$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 33:  100,000/200,000/25,000 Ante

Thomas Collazo raised from the button to 250,000, Mike Chiappetta moved all in from the button, and Collazo called with . Chiappetta turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive.

The board came — Chiappetta paired his nine on the flop, but improved no further. The pocket kings held up for Collazo to win the pot and eliminate Chiappetta in eighth place.

Thomas Collazo  –  12,900,000  (65 bb)
Mike Chiappetta  –  Eliminated in 8th Place  ($17,679)

With seven players remaining, the average chip stack is about 8.6 million (43 big blinds).

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 33:  100,000/200,000/25,000 Ante

Pedro Palacio moved all in from middle position for 1,235, Jack Rolnitzky moved all in over the top from the hijack for about 4.7 million, and everyone else folded.

Palacio turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive against the of Rolnitzky.

The board came — Palacio turned an open-ended straight draw, but improved no further. Rolnitzky won the pot with his pocket aces to eliminate Palacio in 9th place.

Jack Rolnitzky  –  6,500,000  (33 bb)
Pedro Palacio  –  Eliminated in 9th Place  ($12,692)

With eight players remaining, the average chip stack is about 7.55 million (38 big blinds).

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 33:  100,000/200,000/25,000 Ante

Last night, with 11 players remaining, T.J. Shulman was down to a single chip worth a single ante — 25,000 — and mounted a comeback to reach the final nine with 300,000 (15 big blinds). Shulman is off to a good start today to continue his momentum.

Shulman’s last big hand last night was doubling thru Thomas Collazo with Q-Q vs. 4-4.

Today, in one of the first hands of the nine-handed final table, Collazo raised from middle position to 700,000, Shulman moved all in for 2,975,000, and Collazo called with . Shulman turned over , and Collazo said, “Queens? Again?”

The board came — Collazo flopped an ace-high straight, but Shulman rivered a full house to win the pot and double up again.

T.J. Shulman  –  4,275,000  (21 bb)
Thomas Collazo  –  11,000,000  (55 bb)

With nine players remaining, the average chip stack is about 6.7 million (34 big blinds).

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 33: 100,000/200,000/25,000 Ante

There was 30:42 remaining in Level 33 when they stopped for the night, and that’s where Event 1 picks up. The cards are now in the air.

Here are the official chip counts for the final nine players, followed by the remaining prizepool:

Seat 1.  Marcus Stein  –  4,400,000  (22 bb)
Seat 2.  Thomas Collazo  –  13,100,000  (66 bb)
Seat 3.  Ivan Freitez  –  12,825,000  (64 bb)
Seat 4.  Mike Chiappetta  –  3,975,000  (20 bb)
Seat 5.  Pedro Palacio  –  1,725,000  (9 bb)
Seat 6.  Jake Melen  –  2,150,000  (11 bb)
Seat 7.  Jack Rolnitzky  –  2,450,000  (12 bb)
Seat 8.  T.J. Shulman  –  3,000,000  (15 bb)
Seat 9.  Taylor Fortini  –  16,725,000  (84 bb)

1st:  $155,697
2nd:  $101,721
3rd:  $66,680
4th:  $55,983
5th:  $45,557
6th:  $35,811
7th:  $26,291
8th:  $17,679
9th:  $12,692

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 33:  100,000/200,000/25,000 Ante

There is 30:42 remaining in Level 33 when they stopped for the night, and that’s where Event 1 will pick up tomorrow (Monday) at 2:00 pm.

