$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 14: 2,000/4,000/400 Ante
Chip leader Anthony Solares open-raised the button and Floridian John Holley jammed for 81,500 from the big blind. Solares called and Holley was at risk.
Holley: 
Solares: 
The runout came 
pairing Solares’ jack and earning him the pot. Holley busted 17th earning $353 and marking his second cash of the series. He previously finish 14th in Event 5.
Solares now leads the final 16 players holding 403,000 chips.
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 14: 1,500/3,000/400 Ante
Event 1 winner Steven Bennett did the dirty work flopping a pair of aces and eliminating the 19th-place finisher. Following the hand, the final 18 are in the money and down to two tables.
Here’s a look at the final two tables followed by the remaining payouts:
Table 1
Seat 1: Jeffrey Trudeau
Seat 2: Richard Ogle
Seat 3: Jeremy Costa
Seat 4: Victor Paulino
Seat 5: Anthony Solares
Seat 6: Anthony Pellegrini
Seat 7: John Holley
Seat 8: Tyler Crane
Seat 9: David Pisciotta
Table 2
Seat 1: John “Rainman” Dollinger
Seat 2: Enzo Romano
Seat 3: Eric Wert
Seat 4: Steven Bennett
Seat 5: Bryce McVay
Seat 6: J Mike Kennedy
Seat 7: Dean Morris
Seat 8: Glenn Breton
Seat 9: James Gibson
Prize structure
1st – $7,065 + $1,650 WPO Championship seat
2nd – $3,886
3rd – $2,237
4th – $1,884
5th – $1,413
6th – $1,178
7th – $942
8th – $707
9th – $530
10th-12th – $471
13th-15th – $412
16th-18th – $353
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 12: 1,000/2,000/200 Ante
The 120-player starting field is down to 27 following six hours of play. Still in the hunt are the new chip leader, Anthony Solares, short stack Wally Maddah, Dean Morris, James Gibson, John Holley, Jeremy Costa, Event 1 winner Steven Bennett, Event 4 winner Eric Wert and Event 5 winner Anthony Pellegrini.
Just the top 18 players finish in the money with the tournament’s winner earning $7,065.
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 11: 800/1,600/200 Ante
Dean Morris has separated himself as the tournament’s overwhelming chip leader in the levels since registration closed. Morris’ stack sits at 215,000 and he’s the only player over the 200,000 mark.
Hailing from the United Kingdom, he owns more than $100,000 in career earnings on the felt including 10 victories. He’s recorded cashes overseas in Europe, Las Vegas and Tunica, but claims no results here in the Sunshine State.
We’ll keep an eye on his progress as the tournament plays on toward a champion.
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Beginning of Level 9: 500/1,000/100 Ante
The registration desk is taking the rest of Event 9 off as tournament staff has officially closed entry. The $250 deep stack no limit hold’em tournament drew a field of 120 players that generated a prize pool of $23,550. The top 18 finish in the money with a min-cash worth $353. In addition to a $1,650 Winter Poker Open championship seat, the winner pockets $7,065.
Full prize structure:
1st – $7,065 + $1,650 WPO Championship seat
2nd – $3,886
3rd – $2,237
4th – $1,884
5th – $1,413
6th – $1,178
7th – $942
8th – $707
9th – $530
10th-12th – $471
13th-15th – $412
16th-18th – $353
The clock reads 65 players remaining toward the beginning of Level 9. As is, the only three stacks above 100,000 appear to belong to Dean Morris, James Gibson and AJ Santos. Morris leads the bunch with 125,000 to Gibson’s 115,000 and Santos’ 110,000.
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Beginning of Level 8: 400/800/100 Ante
Level 8 is underway and that means just one level of late registration/re-entry remains. The clock shows 112 players to this point with another 45 minutes or so to get in on the action.
The final attendance figure will be posted after it’s official.
Those players still in the tournament include Wally Maddah, Victoria Moser, Jeremy Costa, Ryan Dunn, John Holley and John Pappas.
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
End of Level 5: 150/300/25 Ante
The 96th entrant means the 2015 Winter Poker Open has exceeded yet another guarantee. The prize pool currently sits at $20,160 and growing meaning the $20,000 target is a thing of the past.
Registration remains open until the beginning of Level 9 and the field is expected to climb well over 100 in the hours until then.
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Beginning of Level 5: 150/300/25 Ante
The top spot is untouched as local AJ Santos sits firmly in pole position following the first break. After being up to 90,000 early in Level 1, Santos now holds 63,000. No one has challenged him to this point with the closest competitor appearing to be Jeremy Costa with 42,000.
Here’s a look at some other notable stacks in the event:
With the clock reading an unofficial 89 entries, the tournament’s $20,000 guarantee has been all but hit — 96 is the magical number.
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 3: 75/150
AJ Santos’ antics at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino are well documented. If he’s in the room, you’ll know it — and he’s in the room quite often. Santos has never been one to shy away from a re-entry, but it looks like he may squeak out of Event 9 unscathed in that respect. Santos has turned his 20,000-chip starting stack into 75,000 during the early stages of the tournament. Rumor has it he’s made one of two moves each hand he’s played — all in, or fold.
In all seriousness, Santos has had quite the Winter Poker Open to this point. He kicked things off with a 32nd-place finish in the massive, 546-entry Event 4, then carded a runner up in the $250 pot-limit Omaha. Most recently, he worked his way through another tough field finishing 38th in yesterday’s 634-entry Event 4.
$250 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 25/50
Winter Poker Open Event 9 at 11am $250 Deep Stack NLH. $20K GTD, 20K SS, 30min levels. Reg open approx 3:30pm @SHRTPoker @HardRockTommy
— Byron Rodriguez (@HardRockByron) December 14, 2015
In addition to the lion’s share of the prize pool, the tournament’s champion earns a $1,650 WPO Championship seat.
This is a one-day tournament set to play out in its entirety.
Good luck, players!