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Friday, August 31, 2018

JUST A FEW MORE


The day has turned to night and now to early morning ... and @RatesByJohn is calling for play to come to a close in Day 1B @HPTpoker $1650 Main Event @AmeristarEC.

He's not sending everyone home - or to their hotel room - just yet, though, as he's paused the play clock at 10 minutes, calling for five more hand of the pokers before bagging up the chips.

Check back here at a wee bit after 2am for full player-provided chipcounts of those advancing to Sunday's Day 2

Saturday's Day 1C - the final starting flight - begins at noon, note this is two hours earlier than Thursday or Friday's starting times.

Level - 15
BB Ante - 4k
Blinds - 2k/4k
Remaining - 3x/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

RAYMER'S NIGHT ENDS


Day 1B was not Greg Raymer's day on the felt. He did not chip up substantially at any point in the flight, the final chips departing just before Level 14 came to a close in the HPT East Chicago $1650 Main Event.

Here's the 280-or-fewer-character description of how the night came to an end for the former WSOP Main Event champ.


There was a LevelUp as I wrote this, players now in to their final 40 minutes of play before the Bag-n-Tag takes place.

Level - 15
BB Ante - 4k
Blinds - 2k/4k
Remaining - 39/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

BIG GROUP OF BIG STACKS


42 players left in Day 1B @HPTPoker East Chicago, there's 5.5 million chips in play and four of the players have 1.9 million between them.

Neil Patel, Mike Prendergast and Raed Kurdi would all appear to be in position to bag more than the 434,000 of last night's chipleader Ossama Estafanous.

It's gonna take a lot of work for any of them to catch Jerry Siemienas, though ....


JerrySiemienas680,000
NeilPatel410,000
MikePrendergast410,000
RaedKurdi380,000

Level - 14
BB Ante - 3k
Blinds - 1500/3k
Remaining - 42/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

NO BRAKE PEDAL CAN BE BAD


So, remember Darrell The Punisher Haywood? Remember I said he does not have a brake pedal, right?

Well, you see, what happened was.

Level 13 began and Haywood moved to 380,000 - well clear of the field.

30 minutes later and Jerry Siemienas - who went to dinner break with 41,000 - has all of Haywood's chips and is sitting with a 680,000 stack.

That's 272BB to you and me.

Just how did this happen?

Siemienas had done well since dinner break, moving up about 5x to 200,000.

Late in Level 13, Haywood ran in to the two pair of Siemienas in one hand, and still with 200,000 behind, Haywood and Siemienas had all the chips in the middle on a Jack_High flop. Haywood with Ace_Jack, but Siemienas had Pocket_Aces.

One orbit and Siemienas moved to 680,000. That is a post-dinner-break heater.

Level - 14
BB Ante - 3k
Blinds - 1500/3k
Entries - 47/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

THAT JUST HAPPENED


So, you have Pocket_Queens and Darrell 'The Punisher' Haywood on your immediate right, who has already opened. He calls your 3-bet and off to the flop you go.

Q-4-5 and you both check.

Turn is a 2, river King, Haywood bets, you move all in and he snap-announces, "call," almost before the word, "in," is verbalized.

Ace_Three for Haywood ... a wheel ... an elimination ... The Punisher.

Darrell Haywood - 320,000

Level - 13
BB Ante - 2500
Blinds - 1500/2500
Remaining - 56/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

WHO IS ALREADY ON TO DAY 2?


Thursday's opening flight in the @HPTpoker @AmeristarEC Main Event drew a 131-entry field with 20 players making it through the 15 levels of play.

Here's the 20 moving on to Sunday's noon start for Day 2.

Ossama Estafanous - 5th here last January, 6th last Labor Day Weekend and 12th on Labor Day Weekend 2015 - bagged 100k more than any of his challengers. Randall Pace (pictured) bagged 310,000.


