$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 1: Blinds 25/50

The fourth of six flights is underway of this opening event of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

There’s an East Coast flavor with Miguel Borrero (Jersey City, NJ) and Joe “Worm” Palma (Bensalem, PA) taking their seats for the first time this series.  Also in the Ballroom is Zach “Redlocks” Kessler (Boca Raton, FL), who is back after dusting off* 100k (333 bb) in Flight C when blinds were 150/300.

Players start with 25k stacks with  levels lasting 30 minutes. Registration and re-entry is open until ~9:15 pm.

Event 1 Totals: 836 entries/179 players remaining

Day 1A: Thursday, March 27 – 286 entries/59 players remaining
Day 1B: Thursday, March 27 – 278 entries/59 players remaining
Day 1C: Friday, March 28 – 272 entries/61 players remaining
Day 1D: Friday, March 28 – 7 p.m.
Day 1E: Saturday, March 29 – 11 a.m.
Day 1F: Saturday, March 29 – 7 p.m.
Day 2: Sunday, March 30 – 1 p.m.

*coolered > dusting off

$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Next Blinds: 1,500/3,000/300 ante
Day 2 – Sunday 1 pm

The opening flights are in the books of the $1 Million Guaranteed kickoff event of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown.

Flight B finished the night with Mina Akladious (Boynton Beach, FL) claiming the $1,000 end of night chip lead bonus when he edged Sascha Walter (Stuttgart, Germany) by less than 8k in chips.

“I folded Ace-Queen in position,” said Akladious, who needed 7k to call a raise on the final hand. Standing pat with 255k turned out to be the right fold as Walter nearly grabbed the lead on his table’s last hand.

Walter won a 165k pot when his AK knocked out two players to finish the night just shy of the bonus with 247k. But both players trail the top two stacks from the morning session.

David Shaw  earned the Flight A $1,000 bonus with 277k, less than 2k ahead of Robert Williams’ 275k.

The day began with 286 entries in Flight A, followed by 278 in Flight B as, coincidentally, both fields finished with 59 players.

That leaves 118 players with an average stack of 119k (40 bb) when they resume play with Day 2 at 1 pm Sunday.

In the meantime, the next round of flights takes off 11 am, Friday as Flight C is the third of six starting flights in the series opener.

$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Next Level: Blinds 1,500/3,000/300 ante
59 players remaining, 118k avg (39 bb)

Position-Name-Chip Count

$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 14 Complete

Sascha Walter (Stuttgart, Germany) uses his big stack to gamble with AK and it pays off in a big way.

On the night’s final hand, Walter is part of a three-way all in.

Walter (140k): AK
Opponent 1 (60k): A8
Opponent 2 (45k): 55

Walter hits the Ace and his King kicker gets the double knockout to take his stack to 247k, good for second place just behind Mina Akladious (Boynton Beach, FL) who finishes with 255k.

Akladious earns the $1,000 bonus as the end of night chip leader.

$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 14: Blinds 1,200/2,400/300 ante
72 players remaining, 97k avg (40 bb)

The last level of the night is underway and the chase is on for the $1,000 bonus that goes to the end of night chip leader.

Mina Akladius is still out in front with ~300k and says he just “loaned” 20k to Mike LaRocca who’s had a big stack most of the night.  Also on the table is Dan Stier who was third in chips coming back from the last break.

$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 13: Blinds 1k/2k/200 ante
81 players remaining, 86k (43 bb)

Big Stacks

Mina Akladious 358k
Guy Hayun 263k
Dan Stier 237k
Jose Avila 218k

$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 12: Blinds 800/1,600/200 ante
90 players remaining, 77k avg (48 bb)

Mina Akladious (Boynton Beach, FL) has been on a heater the last few levels and is the clear chip leader with nearly 300k as players head to their last break of the night.

Alkadious says he flopped quad 8s in a 100k pot for a double knockout, but his game isn’t just luck.

In one healthy pot, the board is and his opponent leads out for 11k, with 8k behind.  Akladious goes deep in the tank and flashes A-8 for two pairs.

“You got it?” asks Akladious, who’s wondering if the player has the four-card flush.

“There’s too much money in there,” he says while making the call.  His opponent simply shakes his head and mucks.

Akladious is also running good in life as his wedding is in nine days, and his fiance, Melissa Hanrahan, must have a great sense of humor.

“I can win this and then get a prenup,” he laughs after a good start to the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Showdown’s $1 Million Guaranteed opening event.

We’ll see how Hanrahan reacts as the tournament plays out.

$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 10: Blinds 500/1k/100 ante
117 players remaining,  59k (59 bb)

$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 9: Blinds 400/800/100 ante
153 players remaining, 45k avg (57 bb)

Players are back from the green (25) chip color-up break and nearly half the flight is gone.

278 entries began the second of six flights and two of the players are enjoying themselves.

Brian Gelrod (Brooklyn, NY) can’t help but photo bomb Vendel Johnson (Pembroke Pines, FL) who has one of the few 100k stacks.

$560 Buy-In Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 8: Blinds 300/600/75 ante

Chip Leaders

Michael LaRocca (Boca Raton, FL) 172k
June Kelley (Pembroke Pines, FL) 129k
Jason Lyons (Boca Raton, FL) 122k
Francis Margaglione (Davie, FL) 120k
Daniel Bozza (Pompano Beach, FL) 113k
Mustafa Lobut (Miami, FL) 112k
Vendel Johnson (Pembroke Pines, FL) 108k