"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1E): Donald Francois Regrets...Then Forgets

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/75)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 195

Donald Francois (Delray Beach, FL) was happy to see he was flipping against Craig Witz, ending up on the winning side of the race.

During one of the first hands of Level 7, Donald Francois (Delray Beach, FL) had two players all-in in front of him, both for sizable amounts (over 15,000 each).  He took some time with his decision, but with a call worth more than half of his stack, he chose to fold his hand.  Donald would have been in third place with pocket nines, up against pocket jacks and pocket kings.  The flop ended up bring a nine, which would have been good enough to win the hand through the runout.  Francois was visibly upset about his decision, thinking about "what could have been."

One orbit later, Francois would open from the button, and watch as Craig Witz three-bet shoved for close to 20,000.  It was a large three-bet, but it didn't deter Donald, who made the call pretty quickly.  The two would be flipping, with Witz holding 10♠ 10♣ against the K♠ J♠ of Francois.  Craig's request to "hold" were dismissed, as the dealer fanned out a flop of A♥ K♦ Q♥.  The turn and river stayed clean for Francois, who was pushed the pot, putting him over the 80,000 mark.

Donald Francois - 82,000 (164bb)

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1E): Lots Of Action Across The Field, Hadida Holds With Pocket Kings

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 187

Ilan Hadida (Boca Raton, FL) was not shy at all in front of the camera, happily posing as one of the chip leaders in the Flight 1E field.

The tournament area is growing by the moment, as tables are now scattered across all areas of the poker room.  Walking past Table 13, we caught a three-way all-in, with Ilan Hadida covering both of his opponents (and holding the best hand with K♥ K♦).  Hadida was up against Q♥ 10♥ and 5♣ 5♦, primed to win a pot worth close to 20,000.  

The dealer would spread a flop of 8♥ 4♥ 3♠, giving one of his opponents a flush draw, and the other backdoor outs to a straight.  Even though both players were rooting for the cards they needed, the turn and river would stay clean for Hadida, who would chip up to 50,000 with the pot.

Ilan Hadida - 50,000 (125bb)

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1E): Lots Of First Time Entries In the Field

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 159

Jamie Wiegrefe (Miami, FL) is usually all business at the tables, but actually cracked a smile, after his pocket aces held up against Nagui Yassa's pocket eights.

There are a lot of players in this afternoon's field that are taking their first attempt at bagging for the tournament, including Jamie Wiegrefe (Miami, FL).  Jamie has been experiencing some solid tournament success as of late, booking two of his largest lifetime cashes over the last three months.  Wiegrefe was part of a six-way deal that ended the "November $200,000," a $360 buy-in event that headlined the Isle Poker's schedule for that month.  He earned $14,820 for his sixth place share, and just last week, he finished third in a $570 No Limit Hold'em event during the Lucky Hearts Poker Open ($11,480).  Jamie is already off to a solid start today, as his aces held up moments ago, knocking out Nagui Yassa from play at Table 2. 

Wiegrefe headlines a group of players that we are seeing in action for the first time during live blogged coverage of this event:

Francis Margaglione
Noel Atherley
Paula Alibrandi
Dolline Willis
Linda Lipkins
Steve Lipkins
Daren Stabinski
Al Gomez

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1E): Parra Shifting Gears, Looking To Bookend The Month

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 144

Jose Parra (Hialeah Gardens, FL) has to switch the his mindset from a $2,500 buy-in...to a $250 buy-in, but it's something he's done successfully before.

Jose Parra (Hialeah Gardens, FL) spent most of yesterday afternoon in the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD), but eventually fell short of cashing, and left the poker room shortly after being eliminated.  He's back in today's Flight 1E field, and while the starting stack and structure are slightly different, the final table payouts will be similar (just a lot more people to get through in order to get there).  

Jose already has a cash in an Isle Poker multi this month, reaching the final table of the "January $100,000," a $360 buy-in tournament that ran the first weekend of the year.  Parra ended up finishing in eighth place, and earned $3,690 for his efforts.  The result brought his career earnings north of $176,000, which he hopes to improve on with a deep run tomorrow afternoon.  Parra is just one of a large group of notables in the field, including:

Evan Teitelbaum
Andre Rakusa
Giovanni Cantitore
Morris Heider
Edward Novak
Yigal Hen
Fernando Pages
Robert Jonsson
Bryce McVay

Players will be heading on their first break in just a few minutes, returning to Level 5, and new blinds of 150/300/50.

