Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Updated Chip Counts

Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000/500 (Total Entries: 241)

Here are some updated counts from the field:

Greg Miller - 415,000
Patti Haggerty - 410,000
A.J. DeNicco - 270,000
Jared Jaffee - 220,000
Robert Pyne - 150,000
Jeff Wicker - 140,000
Christine Brewer - 125,000
Dave Inselberg - 120,000
Michael Marder - 110,000

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Final Break

Leve 14 is winding down, and players will go on a (10) minute break while the floor colors off the (100) denomination chips.  They are no longer needed with the blinds going up to 2,000/4,000/500 for the final level of the night.  Patti Haggerty (Scranton, PA) is over 275,000, and is looking for her first cash at Parx.  She has over $15,000 in career tournament earnings, but just tripled that number in a single session over this past week, hitting a table share of a bad beat worth $41,000.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Level Going Up

There are currently 54 players remaining in the clubhouse room, which is the same type of pace we had yesterday when we finished with 29 players.  Greg Miller is continuing to lead the way with over 380,000, while we are seeing success out of another former Big Stax winner.  Edmond Petrella (Lumberton, NJ) was one of four players to chop the Big Stax III (Big Stax 300).  Petrella's chop amount that he recieved was $44,275, which was good enough for 2nd in the tournament.

Players will be moving up to Level 14 in less than two minutes, with blinds going up to 1,500/3,000/400.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Who We've Lost

Here are a few players to bust before break, and yet to return with a re-entry slip:

Norman Michalek
Marguerite Spagnuolo
Anthony DiGrado

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Break

Players are going on break for (15) minutes, and they will return to Level 13 and blinds of 1,200/2,400/300.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Chip Leaders

Level 12 - Blinds 1,000/2,000/300 (Total Entries: 238)

Players will finish this level, which has 21:00 remaining, and will once again go on a (15) minute break.  The two largest stacks in the room belong to Greg Miller (330,000) and Jesse Mercaudo (320,000). 

Mercaudo was actually down to 6,000 chips at one point in the tournament, and has clearly gone on a steady upswing.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Level Update

Level 11 has just started with blinds increasing to 800/1,600/200.  Including the seats that are going to be given away in tonight's satellite, we will have reached the tournaments guarantee.  Here are some counts from the end of Level 10:

Christine Brewer - 170,000
Alan Kraut - 150,000
Edmond Petrella - 115,000
Jared Jaffee - 100,000
Marguerite Spagnuolo - 95,000
Michael Marder - 75,000
John Allan Hinds - 70,000

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Main Event Players Back & Satellite Running

Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200/200 (Total Entries: 234)

Main Event players are back from their dinner break, while the satellite for tomorrow's final day is underway in the main poker room.  There are 75 entries already in (Level 3), with registration open through the break after Level 6. 

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Jaffee Doubles

Level 9 - Blinds 500/1,000/100 (Total Entries: 230)

As we walked by Table 68, Jared Jaffee (Brooklyn, NY) had his remaining 40,000 in the middle on a board of A♠ Q♠ 8♣ 4♠.  His opponent quickly made the call and the two hands were tabled:

Jaffee: 3♠ 5♠            Player X: A♥ A♣

River: 2♦

Jaffee would end up cracking the aces after turning a flush, and now has close to 100,000.  Level 9 is winding down, and players will go on their (75) minute dinner break.

Live updates will resume at 7:30pm.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Last Level...Then Dinner

There is one minute remaining in Level 8, and players will post blinds of 500/1,000/100 in Level 9.  At the conclusion of this level the remaining players will go on dinner break (75 minutes).

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Solid Runout

Level 8 - Blinds 400/800/100 (Total Entries: 224)

Christine Brewer (Port Monmouth, NJ) is up over 120,000 after doubling up, courtesy of a nice runout.  She was all-in on a flop of K♠ 5♠ 3♠ with A♠ A♣, but was behind her opponents flopped flush (8♠ 6♠).  The turn K♣ wasn't what she may of been looking for, but the river K♥ would lock up the hand for her, and the full double.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Level Up

Level 8 is going to start in a few minutes, and players will then be posting blinds of 400/800/100 (222 total entries).  New players to the field include Norman Michalek and Matt Maccaroni.

