High Roller: Dinner Break Until ~8:05 pm; Ray Qartomy Leads with 694K

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 10:  3,000/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Entries:  133

Ray Qartomy
Chipleader Ray Qartomy

Level 9 comes to an end, and the players take a 90-minute dinner break. Action is scheduled to resume around 8:05 pm EDT.

A scan of the field during the break turned up eight players with at least 375K in chips, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

1.  Ray Qartomy  –  694,000  (139 bb)
2.  Giuseppe Iadisernia  –  520,000  (104 bb)
3.  Byron Kaverman  –  500,000  (100 bb)
4.  Isaac Baron  –  462,000  (92 bb)
5.  Andjelko Andrejevic  –  445,000  (89 bb)
6.  Matthew Zarcadoolas  –  399,000  (80 bb)
7.  Aaron Van Blarcum  –  377,000  (75 bb)
8.  Ali Imsirovic  –  376,000  (75 bb)

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the end of the dinner break, around 8:05 pm. Action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

High Roller: Will Failla Wins a Three-Way All-In to Eliminate James Carroll

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 9:  2,500/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Entries:  131

James Carroll moved all in for about 70,000, Nipun Java moved all in over the top, and Will Failla calls all in for 120,000.

Nipun Java:  9x9x
Will Failla:  QxQx
James Carroll:  7x7x

The board came Kx6x6xQxXx, and Failla turned a full house, queens full of sixes, to scoop the entire pot, doubling thru Java and eliminating Carroll.

Will Failla  –  315,000  (63 bb)
Nipun Java  –  50,000  (10 bb)
James Carroll  –  Eliminated

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the end of the dinner break, around 8:05 pm.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 6, around 6:35 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

High Roller: Chad Eveslage Doubles Thru James Romero; Romero Eliminated

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 9:  2,500/5,000 with a 5,000 ante
Entries:  127

Chad Eveslage
Chad Eveslage

With the board showing Qs10d3d2h on the turn and a little more than 100K already in the pot, James Romero moved all in from the small blind for about 155,000.

Chad Eveslage tanked for a while on the button before calling all in for 136,500 with Qc9c for a pair of queens. Romero turned over KxJs for an open-ended straight draw with one overcard, and Eveslage needed his pair to hold to stay alive.

The river card was the 6h, and Eveslage won the pot with his pair of queens to double up in chips.

Chad Eveslage  –  375,000  (94 bb)
James Romero  –  25,000  (6 bb)

Romero was eliminated a short while later.

James Romero  –  Eliminated

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the end of the dinner break, around 8:05 pm.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 6, around 6:35 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

High Roller: Ray Qartomy Takes the Lead with 586K, Daniel Aharoni Eliminated by Joey Weissman

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 8:  2,000/4,000 with a 4,000 ante
Entries:  126

Ray Qartomy
Ray Qartomy

Ray Qartomy was fourth in chips at the break, and he’s nearly doubled his stack in the past hour to reach 586,500 (147 big blinds), and Giuseppe Iadisernia is the only other player above 400K — Iadisernia has about 535,000 (134 big blinds).

1.  Ray Qartomy  –  586,500  (147 bb)
2.  Giuseppe Iadisernia  –  535,000  (134 bb)

Joey Weissman raised from middle position to 9,000, Barry Hutter called from the cutoffoff, and Daniel Aharoni moved all in from the small blind for 50,500. Weissman called, and Hutter folded.

Aharoni turned over 9s9d, but he needed to improve to stay alive against Weissman’s JdJc.

The board came Kc8d3cAc4s, and the pocket jacks held up for Weissman to win the pot and eliminate Aharoni.

Joey Weissman  –  315,000  (79 bb)
Daniel Aharoni  –  Eliminated

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the end of the dinner break, around 8:05 pm.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 9, around 6:35 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

High Roller: Another Record Topped

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 8:  2,000/4,000 with a 4,000 ante
Entries:  124

The 2021 Poker Showdown series has been setting records since day one and today is no different. The $25,500 High Roller entry count hit 124 in the midst of Level 8 to cement itself as the biggest field in our history, topping the 123 entries from the 2018 SHRPO Big 4 High Roller.

With registration open until the start of Level 10, they have plenty of time to run it up.

