Big Stax 300 (Day 1D): It's A Cooler Spot

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Entries: 1,265

Sean Smith (Conshohocken, PA)

As we passed Table 56, Sean Smith would be doubling up at his river all-in of 11,000 would be called by an opponent on a board of 10♥ J♦ 8♥ 7♣ A♠.  Smith would table K♠ Q♣ for the nut straight, with his opponent claiming to have had 6♥ 9♥.  It didn't matter what his adversary had, as Sean picked up the pot and chipped up to over 32,000.

Then only moments later, Smith would be all-in pre, with his opponent just covered.  He would hold A♠ A♣ against K♥ K♠, with the player holding pocket kings looking up and saying, "It's just a cooler spot man."  The board would run out clean for Smith, and his 15,000 stack minutes ago was now 80,000.

Players are heading on their first break of the day (15 minutes), and they will return to Level 4 and blinds 150/300/50.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1D): Keeping Up With The Field

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Entries: 1,236

Angela Gambone (Colingswood, NJ)

New tables are opening up at a rapid pace now, as the rush of players continues into the poker room.  Angela Gambone (Colingswood, NJ) is a familiar face in the room, but maybe not to the tournament players.  Primarily a cash game player, Gambone does have two results on her resume, both runner-up finishes.  Her first was from the Ladies Event during the Borgata Summer Poker Open, and the other from a daily tournament here at Parx.

Other notables that we've spotted recently:

Zach Daly
Jay Sharon
James Sloat
Jeff Gross
Pierre Diessler
Ken Silberstein

Big Stax 300 (Day 1D): Big Stax Superlatives (Best Beard)

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Entries: 1,201

Kyle Norton (Coram, NY)

It started yesterday as a way to make things entertaining during the early parts of the starting flights, and ended up being a hit with the readers.  While today's superlative is only related to one gender in the field, we turn our attention to the best beard in the field.

It didn't take long for today's winner to to be spotted, as Kyle Norton (Coram, NY) is crowned with the "Best Beard."  Norton has four career cashes, all coming this calendar year, and totaling $17,684.  Of those cashes, Norton has two final tables, including a third place finish in a $400 NLH event during the Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge in May ($12,306).

While there are many other players who rock the facial hair, honorable mention has to go to Andrew Zhu...and if he was here, Jesse Cohen would be giving Norton some serious competition for the top spot.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1D): Outer Tables Opening

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Entries: 1,144

Anna Antimony (River Vale, NJ) was one of the stories during the last series, grabbing a chip lead midway through Day 2 of the Big Stax 500.  While Maggie Morris holds the torch for female players here at Parx with her Big Stax 300 win, there haven't been many others to make the final table of these main trophy events, with the exception of Stephanie Hubbard and Cathy Dever.  Antimony would end up finishing in 50th place ($1,846), adding to her total career earnings of $17,835.  She is one of the newest players to join the field, as tournament tables begin to open in the "cash" side of the room.

Some other names to have been spotted over the last few minutes include:

John Allan Hinds
Joe Simmons
Allison Schultz
Alan Kraut
Leonardo Palermo
James Kaplan

Big Stax 300 (Day 1D): The Early Bird Special

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Day 1D Entries: 195

What have we said each day of this event?  Tournament players just have a hard time waking up "early," with a majority of them arriving "fashionably late."  The early birds are about though during the first of two pre-ante levels, some of which we are actually seeing for the first time.  Andrew Zhu (South Plainfield, NJ) has a Big Stax trophy on his resume, it's just not in one of the "main events."  Andrew took down the $300 No Limit Hold'em Six-Max event during the Big Stax III, winning $9,021 after beating Aristedes Santana heads-up.  This is the first time we are seeing him in the field, as well as Bob Brady, a Parx Poker regular making his way into the field.  Those two are joined by numerous notables, including:

Norman Michalek
Fritz Stoner
Jesse Letchworth
Joe Palma
Matthew Itkin
Benjamin Scholl
Tim West
Christopher Kusha

Big Stax 300 (Day 1D): Shuffle Up And Deal

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

The tournament area was quiet for a good portion of the morning, but players are already beginning to find their seats for Day 1C play.  The tournament supervisor is going over the rules announcement for those in the room, but we will still give you the landscape for the day:

Players will sit down to 30,000 in chips, with levels lasting (45) minutes throughout each of the four starting days.  There is unlimited re-entry while registration is open, which means that players can buy in up until cards are in the air for Day 2 on Sunday (12:00pm).  Players are allowed to enter as many flights as they choose, moving forward with their largest stack (if they bag).  Dinner break will begin at 6:30pm each day, and will last (75) minutes.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1D): Action Underway Shortly

