Big Stax 500 (Day 2): 27th Place - Esposito ($2,813)

Level 24 (Blinds 15,000/30,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 23

Michael Esposito (Seaford, NY)

It would of been a real story if a former "November Niner" made it to Day 3 of this event, but Michael Esposito's deep run was cut short by Chris Csik.  On a flop of 4 4 7, the two players would get the chips in (with Michael at risk):

Esposito: 7♣ 8♣
Csik: J♠ J♣

Flop: 4♥ 4♠ 7♠
Turn: 8♠
River: 2♦

Michael would be the first player eliminated since the redraw, earning himself $2,813. Chris Csik now sits with 1,900,000, this after grinding a stack of 8-10 big blinds not too long ago.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Redraw At 27

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 27

The players are now seated, and here is the layout of the remaining field:

Table 45:

1. Joe Palma
2. David Heck
3. Chris Csik
4. Scott Boxenhorn
5. Scott Blumstein
6. Jon Trublee
7. Michael Esposito
8. Joe Agrone
9. Cathy Dever

Table 46:

1. Al Riccobono
2. Jose Montes
3. Gene Raman
4. Tony Potis
5. Ari Buchman
6. Craig Bateman
7. Mark Petrowci
8. James Ingram
9. Chris Rich

Table 47:

1. Deding Xu
2. Zach Daly
3. Sandeep Patel
4. Aristedes Santana
5. Jeff Gross
6. Joe McKeehen
7. Anthony Garofalo
8. Eugene Zaslavsky
9. Vinny Pahuja

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Break Time/Updated Counts

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 28

Players are about to head on the final (15) minute break of the night, as the tournament supervisors color off the orange (1,000) chips.  Here is the complete chip count for those remaining:

Table 45:

1. Sandeep Patel - 2,200,000
2. Joe Agrone - 1,900,000
3. Cathy Dever - 1,300,000
4. Anthony Garofalo - 700,000
5. Aristedes Santana - 280,000
6. Zach Daly - 1,700,000
7. Ari Buchman - 1,100,000

Table 46:

1. Craig Bateman - 1,500,000
2. Gene Raman - 1,400,000
3. Joe McKeehen - 1,200,000
4. Joe Palma - 200,000
5. Michael Esposito - 850,000
6. Eugene Zaslavsky - 2,400,000
7. Scott Blumstein - 2,400,000

Table 47:

1. Vinny Pahuja - 2,800,000
2. Jeff Gross - 1,000,000
3. James Ingram - 1,700,000
4. Chris Rich - 700,000
5. Mark Petrowci - 1,800,000
6. Tony Potis - 950,000
7. Austin Buchanan - 560,000

Table 48:

1. Scott Boxenhorn - 450,000
2. David Heck - 850,000
3. Jon Trublee - 1,600,000
4. Deding Xu - 2,500,000
5. Al Riccobono - 650,000
6. Jose Montes - 1,600,000
7. Chris Csik - 925,000

***Update*** After all of these counts were typed out, Austin Buchanan was eliminated in 28th place, sending the field into a full table draw.  The draw with counts will be reposted so the correct seating is provided.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Maryland Presence Departs

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 29

Maryland has bred some really great players from those in our East Coast community, with the last of the representation just leaving this field.  Tim Little (Cheverly, MD) was the early story of the day, as he immediately shot up from his 100,000 Day 2 starting stack.  He would have almost triple the chip average a few levels into the tournament, and seemed poised to make a very deep run in the event.  The story after dinner changed drastically for Little, and he was left racing just moments ago with his shorter stack.  Tim's A♠ J♥ could not find any help against the 8♠ 8♣ of Sandeep Patel, and Little leaves the field in 30th place.  Patel has gotten very healthy on the other hand, sitting with just over 2,200,000.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): The Story Of Poker

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 30

Gene Raman (Mullica Hill, NJ)

Chau Nguyen was stealing all of the spotlight just after the bubble burst, going from 100,000 to chip leader (1,700,000) in what seemed a matter of a level.  After his table broke and he moved to Table 44, his chips began to steadily decline.  Chau got involved in a sizable pot before break with Eugene Zaslavsky, one in which he had to fold to a river all-in from Eugene.

