$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 13: 1,200/2,400 with a 2,400 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining: 39 of 208

The preflop action was unknown, but the hands were face up and last year’s runner-up Witold Wassik had a lone opponent at risk. Both players were short, but Wassik held the chip advantage.

Opponent:
Wassik:

Runout: – Wassik spiked a pair on the river and scooped his opponent’s chips.

Witold Wassik – 44,500

$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 13: 1,200/2,400 with a 2,400 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining: 51 of 208

Brandon Caputo’s time on Table 19 was short lived. He went on a major heater sending multiple players to the rail and amassing more than 600,000 chips in the process. The rapid pace of bustouts broke Table 19 and they’ve spread around the room.

Caputo’s 615,000 chips are far and away the biggest holdings of any player in the room. In fact, if he bagged right now he’d be the overall chip leader, head and shoulders above Day 1A’s Michael Turton’s 356,000.

The final break is done and players are back in their seats to log three more levels before action concludes.

Brandon Caputo – 615,000

$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 12: 1,000/2,000 with a 2,000 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining: 64 of 208

Brando Caputo’s table recently broke, and with that, Table 19 has three of the biggest stacks in the room. Michael Collins has climbed the counts and he’s already seated alongside previous leader William Isbell. Caputo is the most recent addition to the table and he brings a pile of chips over along with him as well.

Marie Harrell — also at Table 19 — has her work cut out for her flanked on all sides by the trio of top stacks.

$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 11: 800/1,600 with a 1,600 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining: 78 of 208

Brandon Caputo has been toward the top of the counts most of the day. With 241,000, he’s among the biggest stacks in the room and in good shape with registration closed and the field shrinking around him.

Brandon Caputo – 241,000

$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1B Players Remaining: 83 of 208

After getting short when his couldn’t hold all-in preflop against an opponent’s , Jeff Trudeau got the last of his 15,700-chip stack in the middle. Karl Manouchakian called.

Manouchakian:
Trudeau:

Runout:

Trudeau hit the unlikely jack giving him the best of it and he doubled through Manouchakian.

Jeff Trudeau – 34,500
Karl Manouchakian – 52,000

$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1B Entries: 208 (Total Entries: 323)

Dinner break expired and that’s it for registration on Day 1B of the Winter Poker Open Main Event. The second of two start days drew 208 entries bringing the two-flight total to 323. That’s good for $484,500 toward the $500,000 guarantee and all but guarantees the targeted prize pool will be bested.

Here’s a breakdown:

Day 1B is set to log six more hours of play before action wraps around 10:30pm local time. Complete chip counts will be posted around midnight local time.

$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Heading to Level 10: 600/1,200 with a 1,200 ante
Day 1B Entries: 202 (Total Entries: 317)

Main Event players are on a 45-minute dinner break. The clock currently shows 202 in the game with a combined field of 317 generating $475,500 toward the $500,000 guarantee. When the action resumes at roughly 6:15pm local time, registration will close and we’ll provide the final attendance figure.

At present, William Isbell leads the Day 1B field with about 260,000 chips.

$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 9: 500/1,000 with a 1,000 ante
Day 1B Entries: 199 (Total Entries: 314)

Last year’s runner-up Witold Wassik raised to 6,500 from late position. It was on Event 1 runner-up Tony Tran in the big blind and he three-bet to 17,000. Wassik called and they saw a flop. Tran lead for 9,000 and that was good enough for the win. Wassik mucked and Tran grew his holdings.

With the pot, his stack sits at just under six figures.

$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8: 400/800 with a 800 ante
Day 1B Entries: 195 (Total Entries: 310)

The under the gun player limped and AJ Kelsall raised to 3,200 from middle position. Michael Cohen called from late position while the button and blinds folded. The under the gun player got out of the way too and Kelsall was heads up with Cohen.

Flop: – Kelsall checked and Cohen bet 2,800. Kelsall called.

Turn: – Kelsall checked again and Cohen bet again, this time 6,000. Kelsall thought for a few moments then shoved about 20,000. Cohen quickly folded and Kelsall took the pot.

The hand got him up to a little over 40,000.

$1,650 Main Event (Re-Entry)
$500,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 8: 400/800 with a 800 ante
Day 1B Entries: 192 (Total Entries: 307)

Tampa’s Tony March play his poker not for himself, but for his foundation — The Pay it Backward Foundation.

March is the founder of the Tampa-based charitable organization which “invests itself in the lives of the underprivileged broken, abused, homeless and forgotten.” March came from an impoverished background, and after finding professional success, was compelled to combat poverty in the communities in which he lives. Thus began the Pay it Backward Foundation.

According to the foundation’s website:

“[The][Pay][it][Backward][Foundation] has been created to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, assist the poor and encourage the broken hearted while, at the same time, seeking to enrich their spirits and raise their hopes for a better future.”

March has a passion for poker and uses his skills to provide for his foundation donating all of his winnings to charity. Last year’s Winter Poker Open boasted a prize pool in excess of $1,000,000, so there’s plenty of opportunity for a charitable score here in the Main Event.

Midway through Level 8, March is look good with about 70,000.