FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Three Tables Remain At Final Break

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 105
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 30/105

Players are heading on their final break of the flight, and will return to finish off the final four scheduled levels. The likelihood is slim that sixteen levels will be played in this flight though, as action would also stop if (14) players remain.  Both flights from yesterday finished "early," with Flight 1A stopping late in Level 16, and Flight 1B finishing with a majority of Level 15 remaining.

While Kyle Maistri is still leading the way, there is a group of players that are looking to challenge that number as the flight winds down.  Elias Nassif (Plantation, FL) finds himself in the top five (130,000), along with Richard Davis (165,000) and Steven Cohen (115,000).  Updated chip counts from the field will be posted when action resumes after break.

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Parra Shuts The Door On The Turn

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 105
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 40

Jose Parra (Hialeah, FL) 

After a player in the hijack shoved for 11,600, Nancy Thomas re-shoved for 15,200 from the button.  Jose Parra (Hialeah, FL) was next to act, and he'd join the action by shoving all-in as well (having both players covered), with the big blind folding behind.

Parra: A♠ J♥

Thomas: A♥ 3♥

Player X: J♣ 8♥

Parra held a lead against both of his opponent's hands, with that lead getting strong after a K♦ 10♦ 7♠ flop.  The dealer then placed down the Q♠ on the turn, giving Parra a straight, and leaving Thomas drawing only to a chop.  The 4♥ on the river sealed the pot for Parra, who finds himself above average with 73,000.

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Maistri Currently Pacing the Field

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 105
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 48

Kyle Maistri (Florida)

The race for the chip lead bonus doesn't really take true form until after the final break of the flight, but one player has made sure that he's considered the favorite at the moment.  Kyle Maistri sits with just over 170,000 in front of him, which leads the field by a wide margin.  Of the chip leaders from earlier (Kalgstein, Smith, and Friedman), only Aaron Friedman has maintained a stack above 100,000.

One of the most common questions from players in flights that offer a bonus is, "What did the chip leaders bag yesterday (or up to this point)?"  The top stacks from yesterday's action were held by Joseph Thomas (374,000 from Flight 1A) and Oleg Efremov (505,000 form Flight 1B), with Flight 1C's eventual leader likely to fall more in the range of Thomas (considering field size).

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Updated Chip Counts Post-Break

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 105

Roy Paulena (West Palm Beach, FL) 

Players are just returning from break, and the numbers are now official for the third of eight Event 1 ($175 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD) flights.  A total of (105) entries made up the flight, with $14,700 going towards the overall prize pool ($49,280 combined pool).  There are currently (59) active players in the field, with some of the larger stacks tallied during break posted below.

Rick Kalgstein - 110,000
Aaron Friedman - 96,000
Bradford Corner - 80,000
Roy Paulena - 75,000
Jose Parra - 70,000
Thomas Gari - 52,000
Tom Gity - 48,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Kalgstein The First To Eclipse Century Mark

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 101

Players are about half the way through Level 8, signifying the close of this flight's registration.  Those still wanting to can enter Flight 1C up until the moment Level 9 starts (there is a 10 minute break after this level), which is at 2:45pm.  The official number may change just a bit over the next (30) minutes, but this flight's attendance is very similar in numbers to yesterday's opening flight (which had 101 entries).  As the word begins to spread about the potential size of this prize pool, we should see some bloated numbers over the next couple of days.

Rick Kalgstein (Sunrise, FL) just became the first players to see their stack move north of 100,000.  Already holding one of the top stacks in the field, Kalgstein had an opponent at risk for a 30,000 pot, holding K♠ K♦ against 9♥ 9♣.  The runout stayed clean for Rick, who pulled back his chips, and began collecting some new ones pushed his way by the dealer.

Rick Kalgstein - 108,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Gari Is The Picture Of Consistency

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 96

Thomas Gari (Hollywood, FL) 

The action was approached at Table 4 with action on the flop, and Hosney Boutros and Thomas Gari checking a board of K♠ 9♦ 4♣.  An unknown player then shoved for 6,100, with Joseph Duchman just flatting behind.  Boutros then re-shoved for 6,350, with both Thomas Gari and Duchman calling behind.  

