Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Heading On The Final Break

Level 14 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Day 1A Entries: 232

Robert Sichelstiel (Perkasie, PA)

The remaining (60) players are heading on their final (15) minute break of the night in ten minutes, and will return to Level 15 and blinds of 2,000/4,000/500.  The unofficial chip average sits at 155,000, which is a good reference for the list of big stacks heading to the final (45) of the night:

Robert Sichelstiel - 470,000
George Alberto - 460,000
Dan Dizenzo - 330,000
Sardor Gaziev - 320,000
Sean Wallace - 295,000
Matt Glantz - 290,000
Michael Marder - 245,000
Joshua Beckley - 240,000
Rocco Luciano - 215,000
Mohammad Farah - 200,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Maybe It Was The Meal?

Level 14 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Day 1A Entries: 230

Alex Queen (Bethlehem, PA)

Tournament supervisor Andrew Merlino has just announced the beginning of Level 14, with blinds going up to 1,500/3,000/400.  Alex Queen (Bethlehem, PA) and Sean Wallace went to dinner together, so maybe it's something in the food that's driving the steady trend upwards.  While Queen's stack wasn't quite as healthy to start the hand, he did just get a full double.  We caught up with the hand on the flop, after the big blind called an open from Alex.  The dealer would fan out a flop of 3♣ 8♦ 9♥, and the player in the big blind checked.

Queen put out a bet of 6,000, with his opponent casually grabbing a stack of gray chips and throwing out a check raise to 30,000.  Alex looked down at his chips and announced himself all-in, with his opponent calling the extra 22,000.  Queen's K♣ K♦ would be well ahead of his adversaries' 8♣ 4♣, with the turn and river running out clean for Queen.

The dealer counted down Alex's stack, and after the chips were shipped his way, he'd starting stacking up over 120,000.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Wallace Trending

Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 229

Sean Wallace came back from dinner break almost (90) minutes ago with about 150,000, and he has since more than doubled his stack.  Sean just won a pot to eclipse the 300,000 mark, as a player opened to 5,500 in late position, with action folding to the blinds.  The small blind flatted the 5,500, with Wallace three-betting to 16,800 from the big blind.  The original raiser four-bet shipped for just over 50,000, and after the small blind folded, Wallace made the call:

Wallace: J♥ J♦
Player X: 5♦ 5♣

Runout: 7♠ A♥ 10♥ 9♥ 4♥

Sean's pocket jacks were good enough, but he would make a flush on the river to send his opponent away from the table.  With those newfound chips, Wallace is at 330,000 and sits with a top five stack of those remaining.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Notables Still Alive

Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 227

The field is now down to less than (100) players, with the chip average (approximate) at the moment sitting at 106,000.  There are still many notables still alive in the flight, some of which haven't been mentioned throughout the day:

Joshua Beckley
Justin Liberto
Keith Crowder
Greg Himmelbrand
DJ MacKinnon
Sardor Gaziev
Steven Sarmiento
Dan Dizenzo
Matthew Silberzweig
Eric Rappaport
Jose Montes
Andrew Lydon
Matt Glantz
Robert Sichelstiel
Judy Bielan
Nancy Martin
Alex Queen
Mohammed Farah
Craig Bateman
Joe Palma
Greg Fishberg
Staffan Lind

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Chip Counts Before Break

Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 223

Players are about to go on the second to last break of the night, and after (15) minutes they will return to Level 12 and blinds of 1,200/2,400/300.  There will be two more levels played...a break where the floor colors off the (100) denomination chips...and then the final level of the night.  Here are some of the biggest stacks spotted during the later stages of this level:

George Alberto - 445,000
Ryan Hohner - 255,000
Mike Berto - 250,000
Sardor Gaziev - 245,000
Sean Wallace - 225,000
David Datasvhili - 210,000
Joshua Beckley - 205,000
Rocco Luciano - 185,000
Trevor Deeter - 150,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Alberto Continues To Climb

Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1A Entries: 218

George Alberto (Clifton, NJ)

