Level 14 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Day 1B Entries: 183
Players will be going on their final (15) minute break at the end of this level, and will return to Level 15 and blinds of 2,000/4,000/500. The tournament floor will be coloring off the (100) denomination chips during break, making it a little easier to count stacks. The mountains of chips haven't stopped us from grabbing some counts mid-level though:
Jay Kell - 325,000
Allan Lubin - 298,000
Steve Benkovic - 290,000
Jeffrey Spence - 280,000
DJ MacKinnon - 275,000
Chetna Joshi - 200,000
Jeff Gross - 185,000
Geno Gesso - 185,000
Friday, October 10, 2014
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): No Friends On The Felt
Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1B Entries: 182
Scott Blumstein and DJ MacKinnon are friends off the felt, but when action folds to them blind v. blind, things are still going to go down. DJ was in the small blind, and he opened to 5,500, with Blumstein taking little time to three-bet to 13,000. MacKinnon thought for a little before making it 23,000, and Blumstein then shipped for just over 75,000 after thinking things through:
MacKinnon: K♥ K♦
Blumstein: A♥ 9♣
Runout: J♥ Q♦ 8♠ 5♣ 6♥
MacKinnon's pocket kings would hold, and he is now over 300,000. Tournament Director Tom Martucci has just announced to the field that blinds are going up (Level 14), with players now posting 1,500/3,000/400.
Total Day 1B Entries: 182
Scott Blumstein and DJ MacKinnon are friends off the felt, but when action folds to them blind v. blind, things are still going to go down. DJ was in the small blind, and he opened to 5,500, with Blumstein taking little time to three-bet to 13,000. MacKinnon thought for a little before making it 23,000, and Blumstein then shipped for just over 75,000 after thinking things through:
MacKinnon: K♥ K♦
Blumstein: A♥ 9♣
Runout: J♥ Q♦ 8♠ 5♣ 6♥
MacKinnon's pocket kings would hold, and he is now over 300,000. Tournament Director Tom Martucci has just announced to the field that blinds are going up (Level 14), with players now posting 1,500/3,000/400.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Joshi Making Most Of Second Bullet
Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1B Entries: 180
Chetna Joshi (Linderwald, NJ) took a tough beat earlier when she lost with aces to bust her first bullet, but she has since made the best of her second chance of the day. Chris McNally, who earlier talked about Dever running good, moved his new table only to say the same about Chetna at Table 50. She's chipped up to 260,000 from the 40,000 starting stack, an above average number even if that is what she can end up bagging.
McNally happened to meet a fate similar to earlier table mate Maggie Morris, as he got his remaining chips in with A♦ K♥ against Jay Kell's A♣ J♥. The board would runout Q♥ 9♦ J♦ 6♣ J♣, and Chris left the table shaking his head.
Total Day 1B Entries: 180
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| Chetna Joshi (Linderwald, NJ) |
McNally happened to meet a fate similar to earlier table mate Maggie Morris, as he got his remaining chips in with A♦ K♥ against Jay Kell's A♣ J♥. The board would runout Q♥ 9♦ J♦ 6♣ J♣, and Chris left the table shaking his head.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Stacks Getting Big Before Break
Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1B Entries: 177
Players will be going on another fifteen minute break at the end of this level, with just over ten minutes showing on the clock. You may remember Jeffrey Spence quadrupling up earlier as the short stack at Table 48...well not only is Spence the big stack at that table, he's top three in the room at the moment.
Matt Elsby (Chandler, AZ) still leads the way with over 380,000, and is almost 100,000 clear of his nearest competitor:
Jeffrey Spence - 280,000
Jay Kell - 295,000
Allan Lubin - 275,000
David Heck - 275,000
Anthony Garofalo - 210,000
Total Day 1B Entries: 177
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| Jeffrey Spence (King Of Prussia, PA) |
Matt Elsby (Chandler, AZ) still leads the way with over 380,000, and is almost 100,000 clear of his nearest competitor:
Jeffrey Spence - 280,000
Jay Kell - 295,000
Allan Lubin - 275,000
David Heck - 275,000
Anthony Garofalo - 210,000
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Dever Dozing The Table
Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1B Entries: 173
Passing Table 53 earlier, a few players were making note of Cathy Dever and her winning "all the pots." Maggie Morris mentioned writing a little blurb about how her steamrolling of the table. Maggie got her wish about the piece written, but unfortunately it was about her elimination.
Her last hand was caught up with on the board of 6♣ K♦ 5♥ A♥, as Dever and Chris McNally both checked to Maggie. Morris put out a bet of 12,000, with Dever calling and Chris folding his hand. Dever checked once again after the 7♠ on the river, with Morris pushing forward her remaining 25,000.
Cathy made the call, and after Maggie showed she had A♦ Q♣, Dever turned over A♠ 6♠ (two pair) for the win. Dever is now over 250,000, and finding a new table after hers just broke.
Total Day 1B Entries: 173
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| Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA) |
Her last hand was caught up with on the board of 6♣ K♦ 5♥ A♥, as Dever and Chris McNally both checked to Maggie. Morris put out a bet of 12,000, with Dever calling and Chris folding his hand. Dever checked once again after the 7♠ on the river, with Morris pushing forward her remaining 25,000.
Cathy made the call, and after Maggie showed she had A♦ Q♣, Dever turned over A♠ 6♠ (two pair) for the win. Dever is now over 250,000, and finding a new table after hers just broke.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Chip Counts Updated
Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 171
As the night rolls on, new players are beginning to emerge on top of the leaderboard, while those fortunate earlier are finding their way to re-enter. One of the most recent departures was Pierre Diessler, who was eliminated when his opponent hit a gut shot on the river after turning two pair. Sandeep Patel was also seen leaving the tournament area, after what can only be explained and a very up and down day.
