Final Day 1C Chipcounts

Here are the 34 players - from a starting field of 172 - advancing from today's Day 1C on to Sunday's Day 2 in the HPT Main Event.

Day 2 play begins at 1pm with the Riffle and Peel, so please be here by 12:45pm to get your bag-o-chippies open.

Sal	DiCarlo	332,000
Jason	Brinn	297,000
Robert	Ormont	248,000
Chan	Pelton	228,500
David	Lee	224,000
Paul	McGuire	211,500
Dennis	Alejandro	209,000
Jeff	Kremer	205,500
Abhishek	Yerra	201,000
Reginald	Roberts	188,500
Ed	Sebesta	182,500
TM	Williams	182,000
Mike	Budde	165,500
Ted	Forshey	164,000
Tiamhang	Zhang	161,000
Don	Baumer	157,000
Brian	Cook	150,000
Brock	McCoy	147,000
Tom	Morse	146,500
Brian	Koch	130,000
Paul	Keesee	128,000
Ben	Castle	124,500
Matt	Donaldson	118,500
Timothy	Fowler	117,500
Jeff	Tullis	99,000
Derek	Schroeder	97,000
Cody	Brinn	97,000
S.	Nia	85,000
Grant	Hinkle	76,000
Joshua	Turner	66,500
Greg	Radosh	66,500
Dave	Simon	63,000
Kirby	Brewer	51,500
Zhongliu	Sun	38,500

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

3 More Hands

LuisTheTD has paused the game clock at minutes and announced there's 3 more hands to play in the final starting flight of the Main Event.

We'll be back in about 25 minutes with Day 1C chipc0unts, and about 45 minutes after that with HPTJeremy's Day 2 Seat Assignments.

Level - 15
Blinds - 1500/3k
Antes - 400
Entries - 36/172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Cooler Goes @KingSilas55's Way

Chan Pelton makes it 4x, Jeffrey Landherr moves all in for 100k, and Sal DiCarlo slides out a mountain of 5k chips. Pelton leans down, counts, stares and finally gets away from Ace-Jack of Clubs.

Landherr shows pocket Queens, but it is DiCarlo with pocket Kings.

The board runs out Will Kassouf and DiCarlo moves to 380,000 with 20 minutes left in Day 1C.

Level - 15
Blinds - 1500/3k
Antes - 400
Entries - 37/172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Hello, Sunday

The game clock shows 40 minutes remaining in Day 1C of the Main Event, while the time clock shows midnight in the rearview mirror and Sunday Status has been attained.

One more level before players Bag-'n-Tag to come back at 1pm for the start of Day 2.

Have a Day 2 Bag? Please be here by 12:45pm, the Riffle and Peel takes place right at 1pm.

Level - 15
Blinds - 1500/3k
Antes - 400
Entries - 41/172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Landherr Doubles

Down to 48,000, April 2017 @HPTPoker @AmeristarSC runner-up Jeffrey Landherr gets all his chips in the middle preflop with pocket Nines against his challenger's Ace-King. The nine's hold and Landherr moves up to 100k.

Level - 14
Blinds - 1200/2400
Antes - 300
Entries - 44/172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Budde Pressure

An Ace-High board, a 25,000 river bet from Mike Budde and his challenger can't find a way to call off 70 percent of his chips. Budde shows pocket Aces for a flopped set, and rakes in enough chips to move to 160,000 early in Level 14.

Another table just broke, so no more than 45 players are going to advance from this flight to Sunday.

This means there's going to be no more than 9 tables tomorrow when cards go in the air at 1pm for the start of Day 2.

Level - 14
Blinds - 1200/2400
Antes - 300
Entries - 45/172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Do That Again

Jason Brin and Mike O'Neill get all their chips in the middle on the flop, O'Neill at risk on the    flop. Brin shows 3-5o and he's behind a much bigger flush draw of O'Neill's ... until the river is another 5 .. Brin's 5 plays and O'Neill is eliminated here late in Level 13.

