Players are back from their second break and the field is down to exactly seven tables with 63 players. The average chip stack is just shy of 30,000 with blinds up to 400/800/100 ante and Eldred Williams (Miami, FL) looks like the early leader with 84,600.

Players are off on their second 15-minute break of the day after tournament staff colored off the 25 chips. Under 70 players remain of the starting 188 with just six levels left for the day.

Many poker players don’t have access to great food during their games and hours spent in the poker room usually don’t help. Things are a lot different at The Poker Room at Seminole Hard Rock. Instead of leaving the tables to enjoy a nice bite to eat, players have a great menu of items perfect for table-side dining and grinding.

Players have options which range from breakfast sandwiches, appetizers including tasty looking sliders, cold or hot sandwiches, flat bread pizzas, and a number of healthy options. Better than your standard poker room fare found elsewhere, satisfied poker players are happy poker players.

Players continue to find their way to the door at regular intervals and all tables are now in the upstairs area. Only 11 tables are now in play as the field has been reduced to less than 100 remaining in Day 1A.

Play is scheduled to run through 14 hours or 9% of the starting field, it will be a race to see which hits first. No one has pulled out as a clear cut leader but they will begin to emerge as the day moves along.

The previous declaration of Mike Beasley’s demise was exaggerated as his new re-entry seat  was well hidden. He moves into Level 7 with a healthy stack as the blinds increase to 250/500/50 ante.

The mellow pace of the first four levels gave no indication of how fast things would move after the first break. There has been a regular stream of players heading downstairs with their stack going to someone else at the table.

2011 Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open” Champion Mike Beasley was one of the early eliminations but he will be a regular presence throughout the entire series. 120 players of the starting 188 are into Level 6 as the blinds are up to 200/400/50 ante.

Players returned from the first break and the numbers show 188 players entered the Event 1 Day 1A field. Tournament staff confirmed no players surrendered their stacks putting 1,880,000 chips in play with blinds at 150/300/25 ante.

With antes now in play, the pace of play will pick up with bigger pots and plenty of action.

The last level before the close of registration and re-entry always brings an increase in activity as short-stacked players need to make a decision. Most will make aggressive moves to double up or bust that buy-in to re-enter for a fresh stack. This produced some big action as cracked pocket Kings on one table while another table had flopped quad Queens with against Aces.

As players went on their first break of the day, they were presented with one more option by the tournament staff. They could surrender their remaining stack and re-enter before the end of the break. It does not look like any chose this option and the remaining players are now on a 15-minute break.

The tournament clock is showing 150 players now in Event 1 Day 1A with a full level remaining for registration or re-entry. The sound level in the poker room is building as more players make their way through the doors and take their seats. The field continues to build as they head into Level 4 with 100/200 blinds.

Players are also adding to the buzz with their calls to the cocktail servers, keeping them busy ordering coffee, water, and food from the great poker room menu. When food arrives for one player, it isn’t long before the rest of the table follows along.

No major hands or eliminations over the last level as the players still have a lot of chips at their disposal and are enjoying their afternoon at the tables. We will have a final field size for Day 1A after close of registration.

Even with the deep stacks, it still didn’t take long for the first elimination and dealer call of “seat open”. The unfortunate first knock out wasn’t happy or interested in detailing the hand but she made her way to the cage to pay the re-entry fee.

The field has gone over 130 entrants midway through the 2nd level of the day and all tables are in use on the second level of The Poker Room. The field is expected to expand with over an hour remaining in registration and players still lining up.

Even with all the great tournament action during Event 1 of the Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open”, the tables downstairs are also filling up for those who prefer their action in cash games. Plenty of great play can be found as we head into the afternoon.

It took a few minutes before players made their way The Poker Room at Seminole Hard Rock but the seats are filling quickly. Event 1 is being played on the second level tables and they are now all underway as the field doubled in the first 15 minutes to top 100 players before the end of the first level.

With stacks 200 big blinds deep, players are still getting a feel for their opponents as they have plenty of chips to make moves and study the table. A lot of laughter and fun in the early stages of the tournament with little pressure, that will come later as they move deeper into the tournament.