Here are some of the updated counts from the field taken just moments ago:
Matt Elsby - 340,000
DJ MacKinnon - 220,000
Geno Gesso - 210,000
Jeffrey Spence - 205,000
Steve Benkovic - 172,000
Cathy Dever - 155,000
Scott Blumstein - 147,000
Jimmy Lillis - 140,000
Jeff Gross - 135,000
Vincent Teutonico - 130,000
Jay Kell - 115,000
Total Day 1B Entries: 171
As the night rolls on, new players are beginning to emerge on top of the leaderboard, while those fortunate earlier are finding their way to re-enter. One of the most recent departures was Pierre Diessler, who was eliminated when his opponent hit a gut shot on the river after turning two pair. Sandeep Patel was also seen leaving the tournament area, after what can only be explained and a very up and down day.
Here are some of the updated counts from the field taken just moments ago:
Matt Elsby - 340,000
DJ MacKinnon - 220,000
Geno Gesso - 210,000
Jeffrey Spence - 205,000
Steve Benkovic - 172,000
Cathy Dever - 155,000
Scott Blumstein - 147,000
Jimmy Lillis - 140,000
Jeff Gross - 135,000
Vincent Teutonico - 130,000
Jay Kell - 115,000
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): MacKinnon Picks Up Big Pot To End Level
Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 166
The final hand of Level 10 at Table 45 would be a good one for DJ MacKinnon (East Amherst, NY), as he is peaking for the day. We would approach the table just as the dealer was ready to fan out the flop, with six players calling 2,800 going in. The board would come out 7♣ 2♦ 10♠, and there would be two checks to MacKinnon. He put out a bet of 8,200, with Lyle Diamond calling next to to act. An unknown player would then shove for 23,000, with players folding back to DJ.
After asking for the amount, MacKinnon put out the chips for a call, with Lyle coming along as well. The turn brought the 6♠, and DJ bet 20,000, pushing Diamond out of the pot. He then turned over K♠ K♥, in good shape against the K♦ 10♣ of his opponent. The river ran out without a ten, and MacKinnon picked up the pot, chipping up to 115,000.
Total Day 1B Entries: 166
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| DJ MacKinnon (East Amherst, NY) |
After asking for the amount, MacKinnon put out the chips for a call, with Lyle coming along as well. The turn brought the 6♠, and DJ bet 20,000, pushing Diamond out of the pot. He then turned over K♠ K♥, in good shape against the K♦ 10♣ of his opponent. The river ran out without a ten, and MacKinnon picked up the pot, chipping up to 115,000.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Cards Back In The Air...Satellite As Well
Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1B Entries: 162
Players have returned from dinner, and the cards are once again in the air for Day 1B. Players are also an hour into one of the best value tournaments of the two weeks. At 7:00pm, players headed over to the outer tournament area for a $200 + 30 Satellite Into The Big Stax 500/1100. There are currently 63 entries in that event, with (6) seat packages definitely being given away at the moment.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Dinner Break
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 158
Players are about to head on their (75) minute dinner break, with play resuming at exactly 7:45pm. While the action leading up to now has been less than we've seen on these opening flights prior, you can expect to see the chips flying as the blinds grow throughout the night. Less than (90) players are active as they exit the room for dinner, which means we are likely to see only a few tables left when the bagging process starts after Level 15.
Total Day 1B Entries: 158
Players are about to head on their (75) minute dinner break, with play resuming at exactly 7:45pm. While the action leading up to now has been less than we've seen on these opening flights prior, you can expect to see the chips flying as the blinds grow throughout the night. Less than (90) players are active as they exit the room for dinner, which means we are likely to see only a few tables left when the bagging process starts after Level 15.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Updated Chip Counts
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 155
Players entered Level 9 just a few minutes ago, with the blinds going up to 500/1,000/100. There are less than 105 players remaining from the 155 total throughout the day, giving us a chip average of 59,000. Once this level winds down, players will be on a (75) minute dinner break, which will see action return at approximately 7:45pm. The chip leader at the moment is Vitaly Kovyazin (Brooklyn, NY) with just over 180,000. While others have tried to eclipse the 200,000 mark, we are still waiting to see the first stack above that amount:
Matt Elsby - 168,000
Gene Gesso - 140,000
Robson Barbosa - 135,000
Steve Benkovic - 135,000
Cathy Dever - 123,000
Marvin Siegel - 120,000
Richard DeVivo - 105,000
Stephen Scales - 90,000
Laurence Wolf - 70,000
Anthony Garofalo - 68,000
Total Day 1B Entries: 155
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| Vitaly Kovyazin (Brooklyn, NY) |
Matt Elsby - 168,000
Gene Gesso - 140,000
Robson Barbosa - 135,000
Steve Benkovic - 135,000
Cathy Dever - 123,000
Marvin Siegel - 120,000
Richard DeVivo - 105,000
Stephen Scales - 90,000
Laurence Wolf - 70,000
Anthony Garofalo - 68,000
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Lillis Ends McGuire's Misery
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 152
Michael McGuire's day has been well documented, and it's been a roller coaster. He started by cracking Chetna Joshi's pocket aces when he flopped a straight, chipping up to 80,000 in Level 4. He then hovered around that amount for a few levels before running his K♣ K♥ into the A♠ 10♣ of Joseph Agron (and losing), dropping down to 27,000.