That's 2 knockouts in less than two orbits for Brin and he moves to 305,000 and the top of the Day 1C leaderboard.

Level - 13
Blinds - 1k/2k
Antes - 300
Entries - 52/172

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AK No

There's an open to 5,500 UTG by Jason Brin, a call from the button, then Dan Loizzo moves all in for his last 45k. Brin calls and the button folds.

Loizzo turns over Ace-King and is racing against pocket Nines.

Loizzo (above) turns his King, but there was a Nine on the flop and he is eliminated midway through Level 13 tonight, reducing the field to 56 players.

Jason Brin - 150,000

Level - 13
Blinds - 1k/2k
Antes - 300
Entries - 56/172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

#GrindTime

Players are retuning from their final 15-minute break of the night. Dan Loizzo, Shawn Roberts, Grant Hinkle, Chan Pelton, Greg Radosh, Matt Donaldson, Cody Brinn, Josh Turner, Jeffrey Landherr, Nick Davidson, Ed Sebesta and Don Havener are among those #BagHunting with 3 full 40-minute levels in Day 1C.

Level - 13
Blinds - 1k/2k
Antes - 300
Entries - 63/172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

$110,386 to HPTPoker @AmeristarSC Champ

With 338 total entries, the HPT $1650 Main Event at Ameristar St. Charles is paying $110,391 to the champion - and a bracelet like the one above.

Here are the payouts available to the 36 players who are going to finish in the money.

9/28-10/2/17
$1650 Main Event
338 Entries
$479,960 Prize Pool
36 Places Paid

1	$110,386
2	$69,882
3	$46,796
4	$32,637
5	$24,478
6	$19,198
7	$16,223
8	$13,439
9	$11,567
10-12	$9,119
13-15	$6,863
16-18	$5,376
19-27	$4,320
28-36	$3,600

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Level 11's 6-Figure Club

Last November's HPT St. Charles champ Matt Donaldson leads the pack midway through Level 11 of Day 1C. Here are the players with stacks of 100k or more. (If I missed you, tweet your stack to @HPTupdates)

Matt	Donaldson	160,000
Mike	Budde	155,000
Brock	McCoy	150,000
Sal	DiCarlo	140,000
Mike	O'Neill	140,000
Basky	Baker	135,000
Alexi	Aqel	120,000
Chan	Pelton	115,000
Josh	Turner	110,000
Nick	Davidson	100,000

Level - 11
Blinds - 600/1200
Antes - 200
Entries - 81/172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

He Turned It

I showed up with almost all the action complete .. 58,000 in the pot, a 20,000 bet from Mike Budde on a     board and action on Grant Hinkle.

A few quizzical looks, and out came four of the tan 5k chips.

Budde turned over  , open-ended on the flop and he got there on the turn - no bonus for a 6-card straight here, folks.

Mike Budde - 137,000
Grant Hinkle - 34,000

Level - 10
Blinds - 500/1k
Antes - 100
Remaining - 90/172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

338 For Main Event

Registration is now closed on the third and final starting flight in the @HPTPoker $1650 @AmeristarSC Main Event and the board shows 172 entries today.

Combine this with the 166 entries from the first two flights and the total reaches 338.

This - unofficially - creates a prize pool of $479,960.

Stay tuned for the official numbers and the full #PayTable shortly.

Level - 10
Blinds - 500/1k
Antes - 100
Entries - 172

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Registration Closes in an Hour

Players in Day 1C of the @HPTPoker $1650 Main Event @AmeristarSC are off for their hour-long dinner break (and so is the live reporting team).

Registration and the unlimited re-entry period for this flight closes when cards go back in the air to start Level 10 at about 8:30pm.

We'll be back after 8:30 with the final Main Event field size, prize pool, player chipcounts and more ... but for now ...

