$300 Jason Taylor Foundation Charity Event
Level 18: 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante
Players Remaining: 8 of 124

Jason Taylor was responsible for Nick Sortal’s eighth-place elimination.

$300 Jason Taylor Foundation Charity Event
Level 17: 5,000/10,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 124

Niall Farrell was relieved of most of his chips at the hands of Kory Swekla, when the latter’s out-flopped Farrell’s .

On the next hand, Farrell got his short stack in with against Swekla’s pocket kings. Shannon Shorr committed his own short stack with jack-high, and the board ran out in Swekla’s favor to earn him the double knockout.

Farrell began the hand with slightly more chips, so he was awarded the higher finishing position.

$300 Jason Taylor Foundation Charity Event
Level 16: 4,000/8,000 with a 1,000 ante
Players Remaining: 10 of 124

Right near the tail end of Level 16, the field was reduced to ten players, setting the final table. Jason Taylor is among the final ten, and he’s the man to beat this evening Here’s how he and the rest of the finalists stack up:

Seat 1: Jessica Dawley – 253,000
Seat 2: Amir Babakhani – 80,000
Seat 3: Kory Swekla – 36,000
Seat 4: John Virga – 300,000
Seat 5: Shannon Shorr – 38,000
Seat 6: Nick Sortal – 49,000
Seat 7: Jason Taylor – 250,000
Seat 8: Thomas Albaugh Jr. – 78,000
Seat 9: Andy Slater – 76,000
Seat 10: Niall Farrell – 74,000

$300 Jason Taylor Foundation Charity Event
Level 12: 1,000/2,000 with a 300 ante
Players Remaining: 36 of 124

The 124 entries for this event have raised $17,360 for the Jason Taylor Foundation, putting the same amount for the prizepool, as well. The prizepool will be shared by the final 18 players thusly:

1st: $5,035
2nd: $2,951
3rd: $1,736
4th: $1,389
5th: $1,042
6th: $868
7th: $694
8th: $521
9th: $391
10th-12th: $347
13th-15th: $304
16th-18th: $260

In addition, the following prizes are added for those who make the final table:

1st: $3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship Seat
2nd: Hard Rock Resort Package (Mexico or other destination)
3rd: Party Like a Rock Star Basket – Beach Boys
4th: Party Like a Rock Star Basket – Hendrix Experience
5th: Party Like a Rock Star Basket – War
6th: Party Like a Rock Star Basket – Alonzo Mourning
7th: Hard Rock Goodie Basket & Hotel Experience
8th: Monster Headphones
9th: WPT Chip Set

$300 Jason Taylor Foundation Charity Event
Level 9: 500/1,000 with a 100 ante
Entries: 124

$300 Jason Taylor Foundation Charity Event
Level 9: 500/1,000 with a 100 ante
Entries: 124

Registration is closed for this charity event with 124 entries on the board. The numbers are still being finalized by the tournament staff, but it looks like more than $17,000 will have been raised for the Jason Taylor Foundation from the prizepool alone.

The prizepool and the list of silent auction winner will be published shortly.

$300 Jason Taylor Foundation Charity Event
Level 8: 400/800 with a 100 ante
Entries: 119

This event is being run cooperatively between the WPT Foundation and the Jason Taylor Foundation, and the WPT family has come out in support this evening.

In addition to the staff and talent, there are a couple WPT Champions Club members in the house, as well.

$300 Jason Taylor Foundation Charity Event
Level 4: 100/200 with a 25 ante
Entries: 95

Level 4 begins, and the field has grown to nearly 100 entries. Apart from the man of the hour, Jason Taylor, a number of other sports celebrities are in the house this evening.

ESPN personalities Israel Gutierrez and Dan LeBetard both turned up to show their support for Taylor and his cause.

As much fun as the celebs are having, the poker pros seem to be enjoying this event as much as anyone.

$300 Jason Taylor Foundation Charity Event
Level 1: 25/50
Entries: 72

It’s an exciting night at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. The World Poker Tour and the Jason Taylor Foundation are hosting this $300 charity event, featuring more than $10,000 in added prizes.

According to their website, Taylor’s Foundation was created “to support and create programs that facilitate the personal growth and empowerment of South Florida’s children in need by focusing on improved health care, education and quality of life.”

Taylor, a former NFL player, was given the starting honors, first taking to the mic to thank the players for turning up in support of his foundation. He also thanked Seminole Hard Rock for their help in organizing this, as well as the WPT for sending talent in support of this event.

“Have a good time tonight,” Taylor said. “I don’t know the rules, but I know you can rebuy for a few hours. So, if you get knocked out, rebuy so we can get more money for the foundation. I [don’t][care] if you win or not, but we do want the money,” he laughed.

The beverages and the laughter are flowing in equal measure this evening, and it figures to be a good time in the ballroom.

Here are the vitals for this event:

• Players begin with 10,000 in tournament chips
• Levels are 15 minutes apiece
• Registration and unlimited re-entry are available until the start of Level 9
• $140 of each buy-in goes directly to the prizepool
• $140 of each buy-in goes to the charity benefitting the WPT Foundation and the Jason Taylor Foundation

$1,100 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-out)
End of Level 12: 300/600 with a 100 Ante
Players Remaining: 66 of 261

The first 12 levels are complete, and the field is now on their dinner break with 66 players remaining. Ryan Olisar has done the most work in the early going, setting the pace with 130,000 chips heading to break. He and Thomas Johnson are the only two who have six-figure stacks, while four other players have crested the 80,000-chip mark so far.

Here’s the top of the current leaderboard:

Ryan Olisar – 130,000
Thomas Johnson – 107,500
Joe Kuether – 98,700
Asher Conniff – 98,400
Unknown – 91,700
Joel Harwood – 81,200