McGuire did he best to recover after the hand with Agron, but he was just eliminated by Jimmy Lillis. The two got the chips in on the turn of a board reading Q♠ 8♥ 6♦ 9♣ , with Michael thinking he may be in solid position with 8♠ 9♠. That would be until he saw Lillis flopped a set of queens, leaving Michael with nothing to do but collect his things and leave the field.
Lillis had Michael covered by only 500 in chips, but the pot gets Jimmy over the starting stack for the first time in a while.
Total Day 1B Entries: 152
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| Jimmy Lillis (Robinsville, NJ) |
McGuire did he best to recover after the hand with Agron, but he was just eliminated by Jimmy Lillis. The two got the chips in on the turn of a board reading Q♠ 8♥ 6♦ 9♣ , with Michael thinking he may be in solid position with 8♠ 9♠. That would be until he saw Lillis flopped a set of queens, leaving Michael with nothing to do but collect his things and leave the field.
Lillis had Michael covered by only 500 in chips, but the pot gets Jimmy over the starting stack for the first time in a while.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Changing Fortunes
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 150
Players have just over an hour until their dinner break starts (6:30-7:45pm), but that hasn't stopped new faces from making their way into the room. Akib Ali (Manalapan, NJ) goes by the handle @cashgameking on Twitter, which suits him well. Ali is primarily a high stakes cash player, frequently traveling to Las Vegas for some of the biggest games in the country. Akib has (8) recorded results to his name, adding up to a total lifetime earnings of $20,236. Three of those cashes have come during Big Stax events, but his most recent cash was his highlight, a WSOP Circuit win at Harrah's Chester in a $365 No Limit Hold'em Turbo event. Ali has gotten off to a good start so far, sitting with about 65,000 in front of him.
Looking at players that were mentioned earlier, Alan Kraut has dropped down to 59,000, this after having over 140,000 in Level 3. Marvin Siegel was on the bad end of a hand with Geno Gesso, holding flush under flush, but he has since recovered and now has over 140,000.
Total Day 1B Entries: 150
Players have just over an hour until their dinner break starts (6:30-7:45pm), but that hasn't stopped new faces from making their way into the room. Akib Ali (Manalapan, NJ) goes by the handle @cashgameking on Twitter, which suits him well. Ali is primarily a high stakes cash player, frequently traveling to Las Vegas for some of the biggest games in the country. Akib has (8) recorded results to his name, adding up to a total lifetime earnings of $20,236. Three of those cashes have come during Big Stax events, but his most recent cash was his highlight, a WSOP Circuit win at Harrah's Chester in a $365 No Limit Hold'em Turbo event. Ali has gotten off to a good start so far, sitting with about 65,000 in front of him.
Looking at players that were mentioned earlier, Alan Kraut has dropped down to 59,000, this after having over 140,000 in Level 3. Marvin Siegel was on the bad end of a hand with Geno Gesso, holding flush under flush, but he has since recovered and now has over 140,000.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): McGuire Drops One To Agro-n
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 145
After action folded around to Joseph Agron (Langhorne, PA) on the button at Table 55, he chose to limp. The small blind then completed, and action was then on Michael McGuire in the big. McGuire raised it up to 3,000, with Agron suddenly jumping into action, three-betting to 13,000. The player in the small blind decided to get out of the way, and McGuire then pushed all-in for over 80,000 (having Agron covered). Joseph didn't think long before pushing the rest of his chips in, and the hands were tabled:
McGuire: K♣ K♥
Agron: A♣ 10♠
Runout: 5♦ 9♥ A♠ 7♥ 10♦
The ace would be right in the window, giving Agron the commanding lead. The dealer cut out his chips neatly, and McGuire had to send 51,000 over Joseph's way. Agron is now over 100,000 for the first time today, while McGuire drops down below the starting stack.
Total Day 1B Entries: 145
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| Joseph Agron (Langhorne, PA) |
McGuire: K♣ K♥
Agron: A♣ 10♠
Runout: 5♦ 9♥ A♠ 7♥ 10♦
The ace would be right in the window, giving Agron the commanding lead. The dealer cut out his chips neatly, and McGuire had to send 51,000 over Joseph's way. Agron is now over 100,000 for the first time today, while McGuire drops down below the starting stack.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Satellite Results From Last Night
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 143
Last night there was a Super Satellite into the $1,100 Big Stax Main Event, which ran in the back tournament area next to the Day 1A field. There was a total of (74) entries in the satellite, with seven seats being awarded, and a $480 cash prize to the eight place finisher. Here are the results from the tournament:
Total Day 1B Entries: 143
Last night there was a Super Satellite into the $1,100 Big Stax Main Event, which ran in the back tournament area next to the Day 1A field. There was a total of (74) entries in the satellite, with seven seats being awarded, and a $480 cash prize to the eight place finisher. Here are the results from the tournament:
- Joseph DiGriogio - $1,200
- Tomasz Gliniecki - $1,200
- Anna Dikker - $1,200
- Donald Shimazu - $1,200
- Angel Pagan - $1,200
- Alex Beresny - $1,200
- Norman Rogers - $1,200
- Nathan Parsons - $480
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Spence Quadruples Before Break
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 136
Players are about to go on their second (15) minute break of the day, and will be returning to Level 7 and blinds of 300/600/100. Just five minutes before the end of break, Parx regular Jeffrey Spence quadrupled up, holding A♦ J♦ on a runout of K♦ Q♦ 6♠ 9♦ 5♠. Michael Hollenberg turned a straight to win the side pot, but the main pot worth close to 70,000 was going to Spence.
