The short stack keeps surviving!

It's been an hour and a half since Venkat Ganne was eliminated in 6th place, and play has amazingly stayed five handed for that long.  The short stacks keep getting their chips in with the worst hand and coming out the winner.  It has happened so many times that the players are beginning to discuss the possibility of trying to get seven deuce to push in with.

Players are now on break

The final five players are now on break.  Here are updated chip counts, in seat order:

Sammy Wu - 2,175,000
Mark Checkwicz - 2,960,000
Tekomah Gobbins - 380,000
Don Yuicus - 2,600,000
Kevin Dugin - 480,000

6th Place: Venkat Ganne ($5,760)

Venkat Ganne has been eliminated when his [Qs][Qh] ran into the [Ah][Ad] of Sammy Wu.  The board ran out [4c][Tc][Th][Td][7s] to eliminate Venkat in 6th place, good for $5,760.

7th Place: Bill Papaclopoulos ($4,752)

Bill Papaclopoulos was all in preflop holding [Kh][Kc] against Mark Checkwicz's [Ah][Qd].  Bill asked the dealer to be nice, but the [9c][9s][Ac] flop was not what he was looking for.  Bill failed to find a king on the [5h] turn and [Td] river, sending him to the rail in 7th place.  He will collect $4,752 for his efforts.

8th Place: Richard L. Fisher ($3,744)

There was a three way all in between Richard L. Fisher, holding [7s][7d], Venkat Ganne holding [Ks][Kd], and Sammy Wu holding [As][Ah].  Sammy was able to hold off any bad beats as the board ran out [2h][5h][Jd][8c][Js].  He doubled through Venkat and knocked out Richard L. Fisher in 8th place in one fell swoop.  Richard will earn $3,744 for his efforts today.

9th Place: Drew Amato ($2,899)

No justice. 99<1010 on a 5 high flop for my last 15bb
— Drew Amato (@drew_amato) December 12, 2014

10th Place: Tarun G. ($2,102)

Tekomah Gobbins opened the pot before Tarun G. moved all in.  Tekomah made the call with [Qd][Jd], only slightly behind Tarun's [Ac][9c].  The [Qh][6d][7s] changed that, putting Tarun in front.  The [7h] on the turn meant Tarun would need to catch an ace to survive.  It was not to be, as the [6s] hit the river to give Tekomah two pair.  Tarun will collect $2,102 for his 10th place finish.

Final table chip counts and seating assignments

Seat 1: Sammy Wu - 380,000
Seat 2: Mark Checkwicz - 1,455,000
Seat 3: Bill Papaclopoulos - 640,000
Seat 4: Tekomah Gobbins - 490,000
Seat 5: Venkat Ganne - 1,665,000
Seat 6: Don Yuicus - 2,000,000
Seat 7: Tarun G. - 265,000
Seat 8: Drew Amato - 635,000
Seat 9: Kevin Dugin - 440,000
Seat 10: Richard L. Fisher - 700,000

Here are the prizes left to play for:

1st Place: $29,881
2nd Place: $18,505
3rd Place: $12,600
4th Place: $9,648
5th Place: $7,200
6th Place: $5,760
7th Place: $4,752
8th Place: $3,744
9th Place: $2,899
10th Place: $2,102

Final table reached

The player on the button moved all in before the player in the small blind reraised all in.  The big blind got out of the way, and the two players revealed their hands:

Button [Qc][5c]
Small Blind [Ah][Kh]

The [3c][Th][Ad] flop was no help, but the [Ks] turn gave the button a gutshot straight draw.  The [2h] hit the river, which means the final table has been reached.

The final 10 players will be on a 10 minute break while the tournament staff does a chip count.

Players are on dinner break

The final 11 players in Event #6 $400 NLH are now on their 1 hour dinner break.  Play will resume at approximately 8:35pm EST, and the blinds will be 15,000/30,000 with a 5,000 ante.

Three way all in, no eliminations

We saw a three way all in on the feature table between the cutoff, the button, and the big blind.  Here were their hands from biggest stack to smallest:

Big blind [Js][7s]
Cutoff [6s][6c]
Button [As][Kd]

The flop fell [5s][4c][Ah], giving the button the best hand with a pair of aces.  The [8s] was a crazy turn card, giving the big blind a flush draw and a gutshot straight draw.  It also gave the cutoff a different gutshot.  The button would need to dodge a spade, six, or seven to survive.  The river blanked the [2d], and the button tripled up while the cutoff ended up with a few chips himself.

