$250 Seniors (50+) Event (Re-Entry)
Level 5: 100/200 with a 25 Ante
Total Entries: 132

Senior Event players returned to their seats and ready to play some more poker. Robert Transue came back to the biggest stack in tournament after he nearly quintupled his starting stack. He has a sizable lead over the rest of the field with 2015 November Niner Neil Blumenfield his closest competitor.

With Transue’s entry today, it means we have the last two Seniors Event champions in the room. We mentioned Marsha Wolak earlier and her 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Seniors title, Transue captured that title during the 2014 series.

Notables stacks:

Robert Transue – 49,400 (165 bb)
Neil Blumenfield – 31,425 (105 bb)
Daniel Genachte – 27,225 (91 bb)
Paul Balzano – 27,050 (90 bb)
Wally Maddah – 20,325 (68 bb)
John Holley – 16,175 (54 bb)
Allan Bieler – 13,900 (46 bb)
Jeff Kessler – 13,450 (45 bb)
Marsha Wolak – 10,100 (34 bb)

$250 Seniors (50+) Event (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 100/200
Total Entries: 130

Players in the Seniors Event are on a 15-minute break from the tables and the tournament already doubled the number of entrants from last year.

There are some pretty big names in the field today, picking this tournament over the opening flight of the $1 Million Guarantee Event 9.

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 6: 200/400 with 50 Ante
Flight 1A Entries: 315

Flight A crossed over 300 entrants after the break and is building a nice afternoon field. We found Leonard Benitez in early action and he’s only player today who would be happy to repeat his result from this event last year.

Benitez made it through nearly 2,500 entrants in the $1 Million Guarantee event during the 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown, taking home over $113,000 after a final table deal with him holding the chip lead.

That was also the first recorded tournament cash for Benitez, not a bad way to start things off.

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 5: 150/300 with 50 Ante
Flight 1A Entries: 300

Players have returned to the ballroom and everyone is chasing Hector Chevalier at the moment. He began his day with a 20,000 starting stack like everyone else but he’s managed to run it up to nearly 80,000 in the first two hours.

Chevalier’s biggest tournament score came in a $1 Million GTD event at the Borgata when he took home $93,000 for a third place finish. He’d probably like a repeat of that finish here this weekend.

Chevalier is followed closely by David Griggs with Brian Phillis and Larry Kusch rounding out the list of players over 60,000.

Top stacks and notable names:

Hector Chevalier – 79,950 (267 bb)
David Griggs – 76,600 (255 bb)
Brian Phillis – 63,250 (211 bb)
Larry Kusch – 60,325 (201 bb)
Will O’Connor – 52,300 (174 bb)
Roberly Felicio – 50,550 (169 bb)
Greg Levine – 49,750 (166 bb)
David Shaw – 47,725 (159 bb)
Ory Hen – 41,425 (138 bb)
Michael Chiappetta – 40,750 (136 bb)
Nigel Murray – 40,175 (134 bb)
Joe Ebanks – 25,050 (84 bb)
Kobi Ribak – 24,700 (82 bb)
Leonard Benitiez – 21,650 (72 bb)
Hunter Cichy – 19,650 (66 bb)
Stuart Paterson – 19,400 (65 bb)
Carter Gill – 19,075 (64 bb)
David Prociak – 12,325 (41 bb)
Erik Christensen – 10,875 (36 bb)

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 100/200 with 25 Ante
Flight 1A Entries: 240

Level 4 has come to an end and players in Flight A are leaving the ballroom on their first break. It’s a nice group so far and players still have more than two hours to head down to the registration desk for some action.

We’ll search the room for our early chip leaders and see who’s jumped in recently.

$250 Seniors (50+) Event (Re-Entry)
Level 2: 50/100
Total Entries: 98

Last year’s Seniors Event drew 60 players but this year’s run blasted past that count before the first level ended. They are sure to reach the triple-digit mark in no time for a nice increase.

Marsha Wolak is back this afternoon and ready to defend her title. She was excited to pick up her first Seminole Hard Rock Poker trophy last year and it went along nicely with her WSOP Ladies Championship bracelet from 2011.

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 100/200 with 25 Ante
Flight 1A Entries: 225

Rafael Reis has some nice runs  in past $570 buy-in Seminole Hard Rock Poker tournaments. If recent history is any indicator, he’ll probably hit big in another one this year.

Reis picked up his first SHR Poker trophy in 2014 during the $570 Deep Stack at the Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open” for $91,000. He followed that up with a final table appearance in this tournament last year during the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown. That sixth place finish earned him another $87,000 for a $570 entrance price.

Reis is back today among the 200+ entrants in the early flight. It is a nice pace to begin the $1 Million GTD event.

$250 Seniors (50+) Event (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 25/50

It’s time to give the elder states(wo)men their due, the Seniors Event is ready to kick off for anyone 50 years and up. This is always a fun tournament and it drew 60 players last year with WSOP Ladies Champion Marsha Wolak walking away with the trophy.

The $250 buy-in tournament will play out in one day and crown a champion later this evening. Each entrant will start with a 10,000 starting stack and level will run 30 minutes all day long. Late registration is about until the start of Level 9 at 4:30pm and they will start shrinking the field from that point.

Cards are ready to fly in the back of the ballroom

• Players begin with 10,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• This is a one-day tournament and plays until completion
• Event 10 Structure Sheet

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 2: 50/100
Flight 1A Entries: 145

Flight A continued to climb over the first levels and more players are coming out after putting a little breakfast in their bellies. The entrant count should continue to move higher at a brisk pace until registration closes in three hours.

There are few “soft” tables in a $1 Million Guarantee tournament but we found one that is particularly tough for first flight, first level.

Ory Hen is the reigning Seminole Hard Rock Poker Player of the Year after picking up the honors for the 2015 season. He had an incredible run and earned some nice bonus prizes for the feat.

David Prociak is sitting to Hen’s right and he is the current leader in the 2016 POY race ahead of Florida pro Timothy “TK” Miles. Prociak earned his leaderboard points courtesy of a second place finish in the Seminole Hard Rock “Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open” Championship and another runner-up result in the Seminole Immokalee Poker Challenge Main Event.

Because Table 12 wasn’t tough enough with those two at one end, the rest of the players also have to deal with WSOP Circuit winner John Depersio and 2015 November Niner Neil Blumenfield.

$570 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 25/50

The next huge, multi-day tournament on the 2016 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown schedule is here. Event 9 has a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool and the opening flights will play out over the next three days.

Two starting flights a day, one at 11am and another at 6pm, with survivors moving on to Day 2 on Sunday to play for the big money. The tournament has a $570 buy-in and we expect the crowds to continue to grow as we approach the weekend.

Tournament entrants begin with 20,000 starting stacks and play 30-minute on Day 1. Late registration and unlimited re-entries are available until the start of Level 9 at 3:30pm today. Flight A will end with the conclusion of Level 14 and those will chips will advance to the final day.

Today’s opening flight will set the pace for the next five flights. Players are in their seats, they have heard the daily reading of the rules, and cards are in the air.

• $1,000,000 Guaranteed Prize Pool
• Players begin with 20,000 in chips and 30-minute levels
• Late registration/re-entry available until start of Level 9
• Day 1 will end after Level 14 or Tournament Director discretion
• Event 9 Structure Sheet