$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.

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 200/400/50 Ante

Flight 1B is up to 135 entrants with plenty of time to get in the action. Paulius Bikus is the early leader with Uri Tenenboim not far behind and plenty of time for someone to catch either.

Top and notable stacks:

Paulius Bikus – 52,750 (132 bb)
Uri Tenenboim – 51,250 (128 bb)
Kathryn Pennell – 49,450 (124 bb)
Neal Rocklin – 47,300 (118 bb)
Phillip Hernz – 46,600 (117 bb)
Rodolfor Castillo – 45,250 (113 bb)
Larry Klur – 42,125 (105 bb)
Todd Altinbas – 25,725 (64 bb)
Abbey Daniels – 25,075 (63 bb)
Scott Efron – 22,450 (56 bb)
Brett Bader – 21,550 (54 bb)
Mike Beasley – 18,975 (47 bb)
Paula Barros – 9,150 (23 bb)

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 4: 150/300/25 Ante

Players are on their first break of 1B with 132 entrants so far. We’ll return with some big stacks and notable counts.

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 3: 100/200

Flight 1B is cruising along and quickly topped the 100 entrant mark in the second hour of action. We’re seeing a lot more local regulars in the field for the evening session, all with past success.

One table is especially loaded with Brett Bader, Michael Ortiz, Scott Efron, and Todd Altinbas.

$350 No Limit Hold’em Deep Stack (Re-Entry)
Level 1: 50/100

While we were watching the color up and counting process from 1A, the evening flight of Event 1 kicked off around them. The entrants from 1B will add on top of the 135 who joined in 1A earlier today and they’ll play the same format.

Players sit down to 16,000 stacks and play 30-minute levels throughout the day. Late registration is open until the end of Level 9, approximately 12am, and unlimited re-entries during that time. Play will end for the night after Level 14 and the survivors will return on Sunday for Day 2.

There’s also an end-of-flight bonus for the chip leader. The player with the most chips when they bag up after Level 14 will earn a $2,500 seat into the $1,000,000 GTD Coco Poker Open Championship.