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1E): Official Chips Counts Flight 1A-Flight 1D

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150/25)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 99

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1E): Checking Out The Upcoming Month's Tournament Calendar

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Flight 1E Entries: 50

Followers of the blog are getting a first look at the February 2018 Tournament Calendar, which is pictured above, and will be posted on the @PokerIslePP Twitter handle (calendar is also on the Isle Casino's main website).  The calendar has a "little bit of old," and a "little bit of new," as PLO makes it's triumphant return to the schedule.  The $150 No Limit Hold'em "Double Green Chip Bounty" is also a new addition the calendar, boasting a $5,000 guarantee on the final three Thursday evening's of the month.  

There are three multi-flight/large guarantee tournaments on the calendar, with the first beginning the moment the calendar turns.  The $360 No Limit Hold'em event carries a $100,000 guarantee, and a very player-friendly structure, with 20,000 unit starting stacks and (40) minute levels.  Four starting flights run on February 1st and 2nd, with players returning to Day 2 on February 3rd (Saturday).  There is then a $250 No Limit Hold'em tournament on February 16th-17th, which boasts a $50,000 guaranteed prize pool.  The final of the three multis then occurs the following week, with the $175 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) running February 19th through February 21st.

There are also three "Single-Ante" tournaments, including the ever-popular $2,500 No Limit Hold'em "Single-Ante," which runs on February 23rd.

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1E): Final Pair Of Starting Flights About To Begin

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 1 (Blinds 25/50)
Total Flight 1E Entries: N/A

After four completed starting flights, the "January $100,000 II" is down to the final pair, with Flight 1E to start in just a few moments (and Flight 1F to follow at 6:00pm).  To this point, the $250 buy-in tournament has attracted a total of (432) entries, and has a prize pool of $85,104.  With the busiest of the flights about to start, we should see the posted guaranteed surpassed at some point this afternoon.  

Players in today's flights will be looking to join the (62) players that have already bagged chips for tomorrow's Day 2.  Today's live blogged coverage will begin with a look at the upcoming month's tournament schedule, and will be followed by a list of those chip counts for the players that have bagged already.

Saturday, January 27th: Jerry Wong Ships The Single-Ante, "January $100,000 II" To Crush The Number

ICYMI: Yesterday's tournament schedule hosted the second pair of starting flights for the "January $100,000 II," as well as the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD).  Flight 1C opened the action at 11:00am, and after twelve levels of open registration, a total of (97) entries made up the field.  Of those entries, (15) players would reach the bagging process, led by Demoy Thomas (308,500).  Thomas's final number was extremely impressive, considering that his two nearest competitors bagged close to 120,000 less than him (Jeffrey Silverstein - 188,500 and Sagi Zommer - 164,000).  A full list of chip counts from Flight 1C can be found by clicking here.

Flight 1D drew the largest field we've seen for the event, with (135) entries showing on the tournament clock at registration's close.  Even though the numbers were so high, the field still shrunk down to the teens, as (16) players bagged chips for tomorrow's Day 2.  Walter Bravo currently holds the overall chip lead, after bagging 341,000 with the flight's top bag.  John Magnetta (316,000) and Chad Millward (247,500) rounded out the top three, with a full list of Flight 1D chip counts found by clicking here.

With two more flights remaining for the tournament, the "January $100,000 II" now has a total of (432) entries, with (62) players already headed to tomorrow's Day 2.  The overall prize pool sits a $85,104, and should surpass the guaranteed number shortly into Flight 1E action.