OssamaEstafanous434,000
MichaelShanahan330,000
JasonMangold323,000
RandallPace310,000
DavidSesso304,000
KevinSaul291,000
ShaneSlovick256,000
TMWilliams238,000
RichardBai228,000
RalphMassey219,000
BarrySchmiess170,000
JacobBazeley126,000
FrankCerminara109,000
TimSimpson104,000
JimBauner97,000
MikeVanderWoude95,000
EdgarLopez, Jr.94,000
BekrAli85,000
BrendanShiller71,000
GeoffreyFerrer57,000

Level - 13
BB Ante - 2500
Blinds - 1500/2500
Remaining - 59/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

LEVEL 12 CHIPCOUNTS


The face tonight is soooooo much slower than the hurry-up-and-get-to-the-rail movement last night in the @HPTpoker $1650 Main Event @AmeristarEC. More than 50 percent of the field was eliminated in the first two hours after dinner.

Tonight, however, fewer than 30 percent are gone as Level 12 draws near its end.

Here's some updated chipcounts before players take their final 15-minute break of the night.


DavidMcGowan250,000
DarrellHaywood190,000
AndresGarcia145,000
ToddIvens140,000
NeilPatel135,000
VoytekGlab130,000
SteveFox120,000
JeffFielder105,000
GeorgeDeitz100,000
KennyBaime95,000
RaviRaghavan90,000
EdSebesta90,000
GaryHerstein80,000
AaronMassey75,000
MarkGeith70,000
RossGuthrie52,000
GregRaymer40,000
NickDavidson36,000
AjayGnanasambanthan32,000
JerodSmith31,000
JerrySiemienas30,000
ScottSisler19,000

Level - 12
BB Ante - 2k
Blinds - 1k/2k
Remaining - 62/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

FROM THE TWITTERATTI


Greg @fossilman Raymer provides an update on how his Day 1B @HPTpoker @AmeristarEC main event is going.

Here's his updates in 280 or fewer characters. You too can report from your table, just post to Twitter and include @HPTupdates in your Tweet.



Level - 12
BB Ante - 2k
Blinds - 1k/2k
Remaining - 66/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

NEW CHIPLEADER


The volume has decreased substantially in the tournament room ... I don't know if that means there's a delayed Food Coma or whether #TheGrindIsReal is here.

What I do know is David McGowan's 250,000 stack is the biggest in the room now.

McGowan was 14th here last May and 26th in January 2017.

Level - 11
BB Ante - 1600
Blinds - 800/1600
Remaining - 67/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

RECENT DEPARTURRES


Aaron Johnson, Darryl Ronconi and Kenny Nguyen are among the group of players eliminated in the first 40 minutes after returning from dinner break.

17 of the 90 dinner-break returnees have found the rail so far, a slower pace than the rush of bustouts last night ... maybe dinner was better tonight? Try the $10 pork tacos palte at Stadium, just sayin'.

Level - 11
BB Ante - 1600
Blinds - 800/1600
Remaining - 73/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

QUADS IS ENOUGH


I showed up on the flop, 9-K-K already out on the felt, and the bets from @JSmith84Poker and his challenger already pulled in by the dealer.

The challenger - palming a 5k and a 1k chip in one closed-hand, makes an exaggerated check-pound on the table when an Ace comes on the turn and Smith (pictured) checks as well.

Before the dealer peels the river card, the challenger has that closed-hand back out again, hovering over the felt. As soon as the Queen hits, he drops the 6,000 bet.

Smith asks to see how many chips this person has behind, then announces all-in, and he gets a snap-call.

Smith turns over one black King and one red King to reveal he flopped quads.

The challenger mucks face down, with the dealer revealing Ace_Jack as Smith receives the chips.

Level - 10
BB Ante - 1200
Blinds - 600/1200
Remaining - 74/185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

316 THROUGH 2 FLIGHTS


Registration has closed on the second of three starting flights in the @HPTpoker $1650 Main Event at @AmeristarEC and the board shows 185 entries, a Day 1B record for this Labor Day Weekend event.

Combine this with the 131 from Day 1A (also a record turnout for that flight) and the field is at (yep, another record) 316 entries through two flights.

Saturday flights the last two Labor Day Weekends drew 248 (2016) and 257 (2017), making an $800,000-plus prize pool definitely within reach.

Play continues until the end of Level 15 at about 145am. Saturday's Day 1C begins at noon.

Level - 10
BB Ante - 1200
Blinds - 600/1200
Entries - 185

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

DINNER BREAK CHIPCOUNTS


The Punisher is the first player to crack the 200k mark. Darrell Haywood leads the way as Day 1B @HPTpoker @AmeristarEC players are on their hour-long dinner break.