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

We know how many we are coming in with, with the only question remaining begin how many will we end with?  A total of 913 entries have made their way to the tournament area over the past three starting flight, with 132 players successfully bagging chips for tomorrow's Day 2.  One of the only questions surrounding today's fourth and final starting flight is whether or not we will see some record numbers when things are all said and done.  The cards will be in the air at 11:00am, with live coverage of the flight beginning at that moment, and running through the last hand dealt in Level 15.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): End Of Day 1C Chip Counts

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1C Entries: 297

Total Players:	298	Players left:	46
Total Chips:	8,940,000	Average Chips:	194,348
Name	Last Name	Hometown	Chip Count
Dhaual	Joshi	Hoboken,NJ	479,000
Earnest	Whistler	Fairfax,VA	446,000
Dan	DiZenzo	Vernon,NJ	397,000
Katayon	Khaterzai	Levittown,NY	358,500
Joe "Black"	Reddick	Bronx,NY	354,000
Susan	Giosso	Philadelphia,PA	341,000
Vernon "Uncle"	Bludson	Brooklyn,NY	334,000
Dominick	Christiano	Wiles Barre,PA	319,500
Mohammad	Farah	Bensalem,PA	306,000
Ian	Hodges	Bryn Mawr,PA	298,500
Gregory	Fishberg	Huntington Valley,PA	288,500
Keith	Woernle	Montgomery,AL	268,500
Anonymous	Anoymous	Hometown,USA	266,500
Travis	Greenawalt	Landisville,PA	246,000
Nunzio	Russo	Sewell,NJ	233,500
William	Pappas	Boston,MA	207,000
Martin	Labriola	North Wales	206,500
Mike	Lovenburg	Montville,NJ	204,500
Kevin	Johnson	Raritan,NJ	196,500
Trveor	Deeter	Langhorne,PA	194,000
Nichelas	Spence	Bensalem,PA	193,000
Matthew	Zambanini	Wilmington,DE	186,000
Eugene	Sung	Philadelphia,PA	182,500
Ken	Moyer	Kunkletown,PA	165,500
Carl	Emigholz	Bethpage,NY	164,500
Tony	Cheng	Philadelphia,PA	152,000
Joey	Mancini	Philadelphia,PA	149,000
Rich	Kates	Metuchen,NJ	142,000
Michael	Hollenberg	Rockaway,NJ	141,500
Stephanie	Hubbard	Tinton Falls,NJ	141,000
Derek	Eldridge	Freehold,NJ	128,500
Paul	Tong	Nanuet,NY	120,000
Andrew	Weinstein	Basking Ridge,NJ	104,500
Naga	Obillaneni	Newark,DE	97,500
Lung	Chan	E.Patchogue,NY	97,000
Pete	McGinnis	North Brunswick,NJ	95,500
Aileen	Freifeld	Philadelphia,PA	90,500
Scarlett	Dumpernickle	New Egypt,NJ	85,500
Michael	Marder	Sewell,NJ	79,000
Vincent	Teutonico	Staten Island,NY	77,500
Thomas	McMahon	Plainview,NY	77000
Ricardo	Matco	Clifton,NJ	76,000
Lyle	Diamond	Brick,NJ	68,500
Kyle	Gentile	Hainesport,NJ	63,000
Robert	Harding	Perkasie,PA	60,500
Cary	Poulos	Feasterville,PA	58,500

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Final Four Hands

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1C Entries: 297

Tournament supervisor Andrew Merlino has just announced that there will be four hands left for each table, before stopping and bagging chips for the night.  The end of Day 1C chip counts will be posted about (90) after minutes of the end of the night.

Tomorrow's Day 1C flight begins at 11:00am, and you can be sure that the room will be full.  Live coverage will continue tomorrow when the cards are in the air.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Best Hair To Big Stax

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1C Entries: 297

Dominic Christiano (Wilkess-Barre, PA)

Dominic Christiano didn't want to let us take his picture earlier, but when he found out it was hair related and not poker related, he was more inclined to give permission.  Now Dominic will get mentioned for his poker though, as he leads the way with just a few hands remaining in the night.

Christiano has just over 410,000 in front of him, looking to go into Day 2 with over (100) bigs.  We've yet to see anything close to the 595,000 that John Wickizer bagged on Day 1A, but you can expect some big numbers to end the day tomorrow.

