Big Stax 1500 (Day 2): Day 2 Chip Counts (Alpha)

DAY 2	Alphabetical Order
Total Players:	309	Total Remaining:	71
Total Chips:	15,450,000	Avereage Chips:	217,606
Name	Last Name	Hometown	Chip Count	Table #	Seat #
Emad	Alabsi	Cleveland,OH	113,000	52	7
Frank	Argano	Miami Beach	123,000	50	1
Alex	Bolotin	Brooklyn,NY	179,000	47	5
John	Botticello	Manalapan,NJ	177,000	54	7
Kyle	Bowker	Walton,NY	140,500	54	2
Yervand	Boyadjian	Queens,NY	513,000	45	8
Kevin	Bressler	Wayne,PA	165,500	53	2
Christine	Brewer	Port Monmouth,NJ	228,000	53	3
Tim	Bryan	Atlanta,GA	144,500	51	3
Joseph	Cappuccio	Hammonton,NJ	255,500	55	8
Royce	Cohen	Bensalem,PA	280,000	52	2
Michael	Cohen	Manalapan,NJ	122,000	52	3
Mike	Cologna	Freehold,NJ	694,500	54	6
Tom	Dobrilovic	West Nyack,NY	82,000	54	5
Jack	Duong	South Plainfield,NJ	199,500	50	6
Will "The Thrill"	Failla	Smithtown	261,500	54	4
Tyler	Gaston	Westerville,OH	366,500	52	5
Gino	Gesso	Woodbridge,NJ	40,500	51	2
Matt	Glantz	Lafayette Hill,PA	194,500	52	4
David	Grandieri	Danbury,CT	132,000	52	6
Travis	Greenawalt	Landisville,PA	68,500	55	2
Terry	Grimes	New Rochelle	338,000	46	6
Sheldon	Gross	Hillsboro Beach,FL	369,500	53	4
Jeff	Gross	Wall,NJ	59000	53	5
Sheldon	Gross	Hillsboro Beach,FL	89,500	47	1
Tarvin	Gulati	Glastonbury,CT	101,500	55	1
Michael	Handwerker	Roslyn,NY	473,500	53	7
Greg	Himmelbrand	Queens,NY	434,000	55	3
Stephanie	Hubbard	Hazlet,NJ	200,500	50	5
Roland	Israelashvili	New York,NY	202,000	53	6
Matt	Itkin	Oceanside,NY	519,500	47	8
David	Johnston	Absecon,NJ	413,500	51	5
James	Kaplan	Boca Raton,FL	120,500	46	3
Vitaly	Kovyazin	Brooklyn,NY	183,000	46	1
Alan	Kraut	Doylestown,PA	112,000	55	6
Joseph	LaPinta	Toms River,NJ	77,000	51	4
Barry	Leventh	Brooklyn,NY	214,000	55	5
Justin	Liberto	Baltimore,MD	175,000	45	5
Staffan	Lind	Vero Beach,FL	453,500	46	7
Vinny	Longo	East Hanover,NJ	146,000	54	3
Phil	Marsico	East Rutherford,NJ	129,500	50	8
Tom	Martinson	Ft. Ann,NY	220,000	51	8
Michael	Matrone	Morganville,NJ	284,000	47	3
Scott	McCurdy	Charlotte,NC	106,500	47	2
Robert	McLaughlin	Washington,DC	172,500	52	1
Michael	Melkersen	New Market,VA	52,500	51	7
Peter	Mendelsohn	Oakland Gardens,NY	199,500	45	6
Peter	Mimmo	Meadowbrook,PA	46,500	47	4
Bahbak	Oboodi	Morris Plains,NJ	292,000	46	2
Dennis	O'Brien	Abington,PA	96,000	45	4
Chris	Odle	Middletown,DE	247,000	47	7
Jewook	Oh	New York,NY	121,000	50	7
Joseph "Worm"	Palma	Bensalem,PA	141,500	55	7
Antonio	Payne	Hazlet,NJ	175,000	46	4
Aditya	Prasetyo	Cambridge,MA	324,000	51	6
Michael	Quibble	Ledyard,CT	429,000	46	5
Dilip	Ravindran	Jersey City,NJ	322,000	54	1
Ray	Ross	Maple Glen,PA	232,000	45	2
Steven	Sarmiento	Queens,NY	133,500	45	7
Milos	Scekic	Massapequa,NY	124,000	50	4
Akash	Seth	New York,NY	115,500	51	1
Ken	Silberstein	Edison,NJ	87,500	50	3
Igor	Skochilo	Astoria,NY	123,500	45	1
Sean	Smith	Conshuhocken,PA	162,000	50	2
Esther	Taylor	Havertown	222,500	53	8
Christopher	Tryba	Evergreen, CO	342,000	45	3
Timothy	Ward	Bridgewater,NJ	108,000	47	6
Joseph	Wertz	Absecon,NJ	296,500	46	8
Laurence	Wolf	Annapolis,MD	249,000	54	8
She	Wong	Queens,NY	357,000	52	8
Matthew	Zambanini	Wilmington,DE	308,000	53	1