Tonight at 7:00pm the poker room will be running a $100 + 20 satellite into tomorrow's Day 1C.  The satellites so far have been very popular, and on average have given away 10+ seats.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Break Time

It's time for the second break of the day, with players returning to blinds of 300/600/100.  The total number of entrants has gone up to 216.  The tournament floor is now coloring off the (25) denomination chips.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Through The Lens

Level 6 - Blinds 250/500/50 (Total Entries: 208)

Christine Brewer & Patti Haggerty

Sean Wallace 

BFF's Dave Inselberg & Jared Jaffee

Alex Queen

(Left to Right) Mitchell Martin, Jeff Spence, Mike Azzarro

Kevin Lutz

Steven Sarmiento

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Pushing Forward

Level 4 - Blinds 150/300/50 (Total Entries: 203)

The total number of entries has surpassed the 200 mark, which means we are only 47 entries away from meeting the guarantee.  The Day 1C fields are always going to be the largest, so it will only be a question of how much the guarantee will be crushed by.  Also in the field today is Kobi Waldfogel (Philadelphia, PA), who hasn't been seen in a while.  Kobi won a bracelet in 2011 during our inaugural Parx Open Poker Classic ($200 NL Hold'em), and followed that with a 12th place finish in that same series main event.

Kobi Waldfogel (Circa. 2011)

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Break Time

Players are going on their first (15) minute break of the tournament, and will return to blinds of 150/300/50.  More notables continue to enter the field:

Jared Jaffee
Christine Brewer
Alex Queen

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Also Here

Level 3 - Blinds 100/200/25 (Total Entries: 187)

The field is on the same pace that we had yesterday (number of entries), and we are seeing some more notables in the crowd:

John Allan Hinds
Sean Wallace
Jeff Wicker
Robert Pyne
Paul Shedaker
Dave Inselberg
A.J. DeNicco

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): In The Field

Level 2 - Blinds 75/150

Here are some of the players we've seen taking their seats in the clubhouse room:

Joseph McKeehen
Michael Marder
Mike Azzarro
Alan Kraut

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1B): Second Day Of Play

Level 1 - Blinds 50/100

Yesterday we saw 120 total entries for Day 1A, with 29 players bagging chips for the night.  It was Michael Matrone (Morganville, NJ) bagging the chip lead with 461,000, and Jason Heaney (Philadelphia, PA) the only other player to bag more than 400,000.

We are already half of the way to reaching the guarantee for this event, and by dinner tonight should surpass that number.  For any players that utilize Twitter throughout the tournament, don't forget to use the #parxbigstax in order for those to be seen.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): End Of Day 1A Chip Counts

Total Players: 120		Players left: 29	Chip Avg: 206,896
Michael	Matrone	Morganville NJ	461,000
Jason	Heaney	Philadelphia PA	403,000
Even	Kochav	Jersey City NJ	351,000
Michael	Drabot	Riverside NJ	321,000
Rajendra	Patel	Meriden CT	314,000
Marvin	Siegel	Monroe Twp NJ	273,500
Gregory	Fishberg	Huntingdon Valley	272,000
Linyu	Shi	China	271,000
Abraham	Gordon	Lakewood NJ	255,500
Peter	Ippolito	East Meadow NY	239,500
Paul	Spitzberg	Tenafly NJ	219,000
Seth	Ampolsky	Marlboro NJ	218,000
Seetal	Patel	Monmouth Junction NJ	208,000
Mike	Sandler	New York NY	203,000
Richard	Pyne	Turnisville	195,000
Abe	Faroni	Philadelphia PA	194,000
Lin	Ding	New York NY	183,500
Rafael	Menkes	Maryland	172,500
Pete	Sterns	Hamilton NJ	170,000
Jennifer	So	Galloway NJ	168,000
Vincent	Roazzi	New Hope PA	148,500
David Loy	Song	Newburgh NY	115,000
Jake	Schindler		109,000
Chris	Adams	Clayton NC	108,000
Georoh	Netanelof	New York NY	100,200
Laurence	Wolf	Annapolis MD	94,000
Gregory	Whiting	Philadelphia PA	87,000
Baruch	Thaler	Brooklyn NY	79,500
Peter	Malkoun	Brookhaven PA	51,500

