Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): Entering Final Level Of Play...For Final Main Event Opening Day

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/2,000)
Total Day 1D Entries: 74
Day 1D Players Remaining: 23

The tournament clock just transitioned to Level 12, which is the final scheduled level of play for Day 1A.  There are currently (16) players remaining in the field, but with players busting out (and players still entering, that number may change by the bagging process).  Once the action has concluded for the day, and the bags have been packed with chips, we will post the official chip counts from the Day 1A.

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): Updated Chip Counts After Final Break, Coming Down The Homestretch

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/1,200)
Total Day 1D Entries: 74
Day 1D Players Remaining: 32

Players are back from their final break of the day, and have three scheduled levels remaining in the flight.  Posted below, are updated chip counts from the field, tallied during the period that players were away from the tables:

Mihaly Lukacs - 200,000

TJ Prystal - 190,000

Jeff Trudeau - 170,000

Cory Blum - 115,000

Bruno Fortin - 115,000

Kobi Ribak - 100,000

Juan Mubarak - 100,000

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): Notables Remaining In The Day 1D Field

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/1,000)
Total Day 1D Entries: 74
Day 1D Players Remaining: 33

Sean Sean (Delray Beach, FL) arrived late, but is still sitting with a manageable stack, just a few nice pots away from average.

Players are about to head on their final break of Day 1D, returning to finish out the remaining three scheduled levels (bagging process begins after Level 12).  The field is now down to four tables, with the following notables still alive:

Nancy Birnbaum
Carey Pickus
Jaime Wiegrefe
Jonathan Marcu
Bruno Fortin
AJ Gambino
Eric Rivkin
Keith Nassetta
Scott Zakheim
Kobi Ribak
Ory Hen
Juan  Mubarak
Jeff Trudeau

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): Mihaly Lukacs Spins It Up In Two Hands, Now The Day 1D Chip Leader

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/800)
Total Day 1D Entries: 71
Day 1D Players Remaining: 41

Mihaly Lukacs (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) has just over $4,400 in lifetime earnings, but is now in position to potentially add a nice amount to that number, heading to the final break as the Day 1D chip leader.

It only took two hands for Mihaly Lukacs (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) to go from "another player in the crowd," to Day 1D chip leader.  After six players limped for 800 at Table 1 (including Lukacs), the player in the small blind raised to 2,400.  Not a single player folded, as seven hands would see a flop of A♣ 2♠ 9♣.  Surprisingly, the flop would get checked around, and the same seven players watched as the dealer placed the K♣ on the turn.  

The original raiser then jumped into action, leading out for 4,500, with four players folding to Lukacs.  Mihaly just flatted, and watched as Jeff Trudeau raised to 20,000, sending the unknown player in the small blind deep into the tank.  After about two minutes, he'd eventually fold, with Mihaly making the call.  The board completed with the Q♠ on the river, with Mihaly shoving his remaining 17,000.  Trudeau quickly folded, and Lukacs scooped up the 75,000 pot.

The very next hand, Mihaly would double up with J♠ J♥, having made a full house against an opponents trips. He now has close to 225,000, and is the overwhelming Day 1D chip leader.

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): Updated Chip Counts At The Day 1D Midway Point

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/600)
Total Day 1D Entries: 70
Day 1D Players Remaining: 43

Players are almost thirty minutes removed from their second break of the day, which signified the midway point of Day 1D.  Bruno Fortin still holds the chip lead, as a small group of players find themselves on the brink of eclipsing 100,000.  Updated chip counts from the beginning of Level 7 are posted below:

Bruno Foritn - 115,000 (191bb)

Michel Dubreuil - 95,000 (158bb)

TJ Prustal - 90,000 (150bb)

Joseph Duchman - 85,000 (141bb)

David Schumel - 80,000 (133bb)

Marc Sacheli - 80,000 (133bb)

Richard Rice - 70,000 (116bb)

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): It's Never Too Late To Join The Action, Fresh Faces Joining The Field

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 6 (Blinds 300/500/500)
Total Day 1D Entries: 64

The pace of entry has picked up in the last few hours, as players want to give themselves the opportunity to bag chips for tomorrow, with the Day 2 buy-in option a last resort.

