Event 14 (Day 1C): Bryce Loses Out On Most Of The Break

"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: 127

Bryce McVay (Jupiter, FL)

Yesterday is was Harrison Gimbel (Jupiter, FL) who lost most of one of his breaks, at he sat and waited while Frederico Dabus tanked on the river of a heads up hand.  Today it would be Bryce McVay (Jupiter, FL) waiting on an opponent, almost seven minutes into the break.  

Jeffrey Saunders would open from early position to 600, with the cutoff making the call, and Bryce McVay coming along as well (on the button).  After the 5♣ Q♠ 6♦ flop Saunders led for 1,400, and after the player in the cutoff folded, McVay raised to 3,500.  Saunders made the call fairly quickly, and would check to McVay after the 9♥ on the turn.  McVay fired out 5,200, with Saunders once again making the call.  The board would pair on the river, with the 9♠, and Saunders checked one last time to McVay.  Bryce collected a handful of different color chips, eventually tossing out a bet of 13,800.

Saunders sat back in his chair, and that's when the break started...and Saunders tanked...and tanked...until about six minutes had passed.  He started to then talk to McVay, but Bryce was not responding...siting stone faced for the entire time.  Saunders eventually dumped the chips across his cards for a call, leaning forward to see McVay roll over his hand...6♥ 6♣ (a flopped set and rivered full house).  Jeffrey mucked his cards and walked away from the table, with Bryce pulling in the pot, and chipping up to over 70,000.

Bryce McVay - 73,000

Jeffrey Saunders - 11,300

Event 14 (Day 1C): Main Event Guarantee Surpassed

"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: 117

Since the beginning stages of yesterday's Day 1B flight, there was never any doubt whether or not the $500,000 guarantee was going to be reached, it was just going to be a matter of where would it end up.  As the level transitioned ten minutes ago, so did the overall prize pool, rolling over to $500,000.  It currently sits at $514,350, and will continue to grow over the course of the day, especially with the steady flow of late arrivals.  Some other players to join the BATB Main Event action include:

Marcus Stein

Taylor-Dean Lipson

Mauricio Duarte

Stuart Elkin

Adel Jo

Marc Duquette

Andre Rukasa

Stephen Smith

Sheddy Siddiqui

Players will be heading on their second break of the day in just a few moments, returning at (15) minutes to new blinds of 150/300/50.

Event 14 (Day 1C): Official Satellite Results (3/3)

"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: 105

Posted below are the players to have been awarded a 2017 Battles At The Beach $1,500 Main Event seat from last night's $175 No Limit Hold'em "Super Satellite (10 seats guaranteed):"

1. Louis Leo
2. Jonathan Ounjian
3. Sergio Jesus Alves
4. Vilmaz Yosul
5. David Moreno
6. Preecha Taepakdee
7. Jeffrey Silverstein
8. Jeffrey Saunders
9. Mike Allen
10. Jason Dollinger
11. Alan Dobrow
12. Frank Traino
13. Moshe Wasser

Event 14 (Day 1C): The Trend Continues With Big Names Dropping In

"Battles At The Beach"

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

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200)

Total Entries: 99

John Dolan (Tallahassee, FL)

We've seen numerous players over the course of this Battles At The Beach Main Event that don't usually frequent tournaments here at the Isle Poker Room, and that trend continues this afternoon.  John Dolan (Tallahassee, FL) would likely call Hard Rock Tampa his "home casino," but it shouldn't come as a surprise that he's here in the Day 1C field.  Dolan does have five Isle Poker results on his resume, with his last coming in 2014 (Florida State Poker Championships $2,500 No Limit Hold'em - 4th Place $40,293).

Dolan's tournament poker resume is one that can't be ignored, with over $4,491,000 in career earnings, he's 10th on the all-time money list for the state of Florida (a list that's filled with some of the biggest names in the world).  John's highlighting score came in 2010, when he reached the final table of the WSOP Main Event, eventually finishing in 6th place ($1,772,959).  In addition to that score, Dolan also have five six-figure scores, three of which came here in Florida:

Dolan is just one player, of a group in today's field, that's firing their first bullet:

John Palace

Bryce McVay

Luminita Petric

Robert Transue

Lisa Teebagy

Event 14 (Day 1C): The Rest Of The "Big Game" In Action

"Battles At The Beach"

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

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)

Total Entries: 87

Dominique Mosley (Miami, FL)

In one of the yesterday's published posts, we spoke about how the largest cash game in the room was 5/10 NL, only because all of the bigger players were in the tournament (Ian O'Hara, Vincent Aloi, Keith Nassetta, Michael Amato, Alex Turyansky, and Chad Eveslage).  While there is currently a 10/25 NL running (with players who bagged for Day 2), there are more "big game" players in this field.