George Alberto (Clifton, NJ) has been towards the top of the leaderboard throughout the day, and he's once again grabbed the overall chip lead. As we walked by Table 54, an unknown player would be shoving into Alberto on a board of J♣ 7♦ 2♣ 4♥.  Alberto would make the call immediately, with his opponent say to him, "Man...do you have aces?"  It wouldn't be aces, but it it would be good to win:

Alberto: K♥ K♠
Player X: Q♥ Q♦

River: 9♦

Alberto would fade the two-outer, and he would become chip leader with that pot, chipping up to 340,000.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Wallace KO's Norton

Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1A Entries: 217

Sean Wallace (Horsham, PA)

Kyle Norton had just re-entered the event with the 40,000 starting stack, and was looking to build something up quick.  He shoved over an open from Sean Wallace for just under the starting stack, and after action folded back around to Sean, he made the call:

Wallace: A♦K♥
Norton: K♣ Q♥

Flop: A♥ K♠ 5♥
Turn: 9♥
River: 2♣

Sean got a big flop against Kyle, leaving Norton searching for one of the two remaining queens in the deck.  The turn and river would not bring that, and Wallace would eliminate Norton from the field and chip up to 170,000.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Gaziev First To Eclipse 200,000

Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1A Entries: 213

Sardor Gaziev (North Brunswick, NJ)

Sardor Gaziev (North Brunswick, NJ) has returned from break and continued right where he left off.  He is sitting with 275,000, and is clear of the field by almost 100,000.  There are some new faces emerging with big stacks since dinner:

Greg Himmelbrand - 145,000
Dan Dizenzo - 130,000
Chris Csik - 130,000
Mike Kemeter - 125,000
Arthur Zaikansky - 120,000
Craig Bateman - 115,000

Big Stax VIII: Omaha Hi/Lo 8B Final Results

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1A Entries: 203

Below are the official results for the Big Stax VIII Omaha Hi/Lo 8B event:

Big Stax VIII - $300 + 40 Omaha Hi/Lo 8B
October 6, 2014

Total Entries: 51
Total Prize Fund: $14,841

Payouts:

Place	Player Name		Prize
1	Chetna Joshi	Bensalem,PA	$5,046.00
2	Daniel Dizenzo	Sussex,NJ	$3,413.00
3	James Silecchia	Jackson,NJ	$2,226.00
4	Antoinett Pennington	Galloway,NJ	$1,781.00
5	Michael Drabot	Riverside,NJ	$1,336.00
6	Rachel Anter	Westerly,RI	$1,039.00

Big Stax VIII: Big Stax 300 Final Results

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1A Entries: 203

Below are the official results for the Big Stax VIII 300 event:

Big Stax 300 - $300 + 30 No Limit Hold'em (Re-Entry)
October 1-6, 2014

Total Entries: 1,651
Total Prize Fund: $470,535

Payouts:

Place	Player Name		Prize
1	C.D.	Kostoulas	$50,000.00
2	Jonathan	Borenstein	$50,000.00
3	Joseph	Santoro	$50,000.00
4	Scott	Blackman	$25,975.00
5	Joshua	Hertz	$25,975.00
6	Tyreem	Williams	$25,974.00
7	Joseph	Smith	$25,974.00
8	Raymond	Ross Jr.	$7,999.00
9	Edward	Walsh	$6,117.00
10	Mohammad	Farah	$4,611.00
11	Michael	Menzer	$4,611.00
12	John	Johnston	$4,611.00
13	Rich	Rodrigo	$4,188.00
14	Dilip	Ravindran	$4,188.00
15	Gregory	Joslyn	$4,188.00
16	William	Miller	$3,764.00
17	Kevin	Lutz	$3,764.00
18	Michael	Hollenberg	$3,764.00
19	Geoffrey	Cudd Jr.	$3,388.00
20	Giuseppe	Pizzolato	$3,388.00
21	Geoffrey	Lewit	$3,388.00
22	Harold	Siroka	$3,058.00
23	Joseph	Galazzo	$3,058.00
24	James	McKeon	$3,058.00
25	James	Tesone	$2,729.00
26	Justin	Lennon	$2,729.00
27	Matthew	Zambanini	$2,729.00
28	Sophie	Chen	$2,400.00
29	Christopher	Csik	$2,400.00
30	John	Critelli Jr.	$2,400.00
31	Richard	Wible Jr.	$2,400.00
32	Pradeep	Deshpande	$2,400.00
33	Christoph	Cheung	$2,400.00
34	Kevin	O'Brien	$2,400.00
35	Igor	Rabinovich	$2,400.00
36	Ryan	Connors	$2,400.00
37	John	Wickizer	$2,070.00
38	Gregory	Fishberg	$2,070.00
39	Aaron	Mermelstein	$2,070.00
40	Michael	Pszczola	$2,070.00
41	Matthew	Doyle	$2,070.00
42	John	Stillitano	$2,070.00
43	Jonathan	Rinko	$2,070.00
44	Andrew	Weinstein	$2,070.00
45	Matthew	Glantz	$2,070.00
46	Jason	Ramseur	$1,741.00
47	Antony	Mastragostino	$1,741.00
48	Christopher	Horter	$1,741.00
49	Moshe	Dahan	$1,741.00
50	Richard	Milo	$1,741.00
51	Thomas	Coan Jr.	$1,741.00
52	Anirban	Roy	$1,741.00
53	Joseph	Reddick	$1,741.00
54	Dhaval	Joshi	$1,741.00
55	Michael	Dimaiuta	$1,459.00
56	Katayon	Khaterzai	$1,459.00
57	Stephen	Faulkner	$1,459.00
58	Daniel	Dizenzo	$1,459.00
59	Michael	Drabot	$1,459.00
60	Michael	Moore	$1,459.00
61	Joseph	Katcher	$1,459.00
62	Stephanie	Hubbard	$1,459.00
63	Alexander	Rocha	$1,459.00
64	Daniel	Mulhall	$1,176.00
65	Richard	Kates	$1,176.00
66	Christopher	Leong	$1,176.00
67	Hua	Wei	$1,176.00
68	Greg	Himmelbrand	$1,176.00
69	Jeffrey	Pulkowski	$1,176.00
70	Kevin	Darouvar	$1,176.00
71	Ryan	Hohner	$1,176.00
72	Antonio	Lombardi	$1,176.00
73	Daniel	Pettit	$988.00
74	Wayne	Griffin	$988.00
75	Antoine	White	$988.00
76	Paul	Shedaker	$988.00
77	Randall	Pfeifer	$988.00
78	Karen	Perez	$988.00
79	Thomas	McMahon	$988.00
80	Carl	Emigholz	$988.00
81	Matthew	Fitzgerald	$988.00
82	Salvatore	Busacca	$894.00
83	Adam	Larkin	$894.00
84	Hee Joong	Im	$894.00
85	Timothy	Bryan	$894.00
86	Joseph	McKeehen	$894.00
87	Anthony	Caruso	$894.00
88	Justin	Medenilla	$894.00
89	Sean	Wallace	$894.00
90	Douglas	Mackinnon	$894.00
91	Lung	Chan	$800.00
92	Robert	Klein	$800.00
93	Scott	Blumstein	$800.00
94	Michael	Kemeter	$800.00
95	Peter	McGinnis Jr.	$800.00
96	Dominick	Christiano Jr.	$800.00
97	Jake	Ross	$800.00
98	Stephen	Ricchini	$800.00
99	Richard	Devivo	$800.00
100	Ching	Poon	$800.00
101	Kenneth	Moyer	$800.00
102	Tomasz	Tylek	$800.00
103	Wayne	Kaufmann	$800.00
104	Jay	Johnson	$800.00
105	Jonathan	Kramer	$800.00
106	Sean	Byars	$800.00
107	Steven	Sarmiento	$800.00
108	Marthen	Bone	$800.00
109	Kyle	Norton	$753.00
110	Jeffrey	Gross	$753.00
111	Antonio	Payne	$753.00
112	Ian	Hodges	$753.00
113	Craig	Bateman II	$753.00
114	Cary	Poulos	$753.00
115	Sergio	Loureiro	$753.00
116	Eric	Orstein	$753.00
117	Mark	Manitzas	$753.00
118	Ashok	Muniganti	$753.00
119	Cody	Ward	$753.00
120	Norman	Michalek	$753.00
121	Martin	Labriola	$753.00
122	Robert	Brady	$753.00
123	Ramona	Paladino	$753.00
124	Mark	Perry	$753.00
125	Aileen	Freifeld	$753.00
126	Joseph	Giumarra	$753.00
127	Jason	Incidis	$753.00
128	Steven	Thornton	$753.00
129	Charles	Cronk	$753.00
130	Sandeep	Patel	$753.00
131	Eric Todd	Rappaport	$753.00
132	Michael	Lavenburg	$753.00
133	Eugene	Harmon	$753.00
134	Robert	Boyko	$753.00
135	Reggie	Lopez	$753.00
136	Joseph	Miceli	$753.00
137	A.	Nonymous	$753.00
138	Matthew	Itkin	$753.00
139	John	Hinds	$753.00
140	Susan	Gioso	$753.00
141	Joseph	Mancini	$753.00
142	Keith	Woernle	$753.00
143	Michael	Judge	$753.00