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Bonus Time

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Entries: 309

The chips are bagged for Day 2, and Matt Itkin (Oceanside, NY) is the winner of the $5,000 bonus.  He definitely had to sweat it out, as a player started the hand with 5,000 less than Matt with one hand to go.  That player opened the final hand, and after c-betting the flop was faced with an all-in for one-third of his chips.  He would end up folding and with that giving Itkin the largest chip stack, and $5,000 to go home with.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Final Four Hands

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Entries: 309

The tournament floor has paused the clock with 10:00 minutes remaining in the level, and players will have four more hands.  The players will then get their chip counts verified before bagging and tagging for tomorrow.  Day 2 begins tomorrow afternoon at 12:00pm sharp.  Once the chip counts are official, the Day 1B $5,000 bonus winner will be posted.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Contendors

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Entries: 308

Here are the top four stacks (10) minutes into the final level:

Staffan Lind - 480,000
Matt Itkin - 460,000
Chris Boyadjian - 343,000
David Johnston - 415,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Final Break

Players are going on their final break of the day, and when they return to action the blinds will be 2,000/4,000/400 (308 total entries).  The tournament floor will be coloring off the (100) denomination chips, and updated chip counts will be posted afterwards.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Big Stacks

Level 15 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Entries: 308

Going into the final break, here are the big stacks:

David Johnston - 440,000
Staffan Lind - 390,000
Matt Itkin - 370,000
Chris Boyadjian - 343,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Level Up/Gone Bust

Level 14 is about to begin, with the blinds going up to 1,500/3,000/400 (307 total entries).  Players have two more levels in the night before bagging for Day 2.  The following players have busted (without re-entering):

Alex Queen
Jennifer So
Jonas Wexler
Renata Colache
Tyng Low

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Numbers Update

Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Entries: 305

Here is a quick numbers update related to Day 1B:

Day 1B Entries: 214
Day 1B Active Players Remaining: 75
Day 1B Chip Average: 143,000

Day 1B Chip Leader: Chris Boyadjian (Queens, NY) 365,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Level Up, Players Out

Level 13 has just started, with the blinds going up to 1,200/2,400/300 (305 total entries).  The bustouts have been coming in the past hour, with notables to leave including:

Sean Wallace
Maggie Morris
David Kim
Mike Shasho

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Updated Chip Counts

Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Entries: 304

Here are updated counts from the floor:

Daniel Fischer - 395,000
David Johnston - 270,000
Barry Leventhal - 220,000
Greg Himmelbrand - 215,000
Kyle Bowker - 205,000
Joe Wertz - 190,000
Joel Gola - 170,000
Justin Liberto - 160,000
Dan Wach - 130,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Break Time

Players are going on another (15) minute break, and when they return the blinds will be going up to 1,000/2,000/300 (304 total entries).  There are less than 100 active players in the tournament room, as all of the outer tables have broke (and additional broken table in tournament area).

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): The 200K Club

Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Entries: 304

The following players are the only ones at the moment over 200,000:

Matthew Zambanini - 270,000
Mike Handwerker - 235,000
Joel Gola - 230,000
Bobby Oboodi - 220,000
John Botticello - 210,000
Barry Leventhal - 205,000
Ryan Eriquezzo - 205,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Not Going Quitely

Level 11 is about to begin, with the blinds going up to 800/1,600/200 (301 total entries).  Igor Burokhov already has one chip lead bonus in his pocket, and he's building a stack quickly (and surely not quietly).  He was involved in two big hands with Mike Melkersen, just now getting it in with a combo draw against Mike's A J on a 4 8 K A board.  Igor spiked a river five to make a straight and chip up over 200,000, while busting Melkersen.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Payne Making Noise

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Entries: 300

Antonio Payne (Hazlet, NJ) is looking to climb up the leaderboard in a stealth fashion, but the cat is out of the bag after his Twitter post:

@parxpokerroom Main Event now we are after level 9 got 94.4k I got levels mixed up before. Shhhhhhhh We coming!
— Antonio Payne (@Anthony_1Payne) May 17, 2014

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Chip Lead Bonus Reminder

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Entries: 297

The $5,000 bonus at stake today for bagging the chip lead is on everyone's mind, so here is a look back at those who took the bonuses earlier in the series:

Big Stax 300 ($1,000 Bonus):

Day 1A: Val Zekser
Day 1B: Igor Skochilo
Day 1C: Staffan Lind

Big Stax 500 ($1,500 Bonus):

Day 1A: Justin Liberto
Day 1B: Kevin Grabel
Day 1C: Igor Burokhov

Big Stax 1500 ($5,000 Bonus):