Dominique Mosley (Miami, FL) definitely spends more of his time and focus on cash games, but when he does play tournaments, he's a force to be reckoned with.  Mosley has over $391,000 in live tournament earnings, including a WSOP final table finish from last summer ($10,000 Pot Limit Omaha 8-Handed Championship - 8th Place $74,339).  Dominique has other deep runs in prestigious events (PCA Main Event, WSOP Main Event, WPT SHRPO Championship Event), but looks to only pay in the higher price-point events.

Other players in the field that frequent the Isle Poker Room's largest cash games include Joseph Couden and Steven McKoy.  Players are currently taking their first break of the day, and will be returning to Level 3, and new blinds of 100/200.

Event 14 (Day 1C): Brown Stepping Up After Event 8 Final Table

"Battles At The Beach"

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

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)

Total Entries: 83

Rafiki Brown (Pembroke Pines, FL)

Raffia Brown (Pembroke Pines, FL) is "stepping up in class," to take a term from horse racing, as he is in the field for one of the largest buy-in tournaments he's played in.  Brown is coming into the event with confidence, having just earned his largest live tournament score earlier in the week.  Brown finished third in Event 8, collecting $31,924 for his efforts, and bringing his career tournament earnings up to $62,212.  Rafiki would have been poised to have made an even deeper run Monday afternoon, had he not run his turned flush into Michael Amato's rivered full house.  The way the hand played out, it was unlikely that any player would have been able to release in that spot.  Brown is the first notable spotted in a large contingent that's currently in action:

Erik Nomberg

Juan Rodriguez

Kenneth Bruno

Michael Tufaro

Ido Ashkenazi

James Wang

Frank Traino

Thomas Millward

Event 14 (Day 1C): Official Chip Counts (Flights 1A-1B)

"Battles At The Beach"

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

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)

Total Entries: 63

Event 14 (Day 1C): Big Things Expected From Main Event Final 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

After two long days of opening flights, the Battles At The Beach $1,500 Main Event already has a total of (262) entries, with (79) players having already booked their to tomorrow's Day 2.  Some of the biggest names in tournament poker have been in attendance over the past two days, with that trend expected to continue today.  

The tournament area is already more crowded than it's been at this point for the first two flights, with the largest field of the three expected to be today.  Any of the players that won seats in last night's satellite, along with those who won seats that haven't entered yet, are sure to be in attendance.  There will also be the players that couldn't make it during the week, or those that couldn't find a bag during Day 1A or Day 1B.  Regardless of who they are, or why they chose today, this Day 1C field is expected to see well over (200) entries.

The cards are going to be in the air momentarily, with 30,000 chip starting stacks, and (50) minute levels throughout today's play.  Registration is open through the moment the bagging process begins, along with tomorrow, before the Day 2 cards get in the air.  Live blogged coverage will begin with an update of combined field chips counts, followed by the first look at notable players in the field.  It's shaping up to be another special event, and all of the action can be found here on the Isle Casino Poker blog.

Saturday, March 4th: "Battles" Main Event Crushing The Numbers

Yesterday's Day 1B flight of the Battles At The Beach $1,500 Main Event saw a total of (156) entries,  (45) of which bagged chips for Sunday's Day 2.  There were many big named players we saw for the first time all series, including Harrison Gimbel, John Depersio, Rob Salaburu, Cory Zeidman, Ian O'Hara, and Hans Winzeler (just to name a few).  It just so happens that all of the listed names were able to bag chips for Day 2, giving us an already star-studded field.

The two flights that have been played to this point bring the combined total of entries to (262), and gives us a prize pool of $353,700.  With Day 1C expected to have the largest field of the three starting flights, it's likely that the $500,000 guarantee will be in the rear view mirror just a few levels into the day.  Last year's Day 1C flight of the 2016 Battles At The Beach Main Event drew (247) entries, and if those same numbers are attained today, we are going to be looking at a $700,000 prize pool!