Nyugen opened the pot for a raise moments ago and was subsequently three-bet by Gene Raman (Mullica Hill, NJ).  Chau would four-bet shove when the action was back to him, and the two would play a pot for essentially their tournament lives.  Gene's Kx Kx would never relinquish a strong lead against the 8x 8x of Chau, and he now sits with 1,100,000.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Losing Four In The First Third

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 31

The first (30) minutes of Level 23 have been fairly eventful, as the field loses four more players.  One player to note at the moment is Cathy Dever, who is (and has been for a while), the last lady standing in this event.  Cathy has been grinding a below average stack for most of Day 2, getting through a stage of being very short around and after the money bubble.  She is now at 900,000, which is just below the chip average, which sits at 1,100,000.  Here were the eliminations since returning:

32. Chris Calabrese
33. John DiBella
34. William Sanford
35. Jesse Willgruber

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Updated Chip Counts

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 35

Players are seated and the cards are once again in the air.  A full field chip count will be posted once the field hit their first redraw (when 27 remain), but until then, here are some of the top stacks:

Vinny Pahuja - 2,500,000
Deding Xu - 1,800,000
Joe Agron - 1,800,000
Scott Blumstein - 1,700,000
Sandeep Patel - 1,650,000
Craig Bateman - 1,600,000
Michael Esposito - 1,600,000
Zach Daly - 1,400,000
Joe McKeehen - 1,300,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Break Time/Table Layout

Level 23 (Blinds 12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 35

Players are heading on their (15) minute break, and will return to Level 23 and blinds of 12,000/24,000/4,000.  Here is the table layout for the final four that remain:

Table 45:

1. James Ingram
2. Sandeep Patel
3. Joe Agron
4. Tim Little
5. Cathy Dever
6. Anthony Garofalo
7. Aristedes Santana
8. Zach Daly
9. Jesse Willgruber

Table 46: 

1. Craig Bateman
2. Geno Raman
3. Joe McKeehen
4. Joe Palma
5. David Heck
6. Michael Esposito
7. Eugene Zaslavsky
8. Scott Blumstein
9. Chau Nguyen

Table 47:

1. Vinny Pahuja
2. Jeff Gross
3. John DiBella
4. David Appino
5. Chris Rich
6. Mark Petrowci
7. Tony Potis
8. Bill Sanford
9. Austin Buchanan

Table 48:

1. Scott Boxenhorn
2. (Empty)
3. Chris Calabrese
4. Jon Rublee
5. Deding Xu
6. Ari Buchman
7. Al Riccobono
8. Jose Montes
9. Chris Csik

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): 37th-45th Places ($2,154)

Level 22 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 36

The following players have cashed in the Big Stax 500 for $2,154:

37. Leo August (Cresskill, NJ)
38. David Datasvili (Forest Hills, NY)
39. Marvin Siegel (Monroe Township, NJ)
40. Adam Larkin (Niskayuna, NY)
41. Ari Nissim (Morris Plains, NJ)
42. Kevin Grabel (Southampton, PA)
43. Christopher Capone (Palmyra, PA)
44. Sundiata Devore (Syracuse, NY)
45. Judith Bielan (Bayonne, NJ)

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Team Kitten Purrs No More

Level 22 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 39

Chris Rich (North Masappequa, NY)

Kevin Grabel (Southampton, PA) of Team Kitten poker made a crucial mistake about (20) minutes ago, misreading his hand in a pot with Mike Petrowci.  It would cost Grabel over 70% of his stack at the time, and he just wasn't able to recover afterwards.

Grabel just open shoved his remaining 270,000, and was called by Christopher Rich on the button:

Grabel: K♦ 7♠
Rich: A♠ J♣

Runout: 5♥ 9♠ 2♦ 6♠ 3♥

This is the first we've heard form Rich since her bagged the chip lead on Day 1A, but with that pot he eclipses the chip average and sits with 1,100,000.  Grabel finishes in 42nd place and earns himself $2,154.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): 46th-54th Places ($1,846)

Level 22 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 45

The following players have cashed in the Big Stax 500 for $1,846:

46. Jonathan Borenstein (Teaneck, NJ)
47. Anthony Costantino (Kendall Park, NJ)
48. Joe Grodowski (Staten Island, NY)
49. Myron Rosenbaum (Philadelphia, PA)
50. Anna Antimony (Fort Lee, NJ)
51. Matteo Menna (Drexel Hill, PA)
52. David Novak (Philadelphia, PA)
53. James Poper (Pottstown, PA)
54. Jeff Wicker (Bristol, PA)

