$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 6: 200/500/50 Ante

Regardless of what happens in the Championship, Anthony Pellegrini has already had a successful Winter Poker Open. The Largo, FL resident bested one of the toughest fields in the series just over a week ago in Event 5, a $250 pot limit Omaha tournament. Pellegrini was part of a three-way chop that saw him take the top spot and a $3,729 prize. Additionally, he placed 6th in Event 3 and 14th in Event 9.

Pellegrini has a long way to go in the Championship as we’re just about midway through Level 6, but he’s chipped up slightly. He currently sits at about 45,000.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 6: 200/400/50 Ante

We have a new contender for the chip lead and it’s none other than previously mentioned Seminole Hard Rock Poker ambassador Sheddy Siddiqui.

His early table broke and he’s moving up the counts at his new one. We caught the action with the board reading and his opponent all-in. Siddiqui called with a made straight/flush draw against a flopped set .

He dodged eight river outs to send his opponent to the rail and move among the early leaders with 88,600.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 5: 150/300/50 Ante

We are patiently watching the tournament information board as we near triple digit territory in the first flight. Entrant number 100 will put us halfway to the guarantee with two flights (plus late registration today) to run it up and we’re sitting at 96.

Ryan Dunn has taken his seat in the back of the poker room, hidden from most as he tries to make another big finish. He had a very nice November with a fourth place finish in the Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘n’ Roll Poker Open” Black Chip Bounty event less than two weeks after making the WPT bestbet final table.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 5: 150/300/50 Ante

With deep, 30,000-chip starting stacks and 45-minute levels, players continue to file in here at the Seminole Hard Rock in Tampa. One of the most recent entries into the Championship also happens to be one of the hottest players on the circuit right now — Cory Waaland.

Waaland has recorded 23 cashes in 2015 including two WSOP Circuit victories in just the last two months. Waaland boasts career earnings of more than $500,000 and looks to increase that number significantly by scoring what is almost assured to be a six-figure top prize in the Winter Poker Open Championship.

Despite an active start, Waaland’s stack hovers right around 30,000.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 5: 150/300/50 Ante

Players are back in their seats and Level 5 is freshly underway following the second break of the day. Not much has changed atop the counts as Chang Yon leads with Anthony March hot on his trail in second. Yon and March hold 82,000 and 71,000 respectively with Michael Newman holding another of the tournament’s notable stacks. Newman has more than doubled his starting chips as he returned from break to a stack of 68,000.

The clock shows 95 players registered.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 100/200/25 Ante

The count hit 90 entrants and climbing as we hit the midpoint of Level 4. This is predicted to be the smallest flight of the three starters, setting us up for a big number when all the numbers are added.

Sean Shah is back in the poker room and grinding away. He’s spent time in both the tournaments and cash games this series and looking for his second cash of the 2015 Winter Poker Open.

Shah is also looking for his first tournament victory in a career that’s earned nearly $370,000. He has several close calls with his biggest payday coming this past spring when he went out on the WPT-televised final table of the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. Shah’s seventh place finish was worth $168,550 but he missed playing in front of the cameras.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 100/200/25 Ante

The start of Level 9 — roughly 6:30 p.m. — marks the last possible time to enter Day 1A of the Championship. As is, the clock shows 91 entries and counting with nearly five more hours late registration/re-entry available. In the time leading up to then, the field (which has already surpassed last year’s opening flight) is expected to grow even more and likely to cross the 100-entry mark.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 3: 100/200

Following a string of calls, Tom Nguyen raised the button only to see the small blind jam. The aforementioned calls turn into a string of folds and Nguyen called the all-in bet.

Nguyen:
Small blind:

The small blind was at risk as the flop fell . He stood and began to push in his chair.

“You might get a six, man. Don’t go away!” Nguyen said.

On cue, the turn fell the giving Nguyen a set. The small blind had outs to a straight, but the river wasn’t one of them. With that, Nguyen was responsible for one of the first eliminations of the day. He now sits at about 32,000.

Nguyen is a regular in the Seminole Hard Rock cash room and had a deep run in the $560 multi-flight event before busting 4th for $21,759. Seminole Hard Rock Poker ambassador Mike Laake went on to with that tournament and its $54,756 first prize.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 3: 100/200

Dean Morris is another of the preliminary winners mixing it up during Flight A of the Championship. Morris hails from the U.K., London to be specific, and owns cashes in Europe, Tunica and Las Vegas. Following his Event 9 win just a couple days ago, he added Florida to his cashes resume.

Admittedly, he’d never been to the Sunshine State and made the trek over for poker. After checking out some American sporting events in Orlando and Tampa, it was a late arrival to the Seminole Hard Rock for Morris. He hopped in Event 9, and lo and behold, donned the top spot a few hours later.

“I was going to play some earlier events, but this is the first event I’ve played,” Morris said following the win. “I’m going to play the Main, obviously.”

True to his word, Morris has been here since cards went in the air. The early stages of the tournament have been a little uneventful as he holds about 28,000 chips — just under the 30,000 starting stack.

$1,650 Winter Poker Open Championship (Re-Entry)
Level 3: 100/200

Players returned from their first break of the day and we’ve already surpassed last year’s Championship start. Day 1A drew 75 entrants in 2014 and 84 entrants are registered today with over five hours to get in.

Chang Yon caught a timely gutshot draw just before the break to take the early lead with 81,500 while Tampa regular Tony March sits in second with 72,000.

March is looking for his second cash of the series to go along with his $126,000 in earnings.