Gallo returned from break here in the Main Event with one of the biggest stacks in the room and has sights on another deep run if his play can hold up.
$1,100 WPTDeepStacks Main Event $500,000 Guarantee | Structure Level 4: 100/200 with a 200 ante Day 1A Entries: 115
Tony March
Tony March takes his seat here in the WPTDeepStacks Tampa Main Event playing not for himself, but for the Pay it Backward Foundation.
March is the founder of the local 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.”
It’s early here in the WPTDeepStacks Tampa Main Event, but were March to make a deep run in thsi $500,000 guaranteed finale, March’s organization would prove to benefit handsomely.
The first break is freshly wrapped and Level 4 is underway with the clock showing 118 entries.
$1,100 WPTDeepStacks Main Event $500,000 Guarantee | Structure Level 3: 100/200 with a 200 ante Day 1A Entries: 107
Level 3 is underway and the entry count is continuing to tick up. Now sitting at 107, the upward trend is expected to continue all the way until registration closes at roughly 6:30pm.
Those unable to get in today’s installment can register the action for tomorrow’s Day 1B or Saturday’s Day 1C.
$1,100 WPTDeepStacks Main Event $500,000 Guarantee | Structure Level 2: 100/100 with a 100 ante Day 1A Entries: 100
Defending champion, Quentin Jones
Quentin Jones put a hurt on last year’s WPTDeepStacks Tampa series scoring two property trophies. It was the $350 re-entry prelim that got Jones’ momentum going. From there, he parlayed his hot play into a Main Event victory. It was a 12-day stretch that saw Jones score more than $145,000 in earnings.
With a pedigree like that, the 2019 installment was a must-play for Jones. He’s in the early action taking his seat midway through Level 1 and jockeying now in Level 2.
There are plenty of chips flying early with blinds of 100/100 with a 100 ante.
$1,100 WPTDeepStacks Main Event $500,000 Guarantee | Structure Level 1: 100/100 with a 100 ante
There’s been a slew of tournament champions crowned here at Seminole Hard Rock Tampa over the last few days, but the time has come to crown the champion of champions — the Main Event.
Beginning today at 11am is Day 1A of the $1,100 buy-in guaranteed finale. For the first time in the event’s history, the guarantee has been bumped up to a cool half million.
Players in this tournament enjoy loads of play with 30,000 starting chips and 40- and 60-minute levels. Day 1 play is comprised of 15 levels wrapping shortly before 11pm. Registration and re-entry close following level 10, about 6:30pm.
Here are the details:
11AM: Day 1A – $1,100 WPTDeepStacks Tampa Main Event
$500,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
Players begin with 30,000 in chips
Levels last 40 minutes; Final table levels last 60 minutes
Single ante will be paid from the big blind for the entire table
Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 10
Day 1 will end after Level 15 or Tournament Director discretion
2019 Seminole Hard Rock WPTDeepStacks Tampa Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, Florida Event 7 $570 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed Entries: 279 Prize Pool: $139,500 June 10-12, 2019
Sidi Taleb
Event 7 on the WPTDeepStack Tampa schedule was a perfect warmup for the impending Main Event kicking off on Thursday. The $570 buy-in tournament had four starting flights and a six-digit prize pool. After three long days, Sidi Taleb survived a tough final table to take home the title along with more than $33,000.
There were a combined 279 entries over those four starting flights to push the $100,000 guaranteed prize pool up to $139,500. Only 44 players survived to return for Day 2 and they quickly hit the money before the first break.
Five hours after the start of Day 2, the field was down to the final table and it took another five hours to get home from there. There were three quick eliminations as Allauddin Khan, Zachary Hammons, and Wayne Daley dropped out and the last seven players settled in for a long grind with deep stacks and long levels.
James “Ping” Kerr held the lead for large portions of late play but fell in third place to set up the heads-up battle between Taleb and Mitchell King. Taleb held a big lead at the start of heads-up but King took over after several big hands.
But Taleb worked his way back on top when both turned a pair of aces and his kicker gave him a double. A few hands later, pocket eights were good for Taleb and he earned the outright win for $33,007.
Thanks to everyone for coming out and we look forward to seeing everyone in the Main Event.
Event 7 Results:
1st: Sidi Taleb – $33,007 + WPTDeepStacks Main Event seat 2nd: Mitchell King – $23,087 3rd: James “Ping” Kerr – $14,186 4th: Brian Arbaugh – $8,629 5th: Rocco DeFina – $6,664 6th: Tom Nguyen – $5,522 7th: Brent Pasquarella – $4,706 8th: Wayne Daley – $4,014 9th: Zachary Hammons – $3,301 10th: Allauddin Khan – $2,906 11th: Hassan El Hakim – $2,906 12th: Scott Swatcheno – $2,906 13th: Conor O’Neil – $2,491 14th: Karl Manouchakian – $2,491 15th: Thomas Betts – $2,491 16th: Woodrow Pass – $2,076 17th: Stephen Brite – $2,076 18th: Carlos Martir – $2,076 19th: Brian Trieglaff – $1,661 20th: Trevor Phelps – $1,661 21st: Jeffrey Baar – $1,661 22nd: Rodney Turvin – $1,280 23rd: Dani Mae – $1,280 24th: Troy Bercot – $1,280 25th: Wadie Khalaf – $1,028 26th: Ronald Brown – $1,028 27th: Tony March – $1,028 28th: Matthew Trizis – $958
$570 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 28: 40,000/80,000 with a 80,000 ante
Sidi Taleb
Sidi Taleb lost the heads up lead early but turned it back around and won the tournament in two pivotal hands.
On the first, Taleb limped his button and Mitchell King raised to 250,000. Taleb called, the flop was , and King bet 225,000. Taleb called, the turn was and King checked.
Taleb bet 700,000 and King announced, “all in”. After a minute, Taleb called at risk.
Taleb: King:
Both turned a pair of aces but Taleb was ahead with his jack kicker. The river finished the board and Taleb’s stack was counted. King owed him 2,740,000 and was left with five big blinds.
Those went in the middle a few hands later, all in for 475,000 and Taleb called.
Taleb: King:
A tough spot for King against the eights, he paired his seven on the flop but came no closer as the dealer finished with the turn and river to finish off the tournament.
King earned $23,087 for his runner-up finish while Talbe took home $33,007 plus a WPTDeepStacks Tampa Main Event seat.
Full tournament to come later this evening.
1st: Sidi Taleb – $33,007 + WPTDeepStacks Main Event seat 2nd: Mitchell King – $23,087
$570 No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry) $100,000 Guaranteed | Structure | Payouts Level 27: 30,000/60,000 with a 60,000 ante Players Remaining: 2 of 279
Mitchell King
Sidi Taleb limped his button and Mitchell King raised to 175,000. Taleb called, the flop was and King bet 150,000. Taleb raised to 400,000 and King called.
Both checked the turn and the river was . King slid out two barrels of 25K ships for a 1,000,000 bet. Taleb checked his cards several times and folded the huge pot to King.
, and King bet 225,000. Taleb called, the turn was 
and King checked.
finished the board and Taleb’s stack was counted. King owed him 2,740,000 and was left with five big blinds.
flop but came no closer as the dealer finished with the 
turn and 
river to finish off the tournament.
and King bet 150,000. Taleb raised to 400,000 and King called.