When play resumes post-dinner (avoid the food coma), action is going to be at

Level - 10
Blinds - 500/1k
Antes - 100
Entries - at least 167

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

1 2 Food

Catch some of the remaining College Football games on your hour-long break starting at 7:30pm by heading over to AmeriSports Bar and Grill inside Ameristar St. Charles.

Players are in their final level of the day before dinner, counting down to good food at AmeriSports, Bugatti's, Pearl's, Landmark Buffet, Asia, Fifth Street Deli ....

Click on the restaurant names and check

Level - 9
Blinds - 400/800
Antes - 100
Entries - 167

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Donaldson Gets One

The flop is Queen-high, there's a shove and Matt Donaldson snap-calls, turning over one of the two available overpairs, showing pocket Kings.

His challenger flips over pocket Eights, there's no eight on the turn or river and Donaldson - who won here last November for a $132,917 score - moves to 86,000.

Level - 8
Blinds - 300/600
Antes - 75

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Sun Eclipses One

Pocket Aces hold for Zhongliu Sun, eliminating his challenger on a Q-3-3-x-x board and moving Sun up to 75,000.

Level - 8
Blinds - 300/600
Antes - 75
Entries Today - 162
Total Entries So Far - 328
Prize Pool - $465k

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Oops

There's an open to 2,200 from Stephen Lee, a call from Nick Davidson on the button, then a raise to 6k from Sameer Al-Dbhany in the BB - or was it?

The board is    and floor is called as Al-Dbhany explains he thought he grabbed calling chips and had a 5k chip in there instead.

"I'm ok with whatever (the ruling) is," he tells JessTheTD.

The ruling is a raise, Lee calls and Davidson folds.

 hits the turn, Al-Dbhany moves all in and Lee looks upset, and he finds a fold.

Al-Dbhany shows  for two pair and rakes in the chips.

Sameer Al-Dbhany - 55,000

Level - 7
Blinds - 250/500
Antes - 50
Entries - 159

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Level 6 Chipcounts

Day 1C @HPTPoker @AmeristarSC players are on their second 15-minute break of the day. here are chipcounts for Ryan Tepen and others ...

Paul	Kessee	120,000
Jeffrey	Landherr	115,000
Ed	Sebesta	95,000
Stephen	Lee	78,000
Ryan	Tepen	76,000
Balky	Baker	75,000
Sameer	Al-Dbhany	70,000
Bruce	Hugon	49,000
Dan	Loizzo	46,000
Greg	Radosh	42,000
Josh	Turner	42,000
Mike	Rieck	40,000
Nick	Davidson	38,000
Greg	Jennings	38,000
Jamey	Kramer	33,000
Jason	Darland	27,000
Ross	Griffith	23,000
Scott	Vedder	21,000
Gary	Herstein	21,000
Mary	Sturges	21,000
Jerry	Siemienas	17,000
Grant	Hinkle	12,000

When play resumes, action is at

Level - 7
Blinds - 250/500
Antes - 50
Entries - 155

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Ed Hits 100

Ed Sebesta - currently 2nd in the @HPTPoker Season XIII Player of the Year Race - is the latest palyer to reach 6-figures.

Sebesta - with a 3rd, 4th and 7th already this season - is up to 105,000 as level 6 gets moving.

Level - 6
Blinds - 200/400
Antes - 50
Entries - 154

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

I'd Be Afraid to Bet a Set Today

I'm losing track of how many horror stories I've heard in the first 5 levels here today of players flopping sets and losing most - if not all - of their chips on boards that sure don't look all that scary to begin with.

Sure, there's been ones where there were draws that connected, but set-over-set-and-to-the-rail seems to be the theme of the day here.

Top Set is not immune, either, having seen that fall to rivered quads.

If set you have, beware you will.