Here's some very rough-estimate chipcounts for more than a handful of the notables in today's field.

Play continues until 145am - the end of Level 15, just as last night's Day 1A did - when the Bag-N-Tag takes place.

Remember, people, tomorrow's Day 1C - the final starting flight - begins at Noon, two hours earlier than days 1A/B.


DarrellHaywood225,000
GeorgeDeitz158,000
DavidMcGowan146,000
RaviRaghavan127,000
JeffFielder123,000
VoytekGlab122,000
KennyBaime100,000
NickDavidson96,000
AaronMassey95,000
ToddIvens91,000
GregRaymer72,000
EdSebesta68,000
MarkGeith67,000
HaroldEvans63,000
DarrylRonconi55,000
RobWazwaz54,000
RossGuthrie52,000
JerodSmith51,000
GaryHerstein50,000
NeilPatel48,000
JerrySiemienas41,000
SteveFox36,000
AjayGnanasambanthan23,000
KennyNguyen11,000

Level - 10
BB Ante - 1200
Blinds - 600/1200
Entries - at least 182

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

PUNISHER AT IT AGAIN


Darrell Haywood often plays while wearing a hat and other gear dedicated to the Netflix series The Punisher. His playing style mimics the name, lacking a brake pedal and punishing those in pots with him ... or sliding large stacks of his own over to opponents.

Well, today is Punisher 2.0, as Haywood - runner-up in the 2017 Labor Day Weekend HPT East Chicago Main Event, falling to Gary Herstein - is building stacks.

He's up to 165,000 midway through Level 9, the tallest stack in the room right now.

Level - 9
BB Ante - 1k
Blinds - 500/1k
Entries - 181

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

FIELDER SENDS AJAY TO RAIL


Down to little more than towers of 100 chips, Ajay Gnanasambanthan moves all in from middle position, with Jeff @FielderDream tossing in a 7,200 calling stack. The rest of the table steps aside and it is time for the cards to go face up.

Fielder is ahead with Kc Kc against the Kc Kc of Gnanasambanthan, and extends his lead by flopping a flush draw.

The end comes with Kc on the turn, flush for Fielder, who moves to 120,000 and one of the room's top stacks at 4x.

Level - 8
BB Ante - 800
Blinds - 400/800
Entries - 178

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

TRIPLE-DIGIT TERRITORY


Harold Evans moves to 120,000 as Level 8 begins, joining an elite group - including Kenny Baime, , Jeff Fielder, George Deitz and the 2017 Labor Day Weekend main event runner-up Darrell Haywood - who have moved to 100,000 or more betting units in Day 1B.

On the opposite end, Ryan Olisar returns from the registration cage to get a new 30k starting stack from RozTheTD as he looks for better RunGood than his initial entry today.

Level - 8
BB Ante - 800
Blinds - 400/800
Entries - 176

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

EXTRA BREAK


Nick Pupillo and Garrett Riley are among the recent eliminations right after returning from break.

Both players - and everyone else looking to take a shot at Day 1B - have until the end of the dinner respite at about 930pm - when RozTheTD puts cards in the air for the start of Level 10.

.... and just like that, Pupillo is back. See folks, that's how it is done.

The field is now officially at more than 300 entries - the largest combined Day 1A/B Labor Day Weekend HPT field in the last three years (maybe more, but I only have access to 2016/17 numbers).

Level - 7
BB Ante - 600
Blinds - 300/600
Entries - 172

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

BACK HERE FOR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP


@HPTpoker returns to @AmeristarEC Nov. 1-13 for the 2018 Season Championship series, including the $2,500 buy-in championship event Nov. 9-13.

The schedule for the championship features a full weekend of Day 1's Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with Day 2 on Monday and the final table on Tuesday, Nov. 13.

Ameristar St Charles hosted the 2017 event, with Thunder Valley Casino the 2016 host.

Meanwhile, back at today's main event, where players are heading out on their second 15-minute break of the day. When play resumes, action moves to

Level - 7
BB Ante - 600
Blinds - 300/600
Entries - at least 162

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

LEVEL 6 CHIPCOUNTS


This year's @HPTpoker @AmeristarKC champ Jeff @FielderDream has joined Kenny Baime atop the leaderboard midway through Level 6 in Day 1B of the $1650 HPT East Chicago Main Event.

