LIVE EVENTS

With the action moving so fast and blinds at 40K/80K, the final five have opted to do a deal. As all five players had relatively similar stacks, they decided to do the deal as an even chop. During all Playground events the tournament must also play down to a winner, and 2% of the prize pool must be reserved for the eventual winner, so, the numbers have worked as such:

The 1st place finisher will be paid $4,166 ($3,635 + 2% of prize pool).

The 2nd to 5th place finishers will each be paid $3,635.

As anticipated, the pace has been fast and we already have had 5 players hit the rail from the final table.

Here are the the players who have cashed so far in this event:

The tournament is just about to start the final table, and looking around at the different stacks, it appears that Jean-Francois Raymond is our new chip leader, sitting on 650,000. The final table will probably play out faster than some other tournaments as the average chip stack is just under 15 big blinds.

The remaining players in the Deepstack Re-entry are now in the money! Unlike what we have seen in some other tournaments during this Power Weekend, the money bubble came and went relatively quickly this afternoon.

After a brief pause in the action to merge down to the final two tables, there were 18 players left and hand-for-hand play was introduced. But it only took three hands for the bubble to be resolved. As it often does in these situations, it came down to what many would call a “cooler.”

David Sorgente woke up on the button with pocket jacks. After the action folded around to him, it looked like a perfect spot to jam and at least take down the blinds or, if he got action, he knew he was likely to have the best hand. Unfortunately, the big blind, Younan Beddaoui, woke up with pocket kings and made the insta-call. The kings prevailed, and that was all she wrote for the money bubble.

More than half of the starting field has been eliminated from the Deepstack Re-entry, and the remaining players now have their eyes set on the prizes. Thanks to the great turnout for this event, the prize pool far exceeds the guaranteed amount; the top 17 finishers will cash, each getting a part of the $25,996 up for grabs.

Here is the full breakdown:

Play has just resumed in level 11 of the Deepstack Re-entry, and the field has been reduced to 69 players. The pace of play slowed significantly between the first and second breaks, but the blinds are creeping up slowly but surely so expect things to open up again once the short stacks begin feeling the pressure. There are four players in the “six-figure club” and a handful more just below that threshold; they won’t be feeling that pressure anytime soon.

Play continues in level 10 of the Deepstack Re-entry, with 75 players remaining. The frenetic pace of the early levels has given way to a more subdued atmosphere since the end of the re-entry period. The stacks are deep, and the players are set for the long grind to the finish.

Here is an updated look at the players in the field:

Play has just resumed following the first break of the day in the Deepstack Re-entry.

The early levels were full of wild action that helped some players build impressive stacks and sent many others back to the cashier to re-enter. Before the timer sounded to indicate the start of the seventh level, there were 134 entries in this event, including 19 re-entries, more than enough to surpass the prize pool guarantee.

The field is currently led by Jean Francois Raymond, but there is a long way to go in this one so any one of the 101 remaining players could be our champion.

As expected, the Deepstack Re-entry has brought out a large and growing field in the early levels. As the timer winds down on the fourth level of play, there have already been 100 entries, including 7 re-entries. With roughly an hour left in the late registration and re-entry period, the Deepstack Re-entry is on pace to smash the guarantee- don’t miss out on this one!

Here are a few photos from the first level of play:

The May Power Weekend rolls on this afternoon with another exciting event that is sure to bring players out in droves.

Event #7, the $200 + $20 Deepstack Re-entry, guarantees a prize pool of at least $15,000 and will start players with a massive starting stack of 30,000 in chips. This single-day event will feature 10-handed play throughout as many 20-minute levels as it takes to crown a champion. The Deepstack Re-entry permits unlimited re-entries until the end of the late registration period at the beginning of the seventh level of play (2:15pm) so expect the early levels to be full of wild action as many players will likely take a “boom-or-bust” approach at the outset.

The cards will be in the air soon. Good luck to all!