Level - 5
Blinds - 150/300
Antes - 50
Entries - 148

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Castle Down

Ben Castle's chips go in the middle with pocket Kings on a 7-8-9 board, only to run in to 5-6 and Castle - winner of the 6-Max here earlier in the week - is eliminated early in Level 5 of the Main Event.

Castle's 6-max winner's photo didn't get published on the blog, so despite his knockout, we'll showcase that photo now ..

Level - 5
Blinds - 150/300
Antes - 50
Entries - 142

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

First 100k Stack

Straight-over-set-over-set, with Jeffrey Landherr as the beneficiary and he moves to 105,000 - the first player to six figures in Day 1C of the Ameristar St. Charles Main Event.

Landherr was runner-up here in the Apri HPT Main Event, and also runner-up in January 2016 at the WSOP Circuit Main Event at Choctaw.

Level - 4
Blinds - 100/200
Antes - 25
Entries So Far - 141
Total Entries So Far - 307
Prize Pool - ~$436k

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Sets Alive

Scott Vedder took a rough hit back in Level 2 when he flopped bottom set on an A-4-2 flop, only to have his challenger flop middle set.

Down to fewer than 10,000 chips here in Level 3, Vedder moves all in on the Q-4-3-2 board, and Greg Jennings calls, tunring over 2-3 for #BottomTwo.

Vedder, however, has a set of Threes and they hold this time as the river is a King.

Level - 3
Blinds - 100/200
Entries - 124

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

More than $400,000

Two Day 1C @HPTPoker @AmeristarSC levels are in the books and the board shows 118 entries so far today - pushing the prize pool to more than $400,000 with 6 more hours of registration today.

Flights A and B combined for 166 entries, with 26 players advancing from those flights.

Registration and unlimited re-entries today is available through the dinner break, up to the start of Level 10 at 8:30pm.

Level - 3
Blinds - 100/200
Entries - 122

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Loading Up

Players are pouring in steadily as Level 2 gets moving. Among those now seated for Day 1C is Ed Sebesta, Dan Loizzo, Grant Hinkle (above), Jason Brin, Bryan Skreens, Jason Darland, Ben Castle, Jerry Siemienas, Ryan Tepen, Ross Guthrie, Mike Rieck, Vijay Natarajan and Craig Welko.

Level - 2
Blinds - 75/150
Entries - 114

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Scary Out There Today

There was already a set-over-set elimination in the first orbit of Level 1, I've seen two more set-over-set clashes, and one player flopped top set against bottom set, only to be eliminated by quads on the river.

Watch your step out there, folks, the waters be a wee bit treacherous.

Level - 2
Blinds - 75/150
Entries - 111 Today
Total Entries So Far - 278
Prize Pool = $393k

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

The Champs Keep On Arriving

Many @HPTPoker Main Events around the country have former champions come out to play, but it sure seems like there's been a ton of them here at Ameristar St. Charles this weekend.

Already in today's field is Gary Herstein (This month at East Chicago) 3-time champ Shawn Roberts, Bruce Hugon (Dec. 2016 Belterra), Greg Jennings (Aug. 2015 KC), Greg Radosh (May 2016 here), Nick Davidson (Sept. 2016 East Chicago) and Sameer Al-Dbhany (March 2016 Belterra).

Craig Casino, Mike Puccio, Roger Campbell, Michael Hahn and Jay Friedman already bagged in the earlier flights.

Level - 2
Blinds - 75/150
Entries - 105 today
Total So Far - 271
Prize Pool so far - $384k

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates

Straight Flush Good

There's already been quite a bit of action early in Level 1, but nothing like what just took place over at Table 45.

The board is a pretty scary     .

Si Vu lead out, Matt Downs shoved and Vu called off the rest of his stack.

Vu shows,  , he flopped trips and rivered a straight.

, however, flips over   for a flopped top pair that went runner-runner straight flush.

We have a chipleader ..

Level - 1
Blinds - 25/50
Entries - 84

Dan Ross - Hold'em Live Updates