Here's a look around the room at some of the chipstacks for players looking to find that elusive Day2Bag.

KennyBaime95,000
JeffFielder95,000
RossGuthrie90,000
GarrettRiley70,000
ToddIvens55,000
HaroldEvans53,000
GregRaymer50,000
GaryHerstein48,000
EdSebesta46,000
MarkGeith46,000
RyanJulius46,000
DarrylRonconi45,000
ScottSisler44,000
RobWazwaz44,000
JerrySiemienas43,000
JerodSmith42,000
ShawnMcCracken40,000
SteveFox35,000
AlanCutler35,000
NickPupillo35,000
BryanSkreens32,000
DeborahFarmer31,000
RyanOlisar31,000
NeilPatel30,000
AaronMassey30,000
NickDavidson28,000
CraigCasino28,000
AaronJohnson26,000
DarrellHaywood22,000
AjayGnanasambanthan22,000
AndyRogowski16,000
JacobBaumgartner15,000
MikeKamenjarin15,000

Level - 6
BB Ante - 500
Blinds - 200/500
Entries - 162

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

GEITH GRABS A POT


Mark Geith and one challenger were mixing up in a pot, Geith facing a 3-bet to 2,500 on the Kc Kc
KcKc board.

Geith paused, and made the call.

The river was Kc, Geith adds 3,400 more and gets paid off as he turns over Kc Kc for trips and the win, moving to 46,000 as Level 6 fires up.

There's a 15-minute break at the end of this level, a 60-minute dinner break after Level 9, with registration closing when Level 10 begins at about 930pm.

Level - 6
BB Ante - 500
Blinds - 200/500
Entries - 153

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

LATE ARRIVALS


Add in the likes of Jeff Fielder, Ravi Raghavan and Jason Ramos to the field and Day 1B @HPTpoker @AmeristarEC has reached 143 entries - exactly the same number for Day1B from the 2017 HPT East Chicago main event.

Registration is open until 930pm - 4.5 more hours, so how high will this number go?

Level - 4
BB Ante - 300
Blinds - 100/300
Entries - 143

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

ONE MORE FOR JULIUS


Ryan Julius is looking to move a few steps up the pay ladder from last week at the @HPTpoker main event at @AmeristarSC where he finished 7th for $16,655.

Well, he just ran in to the wrong end of an all-in against former @MSPTpoker champ Kenny Baime and Julius is now looking for that second-buyin magic to get himself to Day 2 and beyond.

Baime is one of the top stacks now at 85,000.

Level - 4
BB Ante - 300
Blinds - 100/300
Entries - 141

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates

FIRST BREAK CHIPCOUNTS


Here's an early look at a variety of very unofficial chipcounts from around the upstairs tournament area at @AmeristarEC in Day 1B of the @HPTpoker $1650 Main Event.

Scott Sisler just went Boat Don't Lie to take the chiplead as players head off for their first scheduled 15-minute break of the day.

Registration is available until the start of Level 10 at about 930pm, with end-of-day arriving at the conclusion of Level 15 at 145am. Day 1B - the largest starting flight - begins two hours earlier tomorrow with cards in the air at noon and registration closing at 730pm.


ScottSisler85,000
ShawnMcCracken64,000
JerrySiemienas61,000
BryanSkreens50,000
SteveFox46,000
GaryHerstein45,000
EdSebesta44,000
MarkGeith38,000
RossGuthrie37,000
NickDavidson34,000
DeborahFarmer33,000
JerodSmith32,000
JacobBaumgartner28,000
AjayGnanasambanthan27,000
RyanJulius27,000
GregRaymer26,000
MikeKamenjarin25,000
ToddIvens24,000
HowardEvans22,000
NickPupillo21,000
AaronJohnson19,000
DarrylRonconi17,000
CraigCasino13,000
AaronMassey11,000

The BB Ante kicks in when play resumes, action moving to

Level - 4
BB Ante - 300
Blinds - 100/300
Entries - 130

-- Dan Ross, Hold'em Live Updates