Big Stax 300 (Recap): A Parx Reg, Relative Unknown, And Tournament Pro Walk Into A Bar...

The Big Stax 300 started in the early afternoon hours of October 3, and not many people really knew what to expect.  The series was shortened and the question many posed was if the tournaments would attract the same field they have in the past?  The answer was made evident before dinner break on Day 1B, as the guarantee ($150,000) had been reached, and the field was on pace to crack 1,000 entries once again.  When the final handshake(s) were made, it would be three players agreeing to chop the remaining prize pool.  Ray Ross (Philadelphia, PA), Alfredo Sosa (Paraguay), and Steven Sarmiento (Queens, NY) were left standing to work out the numbers, and that they did at approximately 2:30am.

Over the three starting days the field would reach a final number of 1,079 entries, building a solid prize pool of $307,515.  It was over double the guarantee that was offered for the opening trophy event, and there were faces old and new.  It was no surprise to see players the like of Mike Dentale, John DiBella, Jason Rivkin, Kyle Bowker, and Matt Glantz.

When the starting days we over and the field was finally combined, we saw some new faces coming into Day 2 on top.  Alexander Dubinchik (Holland, PA), Mike Cannon (Harrisburg, PA), and Foster Haines (Lock Haven, CT) came into Day 2 the leaders, with an honorable mention to Mike Dentale (Brooklyn, NY).  After chopping the Big Stax 1500 earlier in the year, Dentale would bag a top five stack in this monstrous field.  The trend we were seeing on Day 2 were players who formerly made Big Stax final tables seeing some great success.

Players would reach the cash only a few hours into Day 2 play, including Nicholas Partenope, Michael Wert, Dave Inselberg, Jack Duong, and Jeff Wicker (all who have made Big Stax final tables this year).  Day 2 would end with 25 players remaining, which is the most we have ever gone into Day 3 with.  Local tournament pro Joseph McKeehen (North Wales, PA) would be the chip leader going in, and would clearly be pegged one of the favorites coming into the final day.

McKeehen would lead a Day 3 group full of notable players, many of which were Parx tournament/cash regulars.  We saw names like Ray Ross, Sean Wallace, Paul Shedaker, and Frank Ferrigno.  The final table would be reached right after dinner break, and we would see two more players accomplish what is a really tough feat.  Bryan Hayes (Moorestown, NJ) would be at his second Big Stax final table (finished runner-up in the Big Stax I 300), as well as Steven Sarmiento (who final tabled the Big Stax III 1000).

The tables would turn at the final table, as Alfredo Sosa began the lethal combination of run good and big hands.  Good friends Joseph McKeehen and Mike Cannon would exit the tournament in eighth and seventh respectively.  Once Dennis Lisovskiy was eliminated in fourth players, the remaining three took a short scheduled break, and then returned to the conversation of chop.  The numbers were put into the ICM calculator, and a deal agreed to.  Here are your final table results:

1. Alfredo Sosa (Paraguay) - $51,614 *
2. Ray Ross (Philadelphia, PA) - $40,218 *
3. Steven Sarmiento (Queens, NY) - $39,315 *
4. Dennis Lisovskiy (Holland, PA) - $14,607
5. Frank Ferrigno (Wayne, PA) - $11,778
6. Bryan Hayes (Moorestown, PA) - $9,348
7. Mike Cannon (Harrisburg, PA) - $7,073
8. Joseph McKeehen (North Wales, PA) - $5,074
9. Yurig Kalantarov (Rego Park, NY) - $3,844
10. Foster Haines (Lock Haven, CT) - $3,383