Event 9 Day 1F: Shuffle Up and Deal

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 1: 25/50

Five starting flights are in the books, and this evening’s Day 1F is the final chance to join the field for this big re-entry event. More than 2,300 entries have already been sold for this event, so the $1,000,000 guarantee has been exceeded with ease. By the time registration closes tonight, the prizepool should approach $1,500,000 with close to 3,000 total entries.

Here are the vitals for Day 1F:

  • Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
  • Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
  • Day 1 will end after Level 14
  • Event 9 Structure Sheet

Event 9 Day 1E: Dantonio Brown Has a Lucky Masseuse

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 12: 800/1,600 with a 200 Ante
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 189 of 651

Dantonio Brown (Jonesboro, GA)
Dantonio Brown (Jonesboro, GA)

On a Ts9c4s flop, action checked to the player on the button, who bet 3,700. Bill Gazes check-raised all in for 15,900, and Dantonio Brown called from early position. The button re-shoved for a small remainder on top, and Brown called again to put both opponents at risk.

Gazes: QcJh (open-ended straight draw)
Brown: QsTh (pair of tens)
Button: Ks7s (flush draw)

The turn 7c and river 4d were both blanks, and Brown earned the double knockout.

Two hands later, action folded to the small blind where Ryan D’Angelo moved all in for 12,400 with Kd4h. Brown called from the big blind with QcJs, and the KsTh9c flop immediately gave him a straight. D’Angelo was drawing dead after the 3h turn, and the river 4s filled out the board to end his day just before the last break.

“Lucky masseuse,” Brown said as he stacked up another pot.

Dantonio Brown – 220,000 (138 bb)
Bill Gazes – Eliminated
Ryan D’Angelo – Eliminated

Event 9 Day 1E: Mekyten Gets Two

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 12: 800/1,600 with a 200 Ante
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 180 of 651

Shon Mekyten knocked out two players in Flight E
Shon Mekyten knocked out two players in Flight E

We could hear a big hand developing on the other side of the room, mostly by the raised voices. It was a three-way all-in pot with Shon Mekyten holding the biggest stack but worst hand.

The chips went in the middle after the Td8d6c flop with Mekyten’s Kd7d behind his opponent’s top/top AhTh and better flush draw Ad3d.

“Keep it black!” extolled the top/top player before the 9h turn filled Mekyten’s gutshot draw.

“Keep it black!” he said again, seemingly unaware that he was drawing dead. Mekyten faded the seven flush outs two send to players out late in the Flight E.

Shon Mekyten – 155,000 (97 bb)

Event 9 Day 1E: Michael Mizrachi on the Move, Eliminates Asher Conniff

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 11: 600/1,200 with a 200 Ante
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 225 of 651

Michael Mizrachi (Miami, FL)
Michael Mizrachi (Miami, FL)

Fellow WPT champions Asher Conniff and Michael Mizrachi were seated together for the bulk of the day, but the twosome has just been broken up.

Mizrachi opened to 2,500 under the gun, and the player next to act called. In the big blind, Asher Conniff said, “All right, I’m a sucker,” and called to make it a three-way flop.

All three checked through the Jc4h4d flop, and the turn was the 8d. Conniff led for 2,500, and only Mizrachi called. The river was the 3d, and Conniff moved all in for about 11,000 total. Mizrachi instantly called, turning over QdTd for the flush. Conniff tabled a flush of his own, but his 9d2d was second best and his last hand of the day. He was eliminated from Day 1E, while Mizrachi is now one of the big stacks in the room.

Michael Mizrachi – 175,000 (146 bb)
Asher Conniff – Eliminated

Event 9 Day 1E: Reis Among the Leaders

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 11: 600/1,200 with a 200 Ante
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 225 of 651

Rafael Reis (Orlando, FL)
Rafael Reis (Orlando, FL)

A clean-shaven Rafael Reis has moved up into contention for the biggest stack in the room as one of the few reaching 200,000 so far. He’s neck and neck with Thila Narayanan for the lead but they still have a few more levels to go.

