Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Moving Up

Level 3 - Blinds 100/200/25 (Total Entries: 818)

Players are about to go on their first (15) minute break of the day, and as the blinds continue to go up, so does the total number of entries.  It doesn't look like we'll be breaking any records today, but the 1,000 entry mark definitely looks attainable.  

Some more faces to enter the room include:

Tim Little
David Kim

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): New Arrivals & Twitter Love

Level 2 - Blinds 75/150 (Total Entries: 773)

We have seen a steady stream of players coming into the clubhouse room, those of which include John DiBella and Mike Shasho.  We also caught some Twitter buzz over the past hour or so:

Decided to play the @parxpokerroom 150k guarantee. Couldn't pass up a good deal.
— Michael Dentale (@Mikunbelievable) October 5, 2013

At @parxpokerroom for #parxbigstax $150k gtd purse. C day. #Got2GetAtIt representing @GoDeepGear365 & @BlueSharkOptics.
— Antonio Payne (@Anthony_1Payne) October 5, 2013

Day 1c @parxpokerroom. AQ did NOT beat KK at the end of last night. #parxbigstax
— allison schultz (@allipearl) October 5, 2013

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Faces In The Crowd

Level 2 - Blinds 75/150 (Total Entries: 750)

The final starting day for most trophy events will bring out the largest field, and we have caught some of the notables who have already taken their seats:

Prabhu Satish
Mike Sandler
Frank Conti
Michael Marder
Mike Dentale
Artur Zaikansky
Ilya Ekshut
Ron Durante
Adam Goldstein
Nancy Martin
Alyson Parker
Alan Kraut
Chris Kusha
Edmond Petrella
Jose Gallegos
Mike Borovetz
Pierre Deissler
Christine Brewer
Allison Schultz
Leanne Rosenblatt
Antonio Payne
Sean Wilde

Big Stax 300 (Day 1C): Final Starting Day Begins

Players are filing into the clubhouse room, as Day 1C brings the last chance for anyone to get a piece of what's to be a sizable prize pool.  The $150,000 guarantee was met during the early evening yesterday, and one of the only questions today is whether or not we will reach the largest tournament field in Parx history.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): End Of Day 1B Chip Counts

Day 1B
Total Players:247		Players left:45
First Name	Last Name	Hometown	Chip Count
Jeffrey	Kim	Huntington Valley, PA	458,000
Sean	Wallace	Horsham, PA	345,000
David	Inselberg	Long Beach, NY	305,500
Joe	Simmons		304,500
Ray	Ross	PA	297,000
Joesph	McKeehen	North Wales, PA	293,500
Paul	Vogel	Merrick, NY	248,500
Michael	Woll		240,000
Ryan	Gutzler	Drexel Hill,PA	221,000
Steve	Sutton	Langhorne, PA	215,000
Mikhail	Kazakevich	Richboro, PA	211,500
Don	Matusow	Philadelphia, PA	210,000
Sean	Donovan	East Rockaway, NY	205,500
Andashiki	Hillard	Tennesee	203,500
Eric	Rappaport	Lansdale, PA	190,500
Peter	Grzesnikowski	Furlong, PA	188,500
John	Disante	Conshohoken, PA	176,000
Sheri	Moores	Wayne, PA	175,500
Coury	Mascagni	Louisville, KY	175,000
Brian	Dougherty	Philadelphia, PA	173,000
Norman	Roger	Philadelphia, PA	169,500
Mike	Dixon	Dowingtown, PA	164,000
Frank	Ferrigno	Wayne, PA	154,500
Peter	Ippolito	East Meadow, NY	153,000
Michael	Hickman	Media, PA	147,500
Michael	Matrone	Morsanville, NJ	142,000
Adam	Schlain	Newport News, VA	140,500
John	McEwen	Nazareth, PA	133,500
Harry	Piacitelli	Plymouth Meeting, PA	130,000
Chris	Bloom	Philadelphia, PA	128,500
Vincent	Roazzi	New Hope, PA	127,500
Sewell	Peckhan	Helmetta, NJ	119,000
Lawrence	Wolf	Annapolis, MD	117,000
Greg	Miller	Marlboro, NJ	116,500
Arslan	Arslannoski	Nj	111,500
Robert	Santilli	Jackson, NJ	99,000
Ariel	Albita	Syosset, NY	96,000
Charlie	Xu	Mays Landing, NJ	84,500
Thien	Tran	Philadelphia, PA	79,000
Mike	Kalfa	Manahawkin, NJ	63,500
Michael	Chu	Fairfax, VA	62,500
Yan	Lukach	Langhorne, PA	61,000
Jack	Long	Abingdon, MD	59,500
Joesph	Lapinta	Toms River, NJ	38,000
Pearson	Potter		8,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): In Closing...

Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000/500 (Total Entries: 570)

In a mirror image of yesterday, the tournament floor will pause the clock with 10:00 remaining, and draw for how many hands remain in the night.  Players will finish that number of hands and bag/tag their chips for the night.  Andy Hillard is currently leading the pack with 425,000, with many notables still remaining of the 54 players seated at the moment:

Dave Inselberg
Mickey Woll
John Mceuen
Ray Ross
Joseph McKeehen
Peter Ippolito
Eric Rappaport
Joe Simmons
Sean Wallace
Jeff Kim
Laurence Wolf

We will post the end of Day 1B chip counts once the floor has verified all of the bags, both here on the live updates page and on Twitter (@matthewaxelrod (or) @parxpokerroom).

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Tough Table To End The Night

Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000/500 (Total Entries: 569)

As the night winds down and the tables break, Table 67 ended up with the toughest tenants of the bunch:

Eric Rappaport

Joseph McKeehen

Peter Ippolito

Laurence Wolf

Ray Ross

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Ladies Busting

As the players go on their (15) minute break, we see our last ladies leave the clubhouse room.  Alyson Parker was eliminated as she ran her pocket eights into queens, and Allison Schultz shoved her A Q into K K.

Players will be returning shortly for the last level of the night.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Final Break

Players will be going on their final break of the night at the conclusion of this level, as the tournament floor colors off the (100) denomination chips.  Tomorrow will be the final day that players have a chance to bag chips going into Day 2...but again have all day to enter/re-enter.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Who's In? Who's Out

Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400/300

Who's In:

Andy Hillard - 305,000
John Mcuen - 220,000
Sean Wallace - 200,000
Joseph McKeehen - 160,000
Jason Rivkin - 140,000

Who's Out:

Stephanie Hubbard
Michael Borovetz
Mike Azzarro

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Break Time

Level 12 is minutes from ending, and the remaining 90 players will be going on a (15) minute break.  Some players to bust recently (without re-entering) include:

Nancy Martin
Erik Rivkin

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Chip Counts

Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600/200 (Total Entries: 562)

Here are some updated counts from the field, as the minutes wind down on Level 11.  Players will continue with blinds of 1,000/2,000/300 in Level 12, and go on a (15) minute break at the level's completion:

Anthony Cuffari - 240,000
Daniel Kim - 170,000
Norman Rogers - 130,000
Sean Wallace - 115,000
Jason Rivkin - 90,000
Alyson Parker - 80,0000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Level Up

Level 11 has started with blinds increasing to 800/1,600/200 (562 total entries), with about 120 players remaining in the Day 1B field.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Photo Ops

Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200/200 (Total Entries: 559)

As the players begin to bust and tables consolidate, we had an opportunity to catch some players in action:

Amit Sharma

Allison Schultz & Nancy Martin

Michael Marder & Jeff Kim

Ray Ross

Sean Wallace

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): A Good Dinner Break

Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200/200 (Total Entries: 554)

Joseph McKeehen (North Wales, PA) was still on his first bullet going to break, but went to dinner with under the starting stack.  Only twelve minutes after play resumed, McKeehen built his stack to over 100,000.

Joseph is currently at Table 67 with some other recent Big Stax final table members:

Mike Sandler
Amit Sharma
Greg Himmelbrand

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Dinner Break

Players are going on a (75) minute dinner break, and play will resume at approximately 7:30pm.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Guarantee In The Rear View

Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000/100

With 542 total entries at the moment, we have soared past the $150,000 Guarantee, and every entry through tomorrow night is just padding the numbers.  It's become commonplace for the Big Stax 300 to reach the guarantee in Day 1B, and the only question now is whether the largest field in Parx history will be reached tomorrow.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Moving Slowly

Level 7 - Blinds 300/600/100 (Total Entries: 528)

After taking a lap around the room, we haven't noticed any players really separating themselves from the field.  We did notice some more new faces though:

Kevin Tran
Allison Schultz
Mike Sandler
Mike Azzarro

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Popularity Is Clear

As Level 6 begins (blinds 250/500/50), the number of entries so far (combined) has gone over 500.  It's clear that the Big Stax series have become extremely popular among the poker community, especially this opening $330 event.  We see the same players that were coming for the Parx Open Poker Classic (our first tournament series ever run) returning time after time, but the new faces that now travel here for these events are abundant.  