Four players would be heading to the turn, with two of those players all-in.  Both active players (Gari and Duchman) checked the turn (4♦) and river (6♥), and Gari quickly tabled K♥ 8♠.  The pair of kings would be good enough for the pot, and Gari would go from 18,000 to 46,000.

Thomas Gari has made a career of playing these smaller buy-in (large guarantee) tournaments, and has a pretty impressive resume to show for it.  He has (71) recorded results since 2014, totaling just over $80,000.  

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Davis Leads Group Charging Up The Leaderboard

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 87

Richard Davis (Jupiter, FL) 

It was right around this point yesterday that we began to see some players separate themselves from the field, one of which bagged a top three stack for the flight (Zoltan Czinkota - 203,500).  There are three players in this early Flight 1C field that have started very strong, one of which is Richard Davis (Jupiter, FL).  

Davis has six cashes on his Hendon Mob tournament resume, the first of which was a final table in the $580 No Limit Hold'em ($500,000 GTD) event at Palm Beach Kennel Club, during a WSOP Circuit stop in 2014.  Davis finished in seventh place, earning $14,645 for his efforts, and kickstarting a promising two years of tournament poker.  Richard went on to cash in three more WSOP Circuit events, along with last year's Colossus II event during the WSOP.

Richard Davis - 68,000

Stephen Smith - 65,000

Aaron Friedman - 62,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Lots Of Wheel Cards

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/25)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 73

Aaron Friedman (Boca Raton, FL) 

When are group of people are surrounding a table four minutes into break, it's usually a sign that something is unfolding.  The hand just finished by the time the table was approached, but the players continued to talk about it as they headed to break.  Aaron Friedman was holding A♥ A♠ on a flop of A♣ 3♥ 4♠, with three other players deciding to get their chips all-in at that moment.  Friedman has all but one opponent covered (Hosney Boutros), but seemed in line to scoop a large pot.  Aaron was up against 5♠ 5♥ and 2♠ 3♣, so he needed to fade certain wheel cards in order for his hand to hold.  

The turn and river both bricked Aaron's opponents, and he'd be awarded the pot, worth over 50,000 (135bb).  Aaron is coming off of a tournament win at Borgata (in June), shipping the $150 No Limit Hold'em event during their Borgata Deepstack Challenge.  The $4,314 Friedman earned for first place was the largest score of his tournament career, bringing his total earnings to $10,000.

Aaron Friedman - 57,000

Hosney Boutros - 8,500

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Couple Of Buddies Just Looking To Find A Bag

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 58

Harry Freeman (pictured left) and Hosney Boutros

Harry Freeman (Boca Raton, FL) and Hosney Boutros (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) have spent many hours at the poker table together, both staple figures in the daily tournaments run each day.  Freeman has compiled a tournament resume with over $5,600 in tournament earnings, including his first recorded final table cash just one month ago ($100 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack" 2nd Place $1,241).

Hosney, otherwise known as "Tony," has a tournament resume with just under $20,000 in recorded earnings.  Each and every of his (19) recorded cashes have come at the Isle, including a final table in the 2010 Florida State Poker Championships Main Event ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em - 10th Place $7,876).

Both players have been playing in this poker room for years, and one can be sure that a deep run in this event, would deb a highlighting moment in either of their poker careers.  Also joining Freeman and Boutros in the Flight 1C field are:

Tayfun Akbasli

Carey Pickus

Shlomo Maman

John Page

Kevin Scarola

Moshe Wasser

David Coughlin

Tom Gity

Players will be taking their first break of the day at the conclusion of this level, and will be returning to Level 5, and new blinds of 150/300/25.

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Rick Is Leading The "Kalgstein Crew"

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 50

Rick Kalgstein (Sunrise, FL) 

A common story heard from poker players has to do with when they learned the basics of the game, playing at home with either their grandparents, parents, or family.  The idea of "family" in poker is very prevalent at the Isle, as we see tournament results with all different combos (father/son, husband/wife, brother/sister, brother/brother).  The idea of a poker family "trio" isn't something you'll see often, but one third of the Kalgstein crew is currently in the field, coming off a tournament win just three days ago.

