$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 7: 300/600 with a 600 ante
Entries: 219
Another break is complete and we have another player at the top of the counts. Mississippi’s Keegan Westover leads the pack with 199,300 at the break and he added even more after knocking a player out on the first hand back.
Other big stacks include WSOP Circuit winner Walker Miskelly (127,900), Shea Quintin (123,600), and John O’Neal (120,900).
$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6: 300/500 with a 500 ante
Entries: 215
Level 6 is coming to a close and that means it’s about time to send the players on another 15-minute break. There are 215 entries showing on the clock for a combined 383 over the first two flights.
They will return from break, play three more levels, then enjoy a 90-minute dinner break away from the action.
$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 6: 300/500 with a 500 ante
Entries: 200
Flight B hit 200 entries heading into Level 6 to leave it only 19 away from a tripling up the $200,000 guaranteed prize pool. There’s a good chance it gets there before the next break in 40 minutes.
Sam Panzica is a new face in the Poker Room this series. The pro has titles all over the place with two WPT titles in the same season (Bay101 and Jacksonville 2016/2017), four WSOP Circuit rings, and $1,100 8-Handed Turbo win during the 2019 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open.
$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 5: 200/400 with a 400 ante
Entries: 185
We are seeing a steady parade of players joining the Main Event on a Friday afternoon, enough that they pushed the combined entry count over 350 and closing on a $600,000 prize pool.
Tournament poker is back.
Jason Block is giving it another go this afternoon. He picked up his first Tampa guitar trophy on Monday after winning the Event 4 title late on Monday. Block made waves earlier this year when he finished runner-up in the 2020 WPTDeepStack Hollywood Main Event in February for a $159K payday.
$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 4: 200/300 with a 300 ante
Entries: 158
Players are back in their seats after the first break and the entry count is up to 158 for Flight B. That is good enough for 326 combined entries and a $500,000 prize pool.
There were no big stacks standing out during the break. Then we reached Mario De La Puente’s table. A full barrel of 5Ks and change have him up to 120,200 from 30,000 starting after three levels of play. That’s easily good enough for the early chip lead.
De La Puente is the owner of two Tampa guitar trophies, both coming within a week of each other during the WPTDeepStacks Tampa series in 2019.
$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 3: 100/200 with a 200 ante
Entries: 141
We had a big jump in the entry count over the last level with another 30+ joining. Those kinds of surges are generally seen in the smaller events but we had one in the Main Event. That leaves the tournament only a few new players away from pushing the prize pool over $500,000.
Popular regular Manny Minaya was one of them and one of the more successful players in the tournament. He’s one good-sized score from crossing $2 million in career earnings with a lot of big cashes in the past. He owns two WPO guitar trophies from 2014 and 2016, a $2,650 tournament win in Atlantic City for another $222K, a WSOP Circuit Main Event runner-up finish in Tunica, and a deep run in the 2005 WSOP Main Event.
$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 2: 100/100 with a 100 ante
Entries: 109
The entry count is up to 109 on Flight B putting the combined total up to 277 for the Main Event so far. That is good enough to push the prize pool well over $400,000 and double the guarantee. With late registration and re-entries available until 7pm and a busy Saturday flight, this is not the last big milestone the tournament will reach.
Zach Mullennix is another visitor for the Main Event and he can make a little history with a win; a sort of Seminole Hard Rock Poker Triple Crown. He won a WSOP Circuit ring at Coconut Creek in 2019 and a Hollywood trophy last February at the Lucky Hearts Poker Open. A win here in Tampa and he’ll be one of the few players to have titles at all three properties.
$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 2: 100/100 with a 100 ante
Entries: 97
Florida weather in the winter, lack of snow, and big poker action. All valid reasons for people to come to Tampa for the WPO Main event.
We found a few more visitors from afar, both from the New Jersey/New York area, playing in the Main Event today.
Lisa Pickell spent the last few days playing PLO but taking a shot at some tournament poker this afternoon. She’s a regular force up north where she has wins in Pennsylvania and Atlantic City including a WSOP Circuit ring.
Lexy Gavin is a familiar face when big events run in Hollywood but we’re seeing her on this side of the state for the first time. A deep run in this tournament will push her over $500K in career earnings that include scores at Bay101 before everything was locked down and a 21st finish in the 2018 WPT RRPO event in Hollywood.
$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1: 100/100
Entries: 77
Player instructions are complete and tournament staff put cards in the air for Flight B of the WPO Main Event with 77 entries to start. That instantly put the prize pool up to $380,000 from the $200,000 guarantee.
They will play through three levels before taking the first break of the day.
$1,700 WPO Main Event (Re-Entry)
$200,000 Guaranteed | Structure
Level 1: 100/100
We are heading into the final weekend of the 2020 Winter Poker Open and the last two flights of the Main Event over the next two days. Flight B of the $1,700 buy-in tournaments starts at 11am with Flight C running tomorrow at the same time.
The Main Event had a $200,000 guarantee prize pool, past tense. That number was surpassed early in Flight A and the 168 entries pushed the prize pool over $260,000. It’s going to get much bigger before registration closes late on Saturday.
Players will sit down to 30,000 starting stacks and blind levels will last 40 minutes until they reach the final table. Late registration is available until the start of Level 10 at 7pm following the dinner break with unlimited re-entries available. Flight B will continue to play through 14 levels and those with chips at that point will advance to Day 2 on Sunday at noon.
We expect another big day in the Poker Room and hope to see more friends.