$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): Updated Chip Counts From The Flight 1E Field

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/1,200)

Total Flight 1E Entries: 103

Flight 1E Players Remaining: 38

Players are now a level removed from the registration break, with action spread across tournament tables.  Listed below, are some of the top stacks from the remaining Flight 1E field:

Ian Cohen - 150,000 (125bb)

Lawrence Smith - 140,000 (116bb)

Rafael Perez - 135,000 (112bb)

Craig Witz - 105,000 (87bb)

Harry Eisenberg - 95,000 (79bb)

Karin Powsner - 75,000 (62bb)

Kris Villanueva - 65,000 (54bb)

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): First Flight To Eclipse The Century Mark, Overall Prize Pool Now Over $40,000

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/1,000)

Total Flight 1E Entries: 103

Flight 1E Players Remaining: 46

With the first hand of Level 9 being dealt just a few minutes ago, registration for Flight 1E is now officially closed.  The fifth (of eight) flight attracted (103) total entries, of which (46) players still remain active in the field.  The $11,639 from this flight now brings the overall prize pool to $40,454, and makes reaching the guarantee tonight, a realistic possibility.

Updated chip counts from the field will be posted at the beginning of Level 10.

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): Featured Players Experiencing A Little "Blog Run Good"

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/800)

Total Flight 1E Entries: 97

Kristopher Villanueva (North Olmstead, OH) has continued to trend in the right direction since being featured on the blog, along with both Ian Cohen, and Craig Witz.

There is a select group of players (very superstitious players) that believe there is such thing as a "blog curse."  They are featured on the blog for one reason or another (notables, winning big hand, possible chip leader), and immediately afterwards, lose a big pot (or a significant portion of their stack).  While we all know there is no such thing as a "blog curse," it's a wonder players don't speak of the "blog run good."

Of the four players to have been featured in today's coverage, three of them are currently holding top five stacks, led by Kristopher Villanueva (who has close to 170,000).  Ian Cohen has eclipsed the century mark, and Craig Witz is on his way to doing the same thing.

Level 8 just started moments ago, and will be the final level with open registration.  There will be a (10) minute break at it's conclusion, and once the cards are in the air for Level 9, open registration for Flight 1E will be closed.  Official numbers from the flight will then be posted, followed by our second look at updated chip counts from the field. 

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): Cohen Quickly Climbs The Leaderboard, As Dream Flop Leads To Nice Pot

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/600)

Total Flight 1E Entries: 93

Ian Cohen (Las Vegas, NV) has seven tournament wins here at the Isle Poker Room, including a Battles At The Beach, and Florida State Poker Championship trophy.

Table 1 was passed at the conclusion of a hand between Ian Cohen and Jose Garcia, with Cohen the beneficiary of a close to 80,000 pot.  The final board read 5♦ 7♣ 3♣ 2♣ K♥, with Cohen having held 6♣ 8♣ (combo draw), against Garcia's 3♠ 3♦ (bottom set).   It was a cooler for Garcia, who sat with a blank stare, as the dealer cut down both player's stacks.  Once those proceedings were done, Cohen would clean up a pile of chips worth 79,000, while Garcia dipped down to below the starting stack.

Ian Cohen - 79,000 (131bb)

Jose Garcia - 17,000 (28bb)

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): So New...We Got His First Name Wrong, But Kristopher Vllanueva Is No Longer A Stranger

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 6 (Blinds 300/500/500)

Total Flight 1E Entries: 89

Kristopher Villanueva (North Olmstead, OH) is looking to take his talents to South Florida, after putting together an impressive resume in the Tampa area, over the last two years.

While collecting chip counts from the field, one of the faces wasn't recognizable, so he offered up a license when asked his name.  The wrong first name was written down and listed (as Joseph Villanueva), but we were informed after break, that his correct name is Kristopher Villanueva (North Olmstead, OH).  Once learning the correct name, we then quickly researched his Hendon Mob resume...and Kris can no longer fly under the radar.  Since relocating to the Tampa-area in 2018, Villanueva has quickly amassed tournament earnings of $82,263, including a $16,400 win just two weeks ago, during a $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) at Derby Lane.  

Kris also has a major title to his name, winning the $560 No Limit Hold'em "Labor Day Weekend" event at Tampa Hard Rock (which had a $100,000 guarantee).  Villanueva was awarded the lion's share of a deal, taking home $35,987 for first, with second place taking $15,806 (it's something you'll rarely see happen in the tournament community).

Villanueva is now one of the chip leaders in the Flight 1E field, and can no longer fly under the radar in this flight.