This opening event has attracted over 1,000 entrants multiple times, making the value of the tournament skyrocket.  From the short history these series have, this field should end up well north of 1,000, making first place somewhere in the $60,000 range.  As the tournaments success continues, and the Parx Poker brain trust makes changes to better each series, there will be much to look forward to in 2014.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Level 5 Begins

As the number of total entries grows (489), the players currently in the clubhouse room are posting blinds of 200/400/50.  

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Back For More

Level 4 - Blinds 150/300/50 (Total Entries: 474)

David "Coldstone" Inselberg

Dave "Coldstone" Inselberg was one of eight players to ICM chop the Big Stax 1000, collecting just over $32,000.  That cash brought his career earnings to over $800,000, as he continues to average close to $100,000 a year.  Inselberg took a shot yesterday but did not bag chips, but is already up to 90,000 today.

More players continue to come into the clubhouse room:

Kevin Lutz
David Black
Ray Ross

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): First Break

Players are on their first break of the day, and will return to Level 4 and blinds of 150/300/50.  Also in the field today:

Michael Borovetz
Joe Simmons
Peter Ippolito

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Back In Action

Level 3 - Blinds 100/200/25 (Total Entries: 429)

As mentioned earlier, we are on our way to surpassing the guarantee for this event, with some new faces to the room (and some we have already seen yesterday):

Nicholas Partenope
Joseph McKeehen
Nancy Martin
Leonardo Palermo
Pierre Deissler
Marvin Siegel
Jason Rivkin
Erik Rivkin
Stephanie Hubbard

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Play Underway

Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

The clubhouse doors are open, and players have taken their seats at the felt.  As the room fills up we will bring you some of the notables seated in the room, and the action as the day unfolds.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1B): Day 1B Play Approaches

Over 309 entries walked in and out of the clubhouse room yesterday for Day 1A, which means the guarantee for this event will be reached before Level 1 is over.  Alexander Dubinchik (Holland, PA) bagged the chip lead last night with 705,500, with Norman Michalek (497,000) and prior Big Stax 300 event winner Michael Wert (420,000) trailing behind.

Play will begin today at 11:00am, with live updates to follow.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): End Of Day 1A Chip Counts

Day 1A Total Entries: 309    Players Remaining: 44

Name	Last Name	Hometown	Chip Count
Alexander	Dubinchik	Holland PA	705,500
Norman	Michalek	Westfield NJ	497,000
Michael	Wert II	Coal Township PA	420,000
Alex	Zaverukha	Newtown PA	382,500
Colbert	Silva	Paterson NJ	375,000
Linyu	Shi	Philadelphia PA	353,000
Scott	Blumstein	Morristown NJ	349,000
Yurig	Kalantarov	Rego Park NY	316,000
Stevo	Sarmiento	Queens NY	298,500
Xinyu	Zhao	Philadelphi PA	290,500
Dennis	Lisovskiy	Holland PA	290,000
Chris	Whitall	Hainesport NJ	286,500
Michael	Rocco	Stevenson Beach CA	282,500
Trevor	Deeter	Langhorne PA	280,000
Chris	VanDeursen	Philadelphia PA	244,000
Gary	Bowker	South Philadelphia	240,500
A.J	DeNicco	Pottstown PA	213,000
Steven	Lemma	Rockaway NJ	211,500
David	Heck	Colts Neck NJ	200,500
Matthew	Lope	West Deptford NJ	178,500
Dylan	Inhat	Doylestown PA	177,000
Paul	Shedaker	Croydon PA	172,000
Pete	Sterns	Hamilton NJ	168,000
Stephen	Beckwith	Bordentown NJ	164,000
Brandon	Buglio	Newark NJ	163,000
Casey	Passmore	Boonton NJ	157,000
Patrick	Nestor	Jersey City NJ	152,000
Anton	Nikaj	Miami FL	145,500
Allie	Prescott	Memphis TN	143,500
Mohammad	Farah	Bensalem PA	130,500
Bartholomew	Golik	Brooklyn NY	128,500
Robert	Wood	Norristown PA	120,000
John	Green	Yardley PA	108,000
Joseph	Palma	Bensalem PA	102,000
Bryan	Hayes	Moorestown NJ	101,500
Abraham	Faroni	Philadelphi PA	101,000
Kevin	Campbell	Bayonne NJ	97,500
Jacob	Perry	Brunchville NJ	94,500
Michael	Fiabaen	Bordentown NJ	86,500
Naftoli	Rosenberg	Brooklyn NY	82,000
Alan	Goodman	Brooklyn NY	80,000
Hua	Wei	Edison NJ	73,000
Jack	Duong	South Plainfield NJ	60,500
Joe	UNKNOWN	Candyland	42,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Chuckie Bagging Heaps

Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000/500 (Total Entries: 314)

Norman Michalek (Chip Leader)

Norman Michalek is currently the chip leader with over 475,000, as the rest of the field has another (25) minutes to match...or better that mark.