Rick Kalgstein (Sunrise, FL) boasts the strongest tournament resume in comparison to his brother (Brandon) and father (Lawrence), and gained even more separation after the win in Monday's $60 No Limit Hold'em ($12,000 GTD).  Rick earned first place money worth $2,000 in a seven-way chop that ended the tournament, his first ever recorded tournament win (after four runner-ups on the resume).  The cash brings his career earnings close to $15,000, and gives Kalgstein an new goal to shoot for...the first five-figure score.  It's a moment that every poker player remembers, and something that is attainable in this particular event.  Joining Rick in this early Flight 1C field is:

Thomas Gari
Kenneth Bruno
Stephen Smith
Nancy Thomas
Joseph Mancuso

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

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 27

Posted below are the official chip counts of the two flights from yesterday (Flight 1A-1B), including information in regards to total entries, players remaining, and chip average.

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1C): Shaping Up To Be A Big One

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: N/A

The opening day of the 2017 Florida State Poker Championships hosted two Event 1 ($175 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD) flights, attracting a total of (247) entries.  The combined total going towards the prize pool from the pair of flights is $34,580...over a third of the way to the guaranteed numbers of $100,000.  At that pace, the overall prize pool would end up somewhere in the $150,000 range, but it would come as no surprise if the number closed even higher than that.

Of the (247) entries, a total of (33) players were successful in bagging chips for Day 2, led by Oleg Efremov (Oakland Park, FL).  Efremov, a player who frequents many of the recurring events on the monthly schedule, was able to put 500,500 in the bag after Flight 1B.  He is over 100,000 clear of his nearest opponent (Willie Wiggins - 395,500), and even further ahead from the Flight 1A chip leader, Joseph Thomas (374,000).  Both Efremov and Thomas earned the "chip lead bonus," and can look forward to playing in Event 14 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em $150,000 GTD).

Another group of players have been taking their seats over the past few minutes, as the cards will be in the air for Flight 1C momentarily.  Players in Flight 1C will be sitting down to starting stacks of 20,000 units, and will try and navigate (16) levels, lasting (25) minutes each.  The first two flights reached the 13% mark prior to (16) levels being completed, so it will be interesting to see how things shape up as the flight enters it's later stages.  A tournament will never be won during an opening flight, but what happens over the first sixteen levels surely sets the tone for things to follow.

Thursday, July 6th: FSPC Event 1 Already On Pace For Something Special

ICYMI: Yesterday marked the beginning of the 2017 Florida State Poker Championships, as the cards got in the air for Flight 1A (11:00am) and Flight 1B (6:00pm) of Event 1 ($175 No Limit Hold'em $100,000 GTD).  The afternoon flight started off on the slow side, but began to pick up after the first break (Level 4), and ended up eclipsing the century mark before registration's close (101 entries).  The opening flight of these multi-day/multi-flight tournaments is most commonly going to host the most "reg-heavy" crowd, and while we saw many loyal Isle Poker tournament players, it looked at if Zoltan Czinkota was going to steal the show (and the award for the flight's chip lead).  After breezing through two entries in a matter of an hour, Zoltan began to find some traction, and led the field for most of the day.  Unfortunately for Czinkota, his number would be eclipsed by Joseph Thomas (Jupiter, FL), who ended up bagging a stack that was just out of reach for the remaining Flight 1A players (374,000).  A total of (14) players booked their tickets to Sunday's Day 2, including Daniel Genacthe, Paulius Bikus, Joseph Ritzie, and Gail Sandler.

It was clear from the start of Flight 1B, that the field was going to surpass the numbers from the afternoon, and ended up with a total of (146) entries.  A handful of players from the earlier flight (that didn't bag) gave things another try, and joined a majority group that was entering the event for the first time.  The field reached the 13% point with a few minutes remaining in Level 15, so the clock was paused, and the bagging process began.  Oleg Efremov (Oakland Park, FL) earned himself an Event 14 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em $150,000 GTD) seat after bagging the flight's chip lead, with just over 500,000.  Also included in the group that bagged chips from Flight 1B were Danielle Bastarache, Michael Corbett, Willie Wiggins, and Eric Kessler.

Tournaments:  Event 1 of the Florida State Poker Championships continues this afternoon/evening, as Flight 1C gets underway at 11:00am, followed by Flight 1D at 6:00pm.  All of the same rules/structure applies, with players sitting down to starting stacks of 20,000 units, and playing levels of (25) minutes.  "Live blogged coverage" of Flight 1C begins the moment the cards get in the air, and will continue through the flight's bagging process.  An update will be posted with a full list of chip counts from yesterday's pair of flights, and will then shift focus to the matter at hand (Flight 1C).