Day 1A: Mike Cologna (694,000)

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Blinds Going Up

Level 10 is about to begin, with the blinds going up to 600/1,200/200 (295 total entries).  There have been over 200 entries today alone, and they continue coming in.  Jeff Gross is here on his first bullet, while Joe Black (who chopped Big Stax 500) is firing once more.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Morris Climbing

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Entries: 292

Maggie Morris, winner of the Big Stax V (500 Event), is trending up and now has 140,000.  Here are some other updated counts from the field:

Ryan Eriquezzo - 250,000
Benny Bianco - 165,000
Kevin Truong - 160,000
Robert McLaughlin - 155,000
Joel Gola - 125,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Eriquezzo Working Again

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Entries: 287

Ryan Eriquezzo

Ryan Eriquezzo (Danbury, CT) is back at it again, running up his stack (which was at 16,000) to 245,000 before dinner break.  For those who don't remember, Ryan bought in the morning of Day 2 for the Big Stax 300 with six big blinds.  He ended up going into Day 2 with over 1,000,000, and finished the tournament in 17th place.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Back From Dinner

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Entries: 284

Players have returned from dinner and the cards are once again in the air.  The triple crown dream is still alive for California Chrome as the horse wins the Preakness in easy fashion.  The concentration in now on the home stretch in this starting day, and the race towards the $5,000 chip lead bonus.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Getting Some Grub

Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Entries: 276

Players are going on dinner break in just a few minutes, and when they return to Level 9, the blinds will be going up to 500/1,000/100.  The break schedule will also change a little with the scheduling change for dinner.  The breaks will be every three levels, with a color up break after Level 14.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): New Shooters

Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Entries: 274

There is a new bunch of players beginning to build above average chip stacks:

Kyle Bowker - 190,000
Jason Rivkin - 170,000
Renata Colache - 170,000
Greg Himmlebrand - 160,000
Robert McLaughlin - 140,000
Joe Wertz - 120,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Level Up

The final minutes of Level 7 are ticking away, and blinds will be going up to 400/800/100 (269 total entries).  This will be the last level before dinner, and players will return to action until the end of the night (after Level 15).

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Oboodi Joins Field

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Entries: 268

Bobby Oboodi

Another players making his first appearance at a Big Stax event is Bobby Oboodi, who has just been seated at Table 54.  Bobby has over $1,400,000 in career earnings, and a WPT title to his name.  Two years after winning the WPT title at the Borgata, he won the $2,500 Championship event during the 2013 Borgata Spring Poker Open.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): *** Dinner Break Reminder ***

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Entries: 264

Just a reminder to players that the dinner break today will be after Level 8.  In order to help players beat the rush from patrons leaving after the Preakness, the dinner break is moved up one level.  The break will last from 5:35-6:50pm.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Updated Chip Counts

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Entries: 261

Here are some updated counts from break (players are currently on break):

She Lok Wong - 220,000
Kyle Bowker - 155,000
David Johnston - 150,000
Mike Melkerson - 137,000
Ray Ross - 132,000
Greg Himmlebrand - 105,000
Alex Queen- 87,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Break Time

Players are going on a (15) minute break, and they will return to Level 7 and blinds of 300/600/100 (256 total entries).  Updated chip counts will be posted once the floor colors the green (25 denomination) chips off of the tables.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Photo Ops

Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Entries: 255

Players will be on break at the end of this level, but while they are still seated, it gives an opportunity to catch some in action:

Abe Faroni

Tom Dombrolovic 

Renata Colache

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Level Up/Quick Exit

Level 6 is about to start, with the blinds going up to 250/500/50 (253 total entries).  There have been to satellites to this event in the past 24 hours, with almost all of the winner choosing to play the event.  Ben Coren was one of the players to win a seat last night, but his time in the tournament was short lived as he just Tweeted about his final hand:

Got it in 3 ways with K7cc on a 6c8c9h flop. Spiked 4c on the turn. 9d on the river. 10s7s<Kc7c<66. #ggme #ParxBigStax
— Benn C. (@mucklefutz) May 17, 2014

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Early Chip Counts

Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Entries: 250

It's still the early stages of the day, but a handful of players have already eclipsed the 100,000 mark.  The players leading the way at the moment are She Lok Wong (140,000), Tim Ward (130,000), Kyle Bowker (120,000), and Michael Melkerson (105,000).

Today's field has almost doubled that of Day 1A, and the entry count continue to rise, with Sean Wallace and Barry Leventhal just taking their seats.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Welcome Bach Wach

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Entries: 248

Level 5 is about to begin, with blinds going up to 200/400/50.  The last time Dan Wach (Boonton, NJ) was here, it was two months ago during the Big Stax V $1,500 Main Event.  Wach continued his solid tournament play, finishing in fifth place for $34,402.  For those who didn't know Wach's past accomplishments, he bested two fields of over 4,000 players a year apart (Borgata Poker Open 2012/2013), to finish runner-up both times for a combined $430,000.