While both flights were playing out, the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD) was crowning a new winner.  A total of (42) entries made up the field, which equated to a $100,000 prize pool, and boasted a $42,000 top prize.  While it initially looked like the tournament was going to be all about Richard Kirsch (Ft. Lauderdale), we saw a final table that hosted a number of new names, including a player that won their seat via a "chip lead bonus" (earlier this month).  After an extremely rough start to the tournament, Jerry Wong (Margate, FL) turned things around at the final table, besting Justin Harvell (Delray Beach, FL) to grab the title.  The results from the tournament are listed below:

1. Jerry Wong (Margate, FL) $42,000
2. Justin Harvell (Delray Beach, FL) $24,000
3. Samuel Ganzfried (Miami Beach, FL) $14,000
4. Lukas Pribyl (Czech Republic) $9,000
5. Rodney Moret-Rojas (Boca Raton, FL) $6,000
6. Joshua Kay (Boca Raton, FL) $5,000

Tournaments: Saturday's action once again focuses solely on the "January $100,000 II," with the final pair of starting flights on the schedule (starting with Flight 1E at 11:00am). Each of the flights are structured the same, with players sitting down to starting stacks of 18,000 units, and levels that last (30) minutes.  Registration is open until the end of Level 12 (and the break that follows), with opening flight play scheduled to conclude at the end of Level 15 (or if 10% of the field remains at any point beforehand).  Flight 1F will follow at 6:00pm, and expects to be the largest of the four to have been played.

This event will have live blogged coverage, with updates from each of the afternoon (11:00am) starting flights, as well as detailed Day 2 coverage.

Promotions: From (9:00am-10:00am), the high hand will award $150 every (30) minutes.  The high hands will then transition from 10:00am-12:00am (midnight), with the opportunity to win $400 every (30) minutes.  During that period, the promotion sees tournament players eligible (Isle Open events not eligible for high hand) each half-hour for $100 high hands, 2/2 limit hold'em players eligible for $200 high hands, 2/4 limit hold'em players eligible for $300 high hands, and all other raked games (1/2-5/10 NLH, 4/8 Omaha 8B, 6/12 O.E., etc.) eligible for $400 high hands.  From 12:00am-9:00am, players are eligible for $100 high hands every hour.

It should also be noted that started back on November 1st, players are able to win the high hand using only one card in their hand!!!  The payouts for those that use one card are different than the standard numbers listed above, and can be found (full listing of one-card payouts on flyers in the poker room).

11:00am - $250 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1E

- Players start with 18,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (12) levels

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (30) minutes

- All Day 1's will play (15) complete levels or until 10% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

6:00pm - $250 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) Flight 1F

- Players start with 18,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (12) levels

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (30) minutes

- All Day 1's will play (15) complete levels or until 10% of the field remains (whichever comes first)

ICYMI: $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante (Official Results)

$2,500 No Limit Hold'em "Single-Ante"

$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool

Total Entries: 42

Total Prize Pool: $100,000

Official Results

1. Jerry Wong (Margate, FL) $42,000
2. Justin Harvell (Delray Beach, FL) $24,000
3. Samuel Ganzfried (Miami Beach, FL) $14,000
4. Lukas Pribyl (Czech Republic) $9,000
5. Rodney Moret-Rojas (Boca Raton, FL) $6,000
6. Joshua Kay (Boca Raton, FL) $5,000

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1D): Official End Of Flight 1D Chip Counts

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1D Entries: 135
Flight 1D Players Remaining: 16

Walter	Bravo	341,000
John	Magnetta	316,000
Chad	Millward	247,500
Barry	Sisselman	190,500
Justin	Margolis	189,500
Francis	Cruz	151,500
Kevin	Chan	150,500
Ross	Willner	147,500
Greg	Spinder	134,000
James	McCaffrey	128,500
Stephen	Harris	127,500
Tony	Burns	103,000
Stanley	Silverman	93,500
Michael	Ingber	57,000
Evan	Kahan	50,000
James	Clark	39,000

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Official End Of Flight 1C Chip Counts

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 97
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 15

Demoy	Thomas	308,500
Jeff	Silverstein	188,500
Sagi	Zommer	164,000
Dale	Smith	161,000
Toby	Kasser	116,000
Ryan	Wilson	113,500
Thomas	Gari	105,000
Jonathan	Kramer	101,500
Skip	McDonough	82,500
Joel	Benson	80,000
Anthony	Ruimone	77,000
Marc	Culberson	73,000
Dennis	Durand	60,500
Harry	Silver	55,000
Shawn	Vienna	47,500

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Wrapping Up The Flight 1C Action, Official Counts To Follow

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/500)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 97
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 22

Play is about to enter Level 15, which is the final scheduled level of play for the day.  The clock will be paused when 10:00 minutes remain in this level, with those players still remaining then finding out how many hands are left in the flight.  Once those hands are completed at each table, the bags will be broken out, and players will pack their chips up for Sunday's Day 2.  A complete list of official chip counts will be posted shortly thereafter (around 8:00pm).