There will be three levels played after this break, and then those remaining will be heading on their extended (75 minute) dinner break.
Total Day 1B Entries: 136
Players are about to go on their second (15) minute break of the day, and will be returning to Level 7 and blinds of 300/600/100. Just five minutes before the end of break, Parx regular Jeffrey Spence quadrupled up, holding A♦ J♦ on a runout of K♦ Q♦ 6♠ 9♦ 5♠. Michael Hollenberg turned a straight to win the side pot, but the main pot worth close to 70,000 was going to Spence.
There will be three levels played after this break, and then those remaining will be heading on their extended (75 minute) dinner break.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Updated Chip Counts
Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 134
The field has seen the arrivals of some new notables, including Maggie Morris (Stamford, CT), winner of the Big Stax V 300 event ($95,000). Also sitting down for the first time today is DJ MacKinnon, Ed Pham, and Chris McNally. The chip leader at the moment is a name that some may know, but more likely on the West Coast.
Matt Elsby has over $376,000 in career earnings, with all of his (31) results coming west of Las Vegas or in Florida. He currently leads the way with 185,000, this after joining the lineup at Table 53 and winning eight of the first eleven hands he sat down to. Other big stacks in the room belong to:
Alan Kraut - 130,000
Sean Byars - 103,000
Stephen Scales - 100,000
David Heck - 93,000
Jim Bucci - 90,000
Total Day 1B Entries: 134
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| Matt Elsby (Chandler, AZ) |
Matt Elsby has over $376,000 in career earnings, with all of his (31) results coming west of Las Vegas or in Florida. He currently leads the way with 185,000, this after joining the lineup at Table 53 and winning eight of the first eleven hands he sat down to. Other big stacks in the room belong to:
Alan Kraut - 130,000
Sean Byars - 103,000
Stephen Scales - 100,000
David Heck - 93,000
Jim Bucci - 90,000
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Diamonds For Everyone
Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 124
The action at Table 51was picked up on the river of a multi-way pot between Marvin Siegel, Gino Gesso, and Joseph Rieg. The board would read K♦ 7♠ 3♦ Q♥ 8♦, and Siegel led out for 8,500. Gesso casually grabbed a handful of gray chips and raised to 25,000. Joseph Rieg went into the tank for a few moments before painfully folding, with action back on Siegel.
Marvin would announce to the table that he had a flush, and after pump faking a few times, he folded 2♦ 5♦ face up. Gesso showed his hand to the table, flashing Q♦ 4♦ for a higher flush, and would chip up to 52,000 with the pot. After the hand was finished, Rieg announced that he too had a flush, folding 10♦ 9♦.
Sean Byars would also be doubling up at the same time at Table 47, flopping broadway against Ibraim Ibraimovic's turned two pair to eliminated Ibraim and chip up to 77,000.
Total Day 1B Entries: 124
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| Gino Gesso |
Marvin would announce to the table that he had a flush, and after pump faking a few times, he folded 2♦ 5♦ face up. Gesso showed his hand to the table, flashing Q♦ 4♦ for a higher flush, and would chip up to 52,000 with the pot. After the hand was finished, Rieg announced that he too had a flush, folding 10♦ 9♦.
Sean Byars would also be doubling up at the same time at Table 47, flopping broadway against Ibraim Ibraimovic's turned two pair to eliminated Ibraim and chip up to 77,000.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Joshi's Day Ends Abruptly
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 117
Chetna Joshi was down to about half of the starting stack, and just put her remaining chips across the line against Michael McGuire as we passed Table 55. The money got in on a flop of Q♥ 9♥ 8♦, with Chetna as risk:
Joshi: A♣ A♦
McGuire: J♦ 10♦
Turn: 10♥
River: 9♠
Joshi was going to need running cards to make a full house (or quads) in order to win the hand, but she'd be drawing dead by the time the river was being put out. McGuire scooped up the pot worth close to 28,000, and it now above the starting stack with 47,000.
Total Day 1B Entries: 117
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| Michael McGuire (Mahwah, NJ) |
Joshi: A♣ A♦
McGuire: J♦ 10♦
Turn: 10♥
River: 9♠
Joshi was going to need running cards to make a full house (or quads) in order to win the hand, but she'd be drawing dead by the time the river was being put out. McGuire scooped up the pot worth close to 28,000, and it now above the starting stack with 47,000.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Kraut Continues To Apply Pressure
Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 110
Alan Kraut (Doylestown, PA) has clearly been the most active player in the field, seemingly in every pot each time we walk passed Table 46. He was just involved in a pot with Nicholas Skyllas, sitting with a bet of 15,000 on the river of a board reading 5♦ 6♠ 9♦ 6♣ 8♣. Skyllas was deep in the tank, shuffling his stack of 11,000 while contemplating his decision. With close to 15,000 already in the pot, Skyllas dropped his stack across the line for the call, seeing the bad news as Kraut tabled Q♠ Q♣. Nicholas turned over his 4♦ 4♠ before wishing everyone good luck and walking away from the table.
