$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 6: 600/1,200 with a 200 ante
Entries: 83

The entry counter on the clock has ticked up to 83, creating the need for a tenth table. Tom Marchese and Tim West are the two most recent entries, and they’re waiting for the empty seats to be filled with players from other tables.

Marchese is a fixture in the biggest-buy-in tournaments in the world, with a handful of seven-figure scores on his tournament résumé. West is no slouch either, having finished in third place in the last $25,000 High Roller held here at Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood.

$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 5: 500/1,000 with a 100 ante
Entries: 83

Paul Volpe raised to 2,300 from the cutoff, Danny Shiff called from the button, and Tom Chae called from the small blind.

They checked to the turn of a board where Shiff bet 5,000. Only Chae called.

The river was the and Chae checked to Shiff who bet 9,000. Chae check-raised all in for 50,700 and Shiff called with for a flush.

Chae, however, tabled for a better flush to win the pot and double up.

Tom Chae – 123,000
Danny Shiff – 105,000

$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 5: 500/1,000 with a 100 ante
Entries: 81

Dan Shak opened the cutoff with a raise to 2,500, and Aaron Mermelstein three-bet to 8,500 in the big blind. Shak four-bet shoved for 113,100 total.

“Wow,” Mermelstein said as he leaned back in his chair. “I’m not Hollywood-ing, I promise. I would have snap-mucked, but…” He deliberated for a couple minutes, then asked, “Would you do that with tens?” Shak sat as still as a statue while Mermelstein sized him up. Mermelstein eventually folded.

“Bad fold,” Chance Kornuth said.

“I had jacks,” Mermelstein claimed.

“Well, I know you had jacks,” Kornuth laughed back.

Mermelstein had a little history to draw on for his decision, though: “The last time Dan shoved on me — I just had a flashback — the last time Dan shoved on me, he shoved 200 big blinds with aces on a jack-nine-eight flop. So Dan likes to rip aces for a lot.”

“What suits were your jacks?” a skeptical Mike Leah asked with a smirk.

Shak chose not to participate in the conversation, quietly stacking the pot as he adjusted the music coming through his headphones.

Dan Shak – 122,900
Aaron Mermelstein – 220,000

$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 5: 500/1,000 with a 100 ante
Entries: 81

Following the turn of a board with about 6,500 in the pot, Dan Colman bet 3,500 from the small blind. David Peters called from the cutoff.

The river was the and Colman check-called 8,600 from Peters.

Peters tabled for a king-high flush, Colman mucked, and Peters collected the pot.

David Peters – 215,000
Dan Colman – 103,000

$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 400/800 with a 100 ante
Entries: 77

Following the turn of an board, Adam Geyer was all in from the button for about 20,000 with against Ray Qartomy in the cutoff with .

The river was the , no help to Geyer, giving Qartomy the pot.

Ray Qartomy – 150,000
Adam Geyer – Eliminated

$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 400/800 with a 100 ante
Entries: 75

The field has ballooned to 75 entries, and they’ve officially outgrown the secondary ballroom. There are only eight tables set up in the ballroom, so a ninth table has just been added in the main tournament ballroom. So far, Seminole Hard Rock Poker Team member Loni Harwood, Nick Schulman, Joe McKeehen (working on his second entry), and defending champion Jason Mercier have drawn for seats, and they’re waiting for a few other players to fill the empty chairs.

Pretty fired up to play this 25k @shrpo today. Need to run the heat ????

— Loni Harwood (@Luscious_Lon) August 15, 2016

That table will be the first to break (for now), but if the field keeps growing at this pace, more additional tables may still be necessary.

$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 400/800 with a 100 ante
Entries: 75

Mukul Pahuja raises to 2,000 from under the gun, Paul Volpe calls from early position, Tom Chae calls from the hijack, David Peters calls from the cutoff, and Faraz Jaka three-bet shoves from the button for 26,800. Pahuja calls and the rest of the players fold.

Pahuja:
Jaka:

The board fell , giving Jaka a set of tens on the river to double through Pahuja.

Faraz Jaka – 61,600
Mukul Pahuja – 45,000

$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 400/800 with a 100 ante
Entries: 71

Ankush Mandavia raised all in from the button for 7,500, Shaun Deeb called from the small blind, and Pablo Fernandez called from the big blind.

They checked to the turn of a board where Fernandez bet 9,000. Deeb folded.

Mandavia:
Fernandez:

The river was the , no help to Mandavia, locking up the pot for Fernandez.

Pablo Fernandez – 202,500
Ankush Mandavia – Eliminated

$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 400/800 with a 100 ante
Entries: 67

The player under the gun opened to 2,100, and Aaron Mermelstein three-bet to 5,600 on the button. Ian O’Hara cold four-bet to 16,500 in the small blind, and only Mermelstein called.

The flop was , and O’Hara continued for 17,200. Mermelstein called, and the turn was the . O’Hara checked, Mermelstein bet 30,000, and O’Hara folded.

Mermelstein joined the field just before the first break, and his stack is showing an early upward trend.

Aaron Mermelstein – 140,000
Ian O’Hara – 75,000

$25,500 High Roller No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 400/800 with a 100 ante
Entries: 67

Pratyush Buddiga raised to 1,800 from the cutoff, George Dolofan three-bet to 7,000 from the button, Buddiga four-bet shoved with the bigger stack, and Dolofan called all in for 64,900.

Buddiga:
Dolofan:

The board ran out , no help to Buddiga, locking up the double for Dolofan.

George Dolofan – 131,800
Pratyush Buddiga – 25,600