Here are the official chip counts for the final nine players, followed by the remaining prizepool:

Seat 1.  Marcus Stein  –  4,400,000  (22 bb)
Seat 2.  Thomas Collazo  –  13,100,000  (66 bb)
Seat 3.  Ivan Freitez  –  12,825,000  (64 bb)
Seat 4.  Mike Chiappetta  –  3,975,000  (20 bb)
Seat 5.  Pedro Palacio  –  1,725,000  (9 bb)
Seat 6.  Jake Melen  –  2,150,000  (11 bb)
Seat 7.  Jack Rolnitzky  –  2,450,000  (12 bb)
Seat 8.  T.J. Shulman  –  3,000,000  (15 bb)
Seat 9.  Taylor Fortini  –  16,725,000  (84 bb)

1st:  $155,697
2nd:  $101,721
3rd:  $66,680
4th:  $55,983
5th:  $45,557
6th:  $35,811
7th:  $26,291
8th:  $17,679
9th:  $12,692

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 33:  100,000/200,000/25,000 Ante

With 12 players remaining, blinds at 75K-150K (25K), and the 3:00 hard-stop time looming near, Nicholas Nieto moves all in from the hijack for 2,930,000, and Ivan Freitez calls from the button with . Nieto turns over , and he needs to improve to stay alive.

The board comes , and the pocket tens hold up for Freitez to win the pot and eliminate Nieto.

Ivan Freitez  –  10,270,000  (68 bb)
Nicholas Nieto  –  Eliminated in 12th Place  ($8,159)

At the other table, T.J. Shulman was knocked all the way down to a single ante chip — 25,000.

A few minutes later, Taylor Fortini raised from the small blind to 420,000, David Albertson moved all in from the big blind, and Fortini snap-called with . Albertson turned over , and it was the classic race.

The board came , and Fortini paired his ace on the flop to win the pot and eliminate Albertson from the tournament.

Taylor Fortini  –  17,420,000  (116 bb)
David Albertson  –  Eliminated in 11th Place  ($8,159)

With 10 players remaining, they drew for random seats at the final table, and then everyone agreed to continue playing until one more player was eliminated so they could return tomorrow with nine players left.

T.J. Shulman had won a pot to give himself a small cushion, but the random button placement put him near the big blind. So when the big blind reached him, he was forced all in for his last 50,000. Thomas Collazo limped from middle position for 150,000, and Jack Rolnitzky completed the small blind.

The flop came , Rolnitzky bet 150,000, and Collazo folded. Rolnitzky showed for queen high (which angered Collazo), and Shulman, who hadn’t even looked at his cards yet, said “At least I’m drawing live.” Shulman peeled over the (no good), and then flipped over the for a pair of kings.

The turn was the , the river was the , and Shulman won the pot with his pair of kings to octuple his stack to 400,000 (thanks to the antes).

T.J. Shulman  –  400,000  (<3 bb)

The next hand, Thomas Collazo limped from middle position (again) for 150,000, T.J. Shulman completed the small blind, and Taylor Fortini checked his option in the big blind.

The flop came , Shulman moved all in for 225,000, and Fortini raised to 500,000. Collazo folded, and Shulman turned over for a pair of kings (again). Fortini showed his for a pair of jacks, and Shulman needed his hand to hold to stay alive.

The turn was the , the river was the , and Shulman doubled up with two pair, kings and fours. (Collazo got angry once again, claiming he folded a four.)

T.J. Shulman  –  1,100,000  (7 bb)

At that point, the blinds increased to 100,000-200,000 and a 25,000 ante. Ivan Freitez raised under the gun to 600,000, and Shulman tanked for a while before folding the button. The blinds folded, and Freitez showed K-K. Shulman proudly told the table he folded pocket tens, and at least one player claimed to believe him.

The next hand, Mike Chiappetta raised under the gun to 350,000, T.J. Shulman moved all in from middle position for 1,050,000, and Thomas Collazo moved all in over the top from the small blind. Chiappetta folded.

Shulman turned over , and he needed it to hold to stay alive against Collazo’s .

The board came , and the pocket queens held up for Shulman to win the pot and double up yet again. When Shulman’s chip stack was counted down, Collazo said he didn’t realize it was that much — he thought he had about 400K, not more than a million.