Tarun G. takes another hit

A player opened under the gun to 52,000 and Tarun G. called from the big blind.  When the flop fell [5d][As][Js], Tarun check raised, and subsequently called his opponent's shove.  Tarun held [Ah][Jh] for two pair against his opponent's [Ac][Kc].  Amazingly, the three outer spiked on the turn when it fell [Kd].  Tarun was looking for a jack on the river, but the [5h] fell instead, sending most of his stack across the table.

Ralph Macri has been eliminated

On an A-K-2 flop, Ralph Macri was all in with ace ten against his opponent's [As][2s].  Ralph was unable to catch a ten or a king on the turn or river to survive, and he will exit this tournament in 16th place, good for $1,598.  The remaining 15 players have just hit a pay bump and are now guaranteed $1,814.

Tarun G. makes a big layodwn

On the last hand before break, Tarun G. opened from early position and was called by the big blind.  The flop fell [5h][3s][3c], and Tarun bet when checked to.  His opponent called, and both players checked the [7d] turn.  When the [6c] hit the river, the big blind made a large bet, sending Tarun into the tank.  Tarun looked at his cards for quite a while and eventually folded pocket kings face up.  His opponent did not show.  After the hand, Tarun was knocked down to 875,000.

Final 2 tables reached

Two simultaneous eliminations occured to bring the field of Event #6 down to the final 18 players.  Those players are now redrawing for their seats at the final two tables.

Players are now on break

The final 25 players in Event #6 $400 NLH are now on their break. When they return, blinds will be 6,000/12,000 with a 2,000 ante.

Final 4 tables reached

Since making the money two hours ago, the number of players remaining has dropped from 54 getting paid to 36 remaining.  This means only 4 tables are in play.  Here are updated chip counts for some notables:

Ralph Macri - 500,000
Drew Amato - 240,000

Tarun G. - 190,000

Eric Siegel - 120,000
Blake Scott - 95,000

Players are now on break

The 43 remaining players are now on a 15 minute break while the tournament staff colors up and races off the 500 chips.

Players are now in the money

With the elimination of our 55th place finisher, all remaining players in Event #6 $400 NLH are now in the money.  Everyone is guaranteed a minimum payout of $705, but all eyes are on the $29,881 first place prize.  Play will now resume at 2,000/4,000 blinds with a 500 ante.

Event #6 Prize Pool & Payouts

Event #6 $400 NLH had 433 entries, creating a $144,000 prize pool.  The top 54 players will be in the money, with a mincash worth $705.  Here are the full payouts:

1st Place: $29,881
2nd Place: $18,505
3rd Place: $12,600
4th Place: $9,648
5th Place: $7,200
6th Place: $5,760
7th Place: $4,752
8th Place: $3,744
9th Place: $2,899
10th-12th Place: $2,102
13th-15th Place: $1,814
16th-18th Place: $1,598
19th-21st Place: $1,382
22nd-24th Place: $1,166
25th-27th Place: $1,022
28th-36th Place: $907
37th-45th Place: $806
46th-54th Place: $705

Event #6 Day 2 is under way

Cards are in the air for Day 2 of Event #6 $400 NLH.  80 players remain and the top 54 players will be in the money. You can watch the featured table on the live stream at www.FoxwoodsLive.com.