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Demoy Thomas Enters Uncharted Territory, Looking To Bag Overall Lead

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 14 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/400)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 97
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 30

Demoy Thomas (Port St. Lucie, FL) came out of nowhere to grab the chip lead, and has done so in big fashion, sitting with a number that currently leads all Day 2 stacks.

Two levels remain in this third starting flight, and it's Demoy Thomas (Port St. Lucie, FL) running away with the chip lead.  Demoy already has over 300,000, which is more than the overall chip leader to this point (David Poces - 305,000).  This is seemingly uncharted territory for Thomas, who has just one recorded cash on his resume, coming just a month ago during the Isle Classic (December).  There is still an hour remaining of play in the day, but returning to a top five stack (and potential deep run) is an experience that Thomas has not encountered before.  It will be interesting to see how he handles these final stages of the flight, as it could directly effect the outcome that follows on Sunday.

Demoy Thomas - 311,000 (129bb)

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Updated Chip Counts From $2,500 Single-Ante

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 13 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 97
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 30

Registration is now closed for both Flight 1C of the "January $100,000 II," and the $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD).  Flight 1C attracted a total of (97) entries, with $19,109 going towards the overall prize pool.  

The $2,500 NLH Single-Ante saw registration close with (42) entries, which was two entries short of the posted guarantee.  Listed below are the official payouts for the tournament, along with the updated chip counts from the field:

1. $42,000
2. $24,000
3. $14,000
4. $9,000
5. $6,000
6. $5,000

Table 1

1. Justin Harvell - 320,000
2. Jeffrey Trudeau - 115,000
3. Richard Kirsch - 480,000
4. Lucas Pribyl - 260,000
5. Joshua Kay - 440,000
6. Sam Ganzfried - 98,000
7. Loni Harwood - 460,000

Table 3

1. Ian O'Hara - 265,000
2. Tony Ruberto - 220,000
3. Jerry Wong - 210,000
4. Sheldon Gross - 200,000
5. Rodney Moret-Rojas - 325,000
6. Victor Figueroa - 380,000
7. Chad Eveslage - 460,000

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Registration Window Closing On Both Tournaments

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 12 (Blinds 800/1,600/300)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 92

Play is now in Level 12, which is the final level of open registration.  There will be a ten minute break at the end of this level, with action returning to play through Level 15.  Listed below are the players still remaining in Flight 1C:

Table 7

1. Jason Jimenez
2. Demoy Thomas
3. Thomas Gari
4. Ryan Wilson
5. Sam Jones
6. Dennis Durand
7. Tim Kegel
8. Oneil McCalla
9. Jared Kerner
10. Angelo Castaldi

Table 10

1. Joel Benson
2. Sean Vrenna
3. Elliot Goldman
4. Sagi Zommer
5. Rafael Guerrero
6. Dale Smith
7. Marc Culberson
8. Anthony Raimone
9. Skip McDonough
10. Joseph Marchese

Table 11

1. Jim Stone
2. John Rembert
3. George Navarro
4. Francis Cruz
5. Toby Kasser
6. Marco Cantazini
7. Harry Silver
8. Scott Levitt
9. Jonathan Kramer
10. Jeffrey Silverstein

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Looking In At The "The Richard Kirsch Invitational"

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 11 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 90

Richard Kirsch (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) circles the calendar each month, making sure he's in attendance for a tournament that he has had so much success in.