Kristopher Villanueva - 80,000 (160bb)

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): Early Updated Chip Counts From The Flight 1E Field

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/400)

Total Flight 1E Entries: 80

Players have now returned from their first break of the day, and are posting new blinds of 200/400, with a 400 big blind ante.  Registration is open for another four levels, and will close after the conclusion of the next break (after Level 8).  Listed below, are some updated chip counts from the Flight 1E field:

Michael Spadafore - 52,000 (130bb)

Kristopher Villanueva - 45,000 (112bb)

Donald Williams - 44,000 (110bb)

Robert Makuski - 38,000 (95bb)

Blaine McRae - 37,000 (92bb)

Craig Witz - 37,000 (92bb)

Ian Cohen - 36,000 (90bb)

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): Everyone Wants To "Run Like Pedro"

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 4 (Blinds 200/300/300)

Total Flight 1E Entries: 70

Pedro Palacio (Coconut Creek, FL) is just one of many notables in today's Flight 1E field, hoping to bag chips this afternoon, and get a well deserved day off.

Pedro Palacio (Coconut Creek, FL) is another notable in today's field, that likes to frequent all of the poker rooms in the South Florida area.  While he dabbles in cash games, his specialty is tournaments, a poker platform that he's seen a lot of success.  Palacio has over $400,000 in lifetime tournament earnings, all won in the past five years (he recorded his first result in 2014).  A little but of run good is needed for any poker player to be successful, and Pedro has managed to experience the better side of variance in some critical spots over his years.  It gives other players the impression that he's "lucky," which is just a tiny part of his game.  Pedro is a student of the game (who has put in tons of hours), and can only smile and laugh, when others say that they want to "run like Pedro."

Part of "running like Pedro" is putting yourself in low variance/high equity spots, which he's no stranger to doing...and hopes to do this afternoon.   Palacio headlines the second look at notables in the crowd, joining the likes of:

Arie Ben-Mayor

Garry Fitzgerald

Harry Eisenberg

Donald Williams

Michael Boykin

Stanton Drazen

Jeffrey Goodman

Lesley Cutler

Players will be taking their first break of the day at the end of this level, returning to Level 5, and new blinds of 200/400/400.  Once the cards are back in the air, we will take a first look at updated chip counts from the field.

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): Coming Off "Monster Stack" Final Table Run At WSOPC, Craig Witz Joins The Flight 1E Action

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/200)

Total Flight 1E Entries: 62

Craig Witz (Hollywood, FL) had a very real shot at getting his hand on a WSOP Circuit ring earlier this week, but fell short of the ultimate goal.

Craig Witz (Hollywood, FL) is a tournament notable here at the Isle Poker Room, and while we would like to see him play every tournament here (just like all of our other notables), there are other venues and tournament he frequents.  When our notables travel around to play, we wish nothing but success, and never forget to highlight their accolades here on the blog.

Witz most recently ran deep in Event #8 of the WSOP Circuit at Coconut Creek ($400 No Limit Hold'em "Monster Stack"), reaching the tournament's final table.  With $37,914 up top, Craig had the opportunity to grab a career best cash, but ended up bowing out in 9th place (which was worth $2,830).  He is another player that decided to bypass the Main Event at Coconut Creek, and is hoping to find a nice score in this $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) event.  It's likely that first place in this tournament will be above the $10,287 mark that Witz is looking to eclipse (his largest tournament cash), so he'll gladly take some of that recent run good over the next few days.

Some other notables in the field early this afternoon include:

Ian Cohen

Karin Powsner

Zaki Lichaa

Joel Lumpkins

Bruce Klein

Allan Steinberg

Blaine McRae

Domingo Santo

Peter Bedard

Alan Levin

Robert Chusid

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): Official Day 2 Chip Counts (Flight 1A-Flight 1D)

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 2 (Blinds 100/200)

Total Flight 1E Entries: 48

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1E): Saturday's Action Expected To Bring Out Largest Fields Yet, Flight 1E To Get Underway In Moments

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 1 (Blinds 100/100)

Total Flight 1E Entries: N/A

We are officially stepping across the halfway point of the $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD), as four flights have been completed, and four remain...with Flight 1E to begin in just a few moments.  The event is already on pace to eclipse the $50,000 guarantee, and depending on how today's flights pan out, we may be looking at a pretty eye-popping final number.

To this point of the tournament, there have been (255) total entries, of which (28) players have bagged chips for Monday's Day 2.  Kenneth Berman, who bagged the Flight 1C chip lead (yesterday afternoon), currently sits atop the overall leaderboard (with a stack of 450,000).  The $28,815 prize pool is already halfway to the posted number, with the remaining flights needing to average (47) entries to eclipse the $50,000 mark.  

Flight 1E players are about ready to get things started, sitting down to their stacks of 20,000 units.  Levels for the day will last (30) minutes, with registration open through Level 8 (and the ten minute break that follows).  A full list of Day 2 chip counts will be posted to start today's coverage, followed by a look at some of the notables in the early afternoon field. 