With the 2014 WSOPC National Championship coming to Atlantic City in the upcoming weeks, it's only fair that a one time winner of that event gets recognized.  Ryan Eriquezzo (Danbury, CT) is still one of the stories of this Big Stax series, buying into Day 2 of the Big Stax 300 with six blinds and running it up to a Day 3 finish (17th place).

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Who Was Missed

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Entries: 240

As the tournament area grows, the sea of players gets a little cloudy, causing some notables to be overlooked at first glance.  Here are some of the notables that were here earlier:

Christine Brewer
David Johnston
Paul Shedaker
Renata Colache
Gordon Shackelford
Abe Faroni
Tom Dobrilovic
Michael Melkerson
Justin Liberto

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Off To A Quick Start

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Entries: 233

She Lok Wong (Woodhaven, NY) showed up midway through Level 3, and he's made the most of the short time at the table.  Wong has already more than doubled his starting stack, and currently sits with 120,000.  Wong is another tournament pro with a solid resume, with a $95,000 score less than two months ago in the $2,500 Foxwoods Poker Classic Main.

New players continue to arrive fashionably late, with two new tables opening in the outer tournament area:

Jack Duong
Kyle Bowker
Allison Schultz
Jonas Wexler
Dave Stefanski
Tarun Gulati
David Datashvili
Joe Galazzo

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Break Time

Players are going on their first break of the day (15 minutes), and they will return to Level 4 and blinds of 150/300/50.  There are currently 222 total entries on the board, which means the Day 1B field is 130 entries at the moment.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Missing Out On The Open

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)

Total Entries: 219

Kori Hunter (Ellicott City, MD)

Kori Hunter may be a Maryland native, but he doesn't miss Big Stax events very often.  Hunter recently had an opportunity to qualify for the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst, and ended up three strokes short of moving forward in the process.  Hunter shot a 72 (which many recreational golfers can only dream of), and that was with a two-stroke penalty for showing up (30) seconds late.

Hunter's best finish in this event was during the inaugural Big Stax series ($1,500 Main Event), when he finished in 13th place for $9,403.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Another Stacked Table

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Entries: 215

The stream of entries is coming into the poker room at a steady pace, with Table 35 the newest table to open.  The late registration tables seem to often be some of the more difficult in the field, with this addition following suit:

Robert McLaughlin
Greg Himmelbrand
David Kim
Steven Sarmiento
Ben Coren

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Blinds Going Up/New Tables

Antes are now introduced to the field for the first time, with the blinds in Level 3 going up to 100/200/25 (208 total entries).  In the first (90) minutes of the day, the field has already surpassed yesterday's end number of 92.  

Players continue to enter the tournament, and new tables are opening in the outer tournament area.  Table 34 is the newest additions, with players seated including Benny Bianco, Alex Queen, and Jennifer So.  Tyng Low (Flushing, NY) has arrived at Parx for the first time in a Big Stax event, an accomplished tournament player with a solid resume.  Low won the $2,500 Borgata Summer Poker Open in 2011 for over $211,000, and most recent final tabled another $2,500 event at Borgata during the Fall Poker Open in November.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): In The Field

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Entries: 200

The poker room currently has twelve active tournament tables, with many notables choosing the second of the two starting days to fire:

Matt Brady
Brett Richey
Matt Brady
Joe Simmons
Joe Wertz
Jason Rivkin
Michael Wang
Robert Sichelsteil
Kori Hunter
Mohammed Farah
Igor Burokhov
Joe Palma
Mike Lavenburg
Andrew Zhu
Ray Ross
Alan Kraut
Mike Shasho
Emad Alabsi
Dave Inselberg
Robert Pyne
Frank Ferrigno
Jeffrey Spence
Joel Frank

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): First Level Down

Level 2 started moments ago, with the blinds going up to 75/150, and players continue to settle in the main poker room.  With the Preakness later in the afternoon, Parx East is full of casual racing fans, including those sweating action from the felt.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1B): Cards In The Air

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)

The cards are in the air for Day 1B, and it's the final opportunity for players to put themselves in contention for a trophy (unless they buy-in for 10 bigs tomorrow morning).  As the main poker room fills up, players use their own introductions via Twitter:

Get to follow that up with a day @parxpokerroom for Day 1B of the Main. Running good at life. #lifeisgood #ParxBigStax
— Alan Kraut (@AlanKrautPoker) May 17, 2014

On my way to @parxpokerroom for deepstacks main event, just got pulled over but didn't get a ticket, does that mean I'm running good or bad?
— Christine Brewer (@CBrewer_09) May 17, 2014

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): End Of Day 1A (Chip Counts)