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Photo Gallery

Level 15 - Blinds 2,000/4,000/500 (Total Entries: 120)

As players finish out the day, it gave for some photo opportunities.  With 10:00 minutes remaining in the night, the floor will determine how many hands are left to be played.  Players will then bag and tag their chips, and we will post the end of Day 1A counts via the blog/live updates page/Twitter:

Baruch Thaler (Right)

Greg Whiting

Peter Ippolito

Abe Faroni

Final  Level 

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Final Break

Players are on their final (15) minute break of the night, and will return to blinds of 2,000/4,000/500.  The tournament floor is currently coloring off the (100) denomination chips, and we will follow with some updated chip counts afterwards.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Still Alive

Level 14 - Blinds 1,500/3,000/400 (Total Entries: 120)

With just over an hour left of play in the night, there are 40 players remaining in the field.  Our former chip leader Robert Sichelstiel has moved tables and seen a steady down trend.  He went from 320,000 to just below 130,000 in a matter of a level or so.  Some notables still alive:

Jennifer So
Jeff Wicker
Paul Spitzberg
Greg Fishberg
Jack Duong
Abe Faroni 
Joe Wertz
Marvin Siegel
Mike Sandler

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Chip Counts

Level 13 - Blinds 1,200/2,400/300 (Total Entries: 118)

Here are some updated counts from the field:

Robert Sichelstiel - 310,000
Paul Spitzberg - 230,000
Marvin Siegel - 190,000
Abe Faroni - 170,000
Benny Bianco - 160,000
Jack Duong - 140,000
Jeff Wicker - 130,000
Matt Glantz - 90,000
Joe Palma - 70,000

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Break Time

Players are going on a (15) minute break, and when they return the blinds will be going up to 1,200/2,400/300.  The number of total entries has gone up to 117, with about 54 currently playing at the moment.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Level Up

Level 12 has just started, with blinds going up to 1,000/2,000/300 (Total Entrants: 117).  Robert Sichelstiel (pictured earlier) is leading the at the moment with over 315,000 (150 big blinds).  Players will go on break after this level, and for those looking ahead, the night will finish at the conclusion of Level 15.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Only One In The Field

Level 11 - Blinds 800/1,600/200 (Total Entries: 113)

Jennifer So (Galloway, NJ)

In what's almost a statistical anomaly, Jennifer So is the only female in the Day 1A field.  So has about three times the starting stack, and is seated at Table 65 with Parx regulars Joe Palma and Jeff Wicker.  Jennifer has over $60,000 in career tournament earnings, most recently a cash in the WPT $10K Championship Event at the L.A. Poker Classic.  She finished in 43rd place for just over $25,000.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Picture Counts

Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200/200 (Total Entries: 111)

The trend of starting slow continues as there aren't many really substantial stacks in the field.  We were although, able to catch up with some of the players off to a solid start:

Fritz Stoner (170,000)

Justin Liberto (140,000)

Robert Sichelstiel (270,000)

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Back From Dinner

Level 10 - Blinds 600/1,200/200 (Total Entries: 110)

Play is once again underway after returning from dinner.  Updated chip counts will be posted shortly, including any players that are new to the field.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Dinner Bell

Dinner break has just started, and will last for (75) minutes.  When they players return they will be posting blinds of 600/1,200/200.  Play should resume at approximately 7:30pm.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Level Up

