$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
End of Level 14: 2,000/4,000/400 Ante

Fourteen levels have come and gone, and Day 1B is complete. From the starting field of 152 entries, just 20 players lasted to night’s end. Here are the chip counts for the survivors:

Michael Ortiz – 207,500 (42 bb)
Mike Beasley – 204,500 (41 bb)
Stefan Lue – 203,500 (41 bb)
David MacDonald – 192,500 (39 bb)
Elizabeth Van Schaik – 178,500 (36 bb)
Jason Gooch – 167,000 (33 bb)
Neal Rocklin – 159,500 (32 bb)
Scott Wyler – 156,500 (31 bb)
David Albertson – 145,000 (29 bb)
Joe Yselonia – 129,500 (26 bb)
Brett Bader – 109,000 (22 bb)
Scott Efron – 104,000 (21 bb)
Howard Mash – 91,000 (18 bb)
Dan Weitzenkorn – 82,000 (16 bb)
Gerald Kaiser – 72,000 (14 bb)
Keith Morea – 68,000 (14 bb)
Jerzy Kessler – 56,500 (11 bb)
Tuan Vu – 51,500 (10 bb)
Doug Chan – 30,500 (6 bb)
Jorge Merino – 23,000 (5 bb)

Mike Beasley was the chip leader until the final hand, but posting the last big blind of the night knocked him out of the top spot. Michael Ortiz wins the bonus prize for Day 1B, his big stack earning him a free entry into the series’ $2,500 Championship Event on October 1. Kenneth Bruno still holds the overall chip lead after bagging up 256,000 during this afternoon’s Day 1A flight. They and the other survivors are guaranteed to return for Sunday’s combined Day 2.

Since this is a best-stack-foward event, however, everyone also has the option to enter any of the four remaining starting flights in an effort to bag a bigger stack.

Friday’s Day 1C begins at 11:00 AM, and Day 1D starts at 7:00 PM.

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 14: 2,000/4,000/400 Ante

The field has been reduced to 27 players as the night’s last level begins.

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 13: 1,500/3,000/400 Ante

The players are back from their final break of the evening, and play has resumed. There are two levels remaining in Day 1B.

Here are the top three stacks:

Stefan Lue – 191,100 (64 bb)
Dave Albertson – 187,900 (63 bb)
David MacDonald – 181,400 (60 bb)

The chip leader from each flight, including this Day 1B, wins a free seat to the $2,500 Championship on October 1, so there are more than just end-of-day bragging rights up for grabs in this tightly-contested battle.

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 12: 1,200/2,400/300 Ante

The Day 1B field has been reduced from 152 players to just 36 as Level 12 begins. That leaves four nine-handed tables in play, and the average stack is just under 30 big blinds.

Play will continue tonight until the end of Level 14, about 2:45 AM.

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 11: 1,000/2,000/200 Ante

Phil Hernz is a 23-year-old professional who lives in nearby Plantation, Florida. A former poker dealer from the Gulf Coast, Hernz is just embarking on his new career as a full-time player, and things are off to a flying start. Last month, he traveled to Baltimore for the WSOP Circuit event. Over the course of the 12-day series, Hernz made three final tables, winning one gold ring and locking up the Casino Champion honors in the process. Just last week, he took a road trip to Seminole Immokalee for the WPT Deepstacks event, finishing as runner-up in the Main Event and earning his largest score to date. In total, Hernz now has nearly $80,000 in live tournament winnings.

The young pro is here in Coconut Creek this week too, and he’s looking to make an early dent in Event #1. Hernz is sitting with about an average chip stack as Level 11 winds down.

Phil Hernz – 65,000 (33 bb)

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 10: 800/1,600/200 Ante

Level 10 begins, and registration is closed for Day 1B. The 151 entries combined with the 135 from Day 1A creates a running total of 286 through the first two starting flights.

There are four more starting flights scheduled, with two apiece to be held on Friday and Saturday. This is also a “best stack forward” event, meaning even those who’ve already bagged up chips are eligible to re-enter any of the remaining flights.

Play will continue tonight through the end of Level 14.

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 9: 600/1,200/200 Ante

Day 1B is more than halfway complete, and the race is on for the end-of-night bonus. The player who bags up the most chips at the end of Level 14 will win a $2,500 seat into the series’ Championship event on October 1.

Dan Weitzenkorn is among the current chip leaders, closing in on 100,000 chips as Level 9 begins. Weitzenkorn is from upstate New York, but this casino is essentially his second home. His father, Paul, lives in the area, and Weitzenkorn uses the family trips as an excuse to get in a few hands of poker, too. So far, so good here on Thursday evening.

Everyone is chasing Dave Albertson right now, though. Albertson is from nearby Coral Springs, and he’s a fixture on the Florida poker circuit. He begins the new level with 115,000 chips, the only player to have crossed into six-figure territory so far in the evening flight.

Dave Albertson – 115,000 (96 bb)
T.V. Aw – 95,000 (79 bb)
Dan Weitzenkorn – 90,000 (75 bb)

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 8: 500/1,000/100 Ante

Level 8 has come and gone, and the players are on another 15-minute break. The clock shows an even 150 entries so far in this flight. When the survivors return, the blinds will be 600/1,200 with a 200-chip ante.

An update on the current chip leaders will be posted shortly.

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 7: 400/800/100 Ante

The first six levels are complete, and the board shows 141 entries (and counting) in this evening’s flight. Registration and re-entry remain open until the start of Level 10, so there are just over 90 minutes left to enter Day 1B.