Promotions: Today's "special" promotion (outside of the standard high hands), is the Limit Hold'em Early Bird, in which the first (50) full houses (in a limit hold'em game) are paid the minimum buy-in for the designated game.  Those players in the 2/2 LHE game will receive $20 for each "winning" full house (or better), while those in 2/4 LHE will receive $40.

11:00am - FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1C): $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) 

- Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips

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

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Level will last (25) minutes throughout the event

- All Day 1's will play (16) complete levels or until 13% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

6:00pm - FSPC Event #1 (Flight 1D): $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)

- Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips

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

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Level will last (25) minutes throughout the event

- All Day 1's will play (16) complete levels or until 13% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1B): Official End Of Flight 1B Chip Counts

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1B Entries: 146
Players Remaining: 19/146

Oleg	Efremov	500,500
Willie	Wiggins	395,000
Alex	Shafran	241,000
Michael	Corbett	205,500
Corey "Max"	Martin	203,000
Seamus	Hoban	182,000
Ghassan	Toubia	175,500
Muzaffer	Yesilce	148,500
Alfredo	Guevara	125,500
Danielle	Bastarache	124,500
Eric	Kessler	104,000
Ryan	Bunes	98,500
Jacki	Cohen	98,000
James	Newcomb	88,500
Susan	Lichtenstein	72,500
Jean	Zabin	56,000
Robert	Arahovites	53,000
Marcus	Wu-Hamel	45,500
Didier	Bramy	42,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Official End Of Flight 1A Chip Counts

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 101
Players Remaining: 14/101

Joe	Thomas	374,000
Zoltan	Czinkota	203,500
Daniel	Genachte	195,000
Terry	Siele	186,000
Paulius	Bikus	144,000
Joe	Ritzie	139,000
Luis	Mantilla	129,500
Frank	Scala	129,000
Robert	Chusid	123000
Gail	Sandler	98,500
Elgin	Young	89,000
Adam	Koppel	80,500
Robert	Patterson	79,000
George	Berindei	54,500

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Thomas Bags The Flight 1A Chip Lead

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 16 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 101
Players Remaining: 14/101

Joseph Thomas (Jupiter, FL) 

There were a lot of players getting up from their table to survey the field, trying to find out if they had a shot at bagging the chip lead.  While a small trio of players tried to make a late push, Joseph Thomas's stack was just unreachable.  Thomas ended up bagging well over 300,000, and is the first player to officially "enter" Event 14 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em $150,000 GTD).  Flight 1A "officially" ended with 16:00 minutes remaining in Level 16, just a few minutes short of the scheduled stop time (clock would have been paused with 10:00 minutes remaining).  Once the tournament staff verifies all player's bags, the end of flight chip counts will be posted.

This will conclude "live coverage" of today's action, but updates will continue after the finish of Flight 1B, with end of flight chip counts posted shortly after 1:00am.

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Mantella Value Betting Thin?

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 101
Players Remaining: 17/101

Louis Mantella (Florida)

Certain decisions are becoming increasingly important for the chip leaders in the field, as the clock winds down on the final levels of the afternoon.  On the river of a board reading 9♦ 8♣ 4♥ K♣ 6♣, Louis Mantella shoved for 40,000 into a pot with over 150,000 in the middle, against Paulius Bikus.  Paulius started the hand with one of the top three stacks in the room, so while he could "afford" to make the call, it may have been more about winning that $1,100 seat for Bikus.  Bikus eventually made the call, and watched as Mantella turned over 6♥ 7♥.  He was unable to beat the pair of sixes, and cut out the 40,000 chips to head Mantella's way.

Louis is now second in chips behind Zoltan Czinkota, and hopes to grab the top spot before the field is down to (14) players (we mentioned the number being 13, but that was reported incorrectly).

