$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 20: 5,000/10,000/1,000 Ante

There are now just 27 players remaining in Event 22 ($2,650 NLHE) at the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open. They will play down to a final table of nine tonight. Notables still in the hunt to make that final table include last woman standing Xuan Liu, Nikolai Sears, David Diaz, and Matt Glantz. Stay tuned for live updates from this event moving forward until we reach the final table.

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 16: 2,000/4,000/500 Ante

Event 22 is moving right along with 55 players remaining and a good number of top names getting deep towards the final table including a few bracelet winners, final table members, and Matt Glantz.

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 16: 2,000/4,000/500 Ante

While most eyes are on the Championship play down,  Event 22 has quickly played down and is just off the money bubble.

Only 70 players remain with  68 getting paid, they will soon go to hand-for-hand action.

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 15: 1,500/3,000/500 Ante

$1,000,000 Guarantee Event 22 drew 502 players with 97 advancing to Day 2.

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 15: 1,500/3,000/500 Ante

$1,000,000 Guarantee Event 22 drew 502 players with 97 advancing to Day 2.

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 14: 1,200/2,400/400 Ante

Eracles Panayitou rolled up another 120,000 chips on the final level of play to leave him a chip lead of over 100,000 by the time play ended this evening.

Kane Lai barreled to second place as he added another 84,000 chips on his final level finishing with 337,000.  Paul Hyden finished third with 283,000 followed by Casey Yountz at 253,500 and Scott Baumstein at 245,000.

Overall, 502 players took part in tonight’s tournament and 97 of them will return tomorrow at noon to try to reach the final table of Event 22.

Here are the top ten chip stacks headed into Day 2:

Eracles Panayitou – 446,000
Kane Lai – 337,000
Paul Hyden – 283,500
Casey Yontz – 253,500
Scott Baumstein – 245,000
Fabrizio Gonzalez – 232,500
Mukul Pahuja – 220,500
Anthony March – 206,000
James Ladeira – 201,000
Jonathan Borenstein – 192,500

Best of luck to everyone who made Day 2!

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 14: 1,200/2,400/400 Ante

In the final hand of the night, Sean Shah moved all in from the button for 43,700, and the big blind called all in for 41,800 with . Shah turned over .

The board came , and the big blind won the pot with a pair of aces to double up in chips, knocking Shah down to 1,900 — less than a single big blind — with no more hands left to play tonight.

When the chips were colored up, Shah won the race to trade his four black 100 chips for a single 500 chip. So he finished the night with 2,000. Shah knew he had chips left, but wandered away from the table as if he might forfeit his stack. We’ll have to wait and see if he returns tomorrow for Day 2.

Sean Shah  –  2,000 (<1 bb)

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 14: 1,200/2,400/400 Ante

We’ve hit the final level of play here on Day 1.  It’s been an incredibly competitive evening as we are now down to 126 players remaining.

Two more players trying to end up as tonight’s chip leader are Eracles Panayitou and Scott Baumstein.  Panayitou is at a whopping 326,600 chips while Baumstein is sitting on an impressive 242,700.   It is anybody’s race as we push through the final half hour of play.

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 12: 800/1,600/200 Ante

Gregg Fund is taking a rather unique approach to his chip-stacking. Instead of spreading them out in a wall-style formation, Fund has them all in a straight line facing toward his opponents.  We’re not sure if we should call this a stair step, mountain range or battleship formation but either way it’s still impressive.  Though a lot of them are one hundred denomination chips, he still stands at 112,400 and looking for more as we continue on in Level 12.

$2,650 No Limit Hold’em (Freeze-Out)
Level 11: 600/1,200/200 Ante

Two more big stacks have emerged in Event 22.  WPT Season XII Player of the Year Mukul Pahuja has managed to run up his stack to 181,000.  Craig Varnell has also continued a steady climb and is at 165,000.  Both are looking to make a strong push into Day 2 with three more levels to play tonight.

180 players remain as play resumes following the players’ final break of the night.