Day 1C should attract numbers in the 700-900 range, will a prize pool at stake that's likely to surpass $400,000.  Unless you're buying in with (6) six big blinds on Sunday afternoon, tomorrow's Day 1D flight is your last chance to play.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Final Break Of The Night

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1C Entries: 297

Players are heading on the final (15) minute break of the night, while the tournament floor colors off the brown (100) chips.  Level 15 will play down until there is 10:00 minutes showing on the clock, with players then finding out how many hands remain.  Even though there is no chip lead bonus this time around, we will bring you the last level chip counts once players exit the tournament area.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Updated Chip Counts

Level 14 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Day 1C Entries: 297

The first thing we would like to relay is an apology for the photography throughout the latter stages of the day, as we are dealing with equipment issues.  Beyond that, it's time for us to take a look at some chip counts, as the night winds down towards it's final hour.  Here is a group of counts taken form the midway point of Level 14:

Dominic Christiano - 380,000
Ernie Whistler - 325,000
Stephanie Hubbard - 310,000
Katayon Khaterzai - 280,000
Kevin Johnson - 260,000
Dhaval Joshi - 230,000
Craig Bateman - 230,000
Michael Sandler - 220,000
Joe Black - 210,000
Dan Dizenzo - 185,000
Travis Greenwalt - 160,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Katayon Building As Level Transitions

Level 14 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Day 1C Entries: 297

Katayon Khaterzai (Levittown, NY) is sitting with over 330,000 in front of her, and although she may come off as quiet and unassuming at the table, she's no stranger to tournament poker.  Khaterzai has over $108,000 in career tournament earnings, including a win last year during one of Borgata's Saturday Series ($350 NLH) tournaments, worth over $56,000.

Players are now posting blinds of 1,500/3,000/400 in Level 14, and will go on their final break at the end of the level.  There are (60) players remaining in the Day 1C field, with a chip average that equates to 148,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Norm No Longer Has Chips

Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1C Entries: 295

It's the story of tournament poker, as Norman Michalek grinds all day to finally get himself a stack that he can do something with...and he's out.  Only two hands back from break, three players would be standing up at Table 47, which we all know means something is going down.  There would be a three way all-in between Michalek, Paul Tong, and another short stacked player.  The pot would be close to 280,000 total (there was a side pot), with the cards tabled by all:

Tong: 7♣ 7♦
Michalek: A♥ K♣
Player X: J♣ J♦

Runout: 7♠ A♣ 8♠ 5♥ K♠

The ace would been seen, and it seemed as if Michalek was going to grab the lead in this monstrous pot, but the seven was hiding right behind it.  After the turn, Michalek was drawing dead, and his day would end right there.  Tong has now made his way to the top five of the leaderboard, sitting with just under 300,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Norman Now Has Chips...Break Time

Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Day 1C Entries: 295

Norman Michalek (Westfield, NJ)

Players just exited the tournament area for a (15) minute break, and will return to Level 13 and blinds of 1,200/2,400/300.  Norman Michalek (Westfield, NJ) has come back from Poland with a different mindset, as he grinds a stack of 10-15 bigs for close to three hours, before eventually finding some traction and getting a few all-ins through.  Those hands allowed him to build a reasonably sized stack, and he then managed to get it in A Q > A J to eclipse the 120,000 mark.  That is just above the chip average at the moment, but must feel like heaps to Michalek.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Hubbard Holding Court At Table 46

Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1C Entries: 294

Stephanie Hubbard (Toms River, NJ)

Table 46 has a pretty tough lineup at the moment, hosting the likes of Dhaval Joshi, Michael Marder, Greg Fishberg, Antonio Payne, and Drew Small.  At the moment though, it's Stephanie Hubbard (Tinton Falls, NJ) controlling the table.  Hubbard has trended steadily upward, and sits with close to 230,000 in front of her.

Followers may remember Hubbard from the Big Stax VI 1000 Main Event, when she made Day 3 and the final table, but had to arrive three hours late to the day because of a work conflict.  Hubbard had close to half of her stack blinded away, but ended up recovering once she arrived, and finished in 7th place ($15,949).

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Level Going Up

Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Day 1C Entries: 292

Tournament supervisor Andrew Merlino has just announced to the field that Level 12 has started, with blinds going up to 1,000/2,000/300.  This is the point in the day where the short stacks begin to fall at a rapid pace, with the chip average of 81,000 sitting at (40) big blinds.

