All posts by Jeff Shurilla

Championship: Wolak Walks Short of Money

$1,650 Buy-In Championship No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

Blinds: 3k/6k/500 ante
30 players remaining, 297k avg (50 bb)

Marsha Wolak (Sarasota, FL) is all in for 40k (< 10 bb) with AQ against the K7 Kozma Llazari.

Wolak flops an Ace, but the board run out of A-x-x-7-7 gives Llazari the winning trip 7s.

Wolak’s elimination in 32nd place, five spots from the money, leaves Angel Vu (South Daytona, FL) has the lone remaining woman in the field.

Deanna Dazzles, Kayla Kills It

Hard Rock Calendar Girls 2015

Kayla & Deanna
Kayla & Deanna

The parade of Hard Rock calendar girls through the poker room during the Tampa Winter Poker Open culminated with the two highest profile girls.

Deanna, who not only appears on the calendar cover, but on all the trophies in the series, and centerfold Kayla were on hand for Day 2 of the Championship event.

Tournament and cash game players lined up for photos and autographs as the girls handed out commemorative poker chips.

The following link has photos taken of all the girls during the series, posted within 48 hours of their appearance.

Here are more pictures from today’s meet and greet:

Kayla, Bryron Rodriguez & Deanna
Kayla, Bryron Rodriguez & Deanna
Kayla, Nancy Smith, Deanna
Kayla, Nancy Smith & Deanna
Commemorative Poker Chips
Commemorative Poker Chips
Deanna, Jamie & Kayla
Deanna, Jamie & Kayla
Step and Repeat with Dave action shot
Camera Dave Working the Step and Repeat
Kayla, Bill Newman & Deanna
Kayla, Bill Newman & Deanna
Championship Trophy
Championship Trophy

Championship: Notable Names, Diamantas Busts

$1,650 Buy-In Championship No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

Blinds: 2,500/5,000/400 ante
36 players remaining, 248k avg (50 bb)

Stephen Diamantas’ (Lakeland, FL) title defense is over. His recent tweet has him going out 12 spots from the money.

Players still in the hunt for the nearly $125,000 first place prize include, in no particular order:

TK Miles
Allen Kessler
David Levi
Mike Raimon
Michael Laake
Amelio Amato
Kirk Adams
Debra Dorcy
Marsha Wolak
Angel Vu
Al Krux
Rick Clayton
Kyle Peck
Julio Novo
Matt Rose
Herbert Woodbery
Rob Gill
James Dill

Championship: Laake & Rose Battle for Chip Lead

$1,650 Buy-In Championship No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

Blinds: 2,500/5,000/400 ante
37 players remaining, 241k avg (48 bb)

Michael Laake
Michael Laake

Start of the day big stacks Matt Rose (Largo, FL) and Michael Laake (Boca Raton, FL) continue to stay at the top of the chip counts.

Coming back from break Laake has the lead with 612k, while Rose is down to 550k after nearly reaching 700k during the last level.

Three of the final six women have hit the rail. The latest is Christy Pham (Lake Mary, FL) who moves all in with KcQs against the AhTs of John Holley.

The board runs out 6s5h2c7h7s and Holley gets the knock out.

Pham joins, Jean Miccio (St. Petersburg, FL) and Barbara Jean Cardin (Apollo Beach, FL) on the rail. That leaves Marsha Wolak (Sarasota, FL), Angel Vu (Daytona, FL) and Debra Dorcy (Edgewater,FL) as the only remaining women.

Matt Rose
Matt Rose

Championship & Event 10 Updates

Championship: $1,650 Buy-In Championship No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

Blinds 2k/4k/400 ante
43 players remaining, 207k avg (52 bb)

Matt Rose (Largo, FL) is the clear chip leader with 670k (168 bb).

Hard-Rock-Logo-and-Deck-Spread

Event 10: $150 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

Level 5: Blinds 200/400/50 ante
170 entries

The last trophy event of the series is getting a great turnout with registration and re-entry open for four more levels, until ~5:45 pm.

Championship: Ladies Night

$1,650 Buy-In Championship No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

Blinds 1,500/3,000/300 ante
50 players remaining, 178k avg (59 bb)

Ladies table
Ladies (l-r) Dorcy, Miccio & Wolak

Six of the final 50 players, more than 10% of the remaining field, are women. That’s a fantastic percentage when you consider that women generally make up less than 5% of the entire tournament field.

With only six tables remaining, three of the six remaining women, Marsha Wolak, Debra Dorcy and Jean Miccio, are on the same table.

“Why don’t you tell him how you got those chips,” says Mike Raimon as he teases Christy Pham who leads the women with nearly 200k. Pham shows no emotion and Raimon quickly adds, “it’s okay we’re friends.”

Tensions are starting to build as we creep toward the final 27 who will get a piece of the prize pool.

Girl Power
Approximate Chip Counts

Christy Pham 190k
Angel Vu 130k
Debra Dorcy 125k
Marsha Wolak 105k
Barbara Gene Cardin 90k
Jean Miccio 50k

Championship: Race to 500k

$1,650 Buy-In Championship No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

Blinds 1,500/3,000/300 ante
54 players remaining, 165k avg (55 bb)

Holley (left) & Rodrigue (right) Discuss AK vs KK after TK Miles Joins the Table
Holley (left) & Rodrigue (right) Discuss AK vs KK after TK Miles Joins the Table

John Holley is the chip leader after getting a huge double-up vs Rodney Rodrigue. Holley’s AK flops two Aces against Rodrigue’s KK in a blind vs blind hand.

Holley jumps to nearly 500k, while the hand drops Rodrigue to less than 100k in the 450k chip pot.

Chip Leaders

John Holley 497k
Michael Laake 493k
Matt Rose 408k
Julio Novo 348k
TK Miles 325k
Al Krux 310k

Notable Chip Counts

Amelio Amato 175k
David Levi 170k
Angel Vu 130k
Marsha Wolak 105k
Rodney Rodrigue 95k
Stephen Diamantas 72k
Allen Kessler 65k
John Pappas 45k

Event 10: Last Trophy Event

$150 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 1: Blinds 25/50

Cards logo chip rack

The last chance to win a trophy in the Tampa Winter Poker open is set to go in this $10,000 Guaranteed event.

Players start with 25k in chips and levels are 25 minutes each in length.

This is a one day tournament with registration and re-entry open until the start of Level 9 (approximately 5:45 pm).

Championship: Early Fireworks

$1,650 Buy-In Championship No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)

81 Players, 110k avg (55 bb)
Blinds: 1k/2k/200 ante

On the first orbit of the day Kyle Peck (Lakeland, FL) and Carlos Loving (Sarasota, FL) mix it up.

There’s a raise to 5k and a caller with Loving moving all in for 50k. Peck cold 4-bets all in, forcing the other two players to fold.

Peck’s pocket 9s hold against Loving’s AK and Loving is on the rail.

Peck is up to to 175k