$1,650 No Limit Hold’em WPT Championship

The players have returned from break and the blinds have been increased to 1,000/2,000 with a 300 ante.

$1,650 No Limit Hold’em WPT Championship

The remaining 29 players are taking a 15 minute break.

$1,650 No Limit Hold’em WPT Championship

Level 12: 800/1,600/200

Justin Zaki was moved to another table, but Jean Gaspard continues to battle with the player directly to his left, but now it is Adam Santos.

Gaspard bet 17,000 on the river on an ace-high board with A-K and got called by Santos’ A-Q.

A few hands later, Gaspard bet a flop of and got called by Santos. He continued to fire when he bet 6,100 on the turn card and got called by Santos again. The river is the and Gaspard takes a while before checking.

“Don’t bluff at this one,” said Santos. “I know you will.”

The comment doesn’t stop Santos from betting 20,000 on the river and Gaspard goes into the tank.

“I know this is the best hand,” said Gaspard as he shows .

Gaspard tosses his hand into the muck and Santos scoops the pot. Santos shows the table the as he mucks his hand. Gaspard apparently saw the other card that he didn’t show and began to get very loud and boisterous because he did indeed have the best hand.

“I checked to let him bluff,” said Gaspard.

Gaspard loses the pot, but is still one of the chip leaders of the third flight as he approaches 200,000 in chips.

$1,650 No Limit Hold’em WPT Championship

Level 12: 800/1,600/200

Action folded to Jean Gaspard (pictured left) in the hijack who raised to 3,200. Justin Zaki (pictured right) three-bet to 8,000 from cutoff and action folded back to Gaspard, who called.

The flop was and both players quickly checked. The turn is the and Gaspard checked again. Zaki tossed in a silver, 5,000 denomination chip, and Gaspard cutout 20,000 chips a few times in his stack before electing to just call the 5,000.

The river is the and Gaspard leads out for 13,000. Zaki quickly calls and asks if Gaspard make a flush. Gaspard doesn’t say anything and just shows him , good for a pair of fives. Zaki tables and scoops the pot.

Zaki is sitting with 64,500 and Gaspard has 130,000 in tournament chips.

$1,650 No Limit Hold’em WPT Championship

The blinds have been increased to 800/1,600 with a 200 ante. There are 33 players remaining.

$1,650 No Limit Hold’em Championship Event

Level 11: 600/1,200/200

Jim Rumptz won the first event of the series, a $560 No Limit Hold’em event, for $34,911, but he will not win the main event of the series as he was eliminated by the Seniors champion, Greg McNealy (pictured).

We missed the action, but McNealy told us that the two players got all in preflop with McNealy’s A-T way ahead of Rumptz’s J-T.

“I folded ace-ten too,” said Christy Pham, who has a second place finish in the $210 Pot Limit Omaha event. “I folded like a little girl.”

$1,650 No Limit Hold’em WPT Championship

Level 11: 600/1,200/200

There are 33 players remaining in the third flight and the average stack is 69,696, but there are a few players that have a lot more than that.

Here is a look at the top 5 chip stacks of the flight:

1. Tony March (pictured) – 166,000
2. Jean Gaspard – 154,000
3. Adam Santos – 153,000
4. Glen Chorny – 108,000
5. Barbara Cardin – 105,000

$1,650 No Limit Hold’em WPT Championship

The blinds have been increased to 600/1,200 with a 200 ante. There are 37 players remaining.

$1,650 No Limit Hold’em WPT Championship

Level 10: 500/1,000/100

Ryan Sponaugle and Greg McNealy have been battling it out after the dinner break. On a flop of , there was a bet and a call from Sponaugle before McNealy check-raised. The original bettor folds and the Sponaugle goes into the tank for a few moments.

“You’re a pretty annoying player,” said Sponaugle with a smile. “I’m going to have to start shoving on you soon.”

Sponaugle folded and McNealy scooped the pot without a showdown.

The very next hand, there were two limps before Sponaugle raised to 4,500 on the button. McNealy calls out of the big blind and one of the limpers call as well.

The flop is and action checks to Sponaugle, who bets 10,500. McNealy immediately check-raises all in and action folds back to Sponaugle, who spent a few minutes in the tank.

“I know he’s got 8-9 or J-8,” said Sponaugle while shuffling his last 25,000. “This is so sick, I fold.”

Sponaugle folds face up and almost the whole table talks about how they wouldn’t have folded the hand.

“I’ll show you this time,” said McNealy, who tabled , good for the nut straight.

Sponaugle is left with 25,000 after the two hands with the Seniors event champion.

$1,650 No Limit Hold’em

The field size is finalized and the payouts have been calculated for the Seminole Hard Rock Tampa Spring Poker Open Championship. 27 players will be paid with a min-cash worth $3,524, but all of the players will have their eyes on the $109,613 first place prize money.

Here are a look at the payouts:

1. $109,613
2. $64,598
3. $43,067
4. $29,950
5. $22,316
6. $17,226
7. $13,311
8. $9,788
9. $7,047
10-12th. $5,481
13-15th. $4,698
16-18th. $4,111
19-27th. $3,524