December 2014 - Mega Stack Challenge - Event #6 - $400 NLH - Returning Players

Table-Seat	Name	Chip Count
3-4	Huvelle, Nathan	295,500
5-8	Leach, Ed	293,500
7-8	Checkwicz, Mark	288,500
7-7	Mitrokostas, Spiro	224,000
9-5	Yucius, Don	222,500
9-7	Manter, Brad	210,000
1-8	Frangoulidis, James	198,500
6-3	Goggins, Tekomah	196,000
3-8	Hartman, Ryan	182,000
5-9	Iannotti, Richard	177,000
8-2	Lee, Stanley	171,000
7-6	Behun, David	170,500
1-6	DeStefano, Kara	165,500
8-1	Barrile, Jen	164,000
2-7	Bouillanne, J. Reed	163,500
8-5	Palermo, Jeff	163,000
8-9	Lieberman, Mark	157,000
8-7	Faulkner, Bryan	149,500
9-6	Pardo, Robert	145,000
4-6	Wu, Sammy	141,000
1-3	Rittall, Corey	139,000
1-9	Bitondo, Attilio	137,000
8-6	Alden, James	134,500
4-3	Appel, Chaim	133,000
6-5	Rodrigues, Johnny	130,000
2-3	Ganne, Venkatara	128,000
4-9	Fenske, Carl	124,500
8-8	Smith, Lenbert	119,500
6-2	Laviano, Jared	114,000
9-4	Courtney, Bob	113,000
9-3	Gulati, Tarun	113,000
3-5	Mastafia, Ryan	113,000
2-9	Blake, Scott	111,500
2-2	Romanow, Jason	108,000
4-7	Caporuscio, Gary	107,000
3-7	Miller, William	106,000
6-1	Ricciuti, Bob	99,000
7-2	Santiago, Alex	98,600
4-1	Siegel, Eric	98,000
4-4	Vogel, Chris	98,000
3-1	Macri, Ralph	95,000
1-4	Chung, John	94,500
6-8	Rivera, Alexander	94,500
1-5	Cuppone, Tony	92,500
1-1	Dang, Hai	91,500
7-3	Decas, Nick	91,500
5-4	Becker, Alan	86,500
1-2	Fisher, Richard	86,500
4-2	Scianna, Louis	86,500
5-3	Amato, Drew	85,500
4-5	Carey, Kyle	85,000
5-7	Whitney, Chad	83,000
9-2	Schepis, Carmelo	79,000
8-4	Sabogali, Alberto	77,500
6-7	Rothenberg, Eric	69,500
9-9	Papadopoulos, Billy	68,500
6-6	Cohen, Jeff	68,000
5-6	Ewanos, Paul	65,000
3-3	Patel, Dilipkumar	65,000
4-8	Miller, Michael	61,500
9-8	DeLuca, Michael	57,500
7-1	Tighe, Kurt	55,000
3-2	Shapiro, Dan	54,000
2-8	Sall, Jeffery	53,500
1-7	Demetri, Scott	53,000
2-4	Matson, John O.	53,000
6-9	Eriquezzo, Ryan	52,000
5-5	Frederick, William	51,500
7-9	Freeman, Todd	51,000
5-1	Pito, Louis	49,000
2-5	Patel, Raj	47,500
3-9	Lawler, Colby	46,000
7-5	Ribeiro, Ed	43,500
3-6	Durgin, Kevin	40,000
5-2	Duperrault, Brad	37,000
7-4	Balisciano, Troy	35,500
8-3	Aiello, Gerald	26,000
2-1	Rizzo, Andrea	26,000
2-6	Donnelly, Patrick	15,000
9-1	Langenfelds, Christian	15,000

Last level of the night

It's the last level of the night in Flight B of Event #6 $400 NLH. 48 players remain, and there's plenty of recognizable players left. Ryan Eriquezzo, Drew Amato, and Gerald Aiello are among those players looking to survive the final level and bag up for Day 2. Play will resume at 12pm EST.

December 2014 - Mega Stack Challenge - Event #5 - $230 NLH - Final Results

Table-Seat	Name	Chip Count
1	Paul Pagliarulo, Londonderry, NH	$7,309
2	James Denbow, Foster, RI	$5,230
3	Robert Pardo, Mount Vernon, NY	$5,230
4	Joseph Coulombe, Agawam, MA	$5,230
5	John Coles, Tinton Falls, NJ	$2,398
6	Gerard Leonard, Haverhill, MA	$1,918
7	Silvio Mantuano, Fresh Meadows, NY	$1,559
8	Kenneth Harding, Massapequa, NY	$1,279
9	David Stacy, Eliot, ME	$1,005
10	Michael Foulkrod, Charlotte, NC	$699
11	Spencer Champlin, Scarborough, ME	$699
12	Charles Saleba, Worcester, MA	$699
13	Zachary Browne, Greenfield, MA	$619
14	Juanita Gilmore, Riverhead, NY	$619
15	Joseph Pitti, East Meadow, NY	$619
16	David Brown, Guilford, CT	$579
17	Jason Laramee, Mattapoisett, MA	$579
18	Luke Benander, Amherst, MA	$579
19	Hector Santucci, Mahopac, NY	$539
20	Patrick Gallagher, Holden, MA	$539
21	R. J. Alexander, Trumbull, CT	$539
22	Kevin Lawless, Newington, CT	$499
23	Michael Zemba, New Rochelle, NY	$499
24	James Dabkowski, Ansonia, CT	$499

