$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 6: 200/400/50 Ante
Flight 1C Entries: 310

With the weekend upon us, we’re starting to see some big out-of-town players pop into the ballroom for the $500,000 Guarantee action. Ryan Eriquezzo is usually seen around the poker rooms in the great Northeast but he made the trek to sunny Florida this weekend.

Eriquezzo brings a pretty nice résumé with him that includes one WSOP bracelet, three WSOP Circuit rings, eight tournament titles, and nearly $1.4 million in career earnings. His big splash came in 2012 when he captured the WSOP National Championship in Las Vegas a few months after winning the WSOP Circuit Main Event in Atlantic City. Those two wins alone earned him more than $600,000.

He’s part of Flight C today as they push the count over 300 and getting us closer to that nice guarantee.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 5: 150/300/50 Ante
Flight 1C Entries: 285

Players returned to their seats and a buzz is back in the room. It gets pretty quiet in the ballroom when more than 200 people walk out the door.

Unlike the previous flights, only one player took a big leap with their starting chips. Danny Nguyen began his day with 20,000 in his stack but he’s run it up to 71,100 in the first two hours of play to come back from break with the lead. Only two other players went over 50,000 with 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Winter Poker Open Turbo champ John Pappas not far behind them.

They play four more levels, take another break, and close down registration for the third flight.

Top stacks and notable counts:

Danny Nguyen – 71,100 (237 bb)
Anderson Premdas – 54,800 (183 bb)
Brette Dejesus – 53,525 (178 bb)
John Pappas – 48,600 (162 bb)
Bernard Muhire – 48,225 (161 bb)
Aubrey Custalow – 48,075 (160 bb)
Philip Clements – 48,050 (160 bb)
Tammy Leonard – 47,475 (158 bb)
Adrian Scarpa – 46,600 (155 bb)
Steve Raeman – 45,975 (153 bb)
Lisa Levy – 45,275 (151 bb)
Wally Maddah – 44,050 (147 bb)
David Prociak – 41,800 (139 bb)
Carlos Loving – 26,900 (90 bb)
Nigel Murray – 26,525 (88 bb)
David Inselberg – 26,475 (88 bb)
David Jackson – 20,500 (68 bb)
Luke Brereton – 19,850 (66 bb)
Jacquelyn Scott – 18,950 (63 bb)
Nancy Thomas – 18,175 (61 bb)
Kim Stone – 17,500 (58 bb)
Sheddy Siddiqui – 15,075 (50 bb)

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 100/200/25 Ante
Flight 1C Entries: 270

Players are on their first break of the day with 270 entrants so far and two and a half hours left to register. Or re-enter if a stack hits the felt.

We’ll take a look around the semi-empty ballroom and track down our early Flight C leader.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 100/200/25 Ante
Flight 1C Entries: 250

We found our first member of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker team in today’s flight when Sheddy Siddiqui took his seat at a quiet table in the back of the room. Siddiqui has more than $1 million in career earnings and was an easy choice to wear the badge.

Siddiqui had a great 2015 season that included ten cashes, six final tables, and more than $500,000 added to his wallet. His biggest results in 2015 came courtesy of a third place result in the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Winter Poker Open and big payday when he finished fifth out of 7,725 players in the WSOP Millionaire Maker.

He joins 250 entrants as Flight C moved into Level 4 with a break looming at the top of the hour.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 3: 75/150/25 Ante
Flight 1C Entries: 200

Sometimes you have to adjust your perspective and that’s exactly what Kim Stone did. It wasn’t a big shift, only a few feet to change her fate. Stone was a long-time, popular poker dealer for the last few years, travelling the country to deal in some of the biggest tournaments. Now she finds herself sitting in a player’s seat instead of the dealer’s box.

Stone is finding success with her decision to concentrate on playing the game instead of dealing and it paid off huge less than two months ago. She entered the $580 opening event of the WSOP Circuit series in West Palm and outlasted all but one player. Stone finished second out of 2,050 entrants to book her first six-digit cash for a nice bankroll boost.

Stone is back today after falling short in Flight A and joins more than 200 entrants for this afternoon’s session.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 2: 50/100 Ante
Flight 1C Entries: 115

Flight C jumped over 100 entrants in the first level to better the pace from yesterday’s biggest flight. There’s a fast-moving line at the registration desk and we’re seeing more players get in the game at a steady pace.

Jacquelyn Scott is one of our early entrants but she’s missing a little bling on her wrist. We caught up with her last summer during the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open only a few weeks removed from earning the 2015 WSOP Ladies Championship bracelet.

Scott is the second SHR Poker regular with a bracelet from that even and we expect to see Marsha Wolak later.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 25/50 Ante

We’re ready to hit the first weekend of the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown with some Friday afternoon poker. The third flight of Event 1 is underway in the ballroom after an already successful first two yesterday.

Flights A and B drew a total of 694 entrants combined to set a big pace for the last four flights to come. Of those starters, 125 players survived to the end of the day to put their stacks in bags for a return on Sunday. We should see even bigger numbers today to run us closer to the $500,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Ruddy Diaz (pictured above) finished Flight B with the overall Event 1 chip lead and we’ll see if anyone can catch him today. He’s the only player to finish with more than 300,000 but there will be four more big flights trying to pass him.

Flight A and B combined chip counts

Today’s entrants will sit down to 20,000 in starting chips and play 30-minute levels throughout the day. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9 at 3:30pm and we’ll be halfway home in Event 1. Play will conclude when they reach the end of Level 14 and those with chips will move on to Day 2 on Sunday.

Early players are in their seats, the rules have been announced, and cards are in the air for Flight C.

• $500,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Day 1 will end after Level 14 or Tournament Director discretion
• Event 1 Structure Sheet

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
End of Level 14: 1,200/2,400/400 Ante
Total Entries: 694
Players Remaining: 125

Flight A drew 370 entrants with 71 moving on
Flight B drew 324 entrants with 54 moving on
Flight C begins Friday at 11am
Flight D begins Friday at 6pm
Flight E begins Saturday at 11am
Flight F begins Saturday at 6pm

Chip counts through Flight B:

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 14: 1,200/2,400/400 Ante
Flight 1B Entries: 324
Players Remaining: 63

What began at 6pm with 324 entries is now down to less than seven tables following 14 levels of play. There are a handful of big stacks around the room, but it appears Ruddy Diaz of the Dominican Republic will bag the chip lead with more than 300,000 chips.

Flight B saw the likes of Seminole Hard Rock Poker Team member Darryll Fish, South Florida pro Sam Panzica, Seminole Immokalee Poker Challenge Main Event champion Herbert Woodbery and WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hui take to the felt. All of these players met their fate along with SHRP Player of the Year contender David Prociak.

The clock shows an unofficial 63 players remaining. Those joining Diaz on Day 2 include Adam Levy, Jon Turner, Robert Edelstein and John Depersio. Complete chip counts through Flight B will be posted shortly.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 14: 1,200/2,400/400 Ante
Flight 1B Entries: 324
Players Remaining: 63

The clock shows 10:00 remaining and tournament staff has stopped it as all tables are set to log six more hands before Day 1B comes to a close.