There were some new faces to join the crowd just moments ago, as Michael Cannon and Anthony Garofalo find their seats in the tournament area. Ben Coren is on to his second bullet, as he updates his first bullet's end:
Total Day 1B Entries: 110
Alan Kraut (Doylestown, PA) has clearly been the most active player in the field, seemingly in every pot each time we walk passed Table 46. He was just involved in a pot with Nicholas Skyllas, sitting with a bet of 15,000 on the river of a board reading 5♦ 6♠ 9♦ 6♣ 8♣. Skyllas was deep in the tank, shuffling his stack of 11,000 while contemplating his decision. With close to 15,000 already in the pot, Skyllas dropped his stack across the line for the call, seeing the bad news as Kraut tabled Q♠ Q♣. Nicholas turned over his 4♦ 4♠ before wishing everyone good luck and walking away from the table.
There were some new faces to join the crowd just moments ago, as Michael Cannon and Anthony Garofalo find their seats in the tournament area. Ben Coren is on to his second bullet, as he updates his first bullet's end:
Got it in bad 10 10<AA #teamtwobullets #parxbigstax #500day1b pic.twitter.com/NKZ5JpaDoT
— Benn C. (@mucklefutz) October 10, 2014
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Bucci Stays Alive
Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Day 1B Entries: 102
The Day 1B field has eclipsed the century mark, and continues to grow as time passes. Jim Bucci (Hollywood, MD) found himself short, but his 10,000 stack was still over (30) big blinds at the moment. Jim found himself in a fortunate spot just moments ago, getting it in pre-flop with 10♠ 10♣ against his opponents 8♣ 9♣. The dealer would put an eight down on the flop, but that would be all the improvement his adversary could manage.
Bucci doubles to over 22,000, and while that may be just over half of the starting stack, it gives Jim a chance to build back his stack on this first bullet. The action has been fairly slow to start the day, with Alan Kraut (Doylestown, PA) still leading the way with just over 130,000.
Total Day 1B Entries: 102
The Day 1B field has eclipsed the century mark, and continues to grow as time passes. Jim Bucci (Hollywood, MD) found himself short, but his 10,000 stack was still over (30) big blinds at the moment. Jim found himself in a fortunate spot just moments ago, getting it in pre-flop with 10♠ 10♣ against his opponents 8♣ 9♣. The dealer would put an eight down on the flop, but that would be all the improvement his adversary could manage.
Bucci doubles to over 22,000, and while that may be just over half of the starting stack, it gives Jim a chance to build back his stack on this first bullet. The action has been fairly slow to start the day, with Alan Kraut (Doylestown, PA) still leading the way with just over 130,000.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Late Arrivals
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Day 1B Entries: 98
Players are about to go on their first (15) minute break of the day, with a rush of new faces showing up over the last (20) minutes. When players do return from break, the blinds in Level 4 will have gone up to 150/300/50. Here is a short list of those to take their seat at some point during Level 3:
Peter McGinnis
Arthur Peters
Ibraim Ibraimovic
Ben Coren
Jay Sharon
Michael Hollenberg
David Heck
Aaron Frese
James McKeon
Jimmy Lillis
Jim Tesone
Kevin Grabel
Mike Azzaro
Total Day 1B Entries: 98
Players are about to go on their first (15) minute break of the day, with a rush of new faces showing up over the last (20) minutes. When players do return from break, the blinds in Level 4 will have gone up to 150/300/50. Here is a short list of those to take their seat at some point during Level 3:
Peter McGinnis
Arthur Peters
Ibraim Ibraimovic
Ben Coren
Jay Sharon
Michael Hollenberg
David Heck
Aaron Frese
James McKeon
Jimmy Lillis
Jim Tesone
Kevin Grabel
Mike Azzaro
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Will The Real Alan Kraut Please Stand Up
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Day 1B Entries: 87
Alan Kraut (Doylestown, PA) has fired multiple bullets into both the Big Stax 300 and this event, with not much to show from it. Kraut has run into some really unlucky spots over the past week, but things may be turning around for him. On a flop of J♠ 8♣ 7♦, an unknown player led out for 1,600. Kraut would raise the bet to 4,800, with Anthony Anastasio three-betting to 11,000. The original bettor would shove for just over 20,000, with Alan shoving (having both players covered). Anastasio made the call, giving us a three-way all-in:
Player X: Q♥ Q♠ (over pair)
Kraut: J♦ 8♠ (top two)
Anastasio: 10♠ 9♣ (flopped straight)
Turn: 6♥
River: 8♦
Everyone in the hand would have a little piece, but Anastasio held a commanding lead with the straight. After the turn, Alan would need to fill up to win the hand, and that's exactly what happened. After a short delay to determine the chip count for each player, Kraut would be awarded the pot, chipping up to 120,000.