There are approximately 105 players remaining in the Day 1C field, with notables Norman Michalek, Antonio Payne, Patricia Knoll, and Mohammed Farah all part of that short stacked crew.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Updated Chip Counts

Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Day 1C Entries: 291

Nunzio Russo (Sewell, NJ)

We are still waiting for that monster stack to appear out of the woodwork, but right now we have a logjam of players trying to eclipse the 300,000 mark.  Here are some of the chip counts from the midway point of Level 11:

Nunzio Russo - 275,000
Naga Obillaneni - 270,000
Kevin Johnson - 230,000
Aileen Freifeld - 210,000
Tony Yang - 195,000
Dhaval Joshi - 180,000
Katayon Khaterzai - 170,000
Dominic Christiano - 120,000
Drew Small - 110,000
Michael Marder - 95,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Lots Of Ins And Outs Since Break

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1C Entries: 286

Dhaval Joshi (Hoboken, NJ)

We are almost through one level back from break, and there has been a lot of action to make note of.  There were the fairly quick exits of Nancy Martin, Jake Perry, and Greg Fishberg, while other players were assuming positions at the top of the leaderboard.

Dhaval Joshi (Hoboken, NJ) has come out of nowhere to grab the Day 1C chip lead, sitting with over 230,000 in front of him.  The ladies must have taken note of our mention earlier in the day, as there are two that sit just behind Joshi.  Aileen Freifeld has 210,000, and Katayon Khaterazai continues to control Table 55 with 205,000.

Play is about to enter Level 11, with the blinds now going up to 800/1,600/200.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Marder's Just Not Running Good

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1C Entries: 258

The media stays away from any opinionated statements while covering tournaments like these, but it's a fact that Michael Marder (Sewell, NJ) is just not running good at all.  He has fired multiple bullets into this event, with each of them ending prematurely.  He hasn't really been able to gain any traction, grinding out the short stack until the very end.  It looked like his luck may have changed, as he got his last 11,000 in pre-flop against Gaiane Petrossia racing.  He held 10♣ 9♣ against Petrossia's 7♠ 7♥, and got the good old 10♠ 10♥ 3♣ flop.  The table had a collective reaction though, as the dealer peeled the 7♣ on the turn, giving Petrossia a full house.  Marder would need help heading to the river, but a blank would send him back to the registration cage to try again.

Jammed 12.5bbs T9cc<77s aip, TT3 flop too...one last try #6 #ParxBigStax pic.twitter.com/s0RPYpGL2a
— Michael Marder (@MMarder86) October 4, 2014

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Back From Dinner

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1C Entries: 276

Players are back from dinner, and the cards are once again in the air.  It may feel like a lot of time is left to get into this event, but the registration is quickly closing.  There is less than a day and a half remaining to get in, that is unless you plan on buying in Day 2 with (6) big blinds.  We've seen some players turn that short stack into final table finishes, but most players only use that as their last resort.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Dinner Break

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Day 1C Entries: 261

The dinner break has started, and players will have time off until 7:45pm.  Those active will then return, and post blinds of 600/1,200/200 in Level 10.  Live coverage of the event will pick back up at that time, and continue through the bagging process after Level 15.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Chip Counts Before Dinner

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Day 1C Entries: 258

With (140) player remaining in this flight, it was pretty surprising not to see any really large stacks around the room.  After taking a few laps, it looks like Kevin Grabel is still leading the field, building from the last time we checked in, now sitting with 190,000.  Here are some of the other larger stacks we could find across the tournament area:

Katayon Khaterzai - 170,000
Aileen Freifeld - 140,000
Jay Kell - 135,000
Naga Obillaneni - 120,000
Drew Small - 97,000
Stephanie Hubbard - 80,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Worm Time Warming Up

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Day 1C Entries: 256

The blinds are about to go up, as Level 9 has players posting 500/1,000/100.  This will be the last level before dinner, which will last from 6:30-7:45pm.  Joe Palma (Bensalem, PA) is on his second bullet of the day, but is making the most of this chance.  We walked up to Table 47 as Palma was locked up in a hand with Keith Crowder.  The two were on the turn of a board reading Q♦ 5♣ 8♦ 6♣, with Palma having just raised Crowder's bet to 14,200.  Keith thought for a while, and after asking Worm what he had behind, threw in the call.  The dealer placed down the 8♣ on the river, and Crowder checked to Palma.  Joe placed down a bet of 12,200, Crowder called quickly, and Palma turned over Q♠ Q♣ (queens full).  Keith smiled and tossed his hand in the muck, watching as Palma picked up the pot and chipped up to 88,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Killer B's

Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1C Entries: 255

Craig Bateman (Bryn Mawr, PA)

Earlier we mention Joshua Beckley in the field, the winner of the Big Stax VII 1500 Main Event.  One of the players that was on the rail for a good portion of that final table was Craig Bateman, Joshua's good friend that had won the Big Stax 500 one week earlier.