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Cards Back In The Air

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1A Entries: 203

The cards are once again in the air, and players are ready to finish out the opening flight of the Big Stax VIII 500 event.  The trend of entering the field during dinner break continues, but it a little light today, with (6) players jumping in at Level 10.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Dinner Break

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 197

Those players remaining in the field are heading on their dinner break, which will last (75) minutes, spanning from 6:30-7:45pm.  When action resumes, the blinds posted in Level 10 will be 600/1,200/200.  Approximately one-third of the total entries have been lost up to now, with six levels remaining in the night after dinner.  Live updates from this first flight of the tournament will continue once cards are back in the air.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Ingram Likes The Turn...Kraut Hates The River

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)

Total Day 1A Entries: 196

James Ingram (Ewing, NJ)

We approached Table 48 in a three-way pot that was on the river, with a board that read 6♠ J♦ J♣ K♦ 8♣.  An unknown player had a bet of 12,000 in front of him, with James Ingram having raised to 31,000.  Alan Kraut was next to act, and he would take a few looks over at Ingram before stacking up his chips and putting them across the line.  

The original bettor folded, and Ingram casually tossed a chip towards the middle (just over 40,000), signifying a call.  Alan would turn over 8♦ 8♠ for a rivered full house, but James tabled a larger full house (K♥ K♣).

Kraut walked away from the table, just astonished with the way he has been running, while Ingram chips up to 140,000 after the elimination.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Updated Chip Counts

Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 190

The field is now pushing the 200 total entry mark, which is a very respectable number for the first of three starting flights.  Players are about to enter Level 9, which will be the last level before the (75) minute dinner break.  The blinds will be going up to 500/1,000/100, with an approximate chip average of 57,000.  Here are some of the larger stacks in the field as the level transitions:

Rocco Luciano - 185,000
Sardor Gaziev - 169,000
James Kaplan - 165,000
David Datashvili - 165,000
Chris Kounoupis - 140,000
"Rolo" - 140,000
Dan Dizenzo - 138,000
Anthony Pagan - 120,000
Joe McKeehen - 105,000
James McKeon - 100,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Much Ado About Something

Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 185

Chris Kounoupis

After Joshua Beckley opened the pot for a raise at Table 49, Ron Vitello shoved all-in for 23,600.  Action folded to Chris Kounoupis, who would re-shove for over 80,000.  It would be back on the original raiser (Beckley), who is a deliberate player regardless of the action.  Joshua took his time thinking the hand through, and eventually grabbed his stack and put it across the line:

Vitello: 6♣ 6♦
Beckley: J♠ J♣
Kounoupis: K♥ K♠

Runout: Q♣ 4♦ 9♥ 3♠ 9♣

After some time to sort out the main/side pots, the dealer ran out a clean board for Kounoupis, who would win the pot and chip up to 160,000.  That puts him in the time five of the field at the moment, as players transition to Level 8 and blinds of 400/800/100.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Out And Back In

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 179

Jose Montes (Bronx, NY)

