach Kennel Club, cashing in Event 10 ($365 No Limit Hold'em Turbo - 14th Place $789).  From West Palm Beach, Darryl then went to Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA, winning the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em High Roller just a few days ago ($63,935).

That bring us to this afternoon, as Fish is back in Florida and in the Event 14 field.  Darryl sits down to the table with an impressive tournament resume, boasting over $2,440,000 in live tournament earnings.  In addition to the title he just won at Parx, Fish has a WSOPC ring (winning the 2015 WSOPC $1,675 Main Event at Palm Beach Kennel Club), and an Aussie Millions title (2016 AS $1,025 No Limit Hold'em Tournament Of Champions).  Fish's best result here at the Isle came in 2012, when he finished third in $330 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD event ($22,200).  Darryl is just one of many big names to enter the field since just before the first break of the day:

Raminder Singh

Rafael Reis

Dimitry Agrachov

Isaiah Goldman

Timothy Kegel

Event 14 (Day 1A): It's Tournament Time For Vitantonio

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200)

Total Entries: 52

Peter Vitantonio (Wickliffe, OH)

Peter Vitantanio (Wickliffe, OH) is no stranger to the Isle Casino Poker Room, but most of his time spent here is playing high-limit cash games.  That doesn't mean that Vitantonio's tournament resume is lacking, as the two-time WSOPC ring winner boasts career earnings just under $611,000.  The first of those two circuit rings came two years ago, when he won the WSOPC $1,675 Main Event at Palm Beach Kennel Club ($129,685), which happens to be the largest score of his career.   The second ring actually came just two weeks ago, when he won Event 9 of this year's WSOPC at the same property ($1,125 No Limit Hold'em - $41,162).  Those career earnings have come in only a four year span (since 2013), so while Peter frequents the cash games more often, he's done some major work in tournament fields.  Vitantonio headlines the second wave of notables in this early field, joining names like:

William Kopp

Manuel Soltero

Luis Santoni

Francis Margaglione

Bruce Yamron

Matthew Zarcadoolas

Event 14 (Day 1A): Salmon Looking To Make Back-To-Back...To Back Deep Runs

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 8 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)

Total Entries: 45

James Salmon (Davie, FL)

James Salmon (Davie, FL) was last featured on the blog during Event 8 ($360 No Limit Hold'em $200,000 GTD), when he reached the tournament's final table.  While that event ended in a heads-up chop, there was never any discussion of a deal before that point, so Monday's Day 3 was all about the action.  Salmon was able to grind a shorter stack for a good portion of the final table, and got his chips in with a great opportunity to double up, but ran into the eventual runner-up Marty Zabib.  Salmon's A Q < K Q of Zabib, with Marty flopping two pair and eliminating James in sixth place.  The deep runs didn't stop there though, as James reached the final table of Event 12 ($250 No Limit Hold'em) the following day.  Salmon would eventually end up in third place, adding another $2,600 to his career earnings, and bringing his series earnings over $13,000.

James has over $456,000 in live tournament earnings, highlighted by a second place finish in Event 1 of the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open ($91,097).  He also is the proud owner of two Isle Poker trophies, both during the Isle Poker Open series (one in 2013, and the other in 2014).  Salmon is just one of many notables in the field today, including the likes of:

Staffan Lind

Yigal Hen

James Plate

Tom Gity

Kiaran McLaughlin

TJ Shulman

Event 14 (Day 1A): Satellite Winners Into The Main

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 14 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)

Total Entries: 32

Listed below are the players to have satellited into this Battles At The Beach $1,500 Main Event, from yesterday's $340 No Limit Hold'em "Mega Satellite:"

1. John Dollinger
2. Edward Mandel
3. Daniele Condorelli
4. Frank Impliazzo
5. Sheldon Gross 
6. Chris Elderkin
7. Joseph Biegler
8. Frank Silverstein
9. Charles Alexander
10. Changfei Cui
11. Erik Nomberg
12. Evan Teitelbaum
13. Paul Shafran
14. Yue-jian Wang
15. Jeffrey Saylors
16. Amir Sujak
17. Javier Surache
18. Aaron Porter
19. Jeffrey Silverstein
20. David Maslowski
21. Sandy Sanchez
22. Pasquale Calabria
23. Philip Clements
24. Rodney Tullock
25. Eric Polirer
26. Carlos Molinet
27. Marc Sheli
28. Kenneth Fagioli
29. Jeff Kessler
30. Marc Duqeutte
31. Matthew Yorra
32. Rafael Reis

And the players to have satellited in via the $175 No Limit Hold'em "Super Satellite:"

1. Marsha Wolak
2. Scott Levitt
3. Phillip Stuttman
4. Andre Rukasa
5. Carl Cajuste
6. John Abrosi
7. Julio Rodriguez
8. Timothy Frazin
9. Nicholas Vella
10. Charles Bury

Event 14 (Day 1A): It's Time!!! BATB Main Event Action Underway

"Battles At The Beach"

Event 8 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $500,000 GTD)

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)

Total Entries: 24

Tournament Director Ralph Brandt only has a few more rules announcement remaining, as we've reached the Battles At The Beach $1,500 Main Event.  All of the hype and excitement has been leading up to this tournament, the "big daddy" so to say.  This Main Event has the largest guarantee of the series ($500,000), and offers up one of the best structures you'll find for an event anywhere in the state.