Day 1A
Total Players:	92	Players left:	22
Total Chips:	4,600,000	Average Chips:	209,091
Name	Last Name	Hometown	Chip Count
Mike	Cologna	Freehold,NJ	694,500
Michael	Quibble	Ledyard,CT	429,000
Christopher	Tryba	Evergreen, CO	342,000
Terry	Grimes	New Rochelle	338,000
Michael	Matrone	Morganville,NJ	284,000
Will "The Thrill"	Failla	Smithtown	261,500
Joseph	Cappuccio	Hammonton,NJ	255,500
Esther	Taylor	Havertown	222,500
Roland	Israelashvili	New York,NY	202,000
Stephanie	Hubbard	Hazlet,NJ	200,500
Matt	Glantz	Lafayette Hill,PA	194,500
Kevin	Bressler	Wayne,PA	165,500
Vinny	Longo	East Hanover,NJ	146,000
Igor	Skochilo	Astoria,NY	123,500
Frank	Argano	Miami Beach	123,000
Jewook	Oh	New York,NY	121,000
James	Kaplan	Boca Raton,FL	120,500
Sheldon	Gross	Hillsboro Beach,FL	89,500
Ken	Silberstein	Edison,NJ	87,500
Joseph	LaPinta	Toms River,NJ	77,000
Travis	Greenawalt	Landisville,PA	68,500
Peter	Mimmo	Meadowbrook,PA	46,500

*** Mike Cologna (Freehold, NJ) $5,000 Day 1A Chip Lead Bonus

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Final Hands

The tournament clock has been paused at 10:00 minutes, and there will be four more hands remaining in the night.  Once those hands are done, the floor will verify players chip counts, and they will bag for Day 2 on Sunday.  The end of day chip leader will be posted once all numbers have been checked and are official.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Remaining Players/Contendors

Level 15 (Blinds 2,000/4,000/500)
Total Entries: 92

Here is the lineup for the players remaining, with the contenders chip counts posted:

Table 62:

1. Sheldon Gross
2. Leonardo Palermo
3. Joe Lapinta
4. Stephanie Hubbard
5. Roland Isrealashvili
6. Amnon Filippi
7. Joe Cappuccio
8. Kevin Calenzo
9. Vinny Longo

Table 63:

1. Mike Cologna - 550,000
2. Michael Quibble
3. Matt Glantz
4. Terry Grimes
5. James Kaplan
6. Igor Skochilo
7. Mike Matrone - 480,000
8. Dave Stepanski
9. Maggie Morris

Table 64:

1. Jewok Oh
2. Peter Mimmo
3. Frank Argano
4. Esther Taylor
5. Will Failla
6. Travis Greenawalt
7. Ken Silberstein
8. Chris Tryba - 420,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Final Break

Players are going on their final break of the night, and will return to blinds of 2,000/4,000/500.  There are 92 total entries on the board, with 30 of those entries currently alive and active in the room.  Updated chip counts will be posted once the brown (100 denomination) chips are taken off the tables.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Longo Triples Up/Isrealashvili Eliminated

Level 14 (Blinds 1,500/3,000/400)
Total Entries: 91

There were a few people standing at Table 65 as there was a three-way all-in between Will Failla, Roland Isrealashvili, and Vinny Longo (the chips all got in on the flop, with Will having both players covered):

Flop: A♣ K♠ 10♠

Failla: 10♦ 10♥           Roland: A♥ J♦        Longo: A♠ 9♠

Turn: J♠

River: 5♣

Long would end up tripling up to over 90,000, while Will would win a side pot, but end up down on the hand (120,000).

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Level Going Up

Level 14 is about to begin, with the blinds going up to 1,500/3,000/400.  There are 91 total entries, with 33 active at the moment.  Players will be on their final break at the end of this level, and they will then return for the final level of the night before bagging for Day 2.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Still Alive

Level 13 (Blinds 1,200/2,400/300)
Total Entries: 91

The field is down to 34 players, with the following notables still alive:

Roland Isrealashvili
James Kaplan
Stephanie Hubbard
Amnon Filippi
Will Failla
Vinny Longo
Sheldon Gross
Joe Cappuccio
Matt Glantz
Maggie Morris
Mike Matrone
Ken Silberstein
Esther Taylor
Igor Skochilo

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Break Time Chip Counts

Level 12 is coming to an end, and players will be going on a (15) minute break.  Blinds returning will be 1,200/2,400/300 (91 total entries).  The are 39 players remaining in the field, and here are some updated chip counts:

Mike Cologna - 394,000
Joe Cappuccio - 370,000
Chris Tryba - 270,000
Igor Skochilo - 205,000
Stephanie Hubbard - 170,000
Amnon Filippi - 145,000
Ken Silberstein - 105,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Eliminations And Contendors

Level 12 (Blinds 1,000/2,000/300)
Total Entries: 91

Eliminated:

Mickey Woll
Ryan Eriquezzo
Steve Sutton

Contendors For Bonus:

Joe Cappuccio - 380,000
Chris Tryba - 260,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Level 12 Begins

Blinds are going up to 1,000/2,000/300 in Level 12, with 91 total entries currently for the day.  There are now six active tables in the room, with about 50 players currently left.   The Big Stax 1500 Super Satellite going on in the main poker room still has open registration, and as of right now there are more than eight seats being given away.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Updated Chip Counts

Level 11 (Blinds 800/1,600/200)
Total Entries: 91

Chip Leader Joe Cappuccio

Here are the updated counts midway through Level 11:

Joe Cappuccio - 255,000

Igor Skochilo - 210,000

Matt Glantz - 150,000

Jesse Cohen - 115,000

Will Failla - 95,000

James Kaplan - 92,000

Roland Isrealashvili - 90,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Blinds Going Up

Level 11 is about to begin, with the blinds going up to 800/1,600/200 (91 total entries).  Just as the entry was made about not seeing post-dinner entries, Terry Grimes (New Rochelle, NY) walked into the clubhouse room.  Terry is an east coast regular with over $100,000 in career tournament earnings, but has also yet to cash in a Big Stax event.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Morris Building

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Entries: 90

Maggie Morris came back from dinner saying that she needed to double up quickly or she would be coming back tomorrow (27,000 at dinner).  She has received the double and is now back above the original starting stack.

One thing that did not follow the trend today was the post-dinner break entry.  There have not been any new notable names to report in the room, but the entry number has climbed never the less.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Picking Back Up

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Entries: 89

Joe Cappuccio is continuing where he left off, as he picks up a 40,000 pot from Mike Sandler after turning a straight.  Joe is the first player above 200,000 in the room, sitting on a stack just over 230,000.

Roland Isrealashvili didn't waste anytime since entering shortly before dinner break.  Roland is above 130,000 from the 50,000 starting stack.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Back From Dinner

Level 10 (Blinds 600/1,200/200)
Total Entries: 89

Players have returned from break, and cards are back in the air.  Today's play will end after Level 15, when players will bag chips for Day 2 on Sunday.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Dinner Time

Players are headed to dinner, which will last for (75) minutes.  Joe Cappuccio and Mike Matrone lead the way amongst active players, with Will Failla continuing to trend upward over the final level pre-meal.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Updated Chip Counts

Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100)
Total Entries: 84

Here are updated counts from Level 9:

Mike Matrone - 180,000
Joe Cappuccio - 175,000
Will Failla - 130,000
Ryan Eriquezzo - 115,000
Emad Alabsi - 85,000
Stephanie Hubbard - 85,000
Alex Queen - 80,000
Ken Silberstein - 65,000
Kim Edmonds - 60,000
Maggie Morris - 28,0000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Blinds Up

Blinds are going up once again, with Level 9 having players post blinds of 500/1,000/100 (84 total entries).  At the conclusion of this level, players will be going on a (75) minute dinner break.  The dinner break will last from 6:20-7:35pm, and live coverage will have a gap from that time period.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Breaking Down

Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)

The first broken table of the day is Table 69, which means that Will Failla, Igor Rabinovich, and Emad Alabsi will be finding new table mates.  

There were a handful of ladies to play in today's field, one of which was just eliminated moments ago (Nancy Martin):

Nancy Martin

Stephanie Hubbard

Kim Edmonds

Maggie Morris

Esther Taylor

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Names Keep Arriving

Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100)
Total Entries: 83

The big names continue to show up, as Roland Israelashvili (Forest Hill, NY) is welcome by the voice of Will Failla.  Roland has over $2,100,000 in career earnings, including a 3rd place finish last year in the $1,111 Little One Drop ($295,000).  Of the 129 lifetimes cashes that Roland has, he is still yet to cash in any events here at Parx.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Level Up/Chip Lead Bonus History

Level 8 started just a second ago, and the blinds are going up to 400/800/100.  he $5,000 bonus at stack today for bagging the chip lead is on everyone's mind, so here is a look back at those who took the bonuses earlier in the series:

Big Stax 300 ($1,000 Bonus):

Day 1A: Val Zekser
Day 1B: Igor Skochilo
Day 1C: Staffan Lind

Big Stax 500 ($1,500 Bonus):

Day 1A: Justin Liberto
Day 1B: Kevin Grabel
Day 1C: Igor Burokhov

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Welcome Back Kaplan

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Entries: 81

James Kaplan

James Kaplan was looking at a second entry receipt straight in the eye earlier, when he was down to less than 2,000 (in Level 3) chips.  He tripled up in a lucky pot against Chris Tryba, and now he's built his stack close to double the starting.

Emad Alabsi (Cleveland, OH) also found himself in the same predicament, getting down to 4,000 chips early in the day, but he's also built back up (40,000).