Bateman had two results from tournaments in Reno eight years ago, and was basically an unknown in the poker community.  He used some run good and great play to dominate the final table, and eventually made a deal with Jose Montes and Deding Xu.  Bateman would receive first place money in the deal, earning over $71,000.

Bateman has since went on to cash in two tournament during the Borgata Poker Open, including the prestigious $3,300 WPT Championship Event (109th - $6,868).  Craig just doubled through Jimmy Lillis to get close to the chip average for the first time today.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Level Going Up While Ladies Doing Well

Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Day 1C Entries: 251

Aileen Freifeld

The tournament supervisor has just announced the beginning of Level 8, with blinds now going up to 400/800/100.  Approximately 160 played are currently active of the 251 total from the day so far, with a trio of ladies currently seeing some success.

We did mention earlier that only three women have bagged chips for Day 2 so far, but there are still 15-20 alive in this Day 1C field.  The three that are doing well all have stacks well above the chip average:

Aileen Freifeld - 138,000
Katayon Khaterzai - 119,000
Patricia Knoll - 85,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Putting In Extra Hours

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Day 1C Entries: 242

Billy Pappaconstantaninou (Lowell, MA)

Even though Billy Pappaconstantinou (Lowell, MA) bagged chips last night (108,500), he's giving things another try this afternoon.  It's not necessarily the amount that he bagged that's bringing him back, but the hours he gets to put in as practice.

As mentioned yesterday, Billy is part of an elite group returning to Las Vegas to finish the final table of the 2014 WSOP $10,000 Main Event (November Nine).  Billy is considered by the pundits as the lone amateur remaining of those returning, and he mentioned returning today strictly to tighten up his game.

He was seated at Table 79, to the direct right of Kevin Grabel.  Billy has been nothing but smiles since he arrived yesterday, and has already commented on how much he likes the room and the tournaments here at Parx.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Grabel Going To Break On Top

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Day 1C Entries: 224

Players are about to head on their second (15) minute break of the day, with a lot of attention over the last few minutes of the level given to the MLB playoffs on the televisions.  The room may not have a solid rooting interest in the Baltimore area teams, but every sports fan enjoys watching a good comeback.

On the poker side of things, Kevin Grabel (Southampton, PA) looks to be the chip leader going to break, with over 140,000.  Dan Dizenzo dropped from his number earlier, but is still hovering around the 100,000 mark.  Patricia Knoll (Washington Crossing, PA) is also heading to break with an above average stack, sitting with 80,000 in front of her the last time we checked.  There will be three more levels played once everyone returns, with the next break being the extended (75) dinner.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Taylor Takes One Out

Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1C Entries: 213

Better known as "E-tay" to money of her friends, Esther Taylor (Havertown, PA) is making some quick work of her opponents at Table 81.  Taylor has only been in action two levels, but she has already more than doubled her starting stack.  We just walked by the table as Esther was heads ups on a flop of Q♣ 3♥ 2♠.  After her opponent led out for 5,000, Taylor raised it to 15,000, and watched as the rest of her adversaries chips were pushed across the line (24,000).  E-tay had her chips in before you could blink, and the hands were tabled.  She would be in a dominating position with A♠ Q♦ against Q♠ J♦, and the turn and river would run out clean.  Taylor would collect her new chips, while her opponent collected his things and left the table.  She is now up to 70,000, which is well above the current chip average of 38,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Big Stax Superlatives (Best Hair)

Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Day 1C Entries: 204

Dominic Christiano (Wilkes-Barre, PA)

When things are slow on these Day 1 starting flights, it's sometimes hard to come up with things to write.  There aren't many 300 big blind pots played in the pre-ante levels, and we can only post so many notables in the field.  Something that has been in the works for your entertainment is "Big Stax Superlatives."  Just like when we were in high school and there was a section dedicated in the yearbook for Best _____ , we are breaking out the superlatives.  Today we are starting with "Best Hair," and it didn't take long for the results to come in.

Dominic Christiano (Wilkes-Barre, PA) takes home the award, sporting his Carlos Valderrama locks.  Now Christiano had some serious competition in the field, but the fact that he donates his hair each year to those less fortunate sealed the deal for him.

Honorable mention goes to two other players in the field: Fritz Stoner with his killer pony-tail, and Norman Michalek with his "Farah Fawcett Flow."