T.J. Shulman  –  2,550,000  (13 bb)
Thomas Collazo  –  13,250,000  (66 bb)

Finally, Lou Ojeda moved all in from the hijack for 275,000, Collazo called from the button, and Ivan Freitez raised big (he may have moved all in) from the small blind. Collazo folded, claiming he had an ace.

Ojeda turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive against the of Freitez.

The board came (angering Collazo again), and Freitez won the pot with his pocket sixes to eliminate Ojeda in 10th place and end play for the night.

Ivan Freitez  –  12,825,000  (64 bb)
Lou Ojeda  –  Eliminated in 10th Place  ($8,159)

Official chip counts for the nine finalists will be posted soon.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 32: 75,000/150,000/25,000 Ante

The remaining players breathed a sigh of relief as Sam Panzica, arguably the strongest player remaining in the field, was eliminated in 18th place.

Panzica was followed to the rail by Richard Whitebrook, who busted in 17th.

Then there was a massive pot between Jake Melen and Thomas Collazo. They didn’t get it all in until the river on a board of , and they both caught runner-runner flushes — but Collazo’s beat Melen’s for the double-up in a pot worth 7 million.

This pot would kick off a lot of momentum for Collazo, which we’ll get to in a few minutes.

Thomas Collazo  –  7,170,000  (60 bb)
Jake Melen  –  3,780,000  (32 bb)

Recent chipleader Fabian Foster has lost all of his momentum. Pedro Palacio, who has likely held the chip lead longer than anyone else, got it all in against Foster after a flop of .

Palacio was the shorter stack, and he shoved with (pair of nines), while Foster called with for a diamond flush draw. The turn was the , the river was the , and Palacio won the pot with two pair, queens and nines, to double up in chips. Foster was audibly upset that Palacio played nine-five offsuit, and openly criticized his play as the dealer counted down the stcks.

Pedro Palacio  –  4,550,000  (38 bb)
Fabian Foster  –  820,000  (7 bb)

A few minutes later, Taylor Dean-Lipson was eliminated by Taylor Fortini when his couldn’t catch Fortini’s .

Taylor Fortini  –  7,775,000  (65 bb)
Taylor Dean-Lipson  –  Eliminated in 16th Place  ($4,624)

Fortini continued his momentum by playing a big pot against David Albertson on a board of . Fortini bet 1.25 million on the river, and Albertson tank-called. Fortini showed to win the pot with kings full, and Albertson mucked, claiming he had a queen for queens full.

Taylor Fortini  –  10,600,000  (88 bb)
David Albertson  –  4,200,000  (35 bb)

That’s when the blinds increased to 75,000-150,000, with a 25,000 ante.

Daniel Visconti got it all in from the big blind with , and Thomas Collazo called from the small blind with — his “favorite hand.” The board came , and Collazo pairs his jack on the flop to win the pot and eliminate Visconti from the tournament.

Thomas Collazo  –  11,350,000  (76 bb)
Daniel Visconti  –  Eliminated in 15th Place  ($5,893)

The bustouts kept coming quickly, as Fabian Foster got his short stack all in with , but he ran into the of Nicholas Nieto. The board came , and the tens held up for Nieto to win the pot and eliminate Foster.

Nicholas Nieto  –  3,850,000  (26 bb)
Fabian Foster  –  Eliminated in 14th Place  ($5,893)

A few minutes later, James Salmon moved all in with , and Mike Chiappetta called with . The board came , and Chiappetta won the pot with his king kicker to send Salmon — who won Event 1 in April — out of the tournament.

Mike Chiappetta  –  6,175,000  (41 bb)
James Salmon  –  Eliminated in 13th Place  ($5,893)

There are now 12 players remaining, with an average chip stack around 5 million (33 big blinds). These players are all guaranteed at least $8,159, and the next pay jump is $12,692 for 12th place.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 31:  60,000/120,000/20,000 Ante

The final 18 players return from their last break of the night to begin Level 31. The average chip stack is about 3.36 million (28 big blinds), and these players are all guaranteed at least $4,624. The next pay jump is $5,893 for 15th place.