Louis Mantella - 220,000

Paulius Bikus - 120,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Two Tables Remain (Lineup Included)

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/400)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 101
Players Remaining: 19/101

The race for the flight's chip lead is seeing it's "dynamic" change slightly, as the chances that the flight ends early increases.  The flight is scheduled to conclude after Level 16, but if this particular field reaches the point where (13) players remain, the clock will be paused, and the bagging process will begin.  There are currently (19) players left in the Flight 1A field, with seating assignments listed below:

Table 4:

1. George Berindei
2. Joseph Ritzie
3. Terry Siely
4. Jeff Satinoff
5. Alvaro Vivas Grisales
6. Zoltan Czinkota
7. Wa Lang
8. Daniel Genachte
9. Robert Chusid
10. Adam Kappel

Table 6:

1. Joseph Thomas
2. Bobby Patterson
3. Louis Mantella
4. Paulius Bikus
5. Frank Scala
6. Anthony Hobbs
7. Gail Sandler
8. Jose Parra
9. Elgin Young

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Thomas Looking To Nab Event 14 Seat

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 101
Players Remaining: 24/101

Joseph Thomas (Jupiter, FL) 

Just a reminder that the chip leader from this flight will be earning a seat into Event 14 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em $150,000 GTD), which could potentially turn into a score over $35,000 dollars.  It's serious business for the players in the field right now, especially those in the thick of the race.  Joseph Thomas (Jupiter, FL) has eclipsed Gail Sandler's top stack, sitting with over 180,000 at the end of Level 13.

Thomas has just over $8,500 in recorded tournament earnings, with his last score coming last November during a WSOP Circuit series at Palm Beach Kennel Club.  Joseph's largest cash came here at the Isle in 2014, when he finished third in a $220 No Limit Hold'em event during the Isle Poker Open ($4,524).

Joseph Thomas - 186,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Roll Call Before Flight's Final Break

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 101
Players Remaining: 36/101

Players from the remaining four tables are going to be taking their final break of the night in just a few minutes.  Play is scheduled to end after the completion of Level 16, or until 13% of the field remains (13 players).  Action will resume with Level 13, and blinds of 1,000/2,000/300, and a chip average of 56,000 (28 big blinds).  The following players are still alive, and looking to navigate their way to the bagging process:

Frank Scala
Thomas Gari
Paulius Bikus
Joseph Ritzie
Elgin Young
Gail Sandler
Marc Culberson

Updated counts from the field will be posted once action resumes, as the race for the chip lead bonus heads down the homestretch.

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Sandler Is the New Shooter

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 101
Players Remaining: 37/101

Gail Sandler (Bellmore, NY)

While the action has slowed down slightly, because of the deeper stacks across the field (chip average is currently 35 big blinds), one player has managed to separate herself from the field.  Gail Sandler has spent the last few levels trending upwards, and is well in front of the rest of the field, as she sits with over 150,000.

Sandler may be a new name to the blog, but just because she doesn't play many tournaments, doesn't mean she's a novice.  Gail's Hendon Mob resume has two results, both from 1993, and both top four finishes.  Her last recorded cash from the 1993 L.A. Poker Classic was in a $500 Limit Hold'em event (yes...that does read LIMIT hold'em).  She finished in fourth place that day ($7,410), behind names like Sam Grizzle and Chau Giang.  Some who appreciates and the history of poker would know those names...world class players in their time.

Needless to say, it's been a long time since Gail has recorded a live tournament cash, but it doesn't really look like she's missed anything while she's been gone.

Gail Sandler - 156,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Young Triples Up, Is Back To Average Stack

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 101
Players Remaining: 47/101

Elgin Young (Augusta, GA)

The action at Table 9 was approached as three players were looking at a flop of J♦ 9♦ 3♦.  Elgin Young had checked-shoved for just 12,100, and was called (with less) by one opponent, while waiting for the third player in the hand to decide.  "I really hope nobody has a diamond here," said the player on the button, as he dropped the chips in for a call (having both players covered):

Young: K♥ J♠

Player X: J♠ 5♣

Player Y (button): 10♥ 8♣

Young was surprised to see that his hand was a favorite at the moment, with neither player holding a diamond in their hand.  Elgin's hand only improved after the K♠ on the turn, and when the board paired with the 8♦ on the river, he'd rake in a pot worth 42,000.

Elgin Young - 42,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Updated Chip Counts Post Break

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 101

Joseph Ritzie (Hamilton, OH)

The official numbers are in for the opening flight of Event 1, with a total of (101) entries making up the afternoon's field.  That equates to $14,140 towards the overall prize pool, which is guaranteed to be $100,000.  This pace would have the tournament eclipsing the number on Saturday, but the pattern in these multi-flight events shows that the numbers only grow as each flight passes.