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Pahuja Assumes The Chip Lead

Level 22 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 46

Vinny Pahuja (New York, NY)

Table 49 just hosted the largest pot of the tournament, as Jonathan Borenstein and Vinny Pahuja get in 928,000 each pre-flop.  Pahuja was the final aggressor, four bet shoving, with Borestein making the call and having Vinny covered:

Pahuja: A♣ Q♠
Borenstein: A♥ K♠

Flop: A♦ 7♦ 4♠
Turn: Q♠
River: 3♠

Jonathan couldn't believe what unfolded on the turn, as he turned away and released some anger.  He'd have to sit and watch as the dealer cut 928,000 from his stack, leaving him with 470,000 after absorbing the loss.  While Vinny would chip up to 1,870,000 with the pot, Borenstein would be eliminated only a few hands later, running jacks into the aces of David Datashvili.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): McKeehen Flips Well

Level 22 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 48

Stacks Counted Down

Joe McKeehen has a count of how he is doing in flips today, coming back from break two for four (which is exactly how it works out in the end).  His most recent race was worth the most, as he got it in pre-flop with Anna Antimony for a pot worth over 1,350,000:

Antimony: J♣ J♥
McKeehen: A♦ K♠

Runout: K♥ 9♦ 3♦ 7♦ 5♣

Joe flops a king to take a hold of the hand right away, and sits stone faced as the dealer runs out the turn and river.  Anna was left to watch as tournament director Tom Martucci counted down her stack, only to confirm Joe had her covered.  McKeehen is over 1,400,000, while Antimony is eliminated in 50th place ($1,846).

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Returning From Dinner

Level 22 (Blinds 10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 51

Players are getting seated once again, with cards to be back in the air momentarily.  Just a reminder that the levels are now (90) minutes for the rest of the tournament.  There are three levels remaining in the night, unless the field reaches the final table, in which case the clock will be paused and chips bagged until tomorrow.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Dinner Break/Chip Counts

Level 21 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 51

Players are now going on their (75) minute dinner break, which will last from 6:45-8:00pm.  Those left will return to Level 22 and blinds of 10,000/20,000/3,000.  Here are some updated counted as players exit the tournament area:

Chau Nguyen - 1,600,000
Jon Rublee - 1,500,000
Scott Blumstein - 1,250,000
Jonathan Borenstein - 1,250,000
Tim Little - 1,200,000
Sandeep Patel - 1,200,000
John DiBella - 1,200,000
Michael Esposito - 1,000,000
Anna Antimony - 1,000,000
Jesse Willgruber - 990,000
Jose Montes - 950,000
James Ingram - 930,000
Kevin Grabel - 900,000
Joe McKeehen - 800,000
Al Riccabono - 790,000
Vinny Pahuja - 780,000
Leo August - 730,000
Joe Palma - 630,000
Marvin Siegel - 620,000
Matteo Menna - 340,000
Cathy Dever - 270,000
Chris  Csik - 260,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): 55th-63rd Places ($1,538)

Level 21 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 54 

The following players have cashed in the Big Stax 500 for $1,538:

55. Noam Fleigelman (Philadelphia, PA)
56. Andy Jiang (Brooklyn, NY)
57. Kevin Darouvar (Upper Brooksville, NY)
58. Matt Glantz (Lafayette Hills, PA)
59. Dawn Wilno (Hamilton, NJ)
60. Seetal Patel (Monmouth Junction, NJ)
61. Bob Pastore (Glen Mills, PA)
62. Matthew Wantman (Stoneham, MA)
63. Joshua Hertz (Chesterfield, NJ)

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Hurricane Chau

Level 21 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 56

It's not often that the same person will have three posts in a row surrounded around their goings on.  Chau Nguyen has managed to accomplish the feat though, as he becomes the chip leader of the remaining field.  It was less than (90) minutes ago that Nguyen held less than (15) big blinds, but after eliminating Kevin Darouvar, Chau is up to 1,600,000.