Here are the updated chip counts from the break:

TABLE 1
Seat 1.  Thomas Collazo  –  3,400,000  (28 bb)
Seat 2.  Daniel Visconti  –  2,025,000  (17 bb)
Seat 3.  Fabian Foster  –  3,200,000  (27 bb)
Seat 4.  Marcus Stein  –  5,460,000  (46 bb)
Seat 5.  Nicholas Nieto  –  4,450,000  (37 bb)
Seat 6.  Pedro Palacio  –  2,750,000  (23 bb)
Seat 7.  Ivan Freitez  –  5,925,000  (49 bb)
Seat 8.  Sam Panzica  –  2,820,000  (24 bb)
Seat 9.  Jake Melen  –  4,075,000  (34 bb)

TABLE 2
Seat 1.  Taylor Dean-Lipson  –  755,000  (6 bb)
Seat 2.  Mike Chiappetta  –  3,800,000  (32 bb)
Seat 3.  Jack Rolnitzky  –  1,700,000  (14 bb)
Seat 4.  Taylor Fortini  –  3,440,000  (29 bb)
Seat 5.  David Albertson  –  6,830,000  (57 bb)
Seat 6.  T.J. Shulman  –  2,445,000  (20 bb)
Seat 7.  James Salmon  –  2,140,000  (18 bb)
Seat 8.  Richard Whitebrook  –  1,815,000  (15 bb)
Seat 9.  Lou Ojeda  –  3,055,000  (25 bb)

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 30:  50,000/100,000/15,000 Ante

Kevin Curran’s potential comeback from less than a single big blind was cut short by Marcus Stein, the same player who knocked him down that low to begin with.

Curran got it all in from the big blind for about 900,000 with , but he ran into Stein’s in the small blind.

The board came , and the pocket kings held up for Stein to win the pot and eliminate Curran, who at least survived a pay jump to give his partial comeback some value, earning $3,762.

As for Stein, he is now among the chipleaders.

Marcus Stein  –  4,980,000  (50 bb)
Kevin Curran  –  Eliminated in 24th Place  ($3,762)

With 20 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 3.0 million (30 big blinds). These players are all guaranteed at least $3,762, and the next pay jump is $4,624 for 18th place.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 30:  50,000/100,000/15,000 Ante

In the span of half a dozen hands, Kevin Curran found himself knocked down to less than a single big blind, and then bounced back to more than a million in chips.

Marcus Stein was the one who nearly felted Curran, and at that point everyone just expected him to bust within a hand or two. But he built his stack back to 325,000 before getting it all in against two other players — but he was in bad shape with against and T.J. Shulman’s .

But the board came — all three players made straights. The two bigger stacks chopped the side pot with five-high straights, while Curran tripled up by winning the main pot with a six-high straight.

As for Shulman, it was his second bad beat in a row, as he had pocket tens cracked by ace-deuce the previous hand.

Kevin Curran  –  1,095,000  (14 bb)
T.J. Shulman  –  700,000  (9 bb)

At the same table a few moments later, a player moves all in under the gun for 645,000, and the button mistakenly calls, not realizing it was an all-in bet. (Though the All-In button was in front of the player.) To make matters tougher on him, Marcus Stein moved all in over the top from the big blind for 1,670,000. The button tanked for a long time before he folded, claiming he had ace-ten.

The UTG player turned over , and he needed to improve to stay alive against the of Stein.

The board came , and Stein won the pot with his queen to eliminate the other player and cross the 3-million mark.

In an earlier post, we mentioned that James Salmon won Event 1 of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown that was held this past April. The player who finished second was Marcus Stein, who would probably prefer to do one better than that result.

Marcus Stein  –  3,100,000  (39 bb)

With that, the field redrew for random seats at the final three tables. With 26 players remaining, the average chip stack is about 2.3 million (23 big blinds). These players are all guaranteed at least $3,762, and the next pay jump is $4,624 for 18th place.