The $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante is running for the sixth time, since it first made an appearance on the August tournament calendar (it has run once a month).  Richard Kirsch (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) has cashed in three of those, including a win in the most recent running (December 29th for $42,000).  Kirsch sat down just over an hour ago, and immediately chipped up to 400,000...making himself one of the chip leaders in the field.  Some other players to join since the first break include: Victor Figeuroa, Anthony Ruberto, Loni Harwood, Ian O'Hara, and Jerry Wong.

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Cruz Goes From First...To Worst...And Back To First

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 10 (Blinds 500/1,000/200)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 90

Francis Cruz (Dominican Republic) has over $74,000 in tournament cashes, but most of them have come outside of the continental U.S. (Panama, Dominican Republic).

Francis Cruz (Dominican Republic) watched as two players limped before him, and decided to raise action up to 3,200 (this was the final hand in Level 9).  He would get called in three spots, with the four players peering down as the dealer spread a flop of A♥ K♦ 9♦.  The player in the small blind led for 3,000, and after a fold from Skip McDonough, one of the other original limpers shoved for 13,800.  Cruz just flatted the all-in, with the player in the small blind (and original bettor) folding.

When the cards were tabled, it would be Cruz's K♣ K♠ (top set), against the A♦ 5♦ (top pair and flush draw) of his opponent.  Francis still had some outs to fade, and in only the blink of an eye, he'd see the J♦ put him in second place.  Cruz reclaimed the lead on the river, after the board paired with the A♠, giving him the win.  

Francis Cruz - 73,000 (73bb)

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Initial Look At Updated Chip Counts From The Field

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 9 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 90

Tony Raimone (Bardonia, NY) has over $15,000 in lifetime earnings, but has yet to have cashed in a tournament here in Florida. With a daughter in college at Boca Raton, it's likely we will hear Raimone's name more often the near future. 

Players are back in their seats from the second break of the day, and the cards are flying once again.  The field is still without a player that's eclipsed the century mark, but there is a group that creeping up to that number.  Tony Raimone (Bardonia, NY) is a New York native, but is currently visiting his daughter, who goes to Florida Atlantic University.  The timing just happened to work out perfectly for Raimone, who entered this afternoon's flight, and now finds himself as one of the leaders in the field.

Jim Stone - 80,000
Oneil McCalla - 80,000
Tony Raimone - 76,000
Thomas Gari - 65,000
Ryan Wilson - 55,000
Tim Kegel - 50,000
Jeffrey Silverstein - 44,000
Jonathan Kramer - 30,000
Scott Levitt - 20,000

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): "Get It In Bad And Win," Kramer Gets Back To Starting Stack

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 8 (Blinds 300/600/75)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 78

Jonathan Kramer (Forest Hills, NY) was likely going to re-enter, but had no problem "getting it in bad, and winning."

Jonathan Kramer (Forest Hills, NY) moved down to Florida (from New York) in 2015, and while his focus was on career work, he still managed to put in hours at the poker table.  After two years in the sunshine, Kramer decided to move back to New York, but it back in town visiting family.  Jonathan jumped into Flight 1C just over an hour ago, but quickly found himself with less than half the starting stack.  After losing a sizable pot to a four-flush runout, Kramer shoved (for less) after a three-bet shove from Zaki Lichaa.

When the cards were tabled, Kramer's Q♠ J♠ would be well behind the A♥ Q♥ of Lichaa, but he'd get the jack-high flop to steal the lead.  Jonathan's hand would hold through the runout, and he'd be back to the 18,000 starting stack.  Kramer is yet another player that's coming off the most successful year of their career, earning just shy of $100,000 in 2017.  He's already booked a 2018 cash, in the $1,100 WPT Deepstacks opener during the most recent Lucky Hearts Poker Open.

Jonathan Kramer - 18,000 (30bb)
Zaki Lichaa - 17,000 (28bb)

Jonathan still has about twenty minutes to improve on his stack, before players head on their second break of the day.  Action will resume in Level 9, with blinds of 400/800/100, and a chip average just over 28,000.  Once the cards are back in the air, we will take our first look at chip counts from the field.

"January $100,000" (Flight 1C): Gari's Going In A Different Direction With his Second Attempt

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 7 (Blinds 250/500/75)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 75

Thomas Gari (Hollywood, FL) was unsuccessful in bagging chips yesterday afternoon, but it off to a great start in this third flight of the event.