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Checking Out The Chip Counts

Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Day 1C Entries: 198

Tony Yang (Baltimore, MD)

It's no secret that dealers love to play poker as well, being surrounded by the game most of their waking hours.  Tony Yang is taking advantage from some days off at Maryland Live! to jump in this event and try to make a deep run.  He is currently second in chips to Dan Dizenzo, so if he keeps this pace, he may even be able to turn the time off from enjoyable to profitable.  Here are some counts taken from the midway point of Level 5:

Dan Dizenzo - 135,000
Tony Yang - 120,000
Kevin Grabel - 97,000
Jimmy Lillis - 85,000
Dominic Christiano - 69,000
"Minnesota" Frank - 68,000
Nancy Martin - 55,000
Christopher Kusha - 46,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Have Fun Writing That One Up

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Day 1C Entries: 186

Dan Dizenzo (Sussex, NJ)

Dan Dizenzo (Sussex, NJ) wasn't joking when he said that, as we try and recapture the action from the most recent hand at Table 48.  There was a pre-flop open to 3,000 from middle position, with Fritz Stoner making the call from the button.  The player in the small blind shoved for 8,125, with Dan Dizenzo flatted that amount, and the original raiser and Stoner calling as well.

There were four players going to the flop (one all-in), and they all watched as the dealer fanned out 10♦ K♠ 7♠.  Dizenzo led out for 5,700, with the original raiser immediately shoving all-in.  Stoner folded behind, and Dan asked for the amount (22,350).  After some mental calculations, Dizenzo made the call, and ended up turning over the best hand:

Dizenzo: A♣ Q♥
Player X: A♠ J♠ (original raiser pre)
Player Y: J♣ 9♣ (player all-in pre)

Dan was pretty surprised to see that he actually had the best hand, but had to fade many cards on the turn and river to hold.  The board ran out with no card higher than a five, and Dizenzo's ace-queen high was good for the pot worth over 70,000.  The 145,000 that Dizenzo now has in front of him is one of the largest stacks in the early stages of this flight.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Above Average From Day 1B

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Day 1C Entries: 181

We try to bring you as much information as possible each day through the live updates, which is why we've started the trend of posting the above average chip stacks that were bagged from the flight prior.  Once the night was over, the chip average for the 46 players that bagged chips was 207,000.  There were (20) players to bag over that number, and handful of which are household names in the community:

Greg	Himmelbrand	Queens NY	415,000
Chris	Horter	Bensalem PA	406,500
Sergio	Loureiro	Wayne NJ	399,500
Anthony	Mastragostino	Collingswood NJ	378,000
Joseph	McKeehen	North Wales PA	377,000
Steve	Ricchini	Philadelphia PA	364,500
Dj	Mackinnon	East Amherst NY	325,000
Michael	Dimaiuta	Centerach NY	323,500
Matt	Glantz	Lafayette Hill PA	322,000
Tam	Nguyen	Harrisburg PA	309,500
Paul	Shedaker	Croydon PA	286,500
Ryan	Pochedly	Bensalem PA	286,000
Jesus	Pahmeron	Mt Pocono PA	282,000
Ching	Poon	Staten Island NY	269,500
Ray	Ross	Maple Glen PA	252,500
Jason	Ramseur	Philadelphia PA	250,000
Tom	Tylek	Marlboro NJ	243,000
Vemkata	Potluoi	Middeltown NJ	239,000
Ben	Levine	Philadelphia PA	232,000
Daniel	Friedman	Smithtown NY	221,500

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): First Break Of The Day

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Day 1C Entries: 157

Players are about to go on their first (15) minute break of the day, and they will return to Level 4 and blinds of 150/300/50.  It's still a little early to take a look at chip counts, but we can continue to make notice of the notables that make their way to the tournament area.  Two players that walked in almost minutes apart from each other were just a a live streamed final table together.  Dan Dizenzo (Sussex, NJ) and Esther Taylor (Havertown, PA) both reached the final table of Event 10 ($350 No Limit Hold'em $1,000,000 GTD) during the Borgata Poker Open.

It was the second of three final tables that were live streamed during that series, with both players trying to grab the $169,000 first place prize.  Esther would be the first to depart of the two, finishing in tenth place ($9,708).  Dizenzo would make a deeper run, falling short of the supreme goal, but finishing in third place for $71,715.  That was the second largest cash of Dizenzo's career, coming off a final table during the 2014 WSOP.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Beckley Back In Action

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Day 1C Entries: 149

Joshua Beckley (Marlton, NJ)

The last time Joshua Beckley (Marlton, NJ) walked out of this poker room, he was doing so $98,348 richer.  The process reaching an agreement may of taken a little while, but eventually Beckley and Mike Linster made a deal to chop the Big Stax 1500 during the last series in August.