Last level of the night

The blinds are up to 1,200/2,400 with a 400 ante, and this will be the last level of the night for Flight A of Event #6 $400 NLH.  Only 52 players remain from the 211 entries that started the day.

Meanwhile, Flight B is on their first break of the day.

Last 3 levels of the night

Only 80 players remain from the 211 entrants in Flight A of Event #6 $400 NLH.  The field just took their last break of the day and are now playing 40 minute levels.  There will be 3 more levels before this flight bags up for the day and returns tomorrow at 11am.  The blinds are now 800/1,600 with a 200 ante.

Event #6 Flight B is under way

The second flight of Event #6 $400 NLH is now under way.  Players receive 20,000 chips for their $400 buyin, and registration is open through the end of the 8th level.

Ralph Macri tries a third time

It's been a pretty amazing series for Ralph Macri so far.  Right after chopping Event #1 heads up (and officially taking 2nd place), he came right back and final tabled Event #4, eventually busting out in 3rd place.  Today, he's right back in the action in Event #6 $400 NLH.

We caught up with him when he was in the big blind.  The under the gun player opened and there were four callers before Ralph 3-bet.  The original raiser 4-bet all in and all players folded back to Ralph, who snap called with [Kh][Kd].  Ralph was up against [Qs][Qd], and the [8s][8d][Jh][5h][2s] board kept the kings in front.

Soheb Porbandarwala off to a great start

With 6 levels complete, the average stack is around 25,000.  But one player is off to a great start as is likely the tournament chip leader.  Soheb Porbandarwala currently sits on around 76,000, almost four times the starting stack.  Soheb cashed in the WSOP Circuit Main Event back in August, and final tabled a $1200 Mega Stack event in 2012.  We'll keep an eye on his stack to see how he does throughout Flight A.

Players are now on break

Players on Event #6 $400 NLH are now on their first break of the day. When they return, blinds will be 100/200 with a 25 ante.

Event #6 Flight A is Under Way

Cards are in the air for Flight A of Event #6 $400 NLH.  This tournament features two starting flights, at 11am and 5pm, and a $100,000 Guarantee!  Blinds will be 30 minutes for the first 12 levels and 40 minutes after that, and registration is open for 8 levels.  A full structure is available here.