Action gets underway at 12:00pm, with live blogged coverage beginning shortly thereafter.  While registration is still open tomorrow (before the Day 2 cards are in the air), this is the last opportunity for players to try and find themselves a sizable bag.  At the moment, everyone is looking up at the two flight chip leaders, Howard Charyn (252,400 - Flight 1A) and Uri Kadosh (307,000 - Flight 1B).

12:00pm - Event 14 (Battles At The Beach) Day 1C $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

Event 14 (Day 1B): Official Day 1B 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: 156

Players Remaining: 45

Uri	Kadosh	307,000
Nigel	Murray	238,000
John	DePersio	225,800
David	Bradshaw	190,200
Harrison	Gimbel	180,600
Marcin	Plewinski	153,400
David	Bell	145,500
Michael	Newman	143,800
Jacob	Snider	143,400
Michael	Graffeo	142,900
Bradley	Ruben	137,000
Adam	Goldberg	135,700
Joseph	Palma	129,600
Josh	Beckley	119,700
Kobi	Ribak	111,000
Joshua	Lowing	110,200
Keith	Nassetta	106,800
Gregory	Fishberg	105,400
Elliott	Zaydman	104,100
Elilton	Gouveia	101,200
Daniel	Blum	99,500
John	Ambrosi	95,000
Robert	Salaburu	89,200
Cory	Zeidman	88,500
David	Maslowski	88,100
Vincent	Aloi	86,200
Michael	Amato	84,400
Charles	Alexander	80,100
Mark	Dube	76,900
Ian	O'Hara	75,800
Shea	Smith	73,600
Glenn	Becker	70,600
Brandon	Miller	70,200
Derek	Bounano	67,300
Alex	Thomas	64,100
Mark	Wasserman	60,000
Charles	Bury	56,200
Javier	Sarache	54,800
Rafael	Calero	54,600
Hans	Winzeler	53,000
Richard	Rice	50,800
Dmimitry	Agrachov	41,800
Alexander	Turyansky	41,600
Robert	Campbell	31,000
Jeff	Rodriguez	24,500

Event 14 (Day 1B): Final Flight Of The Night

"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: 156

The final flight of Day 1B begun moments ago, with (58) players still trying to make it another (50) minutes to the bagging process.  The tournament supervisor will stop the clock with 10:00 minutes remaining, at which point there will be a predetermined amount of hands to end the night.  Those left will then bag their chips for Sunday's Day 2, and once that been made official by poker room staff, a listing of "Official Day 1B Chip Counts" will be posted.

Event 14 (Day 1B): New Names On The Leaderboard

"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: 155

The are no more scheduled breaks for this Day 1B flight, and the next time the clock is stopped...it will not start again.  There has been the occasional entry over the past two hours, so the (155) total entry number shouldn't change too much over the next (90) minutes.  The (155) entries mean that another $209,250 is added to this tournament's prize pool, bringing the combined total to over $350,000.  With tomorrow's flight expected to attract the most entries of the three, a prize pool well over $600,000 should be attainable.

While certain players have been at the top of the leaderboard for most of the day, we are beginning to see some new names make their appearance:

Nigel Murray - 220,000

Uri Kadosh - 195,000

Harrison Gimbel - 180,000

John Depersio - 160,000

Kobi Ribak - 155,000

Joe Palma - 130,000

Michael Newman - 115,000

Elliot Zaydman - 115,000

Brad Ruben - 112,000

Maurice Hawkins - 100,000

Event 14 (Day 1B): There's Still Tomorrow...And Sunday Morning

"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: 150

Last few minutes are ticking off the clock for Level 10, with players getting prepared to take their final break of the night.  There were many players that busted this flight, choosing not to re-enter, rather taking the opportunity to return fresh tomorrow (Day 1C)...or even enter Sunday morning before the cards get in the air for Day 2.  Listed below are players to bust this Day 1B flight, and deciding to call it a day:

Timothy Kegel

Evan Teitelbaum

Daniel Genachte

Luis Santoni

Marsha Wolak

Dolphins Powers

Steven McKoy

Jermaine Gerlin

Event 14 (Day 1B): Updated Chip Counts From The Field

"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: 149

John Depersio (Parkland, FL)

Day 1B play has just entered Level 10, with blinds going up to 500/1,000/100.  At the conclusion of this level, the remaining players in the flight will head on their final break of the night, returning for two more levels of play.  Uri Kadosh (Davie, FL) has assumed the chip lead, with over 170,000 in front of him, but has a handful of players within striking distance.