Players are now posting blinds of 500/1,000/100, with the total number of entries sitting at 106.  At the end of this level players will be going on a (75) minute dinner break.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Late Arrivals

Level 7 - Blinds 300/600/100 (Total Entries: 99)

Players continue to file into the clubhouse room, as we are about to reach 100 entries.  Players coming into the tournament now will have 50 big blinds, which is more than enough play.  Danny Warchol (Youngstown, OH) finished third in the Big Stax II main trophy event, cashing for just under $50,000.  That event was eventually chopped by Jonas Wexler and Mike Dentale, who took $100,000 each.  Also taking their seats in the room were Parx Poker ambassador Matt Glantz and Parx regular Abe Faroni.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Break Time

Players are going on their second break of the day (15 minutes), and will return to Level 7 and blinds of 300/600/100.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Breaking Out

Level 6 - Blinds 250/500/50 (Total Entries: 85)

Poker is full of trends, upswings, and the dreaded downswings as well.  The breakout year is something that everyone is looking for, and there are two players in the field that would call 2013 their breakout: Joseph McKeehen and Justin Liberto.

Justin Liberto (Fallston, MD):

Justin already had eleven recorded cashes before heading to Las Vegas and his first WSOP event ever played.  He would end up taking fourth in what would have to be the second most prestigious event behind the main, bring back over $400,000.

Joseph McKeehen (North Wales, PA):

McKeehen has been crushing tournaments this year, with the highlight so far being his win at the WSOPC (Caesers, AC) for just under $175,000.

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Back From Break

Players have returned from their first (15) minute break of the day.  The blinds coming back in Level 4 are 150/300/50, with the number of total entries up to 75.  More notables in the field include:

Joseph McKeehen
Matt Brady
Justin Liberto
Mike Sandler

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): We See You

Level 3 - Blinds 100/200/25 (Total Entries: 64)

The day may be starting slowly, but it hasn't deterred any of our notables from taking their seats.  Just a quick glance around the room give us a few names:

TJ Shulman
Greg Fishberg
Alan Kraut
Jack Duong
Ken Silberstein
Akib Ali
Joe Wertz
Peter Ippolito
Marvin Siegel
Alexander Queen
Frank Ferrigno

Big Stax 1000 (Day 1A): Main Trophy Event Underway

The cards are about to be in the air, as players take their seats in the clubhouse room.   Here is the information you need the know (for now):

Day 1A: October 10
Day 1B: October 11
Day 1C: October 12

Day 2: October 13
Day 3: October 14

Starting Stax: 50,000
Levels: 45 minutes all Day 1's, increasing to 90 minutes Day 2 and beyond

Re-Entries: Unlimited throughout each starting day

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

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): 1st Place - Sosa ($51,614)

Level 29 - Blinds 75,000/150,000/25,000

Alfredo Sosa (Paraguay)
Big Stax 300 Winner - $51,614

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): 2nd Place - Ross ($40,218)

Level 29 - Blinds 75,000/150,000/25,000

Ray Ross (Pennsylvania)
2nd Place - $40,218

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): 3rd Place - Sarmiento ($39,315)

Level 29 - Blinds 75,000/150,000/25,000

Steve Sarmiento (Queens, NY)
3rd Place - $39,315

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): Chop It Up

The three players have decided to chop (ICM), and here are how the payouts look:

1. $51,614 (Alfredo Sosa)
2. $40,218 (Ray Ross)
3. $39,315 (Steven Sarmiento)

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): Final Break?