Bagging chips on one bullet in these Big Stax trophy events is almost like the new min-cash, considering the amount of shots people take.  DJ MacKinnon (East Amherst, NY) looked good to continue on with his first bullet, getting his short stack in against Jose Montes:

MacKinnon: A♥ Q♠
Montes: J♣ J♥

Runout: 2♠ Q♣ A♠ J♦ 4♣

DJ flopped top two, but watched as Montes turning a set, leaving himself with four outs to win.  The four on the river wasn't one of those outs, and MacKinnon walked to the cage to re-enter.  Montes chipped up to 80,000 with the pot, and looks to become part of #TeamOneBulletSome other players to bust and get back into the field include Nancy Martin,Alan Kraut, and Robert Sichelstiel.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Two Former Champs Arrive

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 174

There was a small rush of new entries into the field during the break, including Alex Queen (Bethlehem, PA) and Craig Bateman (Bryn Mawr, PA).  Both players have won Big stax trophy events, with Alex taking the first place share of a chop during the Big Stax VI 300 (with Justin Liberto), and Bateman the same during this event in August (Big Stax VII).  Bateman returned to cash in the Big Stax 300 last week, while Queen is showing up for the first time this series.  Others to arrive during break:

Sean Wallace
Patti Haggerty
Matthew Silberzweig

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Breaking Things Up

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: 162

Players are heading on their second (15) minute break of the day, and will be returning to Level 7 and blinds of 300/600/100.  We are always scanning the Twitter feed for updated during these breaks, so make sure to include the #ParxBigStax, #BigStax, or @Parxpokeroom when publishing the updates.  There will be three more levels played once action resumes, with the next break being the extended (75) minute dinner break (6:30pm-7:45pm).

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): First Look At Chip Counts

Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1A Entries: 161

Rocco Luciano (Philadelphia, PA)

Rocco Luciano's schedule during the Big Stax VII series was a little light, but he had a very good reason not to be present.  Luciano's family was growing larger by one, as he welcomed his daughter Gabriella into the world.  He was coming off a series in February when he chopped the Big Stax 300 ($74,094), and took down a side event for just under $10,000 ($200 + 40 Deep Stack Turbo).  Rocco has emerged as the biggest stack before break, sitting with 170,000:

Rocco Luciano - 170,000
George Alberto - 130,000
James Kaplan - 120,000
Ibraim Ibraimovic - 105,000
Sardor Gaziev - 98,000
Chris Csik - 90,000
David Inselberg - 85,000
Joshua Beckley - 64,000
Eric Rappaport - 54,000
Joe Palma - 50,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Trying Not To Miss Anyone

Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1A Entries: 156

Players have just entered Level 6, with blinds going up to 250/500/50.  We are still just slightly behind the record pace from earlier this year, about eight entries less at this moment than there were in August.  There continues to be a flow of familiar faces into the tournament area, with the Parx Poker Room Ambassador (Matt Glantz) looking to make it to the end of the night on one bullet.  Here are some of those that were spotted over the last level:

Trevor Deeter
Jay Catcher
Justin Liberto
John Wickizer
Dan Dizenzo
Robert Sichelstiel
Ryan Eriquezzo
Aristedes Santana
Jeffrey Spence

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Results From Earlier This Week

Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Entries: 153

Below are the results from the Tuesday evening Big Stax side event ($300 + 40 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack Turbo).  The tournament was one of three side events to have been played this week, with the Omaha and Survivor results to follow:

Big Stax VIII
$300 + 40 No Limit Hold'em Deep Stack Turbo
October 7, 2014

Total Entries: 113
Total Prize Fund:  $32,883

Final Results:

Place	Player Name	Prize
1	Eric Doerr	$2,535
2	Harvey Schneider	$2,529
3	Robert Magliozzo	$2,529
4	Ronald Vidakovic	$2,529
5	Jeffrey Wicker	$2,529
6	Joseph Yokshan	$2,529
7	Peter Mullin	$2,529
8	Aileen Freifeld	$2,529
9	Donald Warren	$2,529
10	Ernest Gozman	$2,529
11	Zachary Epstein	$2,529
12	Stephen Honig	$2,529
13	Michael Cologna	$2,529

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Christopher No Longer In Bloom

Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Day 1A Entries: 144

Kimberly Demarre (Swarthmore, PA)

The tournament supervisor has announced the beginning of Level 5, with the blinds now going up to 200/400/50.  Also going up is Kimberly Demarre (Swarthmore, PA), as she takes a big pot down against Christopher Bloom.