Uri Kadosh - 172,000

Harrison Gimbel - 160,000

Maurice Hawkins - 130,000

Elliot Zaydman - 120,000

John Depersio - 115,000

Nigel Murray - 115,000

Event 14 (Day 1B): Gimbel Doesn't Get A Break

"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: 147

While the Day 1B field was on break, Harrison Gimbel and Frederico Dabus were involved in a hand that played out for about ten minutes into the break.  After Harrison led from the small blind on the flop and turn (on a board of K♠ 3♣ 8♣ A♦ 10♠), he'd fire out one more time on the river, moving all-in for 47,500 (about a pot sized bet).  Dabus would go into the tank for about four minutes, cutting out the chips for a call, and assessing what he would be left with if he made the call.  

After asking for the exact count one more time, Dabus once again collected the chips for a call, eventually dropping them across his cards for a call.  Gimbel turned over K♥ 3♠, with Davus standing up and slamming down A♥ 5♦ onto the felt.  Harrison's two pair were good to win the pot, and he'd chip up to over 140,000.

Harrison Gimbel - 143,000

Frederico Dabus - 11,000

Event 14 (Day 1B): Mukul Makes An Appearance

"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: 142

Mukul Pahuja (Hicksville, NY)

2016 was a very special year for Mukul Pahuja (Hicksville, NY), and it had nothing to do with the $656,000 he earned via live tournaments.  Mukul and his wife Alexis had their first child Kristian, which...as parents will tell you, is one of the most incredible moments of your life.  Having a newborn may have lessened Pahuja's tournament volume towards the end of the year, but he was able to bring Kristian home "something new and shiny," a trophy from Seminole Hard Rock.  Pahuja won the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em event during the most recent Lucky Hearts Poker Open, adding $79,544 to his already impressive career earnings ($4,897,589).

Even showing up this late in the day, Pahuja's 30,000 starting stack is still (50) big blinds, a very manageable stack to play with.  He won't have too much time to get comfortable, as players will be heading on another break in just a few moments, returning to Level 9, and new blinds of 400/800/100.

Event 14 (Day 1B): O'Hara Joins Post Dinner, "The Gang's All Here"

"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: 140

Ian O'Hara (Boca Raton, FL)

The higher limit cash games that regularly run here at the Isle usually host the same group of players, whether it's 10/25 NL, 25/50, 50/100 NL, or 100/200 Mixed Games.  The largest game that's currently running in the room is 5/10 NLH, and if anyone's wondering why none of the bigger games are open...well most of the lineup is playing in this Main Event.  Ian O'Hara (Boca Raton, FL) is one of the most recent entries into the field, and while he's spotted playing cash most of the time, he owns a pretty impressive tournament resume.

O'Hara has over $1,585,000 in live tournament earnings, over half of which was earned in 2015.  During that calendar year, Ian amassed over $847,000 in earnings, thanks in part to a runner-up finish in the $25,400 No Limit Hold'em High Roller during the SHRPO.  Ian fell to Jason Mercier during heads-up play, but ended up walking away with $527,313 in prize money.  While 2016 wasn't ask profitable in terms of earnings for O'Hara ($353,941), he did cash in (6) events at the WSOP, and won the Coco Poker Open $2,500 Main Event ($212,830).

Some other players that frequent the higher limit cash games, that are currently in the field, include:

Steven McKoy

Michael Amato

Vincent Aloi

Chad Eveslage

Alex Turyansky

Keith Nassetta

Event 14 (Day 1B): Depersio Leads The Field Back From Dinner

"Battles At The Beach"

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

Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/75)

Total Entries: 134

Day 1B players are now back from dinner, and the cards are in the air for Level 7, with blinds returning of 250/500/75.  John Depersio (Parkland, FL) is the chip leader at the moment, amassing a stack of 140,000 over the first six levels of the day.  Depersio has just under $293,000 in tournament earnings, including a WSOPC ring won in 2015 ($1,125 No Limit Hold'em - Palm Beach Kennel Club $30,000).