On a board reading K♦ 3♥ 2♥ 4♦ A♦, Kevin put out a river bet of 100,000.  Chau put together a few stacks of chips and pushed across a raise to 250,000.  Darouvar would three-bet shove for just over 300,000 more, and Nguyen made the call.  Kevin turned over 10♥ 8♠, with his bluff unsuccessful against the 10♦ 7♦ (rivered flush) of Nguyen.  Chau collected his new found chips, and assumed the position of chip leader with 56 players remaining.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Last Level Before Dinner

Level 21 (Blinds 8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 57

Level 21 started just moments ago, with blinds going up to 8,000/16,000/2,000.  Players will finish this level before going on a (75) minute dinner break.  Chau Nguyen, who was mentioned earlier going from 100,000 to 600,000, is now up to 1,000,000 after eliminating Parx Poker Ambassador Matt Glantz in 58th place ($1,538).

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Nguyen Happy To Still Be In

Level 20 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 62

Chau Nguyen

After an open to 25,000 from Matteo Menna, Matt Glantz would call behind, and Chau Nguyen three-bet shoved from the big blind (140,000).   The original raiser Menna pushed his cards towards the muck, and Matt put some chips across the line signifying a call.  Nguyen would be in bad shape with 3♠ 3♣ against Glantz's 7♦ 7♥, but Chau would flop a set and double to just over 300,000.

Not more than (10) minutes later, Chau would get his stack in pre against Scott Love (having Scott covered), racing for a pot worth over 570,000.  Chau's 10♥ 10♠ would hold against the A♣ Q♠ of love, and in a matter of (30) minutes, Nguyen goes from 140,000 to 600,000.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): 64th-72nd Places ($1,275)

Level 20 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 62

The following players have cashed in the Big Stax 500 for $1,275:

64. Collin White (Brooklyn, NY)
65. Kenneth Goodkind (Andalusia, PA)
66. Arniban Roy (Bethlehem, PA)
67. Scott Love (Wyndmoor, PA)
68. Asher Conniff (Brooklyn, NY)
69. Mohammed Farah (Bensalem, PA)
70. Samuel Abrams (Garfield, NJ)
71. Jamar Ross (Drexel Hill, PA)
72. Chris McNally (Bensalem, PA)

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Updated Chip Counts

Level 20 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 70

There are still a lot of quality players remaining in the field, similar to what we saw in the Big Stax 300.  Here are some of the chip counts from players not mentioned earlier:

Tim Little - 1,200,000
Scott Blumstein - 1,000,000
Jose Montes - 1,000,000
James Ingram - 1,000,000
Jonathan Borenstein - 850,000
Kevin Grabel - 800,000
Joe Palma - 760,000
Matt Glantz - 750,000
Michael Esposito - 730,000
Collin White - 670,000
Joe McKeehen - 660,000
Vinny Pahuja - 415,000
John DiBella - 405,000
Joe Gradowski - 400,000
Matteo Menna - 370,000
Asher Conniff - 370,000
Dawn Wilno - 310,000
Chris Csik - 180,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): 73rd-81st Places ($1,055)

Level 20 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 71

The following players have cashed in the Big Stax 500 for $1,055:

73. Andrew Zhu (South Plainfield, NJ)
74. George Dgheim (Staten Island, NY)
75. Vincent Teutonico (Staten Island, NY)
76. Mike Hollenberg (Rockaway, NJ)
77. Jacob Neff (Philadelphia, PA)
78. Todd Morehouse (Blue Bell, PA)
79. Eric Most (Midlothian, VA)
80. Frederick Weingart (New Egypt, NJ)
81. Andrew Lydon (Royersford, PA)

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Break Time

Level 20 (Blinds 6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 73

Players are heading on a (15) minute break, and when they return to Level 20, the blinds being posted will be 6,000/12,000/2,000.  Updated chip counts on notables still alive will be collected during the break, as well as the next group of players to cash.  Until then, here are some updated via Twitter:

347k 6k/12k/2k when we resume 506k avg 73 left
— Matteo Menna (@matteo__menna) August 10, 2014

980k 2nd break #steady
— Jose Montes (@suganills) August 10, 2014

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Post Bubble Chip Counts

Level 19 (Blinds 5,000/10,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 77

Players are going to head on their second break in (10) minutes, and will return to blinds of 6,000/12,000/2,000 in Level 20.  With the bubble madness now behind us, here are some of the biggest stacks currently active:

Austin Buchanan - 1,500,000
Tim Little - 1,300,000
Leo August - 1,100,000
Anna Antimony - 1,100,000
Sandeep Patel - 1,050,000
Scott Blumstein - 1,000,000
Jose Montes - 950,000
Jonanthan Borenstein - 800,000
Collin White - 800,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): 82nd-89th Places ($879)

Level 19 (Blinds 5,000/10,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 79

