$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$150,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6: 300/600 with a 600 ante
Flight A Entries: 197

It’s beginning to look like Flight A is going to eclipse the numbers from last year for a great start to the series. The 2017 May Deep Stack Poker Series drew 254 entries for Flight A of Event 1 and the 197 we have so far is a fair pace to get past it before they end their day near 11pm this evening.

We continue to find our friends and regulars taking part in the Thursday session including two-time SHRP winner Chris Nomikos. The poker room favorite is shooting for his first series win to go with his two Poker Room recurring tournaments on the monthly schedule.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$150,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 300/500 with a 500 ante
Flight A Entries: 187

Steven Bennett is a regular force in most of our big tournaments and the SHRP regular picked up a huge score last month. The opening event of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown drew more than 3,000 entries and Bennett took top honors after a four-way deal. Bennett earned $186,000 for the win. It was his sixth SHRP title and second SHRP major trophy.

He’s back in the poker room going for number seven.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$150,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4: 200/400 with a 400 ante
Flight A Entries: 163

Flight A players are back in their seats after the first break with more than 160 entries in the game so far. That puts the tournament on an easy pace to the $150,000 Guarantee with the weekend coming up.

We took a quick walk among the tables while they were gone to check out the stacks. Juan Ferrer was the first break leader and returned to a stack worth 95,000. Not a bad run up from the 30,000 he started with two hours ago.

It looks like Seth Schapira’s 83,000 is good enough for the second spot and he’s running well.

“Yesterday I couldn’t catch anything,” Schapira said. “Today I’m getting aces and kings and straights and trips. It’s a good start.”

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$150,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3: 200/300 with a 300 ante
Flight A Entries: 149

The afternoon wears on and the entry count continues to climb at a steady pace. We should easily top 150 before the first break and it won’t stop climbing until Sunday afternoon.

Erik Christensen is another familiar face in today’s field, getting an early jump on the big opening event. He came close to winning his first WSOP Circuit ring here back in September, finishing runner-up in the $1,125 NLH Single Re-Entry event, but he made it through last month. Christensen earned that first ring in Iowa in April to push his career total cash over $400,000.

In an interesting research stat, the win also made him the second most successful “Christensen” in WSOP history after Casper Christensen’s single cash for a 62nd Main Event finish.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$150,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 2: 100/200 with a 200 ante
Flight A Entries: 110

It looks like we’re going to have a big crowd coming right out of the gates to start the series. The first of three flights crossed over 100 entries soon after the first level ended and there is plenty of time to run it up. They have 40-minute levels in the opening flights with 15 levels in the day and late registration open until the start of Day 2 on Sunday.

This bodes well for a huge prize pool.

Luis Santoni was an early entrant today and having a good time at his table. The SHRP regular is a poker legend with two trophies here and his first career tournament win was nearly 25 years ago. Santoni’s biggest score came when he won the inaugural Legends of Poker Main Event back in the wonder years of 1995.

$350 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
$150,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1: 100/100

The calendar is rolling towards the summer months which means it’s time for the May Deep Stack Poker Series to lead us into Memorial Day weekend. But that is more than a week away and we have seven nice tournaments between now and then.

We’re kicking off the series with one of three multi-day tournaments. Event 1 has a $350 buy-in with a $150,000 guaranteed prize pool and three starting flights. The stacks are 30,000 deep and the slow structure runs 40-minute levels throughout the opening flights.

Also, the entire series will feature the “BB ante” format that has become so popular. It speeds up the game and makes it more enjoyable for all. If you have any questions about the procedure and how it works, feel free to stop into the poker room and talk with a floor supervisor, they will answer all.

Flight A is scheduled to play 15 full levels into the evening, with a dinner break around 5:30pm, and survivors will bag up for a Day 2 return on Sunday.

Cards go in the air at 11am and we will be here from start to finish.

• $150,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 30,000 in chips
• Day 1 levels last 40 minutes
• Levels 16-25 last 60 minutes; Levels 26+ last 90 minutes
• Late registration available until start of Day 2
• Single ante will be paid from the big blind for the entire table
• $1,650 Event 4 seat added to 1st place
• Final ten players receive $560 Event 3 seat
• Day 1 will end after Level 15 or Tournament Director discretion
• Event 1 Structure Sheet

Primary Event Schedule

11AM: Event 1A – $350 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)

• $150,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 30,000 in chips
• Day 1 levels last 40 minutes
• Levels 16-25 last 60 minutes; Levels 26+ last 90 minutes
• Late registration available until start of Day 2
• Single ante will be paid from the big blind for the entire table
• $1,650 Event 4 seat added to 1st place
• Final ten players receive $560 Event 3 seat
• Day 1 will end after Level 15 or Tournament Director discretion
• Event 1 Structure Sheet

Secondary and Satellite Schedule

6PM: $140 Multi-Event Satellite (1-in-10)

• 4 packages guaranteed
• Package: $350 Event 1 seat; $560 Event 3 seat; $330 in cash
• Players begin with 8,000 in chips and 20-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Satellite Structure Sheet