John Depersio - 140,000

Andre Rukasa - 135,000

Nigel Murray - 115,000

Richard Rice - 105,000

Dimitry Agrachov - 100,000

Elliot Zaydman - 100,000

Maurice Hawkins - 75,000

Event 14 (Day 1B): Murray Flops Broadway, Grabs Chip Lead Before Dinner

"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: 123

Nigel Murray (Miami Gardens, FL)

At the halfway point of Level 6, Nigel Murray was the recipient of a massive pot, after flopping broadway on a board of A♥ K♥ Q♣.  After a player to be unnamed and Dolphus Powers checked to Murray, he'd fire out a flop bet.  The unnamed player then check-raised to 18,000, with Powers then shoving behind.  Murray then announced himself all-in, having both players covered once the call was made, and the cards were turned over:

Flop: A♥ K♥ Q♣

Murray: J♥ 10♠

Player X: A♦ K♦

Powers: A♠ Q♦

Turn: 9♣ 

River: 10♥

Neither of Murray's opponents would improve to a full house, sealing the win and shipping over a sizable pot his way (over 80,000).  Murray is over 130,000 a the midway point of Level 6, and is the chip leader as players get ready for their scheduled dinner break (5:35-6:35pm).

Event 14 (Day 1B): Agrachov Puts Event 8 Behind Him

"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: 116

Dimitry Agrachov (Weston, FL)

Dimitry Agrachov (Weston, FL) was one of the top stacks in Event 8 with five tables remaining, and looked to be poised to make a super deep run...that was until he got tangled with Joshua Beckley.  The two players got into a little "raising war" pre-flop, with Agrachov eventually five-bet shoving for close to (60) big blinds.  Agrachov's would run A Q into Beckley's A A, and left himself with dust after losing the hand.  Dimitry ended up getting eliminated in 48th place ($1,087), and while he may have replayed the hand in his head after the fact, he's back in action and leading this Main Event flight.

Agrachov is the only player to have eclipsed the century mark, and sits with just over 115,000 in front of him.  This isn't the first time we've seen Dimitry get off to a hot start, as he led the Event 8 (Flight 1C) field at the same point in the day, and ended up finishing with the fifth largest stack.

Dimitry Agrachov - 115,000

Event 14 (Day 1B): Main Event "Through The Lens" (Part II)

"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: 112

Jermaine Gerlin (Gainseville, FL) is a Florida-based tournament pro with over $376,000 in live tournament earnings.  Jermaine is coming off of a breakout year, when he earned $208,827, a good portion of which came during his Heartland Poker Tour win at Daytona Beach ($106,732).  Gerlin is already making sure that people know it was a breakthrough, not a flash in the pan, as he started this year off with a MSPT title at Jacksonville ($94,310). 

Hans Winzeler (Miami, FL) is another big named player making an appearance for this BATB Main Event, coming into the day with over $2,088,000 in live tournament earnings.  Winzeler's highlighting score came during the 2011 WSOP, when he finished runner-up in the $5,000 PLO (Six Handed) event, earning $383,075.  His highlighting score here at the Isle though came in 2013, when he won the Florida State Poker Championship Main Event ($161,640).

Stuart "The Donator" Patterson (Boca Raton, FL) is a well known player both live and online, with over $822,000 in live tournament earnings.  Patterson has been posting results since 2005, but is coming off his most successful year of live tournament poker.  Stuart earned over $130,000 in 2016, including two titles won at Coconut Creek ($1,110 Coco Poker Showdown Championship Event, and Coco Poker Open $350 No Limit Hold'em)

Event 14 (Day 1B): Well Ahead Of Pace, Big Names Continue To Arrive

"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: 96

Rob Salaburu (San Antonio, TX)

Players are about to head on their second break of the day, and will be returning to Level 5, and new blinds of 150/300/50.  Yesterday's Day 1A flight ended with a total of (106) entries...we are looking at eclipsing that number during the next few levels!!  This Battles At The Beach series continues to exceed expectations, with the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool for this event looking to be in the rear-view mirror...sooner than later.

Over the course of the last few levels, we've seen an influx of players entering the tournament area, many of which could make up a "who's who" of tournament poker.  One player to enter about an hour ago was Rob Salaburu (San Antonio, TX) a name that poker fans would remember from the ESPN coverage of the 2012 WSOP $10,000 Main Event.  Salaburu is remembered for his table image during the event, playing in a somewhat unorthodox fashion, in terms of what people were used to seeing (mannerisms, and quickness of decisions).  Rob ended up making the November Nine that year, eventually getting eliminated in 8th place for over $971,000.