Even though that may of been Beckley's first career recorded cash, he showed at the final table that he was definitely not a novice.  He bested a stacked final table that hosted the likes of Ketan Pandya, Cathy Dever, Drew Small, Jesse Cohen, Chris Csik, Joe Reddick, and Ken Silberstein.  Joshua has since cashed in one event during the recent Borgata Poker Open, but surely is looking to recapture the magic at the site of where it all began.

Beckley is sitting at Table 80, which opened just moments ago, and is playing short handed while waiting for players.  One of his adversaries at the moment is Jason Rivkin (Toms River, NJ), the winner of the first ever Big Stax tournament run.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Noticing The Little Things

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Day 1C Entries: 138

Sometimes there are even things that even the blogger misses in regards to these events, but we can always count on our biggest fans to lend a hand.  Nancy Martin (Washington Crossing, PA) made mention that only three ladies have bagged chips for Day 2 over the first two starting flights of this event.  That would be true, and is definitely worth noting considering the amount of women that have fired bullets to this point.  The three ladies that have their ticket punched for Day 2 already are Megan Milburn (187,000), Gretchen Sonne (125,000), and Sophie Chen (67,000).  Nancy looked like she was in good position to follow suit last night, but had her pocket aces fall in a 300,000 pot against two players with under pairs (all-in pre).

As we mentioned earlier, the late arrival is in fashion right now, with some new names making their way to the tables:

Stephanie Hubbard
Kevin Grabel
Judy Bielan
Patricia Knoll
Michael Sandler
Nicholas Partenope
Christopher Kusha
Jake Perry

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): #Norm'sBack

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Day 1C Entries: 119

Norman Michalek (Westfield, NJ)

There was something missing from the past two Big Stax series, and many players just couldn't put there finger on what it was.  Then it just occurred to us...Norman wasn't around.  Norman Michalek (Westfield, NJ) was a staple at every series run here at Parx beforehand, but took a three month trip to Poland to visit family and play some online poker.

Michalek returned from his trip a few weeks ago, and jumped into a few events during the Borgata Poker Open, but wasn't able to gain any traction.  He may of been rusty after the longest stint spent away from live poker in his career, but Norman's online chops were still there.

Just last week Michalek final tabled the GSSS Event #19 High ($75,000 Guaranteed) NLH on PartyPokerNJ, finishing in 4th place and earning himself $15,750.  Norman's last memory of the Big Stax is stone bubbling the Big Stax V 500 event, so he's looking to put that behind him with a good Day 1C.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Down Under...The Hood

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Day 1C Entries: 98

Antonio Payne (Hazlet, NJ)

A lot of poker players have their pulse on the community, and know what series are going on all over the world.  The WSOPAPAC started a few days ago, with some of the biggest names in the poker world traveling to Australia to try and grab a bracelet "down under."  Antonio Payne (Hazlet, NJ) was supposed to be one of those players making the 24-hour trip to Australia, but scheduling conflicts kept him from doing so.

The truth is that the Big Stax 300 was the WSOP Circuit ring winner's first choice anyway, and he's in action for the first time this series.  He is technically "down under" his hood, we promise you that's Payne mid-hand, before scooping up a nice pot and chipping up above the starting stack.

Payne's joined at Table 56 by a few notables that were mentioned already, but others that were spotted included Nancy Martin, Nunzio Russo, Lou Santoro, Joseph Spillane, Pierre Diessler, and Tim Little.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Familiar Faces In The Field

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)
Total Day 1C Entries: 87

The day seems to be starting off slowly once again, but it's a trend that we are beginning to get used to.  The prime time for players to rush is in the 12:00-1:00pm window, as late sleep seems to be the priority for poker players.  It's another clear mixture of players trying once again to bag chips after failing the flights prior, and those here for the first time this series.  Is it "Worm Time?"  Joe Palma (Bensalem, PA) took his seat just moments ago, fully equipped with coffee for his friends and himself.  Palma may be the leader in all-time Parx cashes, but he is still looking for his first Big Stax final table in one of the "trophy events."  Others in todays early field include:

"Minnesota" Frank
Lyle Diamond
Fritz Stoner
Mohammad Farah
Greg Fishberg
James Ingram
Frank Ingaurdia

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Shuffle Up And Deal!

