$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 3: 75/150/25 Ante

Play is back underway as the entrant count clicked up closer to 300 at the start of the third level. John Radvansky appears to the be the early leader as he closes in on 100,000 after just two levels.

We will return with the first round of official counts.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 2: 75/150

The players are off on their first break of the day with 287 showing on the tournament clock. Most of them are still around while a few are firing their second bullet.

Six hours remain for players to get in the game, or re-enter the game if felted, and we’ll know the combined two day numbers.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 2: 75/150

The fourth WSOP Main Event Champion has joined the field today when Jamie Gold grabbed a seat. The 2006 winner entered the flight along with Jonathan Duhamel today while Ryan Riess and Carlos Mortensen also played yesterday.

Mortensen was the only one around to bag chips at the end of 1A and the other three are looking to join him.

Looking forward to @shrpo @WPT today…always fun and well run there!

— Jamie Gold (@RealJamieGold) April 17, 2015

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 2: 75/150

The levels moved up a notch at the top of the hour with 250 entrants in the field so far. One more hour and they’ll go on their first break of the day.

bout to get started at #shrpo . really dig these new chips!

— Richard Lyndaker (@lyndakerpoker) April 17, 2015

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 1: 50/100

There are two interesting pairs taking part in the Championship this weekend, both married and trying to get a piece of the $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.

Michael and Angela Moed are Seminole Hard Rock Poker regulars and in action today. They both have past success with Michael’s most recent result coming when he won the Omaha/8 event earlier in the series.

Matt Brady and Esther Taylor-Brady have combined to earn more than $3 million in their careers including a WPT Borgata final table for Esther in January. Matt played yesterday and Esther is in action today.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 1: 50/100

Another big starting day at the Championship means another chance for our local regulars to mix it up with some top names in the game.

Kelly Minkin is just a few months removed from making the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open final table (3rd place finish) and she was joined by 2010 WSOP Main Event Champion Jonathan Duhamel. Another table has “Sheddy” Siddiqui facing Ian O’Hara, WPT Regional winner at Seminole Coconut Creek Casino.

2009 WPT winner Olivier Busquet is making his first appearance in the ballroom while Vanessa Selbst, Shannon Shorr, Matt Salsberg, Aaron Massey, and Abbey Daniels are back for another shot.

Registered Day 1B of the #shrpo main event and drew a table with local ambassador/legend @Sheddy88

— Ian O’Hara (@ianohara2) April 17, 2015

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 1: 50/100

Mike Sexton addressed the gathered players at noon once again at and they are now underway for Day 1B of the Championship.

Looking forward to @shrpo @WPT today…always fun and well run there!

— Jamie Gold (@RealJamieGold) April 17, 2015

I was the first one at the table today. Just trying to be #1 in the people’s hearts @shrpo #Rungood

— Jonathan Gaviao (@GaviaoJ) April 17, 2015

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 1: 50/100

The second day of the WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship is almost upon us with more players trying to join the 182 who survived Day 1A yesterday.

Barry Hutter finished last night as the chip leader with Tyler Reiman and WPT Seminole Hard Rock Lucky Hearts Poker Open Champion Brian Altman not far behind. They were among the top players of the 502 entrants to start Day 1A and everyone today will be trying to chase them down.

Players will sit down to 30,000 stacks and play hour-long levels throughout the day. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 7 after the dinner break, approximately 8pm this evening. If they make it through 10 full levels, they will bag up their chips and return on Sunday for Day 2.

Cards will be in the air at noon and we will be underway.

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship

Day 1A of the Championship drew 502 players with 182 moving on to Day 2

$3,500 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Championship
Level 10: 500/1,000/100 Ante

Barry Hutter has struck first and bags the chip lead for Day 1A with 182 players advancing out of 502 entries into today’s flight.

Hutter managed to sneak over the 300,000 chip mark and will carry 305,000 chips into Day 2 running away from the rest of the field.  Daniel Shiff ends up second with 213,000 chips and Event 6 champion Eliyaho Levy put away 210,100.

Some of the other top stacks include Luis Santoni (184,500), Vladimir Dobrovolski (182,900), Ty Reiman (182,900), Jake Schindler (181,700), Diaz Gilbert (180,200) and Yunior Bella (179,600).

Other notables include Pasquale Caiazza (162,000), Brian Altman (161,600), Darren Elias (150,000), Jerry Wong (150,000), Faraz Jaka (149,900), Christopher Bolek (141,700), Darryll Fish (132,700), Dan Suied (125,000), Steve Brecher (120,200), Anthony Zinno (93,600), Marvin Rettenmaier ($88,300), Will Failla (74,800), Jason Mercier (69,800), Mohsin Charania (66,900) and Sorel Mizzi (40,500).

Day 1B kicks off tomorrow at noon and all the players that advanced tonight will continue their quest for this championship at noon on Sunday.

Congratulations to everyone who advanced to Day 2!