December 2014 - Mega Stack Challenge - Event #4 - $300 NLH - Final Results

Place	Name	Prize
1	Christopher Smith, Wallingford, CT	$26,381
2	Ryan Eriquezzo, Danbury, CT	$16,487
3	Ralph Macri, Redding, CT	$11,344
4	Anthony Harris, West Warwick, RI	$8,507
5	Richard Marcy, Brewster, MA	$6,398
6	Mark Gardiner, Vernon Rockville, CT	$5,144
7	Christopher Leong, New York, NY	$4,221
8	Aaron Teeter, Cohoes, NY	$3,297
9	James Kattell, Amherst, NH	$2,590
10	Eric Wilbur, Pepperell, MA	$1,872
11	Jennifer Barrile, Marlborough, MA	$1,872
12	Mike Santos, Naugatuck, CT	$1,872
13	Jay Boyns, Plymouth, MA	$1,622
14	Douglas Drexel, Providence, RI	$1,622
15	Michael Hourigan, Wallingford, CT	$1,622
16	Christopher Thompson, West Boylston, MA	$1,371
17	John Truskowski, Savoy, MA	$1,371
18	Joseph Kosko, Southington, CT	$1,371
19	Stephen Dare, Revere, MA	$1,200
20	Gerald Aiello, Winchester, MA	$1,200
21	Kikja Markovikj, Bronx, NY	$1,200
22	Michael Cannon, Kingston, MA	$1,042
23	Joseph Pitti, East Meadow, NY	$1,042
24	John O. Matson, Hope Valley, RI	$1,042
25	Parker Drew, Harrison, NY	$910
26	Jovy Ounthongdy, East Hartford, CT	$910
27	Brian Renda, Nashua, NH	$910
28	John Mahoney, Bethel, CT	$791
29	Robert Fish, North Attleboro, MA	$791
30	John Yanni, New Windsor, NY	$791
31	John Leser, Stony Brook, NY	$791
32	Paul Avilla, Westport, MA	$791
33	Carl Fenske, Waterbury, CT	$791
34	Shawn Wilder, Boylston, MA	$791
35	Patrick Keaveny, Wethersfield, CT	$791
36	Je Wook Oh, Fresh Meadows, NY	$791
37	Frank Mooney, Charlemont, MA	$685
38	Douglas Hamshaw, Marlborough, NH	$685
39	Casey Stearns, Lincolnville, ME	$685
40	Aaron Loew, Salem, NH	$685
41	David Duke, South Easton, MA	$685
42	Dionissios Panagopoulos, Clinton, CT	$685
43	Adolfo Flores, Norwalk, CT	$685
44	Jason Kenney, Roxbury, NH	$685
45	Arndre Martin, Hopewell Junction, NY	$685
46	Paul Piquette, Granby, MA	$593
47	Nicholas Enright, South Royalton, VT	$593
48	Kevin Proulx, Greenville, RI	$593
49	Petko Tsakov, Provincetown, MA	$593
50	Daniel Plourde, Warren, MA	$593
51	Floyd Overton, Preston, CT	$593
52	Arthur Howard, Middletown Springs, VT	$593
53	Carlos Juarez, Norwalk, CT	$593
54	David Pocknett, Mashpee, MA	$593
55	Nestor Aguilera, Tolland, CT	$540
56	Gerald Trudel, Westbrook, ME	$540
57	Meng Lu, Waltham, MA	$540
58	Kyle Carey, North Providence, RI	$540
59	Pasquale Gugliotti, Waterbury, CT	$540
50	Douglas Derome, Maynard, MA	$540
61	Robert Paliotta, West Warwick, RI	$540
62	Melissa Bandilli, North Dighton, MA	$540
63	Joel Jansson, Dudley, MA	$270
64	Mercy Saigbah, Nashua, NH	$270

Event #5 Final Table Reached

Play has been 11 handed for awhile, but 3 players got knocked out on the same hand to bring the field to the final table. 2 players got knocked out on one table while 1 was knocked out on the other. Play will resume at 12,000/24,000 with a 4,000 ante shortly.

Event #5 Update

Event #5 $230 NLH is down to the final 41 players from the original 206 entries. They are currently playing 1,500/3,000 blinds with a 500 ante. The top 24 will be in the money.

1st Place: Chris Smith ($26,381)

Only a few hands after Ralph Macri's elimination, Ryan Eriquezzo found himself all in with [8s][8c] and was flipping against Chris Smith's [Js][Td].  The [Ac][3d][Jc] favored the big stack, and Ryan would need to catch an eight to extend the heads up battle.  The [7d] turn was a close call, but not quite what he needed.  When the [Jh] hit the river, Chris improved his hand to trip jacks, sending Ryan to the rail in 2nd place, good for $16,487.

Chris Smith has won Event #4 $300 NLH, capturing the title, the trophy, and the $26,381 first place prize.  Chris has to return to work tomorrow, but plans to come back to Foxwoods for the Championship Event on Saturday.  Congratulations, Chris!

2nd Place: Ryan Eriquezzo ($16,487)

3rd Place: Ralph Macri ($11,344)

4th Place: Anthony Harris ($8,507)

Anthony Harris was all in preflop holding [Jh][5h] against Chris Smith's [Ts][Th].  The [9d][As][Kh][7s][Qd] board was no help to Anthony, and he will be eliminated in 4th place.  Anthony will collect $8,507 for his efforts.

5th Place: Rick Marcy ($6,398)

Rick Marcy (left) was all in with [Ad][Th] and was up against Ryan Eriquezzo's [Jh][Jd].  The [6h][2c][3h] was no help for Rick, and the [Jc] turn left him drawing dead.  When the meaningless [8h] hit the river, Rick was sent to the payout desk to collect his $6,398 for his 5th place finish.