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Updated Chip Counts

Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/100)
Total Entries: 79

Updated chip counts from the field:

Joe Cappuccio - 196,000
Joe "Mush" Galazzo - 120,000
Eric Hayes - 120,000
Ryan Eriquezzo - 90,000
Will Failla - 90,000
Maggie Morris - 88,000
Matt Glantz - 79,000
Rocco Luciano - 70,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Break Time

Players are going on their second break of the day, and when they return to Level 7, the blinds will be going up to 300/600/100.  The tournament floor will color off the green (25 denomination) chips off the tables during the break, and verify the large chips as well.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Amnon Joins Field

Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/50)
Total Entries: 74

Amnon Filippi

Native New Yorker Amnon Filippi has just arrived to his table, another extremely accomplished tournament player. Filippi has over $3,100,000 in career tournament earnings, most recently winning a $450 Omaha Hi/Lo event at Borgata during the Borgata Spring Poker Open.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Level Up/Cappuccio Rising

Level 6 is going to begin in moments, with the blinds going up to 250/500/50 (72 total entries).  Joe Cappuccio continues to trend upwards, as he updates fans via Twitter:

160k almost 250/500/50. JJ>57s on QJ557 @parxpokerroom bigstax $1600
— Joe Cappuccio (@poochpoker) May 16, 2014

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Mid-Level Chip Counts

Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Entries: 71

Here are some more chip counts from the half way point of Level 5:

Igor Skochilo - 130,000
Joe Cappuccio - 120,000
Eric Hayes - 110,000
Rocco Luciano - 85,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Glantz Arrives

Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50)
Total Entries: 68

Matt Glantz

The last time Parx Poker Ambassador Matt Glantz was in the Big Stax 1500, he was walking away from the final table in sixth place ($27,070).  The series have his name stamped on it, so he is always going to get a mention when he walks into the room.  Not to forget that with over $5,000,000 in career tournament earnings, he's considered one of the best in the world.

Matt is currently seated at Table 62 with the likes of Nancy Martin and Joe Cappuccio.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Blinds Going Up

Level 5 is about to begin, with the blinds going up to 200/400/50 (68 total entries).  The room seems pretty chatty at the moment, with a lot of table talk going on across the room.  The main topic of conversation in the room seems to be sports, but as always in a tournament, there is a ton of poker talk and hand histories.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Kaplan Stays Around...Tryba Wins Side

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Entries: 67

James Kaplan was left super short at Table 67, and went all-in over an initial raise (Kaplan's count was 1,975).  When the action came around to Chris Tryba, he four-bet to 3,675.  Greg Fishberg called behind, and the original raiser five-bet to 10,500.  The action would once again be on Tryba, and he would six-bet all-in for over 42,000.  Fishberg would fold behind and Tryba's all-in would be called, giving Kaplan the chance to triple up in the three way pot:

Kaplan: K♠ Q♠         Player Z: A♠ K♣         Tryba: A♣ A♥

Flop: 8♠ 9♥ J♦

Turn: 10♥

River: 2♦

Kaplan would indeed more than triple up to close to 10,000, while Tryba would win the side pot worth exactly 78,400.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Chip Counts/Additions

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Entries: 67

Table 69 is the most recent to open, with three new notables to the field: Emad Alabsi, Igor Rabinovich, and Will Failla.  It's still very early in the day, but the fans at home always like to see updated chip counts:

Ryan Eriqeuzzo - 105,000
Joe Cappuccio - 95,000
Frank Conti - 82,000
Stephanie Hubbard - 75,000
Mickey Woll - 70,000
Michael Marder - 67,000
Rocco Luciano - 55,000

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Parx Poker Introduces High Hand Sundays

Level 4 (Blinds 150/300/50)
Total Entries: 66

Only a short while after introducing the bad beat jackpot, Parx Poker adds another promotion (starting May 25):

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Break Time

Players are going on their first break of the day (15 minutes), and when they return to Level 4, the blinds will have gone up to 150/300/50.  Today's field gives one of the players are great opportunity to collect the $5,000 chip lead bonus at the end of the night.

Break time Twitter updates:

67,900/50kss coming back to 300/50. Also, pretty sure I owe a shout out to @PokerAri57 and co. for the best customer service around. #PBS
— Michael Marder (@MMarder86) May 16, 2014

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Joining The Fun

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Entries: 59

Players continue to file into the clubhouse room, including this series' Big Stax 300 winner  Alex Queen (Bethlehem, PA). Leonardo Palermo also just took his seat at Table 68, and while Joe Cappuccio has been here, he is heard from on Twitter for the first time today:

Playing Parx $1600 main. Up to 85k from 50k bc I had aces and got raised on k95A. Almost 100/200.
— Joe Cappuccio (@poochpoker) May 16, 2014

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): First Time Around

Level 3 (Blinds 100/200/25)
Total Entries: 56

Chris Tryba (Las Vegas, NV)

Level 3 has just started, with blinds going up to 100/200/25.  Chris Tryba (Las Vegas, NV) travels the country playing tournament poker, and with over $1,430,000 in career earnings, he's been doing it pretty successfully.  This is Chris's first trip to Parx, scheduling this stop on his way to Las Vegas and the WSOP (starting in weeks).