The following players have cashed in the Big Stax 500 for $879:

82. Michael Hickman (Media, PA)
83. Leon Zinder (Brooklyn, NY)
84. Dennis Thurman (Fisk, MO)
85. Alex Rocha (South Setauket, NY)
86. Philip Neiman (Flushing, NY)
87. Mike Jamurri (Montville, NJ)
88. Jason Beers (Ottsville, PA)
89. Jason Rivkin (Tinton Falls, NJ)

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): ITM Tweets

Level 19 (Blinds 5,000/10,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 85

Here are some Tweets from players in the field that made the money:

In the money with about 220k time to grind
— Matteo Menna (@matteo__menna) August 10, 2014

In the money with 780k #sick
— Jose Montes (@suganills) August 10, 2014

In the money @parxpokerroom Big Stax 500. More than one person at my table has been caught picking their nose. 97k up top. #TeamFiveBullet
— alex rocha (@THE_ALEX_ROCHA) August 10, 2014

Over 1 mil Itm of Parx 550 48 min left of 10kbb.
— Scott Blumstein (@SBlum2711) August 10, 2014

441k itm of parx 550, 89 left 97k for first this would be a nice tournament to win.
— Anthony Garofalo (@thegoonch219) August 10, 2014

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Bubble Bursts...Jeffrey Spence "Bubble Boy"

Level 19 (Blinds 5,000/10,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 89

The action surrounding the bubble was pretty exciting, as there was a four-way all-in pre at Table 45:

Tom Revelle: A♥ J♦   Bob Pastore: A♣ A♠   Jeffrey Spence: K♦ K♠     Jesse Willgruber: Q♦ Q♣

Runout: 2♣ 6♦ A♦ K♥ 5♥

Pastore would quadruple up with the pot, putting himself in a safe position on the bubble (400,000).  Tom Revelle would be left with 6,000, while Jeffrey Spence sat with 15,000 in front of him.  So nobody was eliminated from the hand, but those two players would be left in a critical spot.

Tom Revelle would double the next hand, but in a blind versus blind situation with Jake Neff the following hand, Revelle would be eliminated (Ax 2x < 7x 2x).  The level would then transition, and Jeffrey Spence would have to post 10,000 of his 12,000 in the big blind.  He would be the bubble boy when his 3x 4x < Qx Jx (opponent flopped two pair).  Spence would turn a wheel draw, but he couldn't find a deuce on the river to stay alive.  The players remaining in the field are all guaranteed $879, which is the min-cash for the event.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): On The Money Bubble

Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 92

The field is now three eliminations from the money, with the action slowing down substantially.  Once the tournament clock reads (90) players remaining, the clock will be paused and those still active will enter hand for hand play (until money bubble bursts).  There were two more notables to bust just moments ago, only a few spots short of the money (Joseph Galazzo and Rocco Luciano).

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): New Names Chipping Up

Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 99

The field is only ten eliminations from the money, and some new names are beginning to accumulate chips.  Tim Little (Cheverly, MD) continues he rise from the 100,000 Day 2 starting stack, now the only player in the field over 1,000,000 (Leo August has dipped below the number).  Before the updated counts os a few other players are posted, we must note the eliminations of Vincent Caesar, Mike Azarro, Michael Marder, and DJ MacKinnon:

Anna Antimony - 850,000
Myron Rosenbaum - 800,000
Scott Blumstein - 675,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): It's Worm Time!!

Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 109

Joe Palma (Bensalem, PA)

Only a few hands back from break, Joe "Worm" Palma would open a pot UTG to 20,000.  Matteo Menna would three-bet to 45,000, with Michael Hickman and Kevin Daravour coming along for the 45,000.  Action would be back on Palma, and he four-bet shoved for 170,000.  Menna folded after some thought, with Hickman announcing a call, and Kevin folding A♥ K♠ face up:

Palma: A♣ A♦
Hickman: Q♣ Q♦

Runout: A♠ 2♦ 10♣ 7♦ 5♠

Palma's lead would only increase on the flop, and after the turn he would have Hickman drawing dead.  "It's worm time," Joe exclaimed as he scooped in the pot, chipping up to just under 500,000.  Only moments before that hand unfolded, the field lost birthday girl Nancy Martin (Washington Crossing, PA).