Reis was a final table member of this event last year. He was involved with an eight-way deal that saw him pick up more than $87,000 for an official fifth place finish. Reis also owns a trophy from his win in the $570 buy-in tournament during the Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open” in 2014.

Event 9 Day 1E: Max Droege Has All of the Queens

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 10: 500/1,000 with a 100 Ante
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 261 of 651

Max Droege (Toronto, ON)
Max Droege (Toronto, ON)

A player in early position opened to 2,800, and Max Droege three-bet to 6,200 on the button. The raiser called. Both players checked through the Qs9h3h flop, and the turn was the Qd. Droege bet 5,000, and his opponent check-raised all in for just over 30,000 total. Droege snap-called.

Droege: QhQc
Opponent: Js9s

The river was the Th, and quad queens earned Droege the knockout and a significant chip increase.

Max Droege – 98,000 (98 bb)

Event 9 Day 1E: Another Misstep For Mike Dentale

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 10: 500/1,000 with a 100 Ante
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 288 of 651

Joining the pot on an Ah5h3c flop, Mike Dentale had 8,200 chips out in front of him, and Shawn Nguyen had raised all in for an additional 23,200 on top. Dentale spent a few minutes in the tank before calling to put Nguyen at risk.

Nguyen: 2c5c
Dentale: JsJh

Dentale was drawing to runners, and the Ac turn kept his hopes alive. The river was the Td, though, and Nguyen doubled up. Dentale got off to a fast start this afternoon, but his stack has been trending in the wrong direction of late.

Shawn Nguyen – 73,000 (73 bb)
Mike Dentale – 37,000 (37 bb)

Event 9 Event 1E: Lock Up the Number

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 10: 500/1,000 with a 100 Ante
Flight 1E Players Remaining: 288 of 651

The smart folks finished the accounting process for Flight E and the number is locked down. The fifth Event 9 starting flight drew 651 entrants to bring the combined total up to 2,313 with one more flight to go. The prize pool current sits at $1,156,500 and it will get much bigger before registration completed closes for the tournament.

We are assured of topping last year’s attendance figure of 2,474 and the might even tease $1.5 million before we’re done.

FlightsTotal EntriesAdvanced
Flight A – Thursday, 11AM37971
Flight B – Thursday, 6PM33458
Flight C – Friday, 11AM49193
Flight D – Friday, 6PM45893
Flight E – Saturday, 11AM651TBD
Flight F – Saturday, 6PMTBDTBD
Running Total2,313315

Event 9 Day 1E: Gustavo Moscon Makes an “Excellent Call”

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 9: 400/800 with a 100 Ante
Flight 1E Entries: 651

Asher Conniff opened to 2,000 in middle position, and Gustavo Moscon called from the small blind.

The flop came KhTc3c, and Moscon check-called a bet of 1,600. Both players checked through the Kc turn, and the 4c river put a four-flush on board. Mocson checked again, and Conniff bet 3,000. Moscon called.

“Excellent call,” Conniff said, turning over QsJs for the miss. Moscon tabled 9s9h, winning the pot with two pair.

“That was an excellent call,” someone else at the table added their compliment.

Gustavo Moscon – 80,000 (100 bb)
Asher Conniff – 23,000 (29 bb)

Event 1 Day 1E: Short Grinders

$570 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack Re-Entry
Level 9: 400/800 with a 100 Ante
Flight 1E Entries: 651

Ryan Eriquezzo (New Haven, CT)
Ryan Eriquezzo (New Haven, CT)

Tournament staff are still crunching the numbers but the unofficial count shows 651 entrants in Flight E for a huge turnout. We’ll release the official numbers are soon as they are available.

There are more than a few short stacks in the field trying to run their stack up in the next-to-last flight including Kim Stone and 2012 WSOP National Champion Ryan Eriquezzo. Both put their chips in the middle after the break but didn’t find anyone willing to donate to the cause.

Kim Stone (Hallandale Beach, FL)
Kim Stone (Hallandale Beach, FL)