Players start with 30,000 in chips, and play Day 1's with (50) minute levels, eventually transitioning to hour long levels on Day 2 (and beyond).  Each starting flight is scheduled to play (12) levels, unless the field gets down to 10%.  Registration is open throughout the day, including up until the moment the cards are in the air for Sunday's Day 2.  As mentioned earlier, we already have over (50) entries won by players via satellite, so it will be interesting to see where the overall field size finishes up.  As expected, the opening flight has started with an "intimate" crowd, but we will update you on players in the field as the tournament area fills up.

"Live blogged" coverage will be offered for each and every starting flight, from the moment the cards are in the air, to the moment the bagging process begins.

Thursday, March 2: Battles At The Beach $1,500 Main Event Begins Today!

After (13) events and three satellites, the Battles At The Beach Main Event is upon us.  The $1,500 buy-in no limit hold'em tournament carries with it a $500,000 guaranteed prize pool, and should attract some of the biggest names in the Florida poker circuit (along with big named players from across the country).  In past Battles At The Beaches main events, we've seen champions John Dollinger (2016), William Kakon (2015), Jason Weber (2014), Steven Boker (2013), Victor Coelho (2012), Anthony Spinella (2011), Fred Bunchan (2010), and Hayden Fortini (2009).  Players will begin with 30,000 chip starting stacks, playing levels that are (50) minutes in length on Day 1, followed by (60) minute levels on Day 2 (and Day 3 if necessary).

There were two schedule satellites yesterday for the Main Event, guaranteeing a total of (40) seats combined, but the field sizes ended up offering up even more than that.  If you add in the (10) seats that were given away during February 22nd's satellite, there are already more than (50) entries into the event before the cards get in the air.  We've already seen the prize pools for both Event 1 and Event 8 crush the guarantees, so it shouldn't surprise anyone if that trend continues.

Live blogged coverage of the Day 1A will begin at 12:00pm, and will continue through the bagging process to end the day.  We will also catch up the followers of the blog on all of the action leading up to this point in the series.  Followers can also look forward to some player features throughout the starting days, including the implementation of videos for the first time since the blog's inception.

12:00pm - Event 14 (Battles At The Beach) Day 1A $1,500 No Limit Hold'em $500,000 GTD

- Players receive 30,000 in tournament chips
- All late registrants and re-entries receive a full stack
- Levels 1-12 will be (50) minutes, Levels 13+ will be (60) minutes
- Late registration and re-entries for the first (12) levels, to include before the first card on Day 2

6:00pm - (Battles At The Beach) $175 No Limit Hold'em Main Event "Super Satellite" (8 Guaranteed Seats)

- Players receive 12,000 in tournament chips
- Level are (20) minutes in length
- We will award as many seats as the prize fund allows.  Any additional prize money will go to the player on the bubble in the form of cash.  The most cash that can be awarded in any satellite is $1,499.

Wednesday, March 1st: Hawkins' Run Continues, Event 13 Chop, It's Satellite Wednesday

Maurice Hawkins (Plantation, FL)

For Maurice Hawkins (Plantation, FL), 2016 was a landmark year in his poker career, becoming the first player ever to win back-to-back WSOP Circuit Main Events (Council Bluffs and Cherokee).  That was just one highlight though, as Maurice added another WSOPC Main Event win later in the year (Palm Beach Kennel Club), getting his hand on an eighth WSOPC ring.  Maurice's incredible run still hasn't slowed down or stalled, even as the calendar year flipped, as he won a record tying ninth WSOPC ring last week ($365 No Limit Hold'em Event 12 - Palm Beach Kennel Club).  Hawkins took his talents to the Isle Casino Poker Room yesterday, winning his third ever Isle Poker event, taking home the Event 12 ($250 No Limit Hold'em $20,000 GTD) trophy.  Event 12 attracted a total of (90) entries ($20,000 prize pool), with Maurice besting Kenneth Barkoff (Dix Hills, NY) heads-up to win the trophy.  Other to reach the final table (and the money) included James Salmon (coming off his Event 8 final table finish), and Andrew Touchette.

Yesterday's evening event (Event 13 - $40 No Limit Hold'em $10,000 GTD) drew a field of (425) entries, and ended with an official prize pool over $14,400.  After the elimination of Avi Frier (Hollywood, FL) at the final table, the nine remaining players agreed to a deal, with Michael Watkins (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) being declared the winner, and walking away with the trophy.  Some other players included in the deal were Barry Tucker (2nd place), Barbara Raisner (3rd place), Alan Werner (8th place), and Cameron Collins (9th place).

With the Battles At The Beach Main Event beginning tomorrow (Thursday), there are no "standard money" tournaments on the schedule, as today's focus is strictly on satellites.  There are (40) guaranteed seats that are going to be given away over the course of the day, with a $340 No Limit Hold'em "Mega Satellite" at 11:00am, followed by a $175 No Limit Hold'em "Super Satellite" at 6:00pm.

11:00am - (Battles At The Beach) $340 No Limit Hold'em Main Event "Mega Satellite" (30 Guaranteed Seats)

- Players receive 16,000 in tournament chips
- Level are (30) minutes in length
- We will award as many seats as the prize fund allows.  Any additional prize money will go to the player on the bubble in the form of cash.  The most cash that can be awarded in any satellite is $1,499.

6:00pm - (Battles At The Beach) $175 No Limit Hold'em Main Event "Super Satellite" (10 Guaranteed Seats)

- Players receive 12,000 in tournament chips
- Level are (20) minutes in length
- We will award as many seats as the prize fund allows.  Any additional prize money will go to the player on the bubble in the form of cash.  The most cash that can be awarded in any satellite is $1,499.

ICYMI: Official Battles At The Beach Event 13 Results

ICYMI: Official Battles At The Beach Event 12 Results