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Tweets From Break

Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 115

Here are some updates spotted during break via Twitter:

476k on break heading to 8kbb. Pretty close to the money
— Scott Blumstein (@SBlum2711) August 10, 2014

340k 4k/8k/1k 115 left 321k avg
— Matteo Menna (@matteo__menna) August 10, 2014

515k at first break #insane
— Jose Montes (@suganills) August 10, 2014

274,000 coming back to 8k/1k. 115 left, 89pd. $97k+ up top. #parxbigstax
— Michael Marder (@MMarder86) August 10, 2014

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): First Break Of The Day

Level 18 (Blinds 4,000/8,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 116

Players are about to head on their first break of the day (10 minutes), while the tournament floor removes the pink (500) chips from the tables.  Just before break Matt Glantz picked up a sizable pot from Matteo Menna, check calling a 90,000 bet (150,000 pot) on the turn of a board reading 10♦ 5♣ 9♥ 5♥.  The action would follow check-check after the 8♠ on the river, and Glantz would quickly table 8♦ 9♦ for the win, chipping up to 705,000.  One notable to leave the field late in Level 18 was Pierre Diessler.  Pierre took a beat early in the day to drop down to 25,000, and although he built back up to over 140,000, he couldn't continue the comeback.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Montes Making Headlines

Level 17 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 125

Jose Montes (Bronx, NY)

Jose Montes (Bronx, MD) continues his climb from the eight blinds he started the day with.  Jose just posted on Twitter that he had 475,000, and since picking up a few pots after that, he's crossed the 500,000 mark.  We have seen stories like this, as Ryan Eriquezzo comes to mind...buying in Day 2 and making it all the way to Day 3.  While Jose likely has big things planned in his head, the first goal for him is likely to cash the event to start.

Some notables to bust the tournament over the past level include:

Esther Taylor
Jennifer So
Kevin McColgan
Joe Black

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Updated Chip Counts

Level 17 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 136

During the Big Stax 300 it was Juan Valdez who was the first player to reach the million chip mark, today it is Day 1C chip leader Leo August.  August is currently sitting with 1,100,000 in front of him,  almost 300,000 more than any other player in the field.  Here are some updated counts from the tournament area:

Leo August - 1,100,000
Tim Little - 660,000
Jon Rublee - 650,000
Anna Antimony - 600,000
Kevin Darouvar - 550,000
Matt Glantz - 510,000
Collin White - 480,000
Vinny Pahuja - 480,000
Anthony Garofalo - 460,000
Asher Conniff - 400,000

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Blumstein Sends Boyko Into Orbit

Level 17 (Blinds 3,000/6,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 153

The first level of the day is in the books, and players are now posting blinds of 3,000/6,000/1,000 in Level 17.  In one of the final hands of break, Scott Blumstein shipped into Robert Boyko on a flop of K♠ Q♠ 2♠.  Boyko would have Scott covered, and he quickly made the call:

Boyko: A♣ A♦         Blumstein: 9♦ 9♠

Turn: 8♣

River: 7♠

Blumstein hit his spade on the river to make a flush and steal the pot away from Boyko, doubling up to 370,000.  Robert would be left with 30,000 after absorbing the loss, and he followed with some very choice words Blumstein's way.  The tirade did not stop until Boyko got eliminated a few hands later, join these others on the rail:

Mike Cannon
Jack Duong
Alan Kraut
Eric Doerr

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): The Littlest Tim In the Field

Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 159

Tim Little (Cheverly, MD)

Tim Little (Cheverly, MD) is looking to become another Day 2 "storyline," as he just turned his 102,000 second day starting stack into a mountainous 570,000.  Little was left with a decision on a flop of J♠ 5♠ 6♦, as two players were all-in in front of him.  Although he had both covered, it would be detrimental if he called and lost. He did decide to make the call and his 5♣ 6♣ (bottom two pair) would be up against K♥ J♥ and...K♣ J♦.