Even though players have the option to wait until tomorrow to join the action (with the "prior to" Day 2 buy-in), we are seeing some notables give themselves a late chance to bag more than the starting stack.  Steve Karp (Miami, FL) already has an Isle Poker Main Event final table this year, finishing ninth in the Florida State Poker Championships headlining tournament ($14,550).  Karp has cashed in two events since, including the Card Player Poker Tour Main Event ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em).  With over $1,527,000 in lifetime earnings, Steve is someone to keep an eye on in any tournament he enters. 

Some other late arrivals to this Day 1D field include:

Ryan Gianquitti

Erik Nomberg

Sean Shah

Dennis Rodriguez

Joseph Dutchman

Vito Polera

Jaime Wiegrefe

Kobi Ribak

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): Isle Poker Classic Main Event Eclipses $200,000 Guarantee, Bruno Fortin Early Day 1D Chip Leader

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/400)
Total Day 1D Entries: 61

The Day 1D field now has (61) entries, and a prize fund of $59,780, which puts us above the $200,000 posted guarantee for the event.  The number is just going to grow as the evening plays on, with even more entries joining the action tomorrow afternoon (as registration stays open until the first Day 2 hand is dealt, at 12:00pm).  

Bruno Fortin (Quebec, Canada) currently leads the field, and is the only player to have eclipsed the century mark.  Bruno has over $38,000 in lifetime tournament earnings, including one final table finish here at the Isle (in a recurring tournament last year).   

Updated chip counts from the Day 1D field are listed below:

Bruno Fortin - 105,000 (262bb)

Manny Amaro - 75,000 (187bb)

Chris Howard - 70,000 (175bb)

Alice Zheng - 60,000 (150bb)

Nancy Birnbaum - 60,000 (150bb)

Eric Rivkin - 55,000 (137bb)

Brian Hastings - 55,000 (137bb)

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): Nassetta Makes The Shift To Two Cards...And Tournaments (For Today At Least)

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 4 (Blinds 200/300/300)
Total Day 1D Entries: 44

Keith Nassetta (Boca Raton, FL) doesn't play tournaments much, but he has recorded some nice results this year, and looks to add one last five-figure score over the next (48) hours.

The high stakes PLO cash game has been pretty lucrative over the past few days, so Keith Nassetta's focus has been primarily on that.  Without a game this afternoon, Nassetta is shifting his focus to two cards...and tournament.  Because of Keith's schedule (owning a business), tournaments just aren't something he has a lot of time for, so his volume year to year is light.  That being said, Keith does has some nice results this year, totaling a combined $48,594 in cashes.  His largest cash came earlier in the year, when he finished 34th place in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event at the PCA ($25,400).  Keith later chopped up Event #1 of the Card Player Poker Tour ($360 No Limit Hold'em) for $11,174, and most recently, min-cash the Party Poker Caribbean Main Event ($10,300).

While tournaments may not be Keith's top option on a daily basis, they are for some of the listed notables in today's field:

Scott Efron

Harry O'Brien

Ory Hen

Bruno Fortin

Jeff Trudeau

David Oshry

Richard Rice

Jose Parra

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): "We The North," Rivkin Another Player Representing The Northeast

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/200)
Total Day 1D Entries: 44

Eric Rivkin (East Hampton, NY) has to feel good about this initial entry into the Isle Poker Classic Main Event, considering he won the seat in yesterday's $250 NLH satellite.

Just like Mitchell Mantin a few days ago, we have spotted another player in the main event field, who calls the Northeast home.  Eric Rivkin (East Hampton, NY) does spend a lot of his time traveling around the tournament circuit, but calls New York home.  Stop us if you've heard this before...but Eric is another player that can say he's in the midst of his best year of tournament poker.  Eric has over $204,000 in recorded results this year, thanks in part to his six-figure score during the WPT series at Choctaw.  Rivkin took down Event #30 of the series, which was a $350 No Limit Hold'em event, that attracted a field of 2,746 entries (and a prize pool of $759,586).  There were no deals made, as Rivkin won the event outright, collecting $131,074 for his efforts.  Eric now has over $908,000 in lifetime earnings, and a creeping close to the milestone mark of $1,000,000 lifetime.