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

The tournament supervisor has just made the rules announcement for players already seated in the tournament area, which means that Day 1C of the Big Stax VIII 300 is about to get underway.  You may get tired of reading the breakdown of the rules each day, but it's important for any players (or) followers that are new to the format.

Players will sit down to 30,000 in chips, with levels lasting (45) minutes throughout each of the four starting days.  There is unlimited re-entry while registration is open, which means that players can buy in up until cards are in the air for Day 2 on Sunday (12:00pm).  Players are allowed to enter as many flights as they choose, moving forward with their largest stack (if they bag).  Dinner break will begin at 6:30pm each day, and will last (75) minutes.

As players continue to take there seats, we will scan the room for notables in the field and bring them to you shortly.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): End Of Day 1B Chip Counts

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1B Entries: 318

Total Players:	318	Players left:	46
Total Chips:	9,540,000	Average Chips:	207,391
First Name	Last Name	Hometown	Chip Count
Greg	Himmelbrand	Queens NY	415,000
Chris	Horter	Bensalem PA	406,500
Sergio	Loureiro	Wayne NJ	399,500
Anthony	Mastragostino	Collingswood NJ	378,000
Joseph	McKeehen	North Wales PA	377,000
Steve	Ricchini	Philadelphia PA	364,500
Dj	Mackinnon	East Amherst NY	325,000
Michael	Dimaiuta	Centerach NY	323,500
Matt	Glantz	Lafayette Hill PA	322,000
Tam	Nguyen	Harrisburg PA	309,500
Paul	Shedaker	Croydon PA	286,500
Ryan	Pochedly	Bensalem PA	286,000
Jesus	Pahmeron	Mt Pocono PA	282,000
Ching	Poon	Staten Island NY	269,500
Ray	Ross	Maple Glen PA	252,500
Jason	Ramseur	Philadelphia PA	250,000
Tom	Tylek	Marlboro NJ	243,000
Vemkata	Potluoi	Middeltown NJ	239,000
Ben	Levine	Philadelphia PA	232,000
Daniel	Friedman	Smithtown NY	221,500
Chuck	Cronk	Parlin NJ	206,500
Joe	Graci	Massapequa	197,500
Adam	Larkin	NYC NY	192,000
Jonathan	Borenstein	Teaneck NJ	191,500
Richard	DeVivo	Phonixville PA	177,500
Antonio	Walker	Willingboro NJ	163,500
Kyle	Carey	Providence RI	146,000
Jonathan	Pike	Harrisburg PA	144,000
Steven	Sarmiento	Queens NY	143,500
Justin	Medenilla	South Bruswick NJ	137,000
Brian	Pagano	Hawley PA	136,500
David	Rittmeyer	Towson MD	134,500
Richard	Rodrigo	Lavallette NJ	131,500
Donald	Shimazu	Eaton Town PA	129,000
Sean	Wallace	Horham PA	124,000
Michael	Roberts	Blue Bell PA	121,500
William	Pappaconstantinou	Derdy NH	108,500
Moshe	Dahan	Brookyln NY	102,000
Joel	Hola	Philadelphia PA	96,000
Aaron	Mermelstein	Philadelphia PA	92,500
Kevin	Crombie	Barnegot NJ	92,000
Vlad	Goncharov	Staten Island NY	86,500
Michael	Drabot	Riverside NJ	86,500
Eric	Orstein	Flushing NY	82,000
Sophie	Chen	Absecon NJ	67,000
Robert	Fabianski	Philadelphia PA	67,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Final Four Hands

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1B Entries: 318

Tournament supervisor Andrew Merlino has just announced to the 50 players remaining that there will be four more hands played in the night.  Once those hands are finished at each table, the bagging process will begin.  The end of Day 1B chip counts will be posted about (90) minutes after play ends, with the action picking back up again tomorrow at 11:00am.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Lots Of Late Action

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Day 1B Entries: 318

There has been no shortage of action over the first (15) minutes of the final level, with chips flying around at each table.  Gene Raman, who won this bullet in the satellite that started the series, just busted in a 100,000 pot (9♠9♣ < A♠K♣).  Frank Ingaurdia also met the same fate, getting in his final 60,000 with A♣ Q♥ against K♠ K♦.

Joseph McKeehen (North Wales, PA) is trending steadily upward, now sitting with close to 400,000.  McKeehen had an opponent shove on him on a flop of 9x Qx 10x, with Joe holding Kx Jx against 10x 8x.  Both players flopped straights, but Joe flopped the nuts and held for the 110,000 pot.