Players are about to go on another break, and will return to Level 30 and blinds of 100,000/200,000/25,000.  Ray Ross just doubled before break, and here are the updated counts:

1. Alfredo Sosa - 16,000,000
2. Steven Sarmiento - 7,900,000
3. Ray Ross - 8,300,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): 4th Place - Lisovskiy ($14,607)

Level 29 - Blinds 75,000/150,000/25,000

Players Remaining: 3 (Average: 10,000,000)

Dennis Lisovskiy (Holland, PA)
4th Place - $14,607

Ray Ross limped under the gun (150,000), and when Sosa folded to Sarmiento, he made is 925,000.  Dennis then four bet all-in for 2,500,000, and Ross folded behind.  Sarmiento would make the call and the cards would be tabled:

Sarmiento: A♦ K♦               Lisovskiy: A Q

Flop: 2♦ 4♦ J

Turn: 7

River: 10

Sarmiento would win the hand and chip up to 11,000,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): 5th Place - Ferrigno ($11,778)

Level 29 - Blinds 75,000/150,000/25,000

Players Remaining: 4 (Average: 8,000,000)

Frank Ferrigno (Wayne, PA)
5th Place - $11,778

Ferrigno was still left as the short stack, even after Ross had been knocked down a bit.  He had been blinding himself down before shoving Q J into the A K of Sosa.  

Sosa would hold up and would chip up to 18,000,000 (which is more than 55% of the chips in play).  His closest competitor at the moment has 6,000,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): It's A Cruel (Mixed Up) Game

Level 29 - Blinds 75,000/150,000/25,000

Players Remaining: 5 (Average: 5,500,000)

To begin to explain the action that just occurred would likely be too confusing to even lay out.  In the best fashion that we probably can though...we will give it a shot.

Basically...after a raise and a three-bet, there was a premature flop put out (before action could be completed).  Let's take a step back to mention the hand was between Ray Ross and Steven Sarmiento.  

In order to not fill in pieces that aren't fully verified, we will give the story in the simplest terms.  They players were told the flop would be taken back and mixed back in the deck and we would see a new flop.  The players then got all the chips in the middle (the completed action that never had a chance to occur pre).  The hands were exposed and it was A K (Ross) against the A 4 (Sarmiento).  The board would run out clean for Ross until a 4 spiked the river!!!  

Sarmiento would double up to 4,400,000, while Ross was taken down to below 3,000,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): Your Chip Leader

Level 29 - Blinds 75,000/150,000/25,000

Players Remaining: 5 (Average: 5,600,000)

Alfredo Sosa (13,000,000)

Not much is known about Sosa, as he has zero recorded cashes to date.  What we do know is that he's got close to half of the chips in play, and he continues playing with a strong aggressive style.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): 6th Place - Hayes ($9,348)

Level 29 - Blinds 75,000/150,000/25,000

Players Remaining: 5 (Average: 5,500,000)

Bryan Hayes (Moorestown, NJ)
6th Place - $9,348

Bryan Hayes was trying to something that we have yet to see at Parx, which is making the final three in two separate Big Stax events (he finished runner-up to Jason Rivkin during the Big Stax I).  Dennis Lisovskiy shoved for 2,575,000 and after the action folded around the Hayes, he re-shoved for less:

Hayes: J J           Lisovskiy: K Q

Flop: 9 2 3

Turn: Q

River: x

We hadn't seen Hayes often since his runner-up finish (for over $50,000), but he's clear not a flash in the pan.  He bested two different fields over 1,000 players, and finish 2nd and 6th respectively.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): 7th Place - Cannon ($7,073)

Level 29 - Blinds 75,000/150,000/25,000

Players Remaining: 6 (Average: 5,000,000)

Mike Cannon (Harrisburg, PA)
7th Place - $7,073

Cannon came back from break as the shortest stack, and would be eliminated the first hand back from break.  He shoved with K J and ran into the K K of Alfredo Sosa, who would stretch out his chip lead a little more.