With 10:00 remaining on the clock in this level the floor will draw a card for how many hands remain.  Once those hands are completed the players will bag and tag their chips, and we will follow with the end of Day 1A chip counts posted on both the blog and Twitter.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Coloring Off...One More Level

Level 14 will be ending a few minutes, and players will step away for a moment while the floor colors off the (100) chips.  Blinds returning for the final level will be 2,000/4,000/500, and numerous notables still remain:

Rocco Luciano
Chris VanDuersen
Norman Michalek
Joe Spillane
Jack Duong
A.J. DeNicco
Allie Prescott
Mo Farrah
Joe Palma
Hua Wei
Michael Wert
Peter Ippolito

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Shrinking Field

Level 14 is about to begin, with blinds going up to 1,500/3,000/400.  Table continue to break as the night winds down, with 63 players remaining on seven tables.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Another Champ Chipping Up

Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400/300 (Total Entries: 305)

Michael Wert (Coal Township, PA) was the eventual champion of the second ever Big Stax 300 in May of this year.  Wert bested Ross Chapman heads-up to take home the trophy and $63,000 as well.  He went on to follow that performance with a 97th place finish ($638) in this event during Big Stax III.

Wert has over 200,000, and with almost 200 blinds at the moment, sits in good position relevant to the field.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Final Break

Players are coming back to Level 13, with blinds of 1,200/2,400/300.  There are 81 players remaining of the 304 total entries.  Some of the names still remaining:

Chris Van Deursen

Rocco Luciano

Norman Michalek

Joe Spillane

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Level 12 To Begin

Level 12 will start in less than three minutes, and the blinds will be increasing to 1,000/2,000/300.  Only two more entries until we reach 300, and you can be sure that number will be hit shortly.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): New Shooter

Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600/200 (Total Entries: 295)

Dylan Ihnat

Dylan Ihnat has won the pot of the tournament so far, as his pocket tens needed every bit of a full house on the turn after his opponent flopped broadway with A K (all-in pre).  Ihnat now has over 350,000, which is almost 100,000 clear of his closest competitor.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): What A Big Stax Win Can Do...

Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200/200

Jason Rivkin

Jason Rivkin (Cliffside Park, NJ) was the winner of the inaugural Big Stax 300 earlier this year in February.  He used to play these tournaments wearing hats and hoodies...but not anymore.  Rivkin took his win to another level, going with the black pants and button down (and the hair product).  

It's all in good humor, but Rivkin did take home over $70,000 for his win, playing the final table until 9:00am.  His brother Erik was on his rail throughout the day, and is also in the field today...but not dressed as nicely.  This is currently Jason's second bullet of the day, and hopes that the change in wardrobe will bring a change in result.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Coming Back Full

Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200/200 (Total Entries: 279)

Players just walked back into the clubhouse room, and will play out the final levels of the night.  There are currently 130 players seated of the 279 entries, and those remaining after Level 15 will bag their chips and come back Sunday (unless they want to take a shot at a bigger stack).

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Dinner Break

Players are about to go on a (75) minute dinner break, with play resuming at approximately 7:30pm.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Updated Chip Counts

Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000/100 (Total Entries: 272)

Here are some updated counts from the field taken just moments ago:

Marvin Siegel - 170,000
Peter Ippolito - 90,000
Michael Wert - 90,000
A.J. DeNicco - 90,000
Alan Kraut - 85,000
Mohhamed Farrah - 76,000
Joe Palma - 70,000
Nancy Martin - 65,000
Jack Duong - 45,000
Joseph McKeehen - 21,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Last Level Before Dinner

Level 9 will play out with blinds at 500/1,000/100 (264 total entries), and players will then go on a (75) minute dinner break.  We will bring you the first of many chip count updates from the field shortly.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Thirty-Five Blinds

With Level 8 about to begin, players who would enter at that point (Blinds 400/800/100) would sit down with approximately 35 big blinds.  This structure has been extremely popular since the original Big Stax series, with this $300 + 30 opening event drawing the most attention.  The final number at the end of today should be somewhere around the 300 range, which exceeds what most pundits thought we'd see.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Returning From Break

Level 7 - Blinds 300/600/100 (Total Entries: 244)

Players are taking their seats after returning from their second (15) minute break of the day.  The total number of entries continues to grow, currently sitting at 244.  Some of those new entries include:

Dave Inselberg
Allie Prescott
Jose Gallegos
Kevin Lutz

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Early Leaders

Level 6 - Blinds 250/500/50

Over the history of this event, the chip lead at the end of each starting day has ranged from 400,000-700,000.  There are currently a handful of players above the century mark, two of which include Norman Michalek and A.J. DeNicco.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Blinds Going Up

Parx Poker Braintrust (Left to Right)
Bill Entenman, Matt Glantz, Ari Mizrachi

Level 6 is about to start with blinds going up to 250/500/50, with players going on their second break of the day after the level's conclusion.  The total number of entries is up to 225 players, which is already  close to reaching half of the guarantee for this event.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): We See You

Level 5 - Blinds 200/400/50

The number continues to grow as players show up for the first time today, or bust and re-enter.  Some faces we are seeing for the first time today:

Rocco Luciano
Antonio Walker
Ken Silberstein
Peter Ippolito
Chris VanDeursen

Some of those who have only been here for a few minutes are already seeing success:

At parx for the big stax $300. Doubled up the first hand I play. #welcomeback
— Norman Michalek (@norm_michalek) October 3, 2013

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Level Up

Level 5 has just started with the blinds increasing to 200/400/50.  The total numbers of entries has already climbed past 200 (203 as of this post), and will continue to grow as registration stays open all day.  Some new faces in the field include:

Norman Michalek
Eric Rappaport

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Sporting The Nuts

Level 4 - Blinds 150/300/50 (188 Total Entries)

A.J. DeNicco

Players are back from break, and will play another three levels before they take some time off again.  A.J. DeNicco sits at Table 74, and although you may not recognize him as a player, you could quite possibly be wearing his brand.  DeNicco is the Founder/CEO/President of Blind Squirrel Apparel, a clothing company designed around the poker player.

Since officially launching in 2012, Blind Squirrel has become extremely popular around the community, and can be seen worn at nearly every tournament on the circuit.  A.J. may have a solid expertise in the clothing industry, but he is still looking for his first big tournament score.  He has three recorded cashes, with the largest being just under $5,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Taking A Break

Players are going on their first (15) minute break of the day, and will return to Level 4 and blinds of 150/300/50.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Breaking Out

Level 3 - Blinds 100/200/25 (170 Total Entries)

Joseph McKeehen (North Wales, PA) can no longer be considered a breakout player, after he's bettered his 2012 tournament earnings of $250,000.  McKeehen already has over $260,000 in earnings this year, and just added $14,000 with a chop in the most recent Main Event (Philly Poker Open) at Harrah's Chester.

McKeehen is currently top fifty in tournament cashes for 2013, just proving that these numbers aren't those of just a "good run."  Joseph cashed in two of the three trophy events during the Big Stax III series in August, finishing 17th in the Big Stax 300 ($3,000) and 31st in the Big Stax 500 ($1,534).  He's won over $35,000 since those finishes in different tournament across the country, and looks to pad the stats over the next few weeks.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Level 3 Begins

Level 3 will start with the next hand, as the blinds increase to 100/200.  There are currently 154 total entries, with the number increasing as each minute ticks off the clock.

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): In The Field

Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

More of the familiar faces have made their way to the felt:

Eric Rivkin
Jason Rivkin
Stephanie Hubbard
Joe Palma
Mohammed Farrah
TJ Shulman
Jeff Wicker

Big Stax 300 (Day 1A): Defending 1/4 Of A Title

Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

Greg Himmelbrand (Oakland Gardens, NY) is one of four players who chopped this same event in the Big Stax III series.  Greg took home $43,457 as his part of the chop, and has just taken his seat at Table 66.  Himmelbrand chopped the tournament four ways with Travis Firing ($47,000), Edmond Petrella ($44,275), and Seth Zimmerman ($38,904).

Got (1/4th of) a title to defend. May as well beast it. #parxbigstax
— Greg Himmelbrand (@GregHPoker) October 3, 2013

Play Underway

Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

The tournament floor has given the dealers the word to "shuffle up and deal," and play has begun in the   clubhouse room.  The usual suspects are steadily filing into the room, some of which include:

Michael Marder
Alan Kraut
Nancy Martin
Hua Wei

Big Stax 300 Underway Shortly

The opening event of the Big Stax IV series will begin in just under an hour.  The Big Stax 300 will kick off at 11:00am, complete with the same great structure (45 min. levels Day 1/90 min. levels beyond), and unlimited entries throughout each starting day.

As the players begin entering the clubhouse room, and the cards are in the air, we will start our live coverage of the event.