Rivkin headlines the first look at notables in this Day 1D field, joining:

Robert Transue

Elliot Goldman

Mitchell Mantin

Riley Fuller

Scott Zakheim

Oscar Vlades

Marc Sacheli

Ofer Peleg

Joseph Levitt

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): Official Day 2 Chip Counts (Day 1A-Day 1C)

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 2 (Blinds 100/100/100)
Total Day 1D Entries: 33

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1D): Final Opening Day Of Isle Poker Classic Main Event Now Underway

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 1 (Blinds 100/100)
Total Day 1D Entries: N/A

Three opening days of the Isle Poker Classic $1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event have been completed, with just one remaining.  To this point of the tournament, there have been a combined total of (162) entries, of which (40) players have bagged chips for tomorrow's Day 2.  The tournament's prize pool enters Day 1D at $158,760, and will likely eclipse the posted number this afternoon (of $200,000).

The first hand of Day 1D was dealt just moments ago, with the structure mirroring that of the past three days.  Players sit down to starting stacks of 30,000 units, play levels that last (40) minutes, and have the option to register throughout the entire flight (with registration staying open until the first hand is dealt tomorrow afternoon).

Official chip counts from the first three flights will be posted shortly, followed by the first live blogged update from the Day 1D field. 

Sunday, December 9th: Final Opening Day For Event #7, As The Prize Pool Eclipses The Posted $200,000 Gaurantee

ICYMI: Saturday's tournament slate was headlined by the third opening day of Event #7 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em Isle Poker Classic Main Event $200,000 GTD), which ended up being the largest of the three to have been played.  Day 1C reached the bagging process with (58) entries, of which (14) players bagged chips for tomorrow's Day 2 (Monday).  Albert Rodriguez (236,500) and Javier Sarache (226,000) bagged the top two stacks, and were the only players of the group to eclipse the 200,000 mark.  A full list of Day 1C chip counts is listed below:

Albert	Rodriguez	236,500
Javier	Sarache	226,000
Dimitry	Agrachov	171,000
Michael	Newman	151,500
Jason	Wandling	141,500
Richard	Leger	140,000
Fernando	Halac	126,500
Matthew	Zarcadoolas	116,500
Nicolas	Yunis	95,000
Santana	Noronha	81,500
Elliott	Zaydman	76,000
Ken	Bruno	71,000
Almog	Biton	61,000
Mark	Dube	57,000

The Isle Poker Classic Main Event now has a combined field of (162) entries, which equates to a prize pool of $158,760.  There are (40) players scheduled to return for tomorrow's Day 2, but that number will grow, as today hosts the final opening day of the tournament.  

Tournaments: Today's slate begins at 10:00am, with a $250 No Limit Hold'em Satellite into Event #7 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em $200,000 GTD).  The satellite is structured with 15,000 units, (20) minute levels, and registration that is open through Level 8.  For every five entries into the satellite, a seat will be awarded into the Isle Poker Classic Main Event.  

At 2:00pm, the final opening day of Event #7 gets underway (Day 1C).  The main event is structured with 30,000 unit starting stacks, (40) minute levels (on Day 1, transitioning to 50 on Day 2), and registration that is open through Level 12.  While each of the starting days are scheduled to end at Level 12, registration stays open through 12:00pm on Day 2, closing when the first hand is dealt on Monday.

At 5:00pm, the Isle Poker Classic returns, with Event #8 ($150 No Limit Hold'em "Turbo Bounty" $4,000 GTD).  The Sunday staple is structured with 20,000 unit starting stacks, (15) minute levels, and registration that is open through Level 10.

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.