It's been mentioned before, but part of the success of these Big Stax series is the planned out scheduling of the events.  The May series that players are currently playing is considered by many to be a WSOP "warmup," while the series in August is the first that many will play since returning from Las Vegas.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Claiming The Trophy

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Entries: 52

Maggie Morris

There has been a trophy sitting in the glass case that sits towards the front of the main poker room.  Etched on the bottom is the name Maggie Morris, winner of the Big Stax 300 during February's Big Stax V series.  The unassuming Morris sat quietly over three days, accumulating chips throughout, and raising eyebrows of her peers.

Morris would take home $95,000 in a deal made with Joel Gola and Rocco Luciano, and be declared the winner of the event.  Maggie would follow that up with a deep run in Event 1 of the Borgata Spring Poker Open, and at the WSOPC Main Event at Harrah's Chester.

Maggie does not play poker professionally, as her work schedule does not allow it, but she's surely made a name on the east coast tournament circuit.

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): In The Field

Level 2 (Blinds 75/150)
Total Entries: 49

The Day 1A field is intimate to start the day, but the seven active tables are full of tournament poker notables:

Rocco Luciano
Mickey Woll
Frank Conti
Keith DeAngelis
Jeff Gross
James Kaplan
Greg Fishberg
Nancy Martin
Mike Sandler
Maggie Morris
Michael Marder
Ryan Eriquezzo
Stephanie Hubbard
Ken Silberstein

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): Settling In

Level 1 (Blinds 50/100)

Players are back in the clubhouse room for the main event, and the "early birds" have arrived on time and ready to go.  One of those players ready to go when the bell rings is Michael Marder:

$1600 Main today @parxpokerroom GLGL! #ParxBigStax pic.twitter.com/zw5P8h8umt
— Michael Marder (@MMarder86) May 16, 2014

Big Stax 1500 (Day 1A): The Lead In

In less than thirty minutes, the cards will be in the air for the Big Stax VI $1,500 Main Event.  Players will be starting with 50,000 in chips, and (45) minute levels on Day 1A and 1B.  The chip lead bonus applies to this event for both starting days, with $5,000 going to the player who bags the most on each day.

With the side events over for the series, two satellites to get into the main still remain.  There is a $230 Super Satellite this evening at 7:00pm, and a $175 Super Turbo Satellite tomorrow morning at 9:00am.  The action begins in less than a half hour, and live coverage will bring all of the action through the tournament's conclusion.

Big Stax VI Series ($550 Six-Max): 1st Place - Failla ($7,857)

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Players Remaining: 3

Will Failla (Commack, NY)
1st Place - $7,857

Big Stax Series VI ($550 Six-Max): 2nd Place - Farah ($7,857)

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Players Remaining: 3

Mohammed Farah (Bensalem, PA)
2nd Place - $7,857

Big Stax VI Series ($550 Six-Max): 3rd Place - Ackerman ($7,857)

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Players Remaining: 3

Gary Ackerman (Collegeville, PA)
3rd Place - $7,857

Big Stax VI Series ($550 Six-Max): Chop It Up

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Players Remaining: 3

The remaining players have decided to chop the tournament evenly, after a few levels of the chips shifting around.  Will Failla looked as if he was going to be the next one out, but got a runout where he would chop with A 9 against the A Q of Ackerman.  The stacks would then even out, and players would agree on $7,857 each for the chop.

Big Stax VI Series ($550 Six-Max): Updated Counts/Level Up

Level 23 has just begun, with the blinds in three handed play going up to 12,000/24,000/4,000.  Here are the updated chip counts:

1. Mohammed Farah - 650,000
2. Will Failla - 230,000
3. Gary Ackerman - 620,000

Big Stax VI Series ($550 Six-Max): Chip Counts

Level 22 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Players Remaining: 3

Here are the updated three-handed counts:

1. Mohammed Farah - 540,000
2. Will Failla - 440,000
3. Gary Ackerman - 490,000

Big Stax VI Series ($550 Six-Max): 4th Place - Conti ($3,492)

Level 21 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000)
Players Remaining: 3

Frank Conti (Staten Island, NY)
4th Place - $3,492

Frank Conti shoved pre (as the shortest stack at the table), and he'd be called and in bad shape against Will Failla.  Frank's J 6  < J 10 of Failla, and the bid for his first Big Stax trophy falls short.  Frank feels comfortable in this six-max format, evident in his WSOPC ring won late last year at Harrah's Atlantic City.

Players are going on a short break, and when they return the blinds will be 10,000/20,000/3,000.