Total Day 1B Entries: 87
 |
| Alan Kraut (Doylestown, PA) |
Player X: Q♥ Q♠ (over pair)
Kraut: J♦ 8♠ (top two)
Anastasio: 10♠ 9♣ (flopped straight)
Turn: 6♥
River: 8♦
Everyone in the hand would have a little piece, but Anastasio held a commanding lead with the straight. After the turn, Alan would need to fill up to win the hand, and that's exactly what happened. After a short delay to determine the chip count for each player, Kraut would be awarded the pot, chipping up to 120,000.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Above Average From Day 1A
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Day 1B Entries: 83
There were (49) players able to manage their way through the day during Day 1A play (of 233 total entries), with a chip average at the end of the night of 190,000. Here are all of the players that bagged an above average stack:
Total Day 1B Entries: 83
There were (49) players able to manage their way through the day during Day 1A play (of 233 total entries), with a chip average at the end of the night of 190,000. Here are all of the players that bagged an above average stack:
| Robert | Sichelstiel | Perkasie PA | 504,500 |
| Mike | Bertolini | Staten Island Ny | 475,500 |
| Hugh | Martin | Pottstown PA | 464,500 |
| George | Alberto | Clifton NJ | 463,500 |
| Justin | Liberto | Baltimore MD | 347,000 |
| Sardor | Gaziev | North Brunswick NJ | 332,500 |
| Alexander | Queen | Bethlehem PA | 329,000 |
| Matt | Glantz | Lafatette Hill PA | 292,500 |
| James | Gilbert | Bensalem PA | 270,500 |
| Joshua | Beckley | Marlton NJ | 264,000 |
| Staffan | Lind | Vero Beach FL | 263,000 |
| Sean | Wallace | Horsham PA | 254,000 |
| Christopher | Senape | New York NY | 237,000 |
| Craig | Bateman II | Royersford PA | 234,500 |
| Eric | Rappaport | Lansdale PA | 220,000 |
| James | Kaplan | Boca Raton FL | 212,000 |
| Ryan | Hohner | South Plainfield NJ | 206,000 |
| Rick | Hanheide | Wallkill NY | 194,500 |
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Dabbling In Tournaments
Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Day 1B Entries: 80
Under the flat brim is Chetna Joshi (Linderwald, NJ), a name that tournament players may not recognize, but a regular in the cash games here at Parx. While Joshi does prefer to play cash most of the time, she does jump into tournaments here and there. Joshi's resume boasts career earnings over $38,000, including a few wins in daily tournaments here over the past year and a half.
Chetna's largest cash of $15,800 came almost ten years ago during the U.S. Poker Championships at Taj Mahal, but she recently added another nice score to the list. Joshi bested a field of (51) players, and beat Dan Dizenzo heads-up to take down the Omaha Hi/Lo 8B event earlier this week. She would earn $5,046 for the win, the third largest cash of her career.
Chetna is just one of a handful of players to arrive over the past few minutes, including Vincent Teutonico, Travis Greenwalt, and Raj Desai.
Total Day 1B Entries: 80
 |
| Chetna Joshi (Linderwald, NJ) |
Chetna's largest cash of $15,800 came almost ten years ago during the U.S. Poker Championships at Taj Mahal, but she recently added another nice score to the list. Joshi bested a field of (51) players, and beat Dan Dizenzo heads-up to take down the Omaha Hi/Lo 8B event earlier this week. She would earn $5,046 for the win, the third largest cash of her career.
Chetna is just one of a handful of players to arrive over the past few minutes, including Vincent Teutonico, Travis Greenwalt, and Raj Desai.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Tough Short Handed Lineup
Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Day 1B Entries: 69
One of the newest tables to open in the field is Table 53, which is currently playing six handed. Three of those players have been to Big Stax final tables, and another is a well-known cash game player. Jesse Cohen (Ardmore, PA) has reached the final table of the Big Stax 1500 twice, finishing in tenth place during the Big Stax V ($9,937) and sixth during the Big Stax VII ($19,473).
Frank Ferrigno (Wayne, NJ) has three final tables on his resume, finishing fifth in the Big Stax IV 300 ($11,778), ninth in the Big Stax V 500 ($5,846), and second in the Big Stax VI 500 ($39,606).
Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA) reached two final tables during the last series in August, one of the stories of the two weeks. Dever finished tenth in the Big Stax 500 for $5,010, and followed that up with a fourth place finish in the Big Stax 1500 for $32,348.
Total Day 1B Entries: 69
 |
| Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA) |
Frank Ferrigno (Wayne, NJ) has three final tables on his resume, finishing fifth in the Big Stax IV 300 ($11,778), ninth in the Big Stax V 500 ($5,846), and second in the Big Stax VI 500 ($39,606).
Cathy Dever (Ephrata, PA) reached two final tables during the last series in August, one of the stories of the two weeks. Dever finished tenth in the Big Stax 500 for $5,010, and followed that up with a fourth place finish in the Big Stax 1500 for $32,348.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Before The Maryland Crew
Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Day 1B Entries: 62
Anyone who really follows poker knows about the group of players to come out of Maryland and take the poker world by storm. Players like Anthony Gregg, Greg Merson, Christian Harder, Jesse Chini, Jesse Yaginuma, and Brock Parker are just a few names that have come out of that poker community.
Before all of them there was James Bucci (Hollywood, MD), one of the original top bosses of the Maryland poker scene. Bucci has over $642,000 in career tournament earnings, and ranks sixteenth on the Maryland all-time earnings list. With over (71) recorded results dating back to 1990, Bucci hasn't lost a step. He cashed three times in this year's WSOP, including a final table in the $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (Event #14), where he finished third for over $106,000.
Jim is currently sitting at Table 45 and is sitting just below the 40,000 starting stack.
Total Day 1B Entries: 62
 |
| James Bucci (Hollywood, MD) |
Before all of them there was James Bucci (Hollywood, MD), one of the original top bosses of the Maryland poker scene. Bucci has over $642,000 in career tournament earnings, and ranks sixteenth on the Maryland all-time earnings list. With over (71) recorded results dating back to 1990, Bucci hasn't lost a step. He cashed three times in this year's WSOP, including a final table in the $1,500 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (Event #14), where he finished third for over $106,000.
