$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 8: 300/600/75 Ante

The outer tables here in our championship event sometimes don’t get all the attention the deserve but two players we found on the far side certainly deserve it.

First, the reigning WPT World Champion Keven Stammen has been next to the far wall of the ballroom rolling up chips.  Stammen has amassed an impressive 170,000 chips as he looks to be one of the chip leaders headed into Day 2.

Also drawing attention and the WPT cameras is Mike Sexton, the lead commentator for World Poker Tour.  Sexton is struggling today having fired a second bullet and is barely holding on with 30,000 chips.

Speaking of the commentary team, Vince Van Patten is still alive having just doubled up but still only sitting around 27,000.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 7: 250/500/75 Ante

We got to the table with approximately 10,000 in the pot and a bet of 7,100 in front of Zo Karim with the board showing . The other two players, who had checked to Karim, made the call.

The river was the and it was checked again to Karim who took a moment contemplating whether to bet or not before deciding against it. A player said “ace” as he turned over and Karim picked up the cards, studied them in moderate disbelief, and slapped them down on the table.

“Nice hand,” he said, his stack now in the danger zone after having been one of the chip leaders earlier in the day. In other action, Ryan D’Angelo has gone “busto” after all.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 8: 300/600/75 Ante

Though they’d like to be on more of a roll, two top pros are keeping themselves in solid shape to reach Day 2.

Florida’s own Tristan Wade jumped out early but has been hanging around the 75,000 chip mark for quite a while.  Another one hoping to make a late push is Joe Kuether.  Kuether sits a little over 60,000 chips and also trying to find a spot to make a move this evening.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 8: 300/600/75 Ante

Former world champions Jamie Gold, Jonathan Duhamel and Carlos Mortensen have already made their way to Day 2.  The road has been a little tougher for the final former champion to play this championship event: Ryan Riess.  And it hasn’t gotten much better.

Coming off winning Event 11, Riess just hasn’t gotten traction the last few days is clinging to a chip stack just under 20,000.  We’ll see if Riess can right the ship and join his fellow champs tomorrow.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 7: 250/500/75 Ante

Not a fun hand for Ryan D’Angelo who isn’t quite “busto” yet as he has a little more than 5,000 sitting in front of him – maybe he can turn things around…

Utg 1200 4 callers i raise 6200 in bb with QQ utg makes it 16000 I go allin for 50k he beats me in the pot with AT and binks. #Busto #SHRPO

— Ryan D’Angelo (@g0lfa) April 19, 2015

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 7: 250/500/75 Ante

As we near the end of Level 7, 360 players are still standing with a little over three levels to be played in Day 1C.

Officially, the flight had 570 entries for a total of 1,476 entries in this Championship Event.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 7: 250/500/75 Ante

A commentator, a cartoon character and one of the chip leaders are featured on Table 50.

First on the list trying to hold on is Vince Van Patten.  Van Patten is under 20,000 chips but trying to fight back with a stylish pair of shades and a glass of wine by his side.

Speaking of having someone by your side – a member of “Team Money”, Juan Martell, has broken out none other than Yoshi.  He loaned Yoshi to fellow team member Angel Vu a while back for luck and now Martell is the next poker player to try out the cartoon dinosaur at the table joining Vu and Billy Pappas in an earlier series.

In the meantime, Uri Tenenboim just had a set hold up against a flush draw sending an opponent to the rail and his chip stack over 150,000 pushing him amongst the Day 1C chip leaders.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 7: 250/500/75 Ante

We didn’t catch the action but Matt Brady was all in on the flop with the board showing . Brady’s bet wasn’t for much but it was enough to get the first player to act after him to fold. The lone remaining player decided to look up Brady with his and he was in bad shape as Brady had flopped a set with his .

The turn was the and the river was the to give Brady a much needed double up. He’s still riding a short stack but better to have some chips than none.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 7: 250/500/75 Ante

WPT commentator Vince Van Patten is playing here today and is looking to make progress towards doing something he’s never done before and that is cashing in a WPT event. The former professional tennis player did make a deep run at the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event finishing 481st for $27,519 but he’s never made the money for the company he has represented since they first hit television screens back in the spring of 2003.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 7: 250/500/75 Ante

Players are back from dinner and the tournament clock shows 567 entrants for today’s third and final flight. Registration is now closed. We’ll have the official numbers and prize pool information as soon as they become available.