The 3♠ on the turn was a clean card for him, as neither of his opponents held spades.  The river 10♦ would solidify the hand for Little, who eliminates two players and chips up close to 600,000.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Early Eliminations

Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 171

With registration closed once the cards were in the air, the official number of players to buy-in the morning of the tournament stood a (12).  One of those players not able to turn in any of the eight big blind magic was Jason Paster (Yardley, PA), who decided to drive over this morning after seeing the record numbers for the event.  Here are some other players to be eliminated from the field over the first half of Level 16:

Kyle Bowker
Daniel Wellborn
Gaetano Cantone
Ray Shackelford
Philip Totty
Bruce Lehrman

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Payouts

Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 162

Big Stax VII - Big Stax 500
$500 + 50 (Re-Entry) No Limit Hold'em
$200,000 Guarantee

Total Entries: 925
Total Prize Fund: $439,500

Payouts:

1. $97,561
2. $58,454
3. $32,963
4. $23,294
5. $18,020
6. $14,504
7. $10,988
8. $7,911
9. $6,197

10-12. $5,010

13-15. $4,527

16-18. $4,043

19-21. $3,604

22-24. $3,208

25-27. $2,813

28-36. $2,461

37-45. $2,154

46-54. $1,846

55-63. $1,538

64-72. $1,275

73-81. $1,055

82-89. $879

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Montes Bottling The Magic?

Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Entries: 925
Players Remaining: 171

Jose Montes (Bronx, NY) tried numerous times yesterday to put chips in a bag, was in the end was unsuccessful.  He wanted badly enough to make back to back Big Stax final tables, and was another who decided to buy in this morning.  Jose could be one of the Big Stax 500 success stories, as he has already doubled twice to start the day, and now has 172,000 (34 big blinds) from the 40,000 he sat down with:

Doubled twice once was akvsak #lol #thepain 172k
— Jose Montes (@suganills) August 10, 2014

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Back To Back Full Doubles

Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Entries: 925

Myron Rosenbaum

Walking over to Table 51, Myron Rosenbaum was all-in on a board of 8♥ 6♠ K♦ K♣ for 197,300.  Stephen Faulkner already had a call in front of him (for just a little less), and Mike Azzaro was contemplating his decision.  Azzaro had A♦ K♠ face up in his hand, almost humored by the action in front of him.  Mike would eventually verbalize a fold, and the two hands would be tabled:

Rosenbaum: 8♠ 8♣
Faulkner: A♠ K♥

River: 4♥

Myron would win the hand with the turned full house, chipping up to 470,000.  He started the day with 126,000 just eighteen minutes ago, but after a double the hand previous, this hand versus Faulkner gave him to doubles in a row to almost quadruple his Day 2 starting stack.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): It's Moving Day Of The Big Stax 500

Level 16 (Blinds 2,500/5,000/500)
Total Entries: 913

Tournament supervisor David Rolo is making the rules announcement for the players, as they remove their chips from their bags, and chat with friends/table mates.  We are still waiting on the official number of players to have bought in this morning, which should be known once the clock starts and registration closes.  Cards will be in the air in less than four minutes, and live updates will commence at that moment.