We approached Table 51 on the flop, just as Demarre led out for 3,000 on a flop of K♦ K♣ 3♣.  Bloom threw out a raise to 10,000, and after a moment or two of though, Kimberly made the call.  The dealer then placed down the 2 on the turn, and Demarre immediately announced herself all-in.  Bloom pushed the rest of the stack across the line and asked Demarre, "Do you have the flush?"

Demarre: A♣ J♣ (turned flush)
Bloom: K♥ 10♥ (flopped three kings)

The board would not pair on the river, and Demarre would more than double up.  After the dealer cut out Kimberly's chips, Bloom would match her 23,500, and be left with 2,125 (Demarre chipped up to 75,000).

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Alberto Off To An Early Lead

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Day 1A Entries: 138

George Alberto (Clifton, NJ)

The first player to eclipse the century mark (and the chip leader at the moment) is George Alberto (Clifton, NJ), who sits with 135,000.  Alberto may have lost his trademark beard, but the scarf is very familiar to players that made Day 2 of the Big Stax V 500 event.  Alberto was one of the early chip leaders once the field combined that Sunday in February, but eventually tailed off and finished in 45th place ($2,046).

There have been more late arrivals to the field since players returned from break, including Sophie Chen, who was the last lady standing in the Big Stax 300 (28th Place - $2,400).  There have been two more tables opened in the outer tournament area, housing the likes of Anthony Garofalo, Michael Cannon, Steve Sutton, and Jose Montes.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Winning A Big One Before Break

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Entries: 127

It's definitely a little early in the day for players to be tweeting chip counts and such, but we did catch one during the break from Eric Rappaport (Philadelphia, PA), who more than doubled his starting stack right before break:

Flopped nut straight on wet board n guy didn't want to fold aa. 70k+ first break going into 150-300 #YouKnowYouCare
— Eric Rappaport (@Rappy300) October 9, 2014

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): First Break Of The Day

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Entries: 120

Players are about to take their first (15) minute break of the day, returning to Level 4 and blinds of  150/300/50.  The field is only three entries short of the record pace from August, when Day 1A ended with 245 total entries (925 final number).  There have been more late arriving notables to sit down during Level 4, including:

Jo Kim
Joe Palma
DJ MacKinnon
Eric Rappaport
Ibrahim Ibrahimovich
Drew Small
Michael Hollenberg
Sardor Gaziev
Joe McKeehen

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): "Do I Looked Worried?"

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Entries: 112

Maksim Serebrinskiy (Brooklyn, NY)

While discussing the conclusion of the Big Stax 300 with a few players at Table 78 (late reg table), a large hand would unfold right in front of us.  On a board of A♠ 2♠ 3♥ 4♥, Staffan Lind would raise Maksim Serebrinskiy's turn bet of 6,000 to 13,000.  Lind answered back by pushing his stack forward across the line and announcing himself all-in (40,000).

Maksim made the call, and Lind turned over 5♣ 9♣, having turned the straight.  Serebrinskiy asked what the other hand was, while the dealer asked him to table his hand.  "Well, what does he have over there," Maksim asked again, as the dealer once again asked for the hand to be turned over.  Serebrinskiy eventually turned over his hand, tabling 5♠ 6♥ (having turned the nut straight).  Lind was drawing to a chop at best, but would lose the pot after a nine spiked the river, doubling up Maksim to over 76,000.  Staffan was left with less than 6,000 after the hand, but still has (30) bigs in front of him.

One of the other players at the table asked Maksim what he was worried about (in regards to Lind's hand), holding onto the nuts when the money got in.  Maksim looked over and answered, "Do I look worried?"