Jim is currently sitting at Table 45 and is sitting just below the 40,000 starting stack.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Who's With Us
Level 2 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: 56
The field has started off in "intimate" fashion once again, but it's clear that it's morphed from a trend into the norm...poker players just like to sleep late. There are eight tables that are active at the moment, with no shortage of familiar faces:
Leonardo Palermo
James Bucci
Jeffrey Spence
Jo Kim
Sandeep Patel
Alan Kraut
Marvin Siegel
Richard DeVivo
Pierre Diessler
Stephen Scales
Total Day 1B Entries: 56
The field has started off in "intimate" fashion once again, but it's clear that it's morphed from a trend into the norm...poker players just like to sleep late. There are eight tables that are active at the moment, with no shortage of familiar faces:
Leonardo Palermo
James Bucci
Jeffrey Spence
Jo Kim
Sandeep Patel
Alan Kraut
Marvin Siegel
Richard DeVivo
Pierre Diessler
Stephen Scales
Big Stax 500 (Day 1B): Getting Things Started...For The Second Time
Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Day 1B Entries: TBD
The tournament supervisor has just gone over the rules for the day with the players that are already seated, and the cards are now in the air for Day 1B of the Big Stax 500. After totaling 233 entries yesterday, it will be interesting to see the type of numbers that come out to start the weekend. There was a large number of notables to bag chips last night, led by Robert Sichelstiel (Perkasie, PA) with 504,500.
The same rules apply today as they do for most all of the Big Stax "main" trophy events, with the exception of the 40,000 starting stack. Levels will last (45) minutes throughout the day, with play concluded after the completion of Level 15. Dinner break (which lasts for 75 minutes), falls at 6:30pm and lasts until 7:45pm. Once the tournament area fills up and a lap around the room is made, a posts with the notables in this early field will be published.
Total Day 1B Entries: TBD
The tournament supervisor has just gone over the rules for the day with the players that are already seated, and the cards are now in the air for Day 1B of the Big Stax 500. After totaling 233 entries yesterday, it will be interesting to see the type of numbers that come out to start the weekend. There was a large number of notables to bag chips last night, led by Robert Sichelstiel (Perkasie, PA) with 504,500.
The same rules apply today as they do for most all of the Big Stax "main" trophy events, with the exception of the 40,000 starting stack. Levels will last (45) minutes throughout the day, with play concluded after the completion of Level 15. Dinner break (which lasts for 75 minutes), falls at 6:30pm and lasts until 7:45pm. Once the tournament area fills up and a lap around the room is made, a posts with the notables in this early field will be published.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): End Of Day 1A Chip Counts
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
Below are the end of Day 1A chip counts for the Big Stax 500, listed highest to lowest. There were (49) players to bag chips at the end of the night, with a chip average of 190,000 for those moving forward to Day 2:
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
Below are the end of Day 1A chip counts for the Big Stax 500, listed highest to lowest. There were (49) players to bag chips at the end of the night, with a chip average of 190,000 for those moving forward to Day 2:
| Name | Last Name | Hometown | Chip Count |
| Robert | Sichelstiel | Perkasie PA | 504,500 |
| Mike | Bertolini | Staten Island Ny | 475,500 |
| Hugh | Martin | Pottstown PA | 464,500 |
| George | Alberto | Clifton NJ | 463,500 |
| Justin | Liberto | Baltimore MD | 347,000 |
| Sardor | Gaziev | North Brunswick NJ | 332,500 |
| Alexander | Queen | Bethlehem PA | 329,000 |
| Matt | Glantz | Lafatette Hill PA | 292,500 |
| James | Gilbert | Bensalem PA | 270,500 |
| Joshua | Beckley | Marlton NJ | 264,000 |
| Staffan | Lind | Vero Beach FL | 263,000 |
| Sean | Wallace | Horsham PA | 254,000 |
| Christopher | Senape | New York NY | 237,000 |
| Craig | Bateman II | Royersford PA | 234,500 |
| Eric | Rappaport | Lansdale PA | 220,000 |
| James | Kaplan | Boca Raton FL | 212,000 |
| Ryan | Hohner | South Plainfield NJ | 206,000 |
| Rick | Hanheide | Wallkill NY | 194,500 |
| Dan | DiZenzo | Vernon NJ | 187,500 |
| Artur | Zaikansky | Astoria NY | 184,500 |
| Hector | Pedraza | Flushing NY | 183,000 |
| Steven | Sarmiento | Queens NY | 182,500 |
| Tony | Elmo | Morgantown PA | 177,000 |
| Dominick | Pelli | Stamford CT | 164,000 |
| Joseph | McKeehen | North Wales PA | 161,500 |
| Nancy | Martin | Wash. Crossing PA | 158,500 |
| Taemee | Feuer | Melville NY | 151,500 |
| Rocco | Luciano | Philadelphi PA | 150,500 |
| Brian | Kim | Scottsdale AZ | 147,000 |
| Mohammad | Farah | Bensalem PA | 145,500 |
| Joseph | Montervino | Trenton NJ | 139,500 |
| Michael | Marder | Sewell NJ | 135,000 |
| Anthony | Pagan | Elizabeth NJ | 129,500 |
| Christopher | Kounoupis | Easton PA | 129,000 |
| Paul | Shedaker | Croydon PA | 119,000 |
| Louis | Russo | Brooklyn NY | 116,500 |
| Joseph | Palma | Bensalem PA | 115,000 |
| Geno | Raman | Mount Laurel NJ | 112,000 |
| Mikhail | Kazakevich | Richboro PA | 111,000 |
| Andrew | Lydon | Phoenixville PA | 104,000 |
| Mike | Kemeter | Allentown PA | 102,000 |
| Trevor | Deeter | Langhorne PA | 96,500 |
| Daniel | Shelbo | Catasuaga PA | 93,500 |
| Jose Ivan | Montes | Bronx NY | 76,000 |
| Chris | Csik | Brigantine NJ | 67,000 |
| Sal | Busacca | Colts Neck NJ | 47,500 |
| Jeffrey | Spence | King of Prussia PA | 40,000 |
| Ozea | Ingram | New Jersey | 31,000 |
| Ching | Poon | Queens NY | 12,000 |
Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Chip Counts Posted In Early AM
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
If you are looking for the end of Day 1A chip counts, they will be posted before the start of play tomorrow (approx. 10:00-10:30am). Until then, here is a snapshot of the top five stacks to end the night:
Robert Sichelstiel - 504,500
Mike Bertolini - 475,500
Hugh Martin - 464,500
George Alberto - 463,500
Justin Liberto - 347,000
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
If you are looking for the end of Day 1A chip counts, they will be posted before the start of play tomorrow (approx. 10:00-10:30am). Until then, here is a snapshot of the top five stacks to end the night:
Robert Sichelstiel - 504,500
Mike Bertolini - 475,500
Hugh Martin - 464,500
George Alberto - 463,500
Justin Liberto - 347,000
Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Final Four Hands
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
Tournament supervisor Andrew Merlino has just announced to the players remaining that there will be (4) more hands played in the night. Once those four hands are completed at each table, the bagging process will begin. The end of Day 1A chip counts will be posted about an hour after play concludes, with those names you see returning on Sunday at 12:00pm for Day 2. Action picks back up tomorrow with Day 1B of this Big Stax 500, with live updates picking back up the moment the cards are in the air.