Cannon will bring his career earnings up to $40,000 with this cash, and we're sure to see him in the near future.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): Break Time

Players are going on another (10) minute break, and when they return to Level 29 the blinds will be going up to 75,000/150,000/25,000.  Here are the updated chip counts:

Ray Ross - 7,700,000

Frank Ferrigno - 3,700,000

Mike Cannon - 2,300,000

Bryan Hayes - 2,400,000

Alfredo Sosa - 10,500,000

Steven Sarmiento - 3,000,000

Dennis Lisovskiy - 2,800,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): 8th Place - McKeehen ($5,074)

Level 28 - 50,000/100,000/10,000

Players Remaining: 7 (Average: 5,300,000)

Joseph McKeehen (North Wales, PA)
8th Place - $5,074

McKeehen's string of deep runs continue, but this time he will not be adding a Big Stax trophy to his mantle just yet.  His A K could not come from behind versus the J J of Ray Ross, and one of the most experienced players at the table would be sent to the cage.

Ross is now up to 7,000,000, which puts him towards the top of the seven remaining.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): Sosa Dips Down, But Back Up Again

Level 28 - Blinds 50,000/100,000/10,000
Players Remaining: 8 (Average: 4,400,000)

Alfredo Sosa was at point the chip leader, but saw himself drop back to the middle of the pack.  

Ferrigno opened the pot for 400,000, and was called by both Cannon and Sosa (who was on the button).  The flop came out 2 4 K, and everybody checked.  After the board paired with another K on the turn, Ferrigno led out for 555,000, and was called in both spots.  The river brought a Q and the action once again checked around.

Ferrigno showed J J, but was disgusted to see Sosa's A Q tabled.  Sosa would win the sizable pot and get back up above 6,000,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): Ferrigno Doubles

Level 28 - Blinds 50,000/100,000/10,000
Players Remaining: 8 (Average: 4,400,000)

Frank Ferrigno has been the first player in a while to take a significant chunk of Sosa's stack.  All the chips got in pre (4,500,000 pot), with Sosa's K K getting cracked by A 8.  

Frank is now up to 4,500,000, and now vaults himself to the top three.   Sosa loses just about 2,000,000 in the pot, and is now neck and neck with Lisovskiy.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): Break Time

Players are going on a (10) minute break and will return to blinds of 50,000/100,000/10,000.  Here are the updated chip counts:

1. Ray Ross - 4,100,000
2. Frank Ferrigno - 2,100,000
3. Joseph McKeehen - 3,300,000
4. Mike Cannon - 2,600,000
5. Bryan Hayes - 2,500,000
6. Alfredo Sosa - 8,200,000
7. Steven Sarmiento - 2,200,000
8. Dennis Lisovskiy - 7,000,000

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): 9th Place - Kalantarov ($3,844)

Level 27 - Blinds 40,000/80,000/10,000
Players Remaining: 8 (Average: 4,000,000)

Yurig Kalantarov (Rego Park,  NY)
9th Place - $3,844

Alfredo Sosa opened the pot for 160,000 and was called by Steven Sarmiento on his direct left.  The next to act was Yurig, who went all-in for 1,100,000.  Sosa thought for a second before declaring himself all-in as well (having both players well covered).  It would be a race between the two:

Sosa: 6 6           Yurig: A Q

Flop: 4 6 7

Turn: J

River: X

Sosa has been running well at the most important time, after being down to 1,500,000 just hours ago.  He's currently the chip leader with close to 9,000,000.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): Same Trend

Level 27 - Blinds 40,000/80,000/10,000
Players Remaining: 9 (Average: 3,600,000)

The same trend we were seeing earlier has shown its face again, as only one in every 4-5 hands are going to showdown.  When they do reach a flop, we are not seeing much action afterwards.

There are no noted chip swings to report.

Big Stax 300 (Day 3): Break Time

Players will be going on a (10) minute break, and will return to Level 27 and blinds of 40,000/80,000/10,000 (~44 big blinds).  Here are the updated chip counts from break:

1. Ray Ross - 3,400,000
2. Frank Ferrigno - 3,900,000
3. Joseph McKeehen - 2,600,000
4. Mike Cannon - 2,400,000
5. Bryan Hayes - 2,800,000
6. Alfredo Sosa - 7,500,000
7. Steven Sarmiento - 1,400,000
8. Dennis Lisovskiy - 6,000,000
9. Yurig Karantalov - 2,600,000