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Fedora Magic Returns

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Day 1A Entries: 101

Jonathan Borenstein (Teaneck, NJ)

The total number of entries has just crossed the century mark, and blinds are also going up to 100/200/25 in Level 3.  One of the newest players in the field comes equipped with fedora and all, as Jonathan Borenstein (Teaneck, NJ) takes his seat at Table 46.  Borenstein was one of seven players to chop up the Big Stax 300 earlier this week, earning himself $50,000 for his share of the deal.

Being that we try and focus on as many different players in the field as possible, the full story of Borenstein's tournament may have gone unmentioned/unnoticed.  Jonathan had a very roller coaster Day 2, even getting down to 20,000 in chips at blinds of 6,000/12,000/2,000.  Most players would mentally check out at that point, but Borenstein got a few doubles, and was able to turn his entire tournament around from that point on.

Other notables new to the field include Chris Csik, Rocco Luciano, Eric Rivkin, Steven Sarmiento, and David Inselberg.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Looking To Turn Things Around

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Entries: 86

Michael Marder (Sewell, NJ)

Michael Marder (Sewell, NJ) has (52) recorded cashes and over $332,000 in earnings on his resume, seemingly going deep in every one of the tournaments he plays.  Marder is a self-proclaimed short-stack, joking many times on Twitter that it's his comfort zone.  Michael was spotted many times over the last week during the Big Stax 300, most of the time sitting with an average to below average stack.  Now this wasn't his preference, it just happened to be the type of week he was experiencing.

There were many bullets fired over the four days, and although he made Day 2, Marder only lasted a level that day.  He's looking to turn things around today, and most likely has the #TeamOneBullet ready to go in his drafts.

The group of notables spotted during this second wave include Alan Kraut, Judy Bielan, Nancy Martin, George Alberto, David Datashvili, Ken Silbertstein, and Greg Fishberg.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Guess The Notable

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Day 1A Entries: 69

Player X (Ardmore, PA)

The Big Stax 300 saw the addition of "Big Stax Superlatives," with the Best Beard and Best Hair awards given out over the slower portions of the starting days.  Those will continue over the course of the series, but today we have "Guess That Notable."

The player pictured is a well known tournament pro...here are a few hints:

- Over $596,000 in career earnings
- Has (2) Big Stax final tables on his resume, both coming during the Big Stax 1500
- Hails from Ardmore, PA
- A huge music fan, having seen the band Phish in many different places across the country
- His Hendon Mob has him listed by his first, middle, and last name

You can comment here on the live updates page, or @ParxPokerRoom if you think you know this notable.

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): An Intimate Start

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Entries: 62

This early field can be described at "intimate," but this is just the trend that we've seen for all of the events, a light field to start with a strong field to end.  That hasn't kept the notables from making their way out here, as about half of those currently sitting could be considered a familiar face.  The "best beard" is already in the house, as Kyle Norton comes off his min-cash in the Big Stax 300 ($793).  Kyle is sitting to the direct right of Parx regular James Ingram (Ewing, NJ), who missed out on a cash during this series first event, but was sitting at this event's final table during the last series.

Those two make up only a small percentage of the notables in the field:

Alex Brody
James Kaplan
Paul Shedaker
Norman Rodgers
Joe Galazzo
Joe Spillane

Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): The Treck Towards A Trophy Begins Again

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Day 1A Entries: TBD

The cards are going to be in the air momentarily for Day 1A of the Big Stax 500, as the path towards another trophy begins for a number of players.  During this event last series, we saw a record field of 925 total entries, one of which decided to enter on Day 2 and chop the event (Jose Montes).  The time to decide whether or not Sunday afternoon is the moment to buy-in is still days away, so the focus surrounds this first starting flight.

The rules stay the same as each "main" trophy event before this, with one of the only exceptions being the 40,000 starting stack.  Levels 1-15 will last (45) minutes on Day 1A, transitioning to (60) minutes to begin Day 2, and ending with (90) minutes after Level 21's conclusion.  Registration is open all-day for each of the starting flights, with players sitting down to full stacks (alternates, late registration, and/or re-entry).

Once players settle into their seats, a list of notables in the "early bird" field will be published, along with results from the side events that took place over the past two days.