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
Tournament supervisor Andrew Merlino has just announced to the players remaining that there will be (4) more hands played in the night. Once those four hands are completed at each table, the bagging process will begin. The end of Day 1A chip counts will be posted about an hour after play concludes, with those names you see returning on Sunday at 12:00pm for Day 2. Action picks back up tomorrow with Day 1B of this Big Stax 500, with live updates picking back up the moment the cards are in the air.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Martin Sends Away Two To Break 400,000
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
Hugh Martin (Pottstown, PA) just jumped up the leaderboard, after eliminating both Joseph Katcher and Keith Crowder moments ago. The three got the chips in pre-flop, with Martin have both players covered:
Martin: Q♥ Q♠
Crowder: 8♣ 8♦
Katcher: 6♠ 7♠
Flop: A♦ Q♣ 6♦
Turn: J♦
River: 2♣
Martin's commanding lead would only get stronger after flopping a set, but Crowder would stand up a little higher after turning a diamond draw. While Katcher may of been drawing dead, Keith did have a tiny sweat as that final card came out, but the 2♣ on the river wouldn't complete his hand. Martin is now up to 410,000, and sits top five with (7) minutes until the clock is paused.
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
Hugh Martin (Pottstown, PA) just jumped up the leaderboard, after eliminating both Joseph Katcher and Keith Crowder moments ago. The three got the chips in pre-flop, with Martin have both players covered:
Martin: Q♥ Q♠
Crowder: 8♣ 8♦
Katcher: 6♠ 7♠
Flop: A♦ Q♣ 6♦
Turn: J♦
River: 2♣
Martin's commanding lead would only get stronger after flopping a set, but Crowder would stand up a little higher after turning a diamond draw. While Katcher may of been drawing dead, Keith did have a tiny sweat as that final card came out, but the 2♣ on the river wouldn't complete his hand. Martin is now up to 410,000, and sits top five with (7) minutes until the clock is paused.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Liberto Looking For A Couple Of Days Off
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
Justin Liberto (Baltimore, MD) has fired multiple bullets into today's flight, knowing that this was the only of the three he could play because of scheduling conflicts. He was able to build up a stack this time around, and just may of won a pot that he can coast to Day 2 with.
We approached Table 47 just as Justin announced himself all-in and was called by Joseph Katcher (Dover, DE):
Liberto: Q♦ Q♥
Katcher: J♥ J♠
Runout: K♣ 8♥ 5♥ 7♦ 8♠
Liberto's stack would get counted down by the dealer, and his 152,500 would be matched by Joseph. He now sits with over 330,000 with just over (30) minutes remaining on the clock.
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
Justin Liberto (Baltimore, MD) has fired multiple bullets into today's flight, knowing that this was the only of the three he could play because of scheduling conflicts. He was able to build up a stack this time around, and just may of won a pot that he can coast to Day 2 with.
We approached Table 47 just as Justin announced himself all-in and was called by Joseph Katcher (Dover, DE):
Liberto: Q♦ Q♥
Katcher: J♥ J♠
Runout: K♣ 8♥ 5♥ 7♦ 8♠
Liberto's stack would get counted down by the dealer, and his 152,500 would be matched by Joseph. He now sits with over 330,000 with just over (30) minutes remaining on the clock.
Big Stax 500 (Day 1A): Finishing Things Up Strong
Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
While the numbers may not end up even with those of the Big Stax VII 500 in August, the number we are going into the final level with is very respectable. Just a reminder for those following the action, the clock will be paused with 10:00 minutes showing on the clock, at which time the tournament supervisor will determine how many hands remain in the night. Once those hands are finished, those left will bag up their chips for Day 2 on Sunday.
Total Day 1A Entries: 233
While the numbers may not end up even with those of the Big Stax VII 500 in August, the number we are going into the final level with is very respectable. Just a reminder for those following the action, the clock will be paused with 10:00 minutes showing on the clock, at which time the tournament supervisor will determine how many hands remain in the night. Once those hands are finished, those left will bag up their chips for Day 2 on Sunday.
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