$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 6

While the two remaining quarterfinal matches are still stuck at 1-0, the first semifinal match is now 1-0 in Ari Engel’s favor.

It took five bets to get Engel and Jonathan Little’s chip in the middle and it was a flip with Engel’s against . The board ran to send the big pot to Engel, leaving Little with only 1,500.

He put tossed them in on the next hand and his went down to to give Engel the 1-0 lead.

$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 6

Even with two other quarterfinal matches still rolling, Ari Engel and Jonathan Little jumped back into action to get their semifinal match underway.

$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 6
Level 6: 250/500

Aaron Mermelstein got himself all in for 8,400 preflop, flipping for his stack against George Lusby.

Mermelstein:
Lusby:

The board ran out , and Mermelstein’s pocket pair held to earn him the pot and a double-up.

Two hands later, Lusby moved all in for about 7,000 with , and Mermelstein woke up with , quickly calling to put his opponent at risk. The board ran out , giving Mermelstein the pot and the match with a pair of queens.

The two men are taking a short break before beginning their second match.

$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 7
Level 1: 50/100

The decisive match between Jonathan Little and Timothy Tenpas didn’t make it out of the first level. The two tangled up in a preflop raising war that left Tenpas all in with , and he was dominated by Little’s .

The board ran out clean for Little, giving him the game, the match, and a semifinal date with Ari Engel.

Down to the final 4 in the $1650 @shrpo @hardrockholly heads up tournament. I get to play everyone’s nemesis @realAriEngel

— Jonathan Little (@JonathanLittle) August 12, 2016

Jonathan Little – Advances to Semifinals
Timothy Tenpas – Eliminated in Quarterfinals ($4,800)

$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 7
Level 5: 200/400

Corey Dodd doubled up his short stack once before Alex Foxen sealed the victory.

On the last hand, Dodd shoved the button for 4,400 with , and Foxen called with , flipping for the win. The board ran out , and Foxen’s deuces held to give him the pot and a 1-0 lead in the match.

The two players are taking a short break before beginning the second game.

$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 7
Level 5: 200/400

On the turn of a board, Alex Foxen bet 2,550 into a pot of about 3,000, and Corey Dodd called. The river was the , and Foxen moved all in for 5,850. Dodd called, putting his opponent at risk.

Foxen showed , winning the pot with two pair. He now has a sizable lead in the first game of the match.

Alex Foxen – 21,400
Corey Dodd – 2,600

$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 7
Level 4: 150/300

Timothy Tenpas was heads up and out of position on a flop, and he led out for 1,000. Jonathan Little called that bet, then another 2,500 after the turn. The river was the , and Tenpas moved all in for about 8,000. Little had him slightly covered, and he quickly called to put Tenpas at risk.

Tenpas didn’t want to, but he was forced to show his . Little tabled , winning the pot and the game with three kings.

That result evens the match 1-1, and the two players are jumping right into the rubber match without a break.

$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 7

Ari Engel was down early in the best-of-three match against Jake Dollinger but evened it up soon after. The two were not deep into the third match when it also came to a quick end.

With the board reading , Dollinger put all his chips in the middle with and was in deep trouble against Engel’s flopped top two . Dollinger was looking for an ace or a counterfeiting two pair river but it blanked to put an end to the first match of the day.

Ari Engel – Advances to Semifinals
Jake Dollinger – Eliminated in Quarterfinals ($4,800)

$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 8

The first match between Ari Engel and Jake Dollinger ended with one of them short stack shoving, the second match ended with two big hands.

The board was reading when all the chips went in the middle. Engel had a near-lock on the hand with against to leave Dollinger looking for one of three chop outs. The river was not one of them and Engel evened their match up 1-1.

$1,650 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em
Players Remaining: 8

The Heads-Up matches got underway on time but we were missing one player for the first five minutes. Aaron Mermelstein was enjoying the South Florida weather and gifted a few blinds to Gary Lusby before he took his seat.

Ari Engel is at an early disadvantage after losing his first match against Jake Dollinger. The critical hand saw Dollinger raise Engel all-in with the board reading . Engel had 3,125 invested on the river alone and took several minutes before folding.

He was left with 3,000 and put them in the middle pre-flop a few hands later with . Dollinger called with and he hit the flop. The board finished with the turn and river to give Dollinger the early 1-0 lead.