Saturday, February 16th: Big Numbers Expected, As The $150 No Limit Hold'em $50,000 GTD Continues To Impress

ICYMI: Yesterday's schedule hosted the second pair of starting flights for the $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD), with the numbers trending in the "right" direction.  The two flights attracted a total of (141) entries, with (74) in Flight 1C, and (67) in Flight 1D.  From that combined total, (16) players bagged chips for Monday's Day 2, led by Kenneth Berman.  His Flight 1C chip leading stack of 450,000 was the largest we've seen to that point in the tournament, and still stands atop the Day 2 counts, after Donna Papa-Yacobellis bagged the Flight 1D lead with 402,000.

At the midway point of the event, the $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) now has a total of (255) entries, of which (28) players are scheduled to return for Day 2.  The current prize pool of $28,815 well ahead of pace needed to reach the guarantee, with the largest flights expected over the next (48) hours.  

Tournaments: The $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) continues today, with the third pair of flights, as well as a satellite for the event.  The action begins at 11:00am, with Flight 1E of the $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD), which is the third of eight total flights.  The structure for the flight sees players sit down to starting stacks of 20,000 units, playing levels that last (30) minutes, and registration that is open through Level 8.

At 3:00pm, players can choose to take lesser expensive routes into the weekend's event, with a $40 No Limit Hold'em Satellite, guaranteeing five seats into the $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD).  The satellite is structured with 10,000 unit starting stacks, (15) minute levels, and registration that is open through Level 8.

The second flight (Flight 1F) then gets underway at 6:00pm, carrying the same structure as the afternoon flight before it (20,000 unit starting stacks, (30) minute levels, and registration through Level 8).

Promotions: The high hands will run from 9:00am-12:00am, with the opportunity to win $400 every (30) minutes.  During that period, the promotion sees tournament players eligible 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.  

It should also be noted that 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).

From 12:00am-3:00am, the high hand will be awarded $100 every (60) minutes.

11:00am - $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) Flight 1E

- 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

- Levels will last (30) minutes

3:00pm - $40 No Limit Hold'em Satellite Into $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) 5 Seats GTD

- Players start with 10,000 in tournament chips

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

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (15) minutes

6:00pm - $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) Flight 1F

- 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

- Levels will last (30) minutes

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1D): Official End Of Flight 1D Chip Counts

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 16 (Blinds 3,000/5,000/5,000)

Total Flight 1D Entries: 67

Flight 1D Players Remaining: 7

Donna	Papa-Yacobellis	402,000
Kemball	Grant	282,000
Charles	Simon	256,000
Avi	Hakmon	143,000
Brett	Kelly	110,000
Juan	Reyes	77,000
Robert	Transue	71,000

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Official End Of Flight 1C Chip Counts

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 16 (Blinds 3,000/5,000/5,000)

Total Flight 1C Entries: 74

Flight 1C Players Remaining: 9

Ken	Berman	450,000
Michael	Gariepy	282,000
Solange	Lucas	152,000
Joe	Gale	144,000
Andrew	Daire	115,000
Christina	Cadbury Feldman	110,000
Allen	Stern	89,000
Tim	Shane	73,000
Yi	Ding	66,000

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Entering Final Level Of Flight 1C Play, Official Chip Counts To Follow

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 16 (Blinds 3,000/5,000/5,000)

Total Flight 1C Entries: 74

Flight 1C Players Remaining: 10

The tournament clock just transitioned over to Level 16, with players now posting blinds of 3,000/5,000, along with a 5,000 big blind ante.  The is the last scheduled level of the flight, with play to wrap up at it's conclusion, unless the 10% mark is reached beforehand.  If the field gets down to (8) players, the clock will be paused at that time, and the bagging process will begin.  Regardless of when Flight 1C ends, the official chip counts will be posted as soon as they are made official.

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Previewing The March Tournament Calendar (With A Look At The 2019 Battles At The Beach Schedule)

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/4,000)

Total Flight 1C Entries: 74

Flight 1C Players Remaining: 14

We are only days away from the release of both the March Tournament Calendar, and the schedule for the 2019 Battles At The Beach.  Posted above, is a "blog followers" only preview of the March Tournament Calendar, which has not been made "official" just yet (meaning there could be changes to what you see).  The month begins with a $140 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) over it's first weekend, but is highlighted by the Battles At The Beach series, which runs form March 17th through April 3rd.  The Battle's Main Event is a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em ($300,000 GTD), that runs from March 29th through April 3rd.  