Thomas Gari (Hollywood, FL) was featured during Level 4 of yesterday's play, as one of the many notables in the field.  He's now two-for-two in blog coverage, as his second attempt at bagging chips is off to a much better start.  Gari currently sits as one of the early chip leaders in the field, sitting with over 70,000 at the moment.  Some other fast starters in the field are listed below:

Oneil McCalla - 79,000 (158bb)
Ryan Wilson - 58,000 (116bb)

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Checking In On the $2,500 NLH Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD)

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 6 (Blinds 200/400/500)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 65

Paul Balzano (Sunrise, FL) won the $1,500 Isle Open Main Event, and proceeded to head to Las Vegas, winning an $1,100 event during the Deepstack Extravaganza at the Venetian.

The $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD) started just over ninety minutes ago, and is already halfway to the posted guarantee.  There have been (22) entries to this point, of which (18) players now remain.  Listed below are all of the players to have entered the tournament over the course of the first three levels:

Al Gomez

Joshua Hillock

Lucas Pribyl

Brian Hastings

Ido Ashkenazi

Jose Parra

Scott Levitt

Skip McDonough

Ory Hen

Tom Millward

Rodney Moret-Rojas

David Coughlin

Gregory Spinder

Chad Eveslage

Dolphins Powers

Nicholas Calabrese

Paul Balzano

Jeffrey Trudeau

Allan Bieler

Sheldon Gross

John Depersio

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Couples That Play Together...Stay Together

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 56

Sonya Bubulka (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) may not have the same tournament experience that others do in the field, but she has one of the better teachers that any poker player could ask for.

The $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($100,000 GTD) is underway, with action now spread across two tables (13 total entries in Level 1).  One of those entries is Brian Hastings (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), a well known poker pro with over $2,600,000 in live tournament earnings (and countless more online).  Not as well known is his fiancé, Sonya Bubulka (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), who just jumped in the Flight 1C field.

We've seen Sonya watching Brian at final tables in the past, but this is the first we are seeing her in action.  She does have one recorded tournament result on Hendon Mob, coming back in 2015, during the WSOP Europe ($550 No Limit Hold'em).  This opening flight ends just after registration closes for the $2,500 Single-Ante, so Bubulka hopes to bag up some chips for Sunday, and then watch her fiancé ship himself a tournament.  Sonya headlines our second group of notables in the Flight 1C field, including the likes of:

Craig Witz
Joseph Mancuso
Dale Smith
Edward Novak
Oneil McCalla
Zaki Lichaa

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Bennett Had Some "Fun," And Now He's Ready For Another Trophy

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 4 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 48

Steven Bennett (Deerfield Beach, FL) had his "fun in the sun" at Hard Rock in December, but now has his sites set on a first trophy win here at the Isle Poker Room.

Steven Bennett (Deerfield Beach, FL) is a Florida tournament veteran, with over $537,000 in lifetime earnings.  He's been recording results since 2012, and just had his third year with earnings over six-figures.  His 2017 ended very strong, with two final table finishes in the "Fun In The Sun" series at Hard Rock, one of which was a trophy win.  Bennett headed a six-way deal that ended the $250 No Limit Hold'em Event #1, which was worth $15,133.  Just three days later, he'd once again reach a $250 No Limit Hold'em final table (Event #4), finishing in third place for $4,088.

Steven have seven career tournament wins, of his (149) total recorded results, but is still searching for his first major title here at the Isle Poker Room.  Bennett was one of the first entries into this Flight 1C field, joining a group of "early birds:"

Eric Piderit
Dmitry Agrachov
Jeffrey Silverstein
Joseph Marchese
Tim Kegel
Frank Scala

Players will be taking their first break at the end of this level, returning to Level 5, and new blinds of 100/200/25.

"January $100,000 II" (Flight 1C): Official Chip Counts From Flight 1A-Flight 1B

"January $100,000 II"
$250 No Limit Hold'em | $100,000 GTD
Level 3 (Blinds 75/150/25)
Total Flight 1C Entries: 43