$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 11: 800/1,600 with a 1,600 ante
Flight A Entries: 356
Players Remaining: 144

The field is dropping fast and we’re down to 16 tables in Flight A with the expectation of cutting that in half before the end of the night after Level 14.

Table 5 has a pair of players trying to stick around for Day 2 and they’ve made it through big fields before. Jacquelyn Scott is one of our favorite regulars in the room and we were all happy when she won the 2015 WSOP Ladies Championship. Now she has some more company in that unique club after Jessica Dawley, another popular player in our games, earned that honor this summer by winning the 2018 WSOP Ladies Championship.

The two are sharing the same table this afternoon and we are sure the stories are entertaining.

$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Flight A Entries: 356
Players Remaining: 180

We have a few players who moved their stacks over 100,000 and running out front with a few more levels remaining in the day.

Gerardo Gonzalez sits atop all the counts with 117,000 followed by SHRP regular Chris Nomikos at 105,000. Both are in great position to bag big and return for Day 2 among the leaders.

$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Flight A Entries: 356
Players Remaining: 198

The second break is complete and registration has closed for Flight A of the $1,000,000 Guarantee opener. The first session drew 356 entries to put it on an easy path to the seven-digit prize pool.

They will play six more levels today, with a break midway through, and those with chips after Level 14 will bag up for a Day 2 return on Sunday.

$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8: 400/800 with a 800 ante
Flight A Entries: 353

Level 8 has come and gone and Flight A players are enjoying their second break from the game. Another new option for this series; we now have two snack stands outside the Event Center with food, beverages, candies, and nuts.

Registration will close for this flight when they return but there are five more chances to get in the game including Flight B this evening starting at 6pm.

Scott Baumstein got in the game before the break and he has some recent success in our opening events. In January we opened the Lucky Hearts Poker Open with a $1,000,000 Guarantee WPTDeepStacks event and Baumstein survived to take the title over 1,366 entries for more than $220,000.

$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 200/400 with a 400 ante
Flight A Entries: 283

Cards are back in the air for Flight A and we picked up a few more entries during the break. For player’s convenience, they do not need to walk back out to the registration desk if they wish to re-enter the tournament. We now have a re-entry desk in the Event Center near the tournament information table.

There are a few big stacks in the room after four levels but none bigger than the one that belongs to Brett Redstone. He’s up to 95,000 from his 20,000 starting stack for a near quintuple start. A few other top stacks belong to Paul Safron (64,800), Josh Phillips (60,000),  Jaquelyn Scott (55,700) and Joseph Duchman (53,500),

$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4: 200/300 with a 300 ante
Flight A Entries: 275

The first four levels are in the books and Flight A players are heading off for their first break of the day. We have a healthy crowd on a Thursday afternoon and the fields will only get bigger as we near the weekend.

With the Event Center (mostly) empty, we will take our first opportunity to track down our early leaders.

$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3: 100/200 with a 200 ante
Flight A Entries: 239

Flight A moved into the third level and afternoon hours to put the “big blind antes” in play. Instead of the old way of doing it, now the big blind will pay the ante for the other players, speeding up the game and getting more hands per hour. Win/win.

The Big Blind Ante format will be used for any No Limit Hold’em with 15,000 starting stacks or higher. The new poker world is here.

Earlier we mentioned Nancy Thomas finished second in the second biggest tournament field in state history and now we have the winner of the biggest. Rafael Reis captured his second SHRP trophy in the fall of 2016 when he outlasted more than 5,000 entries to win the opening event of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open.

$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 2: 100/200
Flight A Entries: 200

Flight A quickly jumped over 200 entries before the first hour was complete and we’re on a great pace to start the tournament and series. The front part of the Event Center is filling as the back part prepares for the Omaha/8 tournament kicking off at noon.

We found two SHRP favorites in early action and they share a name. Nancy Birnbaum and Nancy Thomas are loyal regulars in our big games and they are firing early.

Birnbaum is a three-time WSOP Circuit ring winner and Thomas picked up her biggest cash here last January when she finished second out of 4,756 entries (second biggest tournament field in state history) in the opening event of the Lucky Hearts Poker Open.

$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1: 100/100
Flight A Entries: 123

With no delay, Tournament Director Tony Burns made the player announcements and put cards in the air for the first time in the 2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open.

They will play four 30-minute levels before taking their first break of the day.

$570 Deep Stack NLH (Re-Entry)
$1,000,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1: 100/100

The Hard Rock Event Center is set up and ready to go. Today we welcome our players back to the big room to kick off the 2018 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open. One of the most exciting series we have during the year and this will be another great two weeks.

We are rolling things out big at the start with a $570 buy-in multi-day tournament, a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool and six starting flights. The first one kicks off at 11am and will set the pace for the first weekend of the series.

The tournament drew more than 3,000 entries last year and we don’t see a reason why we can’t put a bigger number of this time around.

Players will sit down to 20,000 starting stacks and all Day 1 levels run for 30 minutes. This tournament will feature a “big blind ante” structure where the player in the big blind posts the ante for all others at the table.

Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9 at 3:30pm and all opening flights will last 17 full levels. Those with chip at the end of the flight will bag them up for a Day 2 return on Sunday.

It’s an exciting day in the Hard Rock Event Center and we look forward to hosting our players once again.

• $1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 20,000 in chips
• Day 1 levels last 30 minutes; Day 2 levels last 40 minutes
• Late registration available until start of Level 9
• Day 1 will end after Level 14 or Tournament Director discretion
• Event 1 Structure Sheet