$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 8: 300/600/75 Ante

According to Mukul Pahuja, he opened the pot to 1,400 from the hijack, and Ari Engel three-bet to 3,600 in the cutoff. When it folded back to Pahuja, he shoved his covering stack forward, and Engel called all in for about 16,000 total.

Pahuja:
Engel:

Engel flopped his set on the , but Pahuja turned the nuts with a . The river was no help to Engel, and he’s been eliminated just before the last break of the night.

Mukul Pahuja – 46,000 (77 bb)
Ari Engel – Eliminated

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 8: 300/600/75 Ante

There’s about 14,000 in the pot as the turn card arrives on the board. Blair Hinkle is heads-up and in position, and he and his opponent both check.

The river is the . It’s checked to Hinkle again, and he bets 6,000, less than half the pot. His opponent quickly calls.

Hinkle shows to win the pot with quads, and he’s starting to inch his way up the leaderboard after a sluggish start this afternoon.

Blair Hinkle – 51,000 (85 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 8: 300/600/75 Ante

The field has been reduced to 45 players, and they’re gathered around the final five tables left in the room.

Some of those who did not make the most recent table break include Stewart Newman and Alec Torelli. They, like the rest of the players, have the option to try again on Friday’s Day 1B and/or Saturday’s Day 1C.

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 7: 250/500/75 Ante

There’s a flop out on board in a three-way pot, and Mike Beasley checks from the small blind. The under-the-gun player bets 3,000 into a pot of about 4,000, and a player in position calls. Beasley check-raises all in for 18,325, and the bettor calls. The third player ducks out of the way, leaving Beasley heads up to showdown with his tournament life on the line.

Beasley: (set of fours)
Opponent: (pair of jacks)

The turn and river secure the pot for Beasley, and he doubles up with a full house.

Mike Beasley – 43,650 (87 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 7: 250/500/75 Ante

Registration is closed for the Day 1A flight with 79 entries on the board. That number needs to grow to a total of 445 over the course of the next two starting days, so there’s a real possibility of overlay for this $1 million guaranteed event.

There are about 50 players remaining, with action scheduled to continue through the end of Level 10.

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
End of Level 6: 200/400/50 Ante

Below are some of the big stacks and familiar faces heading into Level 7. Blinds will be 250/500 with a 75-chip ante when play resumes.

Jerry Wong – 108,675 (217 bb)
George El-Khouri – 106,500 (213 bb)
Mike Wang – 99,350 (199 bb)
Ian O’Hara – 77,850 (156 bb)
Robert Barreto – 70,350 (141 bb)
Dominique Moseley – 52,025 (104 bb)
Trevor Doughty – 38,550 (77 bb)
Erik Christensen – 35,800 (72 bb)
Mukul Pahuja – 35,650 (71 bb)
Bruce Snell – 30,000 (60 bb)
John Holley – 28,500 (57 bb)
John Depersio – 26,550 (53 bb)
Alec Torelli – 25,650 (51 bb)
Blair Hinkle – 25,600 (51 b)
Hans Winzeler – 22,650 (45 bb)
Mike Beasley – 20,825 (42 bb)
Stewart Newman – 15,525 (31 bb)
Scott Efron – 0 (0 bb)

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 6: 200/400/50 Ante

Flight 1A of the Championship is off on a 60-minute dinner break with 78 entrants currently in the game. We are tracking down the big stacks and notable players remaining while they enjoy some time away from the Pavilion.

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 6: 200/400/50 Ante

Mukul Pahuja is the latest big name to get in Flight 1A and joins a packed lineup at his table. Scott Efron and Michael Wang are still holding down the middle of the table but now the last three seats are occupied by Pahuja, Stewart Newman, and John Holley.

Good luck Table 11.

Pahuja was the World Poker Tour Player of the Year for Season XII with four televised final tables (and one TV-table bubble). He also has one WSOP final table from this summer plus two WSOP Circuit rings. Pahuja’s biggest cash came with a third place finish in the 2013 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open (later won by Blair Hinkle).

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 5: 150/300/50 Ante

Han Winzeler is among the now 73-entrant Flight 1A as they move through the fifth level of the day. He’s back in the Pavilion one year removed from a nice Coco run.

Winzeler ran up a big stack in the 2014 Coco Poker Open and the Miami resident rode it all the way to the final day. There were 27 returning that day and Winzeler finished in 4th place for a $70,000 payday.

That is just part of Winzeler’s $1.8 million in career earnings with three WSOP final tables (runner-up finish in 2011 Six-Handed PLO) and a WPT Jacksonville final table in 2012.

$2,500 Coco Poker Open Championship
Level 5: 150/300/50 Ante

Erik Christensen continues to lead the field in 1A but George El-Khouri joined him in the 80K club. Kamran Siddiqui and Yaroslav Nakonechnyy are making a bid toreach the top in the pre-dinner levels while a few others have some work to do.

El-Khouri is looking for his second cash of the series after going deep in Event 1.

Top and notable counts:

Erik Christensen – 87,650 (292 bb)
George El-Khouri – 81,375 (271 bb)
Kamran Siddiqui – 77,900 (260 bb)
Yaroslav Nakonechnyy – 76,475 (255 bb)
Bruce Snell – 51,050 (170 bb)
Ian O’Hara – 45,950 (153 bb)
Trevor Doughty – 42,800 (143 bb)
Scott Efron – 42,425 (141 bb)
Michael Wang – 41,925 (140 bb)
Dominique Mosley – 33,675 (112 bb)
Joelle Guarino – 31,475 (105 bb)
Chris Bolek – 31,175 (104 bb)
John Depersio – 29,750 (99 bb)
Blair Hinkle – 23,925 (80 bb)
Larry Klur – 22,675 (76 bb)
John Holley – 13,200 (44 bb)
Stewart Newman – 13,175 (44 bb)
T.K. Miles – 12,300 (41 bb)