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Seating Assignments For Remaining Pair Of Tables

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 14 (Blinds 2,000/3,000/3,000)

Total Flight 1C Entries: 74

Flight 1C Players Remaining: 18

Level 14 began moments ago, with the blinds going up to 2,000/3,000, and a 3,000 big blind ante. Listed below, are the table lineups for Table 1 and Table 2, which are the remaining active tables in the Flight 1C field:

Table 1

1. Alan Bieler
2. Hao Lang
3. Steve Bromfield
4. Jacques Gravel
5. Jordan Kasimow
6. Joe Gale
7. Dorene Menezes
8. Kenneth Berman
9. Alan Stern

Table 3

1. Solange Lucas
2. Gary Fitzgerald
3. Michel Gariepy
4. Patrick Lacoste
5. Christina Cadbury-Feldman
6. Yi Ding
7. Andrew Daire
8. Tim Shane
9. Brenda Nelson

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Top Five Stacks After The Final Flight 1C Break

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 13 (Blinds 1,500/2,500/2,500)

Total Flight 1C Entries: 74
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 22

Players have returned from their final break of the night, and are now posting blinds of 1,500/2,500, with a 2,500 big blind ante. Listed below, are updated counts from the field, tallied just before Level 13 got underway:

Michel Gariepy - 140,000 (56bb)

Gary Fitzgerald - 120,000 (48bb)

Alan Stern - 115,000 (46bb)

Dorene Menezes - 110,000 (44bb)

Kenneth Berman - 100,000 (40bb)

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1C): After Coming Within Arms Length Of A Title, Gary Fitzgerald Looking To Make Another Deep Run

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/2,000)

Total Flight 1C Entries: 74
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 22

Gary Fitzgerald (Miami, FL) is trying continue his run good, just like Zachary Mullennix did, after beating him heads-up to win the $360 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) earlier this month.

As the old adage says, "It's not how you start, but how you finish."  Just two weeks ago, Gary Fitzgerald came into Day 2 of the $360 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) 30th in chips, of the (34) total players that returned.  One would almost write his stack off (compared to the rest), and consider making the money a good run for Fitzgerald.  He would end up surpassing all expectations, finding himself heads-up against Zachary Mullennix, just one elimination away from winning the event (and $15,515).  His dream run would end with a second place finish, which happened to be his largest ever tournament cash ($9,770).

While it's a great story to tell, Fitzgerald is trying to better his position for Day 2 of this event, and looks to be doing a good job.  He currently the chip leader as Level 12 begins, with players heading on their final break in less than thirty minutes.  Once play resumes, we will take a final look at updated chip counts from the Flight 1C field.

Gary Fitzgerald - 185,000 (92bb)

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Last Flight 1C Entry Doesn't Waste Anytime Getting Involved

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/1,600)

Total Flight 1C Entries: 74
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 26

Dorene Menezes (Westport, MA) decided to bypass the first eight levels of the day, and has waned no time acclimating herself to her new surroundings at Table 3.

Of the (74) entries in the Flight 1C field, Dorene Menezes (Westport, MA) was the final player to join the action, sitting down with seconds remaining in the registration break.  She had a neighbor at the table break down one of her four yellow chips (5,000 denomination), and got ready to receive her first hand.  Since then, she has been one of the most active players at her table (Table 3), and increased her stack by more than double.  

Menezes has $4,171 in lifetime tournament earnings, which includes a career best score that came here at the Isle Poker Room.  Just under a year ago, Menezes took runner-up honors in a $100 No Limit Hold'em (recurring) event, which saw her earn $1,135.  Dorene looks like she is on a mission this afternoon, as she tries continue the spin of her 20,000 unit starting stack.

Dorene Menezes - 57,000 (35bb)

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Updated Chip Counts From The Flight 1C Field

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/1,200)

Total Flight 1C Entries: 74
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 32

Players are now a level removed from the registration break, with action spread across three tournament tables.  Listed below, are some of the top stacks from the remaining Flight 1C field:

Alan Stern - 122,000 (101bb)

Jordan Kasimow - 110,000 (91bb)

Christina Cadbury-Feldman - 110,000 (91bb)

Daniel Wayson - 105,000 (87bb)

Gary Fitzgerald - 82,000 (68bb)

Hao Lang - 65,000 (54bb)

Allan Bieler - 50,000 (41bb)

Andrew Daire - 47,000 (39bb)

Stuart Greenbaum - 43,000 (35bb)

Gili Prizament - 40,000 (33bb)

$150 NLH $50,000 GTD (Flight 1C): Registration Closed For Flight 1C, The Official Numbers Are In

$150 No Limit Hold'em

$50,000 GTD

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/1,000)

Total Flight 1C Entries: 74
Flight 1C Players Remaining: 35

Registration for Flight 1C of the $150 No Limit Hold'em ($50,000 GTD) is now closed, with the tournament continuing to trend in the right direction..  There are currently (35) players remaining, from a total of (74) entries.  The $8,362 prize pool from this flight brings the overall number to $14,916, with the guarantee to likely be surpassed during Saturday's action.

Updated chip counts from the field will be posted to start Level 10, as the landscape of the leaderboard really begins to take shape.