Level 5 Begins (590 Entrants)

Level 4 comes to an end, and Level 5 begins with increased blinds of 100-200 and a 25 ante. Play continues without a break.

The tournament clock shows 590 entrants in today’s Day 1B field, though that number continues to grow as registration remains open until the end of the 90-minute dinner break (about 8:00 pm). Action is scheduled to continue today until about 12:15 am.

 


 

TONIGHT’S ACTIVITIES

9:00-11:00 pm:  Free Screening of “Bet Raise Fold”

There will be a free screening of the critically-acclaimed documentary “Bet Raise Fold: The Story of Online Poker” tonight in the pool area here at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The film starts at 9:00 pm, and there will be a Q&A afterward with Tony Dunst (one of three players profiled in the film) and Executive Consultant Marc Brody. There will be poolside cocktails and movie snacks, so if you aren’t playing in the tournament tonight (whether you’re a player or just a fan), be sure to check it out!

12:30 am-close:  Nelly Hosts the Passion Nightclub

The rapper Nelly will be hosting tonight at the Passion Nightclub out in the Hard Rock Live area, starting at approximately 12:30 am. Pick up a VIP wristband from the tournament staff at the main desk to receive complimentary entry to a special VIP area for players. The Nelly party starts at about 12:30 am, but it won’t stop until the nightclub closes!

A Few Chip Counts From Around the Room

Blinds: 100/200
Ante: 25

Steven Silverman54,000
Sam Barnhart48,000
Jake Schindler46,000
Trevor Pope42,000
Paul Volpe40,000
Ryan Julius39,000
Terrence Chan37,000
Hiren Patel33,000
Allen Kessler33,000
Joseph Cheong33,000
Cliff Josephy32,000
Andy Hwang32,000
Shawn Cunix32,000
Kyle Julius31,000
Layne Flack30,000
Jean-Robert Bellande26,000
David Tuthill26,000
Jared Hamby26,000
Amir Babakhani25,000
Justin Bonomo25,000
Lily Kiletto23,000
Mike Dentale20,000
Jesse Martin19,000
Darren Elias17,000
Victor Ramdin17,000
JJ Liu14,000

Notable Chip Counts: Tables 1-8

With nearly 600 players in the field and counting, we will be taking chip counts in waves, a section at a time, so they are posted when they are still fresh. The blinds are at 75-150 with a 25 ante.

Francis Margaglione – 95,000
Ronnie Bardah – 55,000
Kevin Spires – 51,000
Fred Goldberg – 37,000
John Gordon – 37,000
Stuart Patterson – 36,000
Bob Bounahra – 35,000
Kevin O’Donnell – 32,000
Tony Dunst – 29,000
Tony Gregg – 29,000
Russell Thomas – 29,000
Kenny Nguyen – 28,000
Corey Burbick – 24,000
James Carroll – 23,000
Marsha Wolak – 22,000
Andy Philachack – 20,000
Tony Ruberto – 14,000

Bernard Lee Grabs Some Early Pots

Bernard Lee raised to 375 on the button and the small blind folded. The big blind called and the flop was dealt 10s 7d 5s. The big blind bet 425 and Bernard called. The turn fell 8s and the big blind bet 625. Bernard called and the river delivered the 7h. The big blind bet 1,000 and Bernard raised to 2,800. The big blind called with Jd 9d and Bernard flipped over pocket tens to win the pot with a full house and grow his stack to 35,000.

A few hands later a player UTG+1 raised to 325  and two players called. The small blind then reraised to 675 and Bernard reraised to 1,275 on the big blind. Everyone but the small blind folded and the flop fell Q-6-3. The small blind bet 2,000 and Bernard called. The turn brought a ten and the small blind fired out 2,500. Bernard raised to 6,800 and the small blind called. The river brought another ten and the small blind bet 6,000. Bernard reraised all in and the small blind tanked before calling with A-Q. Bernard flipped over pocket sixes for another full house and he won the hand to grow his stack to 68,000.

Tough Tables

There are a handful of stacked tables in the room. The diamonds in the rough in a packed conference room here at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open.

Table 3: Kenny Nguyen, Ronnie Bardah, Tony Ruberto, John Gordon, Corey Burbick

Table 19: Chance Kornuth, David Diaz, Joe Serock, Mukul Pahuja

Table 20: Bill Mullins, Tom McCormick, Justin Young, Mike Linster

Table 30: Joseph Cheong, Brandon Stevens, Dan Kelly, David Peters, David Fox, Tyler Reiman

Another Field Packed With Notables

For a tournament that looks to attract a field of more than 2,000 players, this field is surprisingly packed with notable players.

Here is a partial list: Matt Affleck, Corey Burbick, Ronnie Bardah, Matt Salsberg, Darryll Fish, Joe Serock, David Diaz, Justin Young, Erick Lindgren, Erica Schoenberg-Lindgren, Eric Baldwin, Mike Matusow, Ben Hamnett, Joseph Cheong, Brandon Steven, Dan Kelly, Ylon Schwartz, Russell Thomas, Allen Bari, Matt Glantz, Dermot Blain, James Mackey, Dan Shak, Doc Sands, Chad Holloway, Christina Lindley, Leo Wolpert, Bernard Lee, Aaron Massey, Shawn Cunix, Justin Bonomo, Owais Ahmed, Allen Kessler, Paul Volpe, David Tuthill, Cliff “JohnnyBax” Josephy, and Victor Ramdin.

Again, this is just a partial list, and more players continue to enter the field as registration remains open here on Day 1B until 8:00 pm.