6th Place: Mark Gardiner ($5,144)

Mark Gardiner was all in preflop holding [As][6s] and was up against the [Qd][Tc] of Chris Smith.  The [8s][5s][5h] put Mark in good position to double up, but the [Qh] hit the turn to pair Chris.  Mark would need an ace on the river to survive, but it was not to be as the [Kh] fell instead.  Mark will exit this tournament in 6th place, good for $5,144.

Ryan Eriquezzo doubles through Mark Gardiner

Ryan Eriquezzo was all in preflop holding [Ah][9h] and was up against the [Th][Td] of Mark Gardiner.  The [7h][4s][Ac] flop favored Ryan, and no ten fell on the turn or river.  Ryan will double up to almost 2 million, while Mark has dropped to below 900,000.

Chip counts at the break

The final 6 players are now on a 15 minute break.  Here are updated chip counts in seat order:

Mark Gardiner - 1,225,000
Rick Marcy - 3,355,000
Ralph Macri - 1,025,000
Ryan Eriquezzo - 1,255,000
Anthony Harris - 635,000
Chris Smith - 340,000

7th Place: Christopher Leong ($4,221)

Christopher Leong was all in holding [Jh][7h] and was up against his opponent's [As][3s].  The [3d][Qd][7c] put Christopher in the lead with a pair of sevens, but the [Ad] gave his opponent two pair.  Christopher would need his five outer on the river, but the [6s] hit instead.  Christopher will collect $4,221 for his 7th place finish.

8th Place: Aaron Teeter ($3,297)

Aaron Teeter has been eliminated when his king eight ran into his opponent's pocket aces.  Aaron will exit the tournament in 8th place, good for $3,297.

9th Place: Jim Kattell ($2,590)

Jim Kattell (standing, red) watches the flop fall while he's all in

Jim Kattell was all in preflop holding [Jh][Jd] against his opponent's [Ah][Qc].  The [4s][Qd][2h] flop meant Jim would need to catch one of the two remaining jacks to survive.  The [9s] turn and [5s] river would be no help to Jim, and he will finish in 9th place, good for $2,590.

10th Place: Eric Wilbur ($1,872)

Eric Wilbur swings his arm in frustration as his opponent hits his flush

On a [Js][8s][6d] flop, Eric Wilbur was all in holding [Ks][Kh] against Rick Marcy's [As][9s].  Even though Eric had a blocker, Rick hit his flush on the [5s] turn, leaving Eric drawing dead.  When the [9h] hit the river, Eric headed to the payout deskout desk to collect his $1,872.

Event #5 Prize Pool & Payouts

Event #5 $230 NLH received 206 entries, creating a $41,200 prize pool.  The top 24 players will be in the money, with a mincash worth $499.  Here are the full payouts:

1st Place: $9,711
2nd Place: $6,135
3rd Place: $3,956
4th Place: $3,197
5th Place: $2,398
6th Place: $1,918
7th Place: $1,559
8th Place: $1,279
9th Place: $1,005
10th-12th Place: $699
13th-15th Place: $619
16th-18th Place: $579
19th-21st Place: $539
22nd-24th Place: $499

Final table chip counts & seating assignments

Seat 1: Mark Gardiner - 505,000
Seat 2: Aaron Teeter - 360,000
Seat 3: Rick Marcy - 1,240,000
Seat 4: Ralph Macri - 895,000
Seat 5: Ryan Eriquezzo - 1,620,000
Seat 6: Eric Wilbur - 1,260,000
Seat 7: Christopher Leong - 1,075,000
Seat 8: Jim Kattell - 300,000
Seat 9: Anthony Harris - 365,000
Seat 10: Chris Smith - 230,000

Here are the remaining prizes left to play for:

1st Place: $26,381
2nd Place: $16,487
3rd Place: $11,344
4th Place: $8,507
5th Place: $6,398
6th Place: $5,144
7th Place: $4,221
8th Place: $3,297
9th Place: $2,590
10th Place: $1,872

Final table reached

The final table has been reached in Event #4 $300 NLH.  The remaining 10 players are redrawing for seats, and we will have chip counts and seating assignments posted shortly.

Final 2 tables reached

With the elimination of our 19th place finisher, the final 2 tables have been reached. The final 18 players are redrawing for seats, and play will resume shortly.