The most recent break allowed for a look at some of the chip counts across the field, and that look yielded a new chip leader, Joseph Ritzie (Hamilton, OH).  Ritzie is an Ohio native that spends a good portion of his time here in Florida, playing both cash games and tournaments.  Ritzie has over $125,000 in recorded tournament earnings, including three cashes this year here at the Isle.

Joseph Ritzie - 81,000
Thomas Gari - 77,000
Zoltan Czinkota - 71,000
Marc Culberson - 61,000
Daniel Genachte - 55,000
Stephen Smith - 53,000
Adam Kappel - 50,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): No "Blogger's Curse" Here At The Isle

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 96

While the majority of players enjoy getting mentioned on the blog, there is a small minority that thinks it's some sort of "bad luck."  Clearly there is no "blogger's curse" in this poker room, as two of the players mentioned on the blog earlier are on the top of the leaderboard (Zoltan Czinkota and Stephen Smith).  Smith earned himself "double" moments ago, as he saw what was left of Eric Pideret's 20,000 starting stack shipped his way.

On a flop of Q♦ 7♣ 7♥, Smith checked to Piderit, who announced a bet of 3,200.  Smith quickly tossed forward a check-raise to 16,000, which was enough to cover Piderit.  Eric held up his cards saying, "The same pair five times...the same pair five times."  He eventually tabled his hand while simultaneously calling, with his 4♥ 4♦ well behind the K♣ Q♠ of Smith.  The turn and river both missed Piderit, who would be left to collect his things and exit the tournament table.

Stephen Smith - 45,000

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): "If At First You Don't Succeed"

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 93

Zoltan Czinkota (Davie, FL)

Zoltan Czinkota (Davie, FL) may be all smiles in the photograph above, but that wasn't the same expression he had earlier.  Zoltan busted two bullets before sitting down and experiencing the better side of variance.  He's currently the chip leader in the field with just over 70,000, with only two levels remaining of open registration for this flight.

Once registration closes for Flight 1A, players interested in entering today's action will have to wait until 6:00pm, at which point the cards get in the air for Flight 1B of Event 1.  This same schedule then applies for the next three days:

Thursday, July 6th:

11:00am - Flight 1C (Live Blogged Coverage)

6:00pm - Flight 1D

Friday, July 7th:

11:00am - Flight 1E (Live Blogged Coverage)

6:00pm - Flight 1F

Saturday, July 8th:

11:00am - Flight 1G (Live Blogged Coverage)

6:00pm - Flight 1E

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Zakarya Standing Tall To Start The Day

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 86

Zakarya Wolgamott (Coconut Creek, FL) 

Even though he entered the tournament about (30) minutes before the first break, Zakarya Wolgamott (Coconut Creek, FL) is already sitting with one of the larger stacks in this early field (48,000).  Wolgamott is coming off of a recent tournament "win," earning first place money in a heads-up chop of the Saturday morning "Big Stack Turbo Bounty" ($100 No Limit Hold'em) on June 17th, worth $750.  That puts Zakarya's recorded career earnings just short of $10,000, with the addition of another June tournament score in the "special" $75 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) event earlier in the month.

Wolgamott was part of a large group of "fashionably late" players to jump into action over the last few levels:

Joseph Ritzie

David Licht 

David Light

Bruce Snell

Joseph Thomas

Michael Perez

Patrick Biancone

FSPC Event 1 (Flight 1A): Kappel Coolers Opponent To Double

2017 Florida State Poker Championships
Event 1 - $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD)
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/25)
Total Flight 1A Entries: 81

Eric Kappel (Tampa, FL)

Eric Kappel's double-up wasn't spotted until the hand was finishing up, but the board and both hands still sat face-up on the table.  The board read A♥ Q♥ 6♦ 7♦ K♥, with Kappel's 6♥ 7♥ besting the A♠ Q♦ of his opponent.  It was just a pure runout for Kappel, who flopped a pair and a flush draw...improved to two pair on the turn, but was still behind heading to the river.  Eric made a flush on the river, at which point the chips got in.  Kappel doubled to just over 40,000, while his opponent was left with less than ten big blinds, and then busted from action a few moments later.

Eric Kappel - 43,000