2021 Showdown (April) – 124 entries (late reg open till ~8:05 pm)
2018 SHRPO Big 4 (August) – 123 entries
2017 SHRPO Big 4 (August) – 117 entries
2017 Showdown (April) – 116 entries
2019 SHRPO Big 4 (August) – 115 entries

High Roller: Aaron Van Blarcum Doubles Thru William Stanford; Stanford Eliminated by Jesse Lonis

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 7:  2,000/3,000 with a 3,000 ante
Entries:  121

Aaron Van Blarcum
Aaron Van Blarcum

Late in the last level, with the final board showing 5x4x2xQx3x in a multi-way pot, Aaron Van Blarcum moved all in, and William Stanford called with a five-high straight.

But Van Blarcum turned over 7x6x to win the pot with a seven-high straight and double up in chips.

Aaron Van Blarcum  –  290,000  (97 bb)
William Stanford  –  10,000  (3 bb)

Jesse Lonis
Jesse Lonis

Shortly after this, Stanford moved all in preflop for a little less than 10,000, and he was up against Jesse Lonis (big blind) and Barry Hutter (UTG).

Both players checked to the turn on a board of Ad6c5c4h, Lonis bet 8,000, and Hutter folded.

Stanford turned over As2c for a pair of aces with a gutshot straight draw, but he needed to improve to stay alive against Lonis’s Ah7d (pair of aces, higher kicker, open-ended straight draw).

The river card was the 8c, and Lonis won the pot with his seven kicker to eliminate Sanford.

Jesse Lonis  –  290,000
William Sanford  –  Eliminated

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the end of the dinner break, around 8:05 pm.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 9, around 6:35 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

High Roller: Daniel Lazrus Leads the Field at the Break with 404K

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 7:  2,000/3,000 with a 3,000 ante
Entries:  116

Daniel Lazrus
Daniel Lazrus

A scan of the field during the break turned up seven players with at least 290K in chips, creating an unofficial leaderboard:

1.  Daniel Lazrus  –  404,500  (135 bb)
2.  Ali Imsirovic  –  344,000  (115 bb)
3.  Andjelko Andrejevic  –  310,000  (103 bb)
4.  Ray Qartomy  –  295,500  (99 bb)
5.  Nitis Udornpim  –  292,000  (97 bb)
6.  Aaron Van Blarcum  –  291,500  (97 bb)
7.  Jesse Lonis  –  290,000  (97 bb)

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the end of the dinner break, around 8:05 pm.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 9, around 6:35 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

High Roller: Aaron Mermelstein Eliminated by Matthew Zarcadoolas

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 6:  1,500/3,000 with a 3,000 ante
Entries:  106

Matthew Zarcadoolas
Matthew Zarcadoolas

Markus Gonsalves raised UTG+1, Aaron Mermelstein moved all in from the cutoff for 34,500, and Matthew Zarcadoolas thought for a while before moving all in over the top for about 130,000. Gonsalves thought for a while before he folded.

Mermelstein turned over Ah10d, and he needed to improve to stay alive against the QdQc of Zarcadoolas.

The board came 6c5s2d6h3s, and the pocket queens held up for Zarcadoolas to win the pot and eliminate Mermelstein.

Matthew Zarcadoolas  –  180,000  (60 bb)
Aaron Mermelstein  –  Eliminated

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the end of the dinner break, around 8:05 pm.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 9, around 6:35 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.

High Roller: Rodney Seymour Gets Shawn Cunix To Lay Down Two Pair

$25,500 High Roller (Re-Entry)
Structure
Level 6:  1,500/3,000 with a 3,000 ante
Entries:  101

Rodney Seymour
Rodney Seymour

With the board showing Qh8c2c4d on the turn, Rodney Seymour checked the big blind, Shawn Cunix bet 18,500 from the cutoff, and Seymour called.

The river card was the Kc, and Seymour bet 32,000. Cunix asked to see how many chips he had left (roughly 50K), and then Cunix folded 8d4s face up for two pair.

Seymour showed 6s6d as he took the pot.

Rodney Seymour  –  160,000  (53 bb)
Shawn Cunix  –  170,000  (57 bb)

Registration remains open with unlimited re-entries until the end of the dinner break, around 8:05 pm.

There will be a 90-minute dinner break after Level 9, around 6:35 pm, and action is scheduled to continue tonight until the end of Level 15, around 12:30 am.