10:00am - $250 No Limit Hold'em Satellite Into Isle Poker Classic Event #7 ($1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event $200,000 GTD)

- Players start with 15,000 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 (20) minutes

2:00pm - 2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7) | $1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event ($200,000 GTD) Day 1D

- Players start with 30,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (12) levels, including before the first hand is dealt on Day 2

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels 1-12 will last (40) minutes, Levels 12+ will last (50) minutes

5:00pm - 2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #8) | $150 No Limit Hold'em "Turbo Bounty" $4,000 GTD

- Players start with 20,000 in tournament chips

- Late and re-entries for the first (10) levels

- Alternates and late entries will start with a full stack

- Levels will last (15) minutes

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1C): Official End Of Day 1C Chip Counts

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 12 (Blinds 500/1,000/1,000)
Total Day 1C Entries: 58
Day 1C Players Remaining: 14

Albert	Rodriguez	236,500
Javier	Sarache	226,000
Dimitry	Agrachov	171,000
Michael	Newman	151,500
Jason	Wandling	141,500
Richard	Leger	140,000
Fernando	Halac	126,500
Matthew	Zarcadoolas	116,500
Nicolas	Yunis	95,000
Santana	Noronha	81,500
Elliott	Zaydman	76,000
Ken	Bruno	71,000
Almog	Biton	61,000
Mark	Dube	57,000

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1C): Updated Chip Counts From The Day 1C Field

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/1,000)
Total Day 1C Entries: 50
Day 1C Players Remaining: 25

Day 1C players just started Level 9, with new blinds of 500/1,000/1,000, with the final break of the evening to follow.  Once play resumes in Level 10, there will be three scheduled levels remaining, with the bagging process to begin after Level 12.  Updated chip counts from the Day 1C field are listed below (tallied at the end of Level 8):

Richard Rice - 160,000 (160bb)

Fernando Halac - 150,000 (150bb)

Jose Parra - 130,000 (130bb)

Dmitry Agrachov - 125,000 (125bb)

Santana Noronha - 110,000 (110bb)

Jason Wandling - 100,000 (100bb)

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1C): List Of Remaining Players In The Day 1C Field

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/800)
Total Day 1C Entries: 50
Day 1C Players Remaining: 27

The Day 1C field has now grown to (50) entries, of which (27) players remain active across the tournament floor.  Listed below, are the seating assignments for the four Day 1C tables that are left (with updated chip counts from the field to follow):

Table 1

1. AJ Gambino
2. Richard Leger
3. Chad Eveslage
4. Michael Newman
5. Fernando Halac
6. Mark Dube

Table 3

1. Michael Kopjanski
2. Richard Rice
3. Raj Nasta
4. Joseph Couden
5. Javier Sarache
6. Kenneth Bruno
7. Nagui Yassa

Table 4

1. Almog Biton
2. Matthew Zarcadoolas
3. Elliot Zaydman
4. Jason Wandling
5. Ido Ashkenazi
6. Santana Noronha
7. Jake Risticli

Table 9

1. Jose Parra
2. Nick Yunis
3. Albert Rodriguez
4. Raymond Millard
5. Dmitry Agrachov
6. Alex Funes
7. Kyle Carino

Isle Poker Classic Event #7 (Day 1C): Ido Ashkenazi Continues His Great Form, Can Win Back-To-Back Isle Main Events

2018 Isle Poker Classic (Event #7)
$1,100 No Limit Hold'em Main Event
$200,000 GTD
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/400)
Total Day 1C Entries: 40

Ido Ashkenazi (Davie, FL) would like to assure himself a return for Day 2 (buy finding a bag), and the possibility at back-to-back titles.

So we promise, not every player that enters these Isle Poker Classic events is in the midst of their best year of tournament poker...but it surely seems that way.  Ido Ashkenazi (Davie, FL) entered 2018 with just over $525,000 in lifetime earnings, and an already impressive tournament resume.  When a player has reached the half-million mark in lifetime earnings, it's tough to continue with "standout" years.  

Ashkenazi managed to do just that though, as he has amassed 2018 earnings of $322,441.  Ido's year has been highlighted by two special results: a 6th place finish in the $5,250 No Limit Hold'em SHRPO Championship ($156,215), and a title win during the Isle Open $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Main Event ($70,550).

Ido is the only player in the field who is alive for back-to-back Isle Poker Main Event titles, a feat that would make him an Isle Poker "legend."