Along with Event 8 winner Michael Amato (Delray Beach, FL), here are some of the others to join the field recently:

Joshua Beckley
Mark Dube
Walter Bravo
Daniel Genachte
Evan Teitelbaum
Elliot Zaydman
William Kopp
Zaki Lichaa

Event 14 (Day 1B): Main Event "Through The Lens"

"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: 87

Alex Turyansky (Saarbrucken, Germany) spends most of his time playing in some of the largest games the Isle Poker Room has to offer, but this afternoon he is putting in some tournament time.  Turyansky may or may not be familiar to followers of the blog, having stone bubbled the WSOP Main Event "November Nine" in 2015.  Alex finished in 10th place, earning himself just under $757,000.

The 2011 WSOP Ladies Championship bracelet winner, Marsha Wolak (Pompano Beach, FL) is a name that anyone in the Florida poker community would know.  Wolak has over $610,000 in live tournament earnings, and is coming off the second best year (in terms of earnings) of her poker career.  Marsha's 2016 was full of deep tournament runs, but the year was highlighted by a fourth place finish in the Coco Poker Showdown $2,500 Championship Event ($70,000).

Cory Zeidman (Coral Springs, FL) is widely known as one of the better mixed-game players in the world, and has a WSOP bracelet in one of those mixed games (2012 $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo - $201,559).  Of the (25) recorded results that make up his career earnings of over $647,000, eight of them have come in no-limit events.

Event 14 (Day 1B): "We The North," Parx Poker Room Shows Strong

"Battles At The Beach"

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

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200)

Total Entries: 83

Greg Fishberg, Kevin Grabel, Joe Palma, and Michael Murphy

Before launching the blog here at the Isle, this blogger was contracted with Parx Casino in Bensalem, PA.  In terms of tournaments, Parx was a close second to Borgata in the Northeast, with their Big Stax series becoming a brand name (with the help of notables tournament professional Matt Glantz).  

The reason Big Stax is so popular with the players, is because of the incredible structures, and even better value.  That being said, the players that frequent that room know when and where the tournaments to be are.  Four players who call Parx Poker Room home are currently in this Day 1B field, and looking to "introduce" themselves to the Isle Poker Room.

Greg Fishberg (Willow Grove, PA) has over $1,000,000 in live tournament earnings, including two Big Stax wins at Park, and four titles at Borgata.  His most recent result was actually a win a Borgata during their last series, as he took down the $350 No Limit Hold'em "Almighty Stack" for $70,000.

Kevin Grabel (Southhampton, PA) has over $662,000 in live tournament earnings, with nine wins on his resume (six at Parx, two at Sugarhouse, and one at Borgata).  Grabel is second on the all-time money list at Parx, behind only Anthony Gregg.  What's really impressive about that statistic is the fact that Gregg won his $416,127 in one tournament (WPT Parx Poker Classic), with Grabel's $323,003 coming over years of consistent results.

Joe "Worm" Palma (Bensalem, PA) could be said to be one of the "faces" of the Parx Poker Room, boasting a resume with over $563,000 in tournament earnings.  Palma is the leader in all-time cashes in that room (with 40), and sits seventh on the all-time money list at Parx ($245,015).

Michael Murphy (Wilkes-Barre, PA) doesn't have quite the same results at Parx as the players above, but that's likely because he shares his time playing at other properties.  Murphy has over $125,000 in live tournament earnings, including a WPT DeepStacks title from the $1,100 Main Event at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs ($33,180).

Event 14 (Day 1B): Hawkins Considered An "Morning Line Favorite"

"Battles At The Beach"

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

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200)

Total Entries: 66

Maurice Hawkins (Plantation, FL)

If one were to be handicapping this tournament like a horse race (or sporting event), Maurice Hawkins (Plantation, FL) would have to be considered a morning line favorite.  Hawkins has won the last two events that he has played in, with the first being his ninth WSOPC ring at Palm Beach Kennel Club, and the most recent coming here at the Isle Casino Poker Room (Event 12).  Here is a snapshot of what was published on the blog the day after Hawkins' win here:

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).

Maurice bested a field of (90) entries earlier this week to win the Event 12 title, the four Isle Poker win of his career.  To list all of his tournament accolades and notable scores would look something like a novel, so it will just be mentioned that the Florida-based tournament pro with over $2,390,000 in career earnings is headlining the second wave of notables in the field:

Michael Newman
Frederico Dabus
Aaron Porter
Alan Saltzman
Frank Impliazzo
Charles Alexander

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.