Big Stax 500 (Day 2): Day 2 Table Draw

DAY 2	Table Order
Total Players:	913	170
Total Chips:	36,520,000	215,000
First Name	Last Name	Chip Count	Table #	Seat #
Samuel	Abrams	260,500	45	1
EMPTY			45	2
Joe	Agron	71,000	45	3
Tom	Revelle	122,000	45	4
Mark	Amabile	188,000	45	5
Josh	Gilkerson	73,000	45	6
John	Dascoli	150,500	45	7
Zach	Daly	183,000	45	8
Robert	Bolte	86,500	45	9
Craig	Batemon	289,000	46	1
Michael	James	135,500	46	2
Andy	Jiang	159,500	46	3
Leonard	August	824,500	46	4
Robert	Boyko	300,000	46	5
Tom	Dobrilovic	108,000	46	6
Jason	Beers	198,500	46	7
Scott	Blumstein	127,500	46	8
Judith	Bielan	128,000	46	9
Kevin	Grabel	165,500	47	1
EMPTY			47	2
Joe	Grodowski	570,500	47	3
Andrew	Lydon	336,500	47	4
DJ	MacKinnon	112,000	47	5
Lyle	Diamond	74,000	47	6
Tony	Potis	233,000	47	7
Jack	Doung	69,500	47	8
Shawn	Dullavin	191,000	47	9
Scott	Boxenhorn	180,000	48	1
EMPTY			48	2
Chris	Calabrese	204,000	48	3
Jonathan	Cachola	147,500	48	4
Christopher	Capone	221,000	48	5
Chris	Delgrande	245,000	48	6
Joseph	Cappucio	97,000	48	7
Gaetano	Cantone	82,500	48	8
Chris	Csik	131,000	48	9
Kevin	Darouvar	379,500	49	1
EMPTY			49	2
Pat	Canizio	77,000	49	3
Vincent	Caesar	73,000	49	4
Matt	Glantz	545,000	49	5
Dave	Elliott	112,000	49	6
Pierre	Deissler	172,500	49	7
Steven	Cormier	28,500	49	8
Michael	Hickman	207,500	49	9
Robert	Aaronson	146,500	50	1
EMPTY			50	2
George	Dgheim	208,500	50	3
Michael	Esposito	203,500	50	4
Michael	Cannon	145,000	50	5
Lorenzo	Desmond	537,000	50	6
Nancy	Martin	91,500	50	7
Sheri	Moores	112,500	50	8
David	Datashvili	406,000	50	9
Bruce	Lehrman	62,500	51	1
Alex	Rocha	322,000	51	2
Myron	Rosenbaun	126,500	51	3
Ari	Buchman	115,500	51	4
Stephen	Faulkner	233,500	51	5
Jeff	Gross	342,500	51	6
Rocco	Luciano	232,000	51	7
Michael	Azzaro	170,000	51	8
Daniel	Bak	110,500	51	9
Noam	Fliegelman	188,500	52	1
EMPTY			52	2
Anthony	Garofale	547,500	52	3
A	Nonymous	194,000	52	4
John	Dibella	296,000	52	5
Mohammad	Farah	435,500	52	6
Jonathan	Borenstein	166,500	52	7
John	Borzio	88,000	52	8
Tony	Costantino	305,000	52	9
Jeff	Harman	162,500	53	1
EMPTY			53	2
Michael	Hollenberg	187,500	53	3
Staffan	Lind	206,000	53	4
Ozea	Ingram	295,500	53	5
James	Kaplan	178,000	53	6
Barry	Kohout	90,500	53	7
Ken	Goodkind	145,000	53	8
Elan	Branas	288,500	53	9
Joseph	Galazzo	492,000	54	1
EMPTY			54	2
Thomas	McMahon	127,000	54	3
Prasanna	Ramachandra	342,500	54	4
Gene	Raman	134,000	54	5
Alex	Brody	162,000	54	6
Austin	Buchanan	195,500	54	7
Scott	Love	127,500	54	8
Ari	Nissim	180,500	54	9
Asher	Conniff	215,000	55	1
EMPTY			55	2
Timothy	Little	102,000	55	3
Ben	Lavallee	178,000	55	4
Mike	Kalfa	175,000	55	5
Matthew	Beier	282,500	55	6
Adam	Larkin	537,000	55	7
Robert	Portas	57000	55	8
John	Malczan	79,000	55	9
Michael	Marder	115,000	56	1
EMPTY			56	2
Kevin	McColgan	207,500	56	3
Joesph	McKeehen	169,500	56	4
Mike	Iamurri	188,000	56	5
Lewis	Saxon	305,500	56	6
David	Sedlack	215,000	56	7
Chris	McNally	69,000	56	8
Mike	Lavenburg	169,000	56	9
Vincent	Mosino	274,000	73	1
EMPTY			73	2
Amber	Merefield	68,500	73	3
Jacob	Neff	278,000	73	4
Philip	Neiman	112,500	73	5
Todd	Morehouse	267,500	73	6
Christopher	Rich	570,500	73	7
Matteo	Menna	496,000	73	8
Jacob	Perry	188,500	73	9
Alex	Figura	84,000	74	1
EMPTY			74	2
Anna	Antimony	375,500	74	3
David	Arpino	247,500	74	4
Joseph	Palma	231,500	74	5
Thomas	Favilla	230,500	74	6
Alan	Kraut	220,500	74	7
Chau	Nguyen	456,500	74	8
Tom	Pschar	104,500	74	9
David	Novak	433,000	75	1
EMPTY			75	2
Vinny	Pahuja	305,500	75	3
Catherine	Dever	190,500	75	4
Sundiata	Devore	298,500	75	5
Mike	Petrawski	211,500	75	6
Matthew	Wantman	493,500	75	7
Jimmy	Paper	379,000	75	8
Sandeep	Patel	342,500	75	9
Karan	Sehgal	353,500	76	1
EMPTY			76	2
Deding	XU	268,000	76	3
Joe	Reddick	124,500	76	4
David	Heck	255,000	76	5
Sam	Heilman	133,000	76	6
Josh	Hertz	153,000	76	7
Jason	Rivken	343,500	76	8
Jamar	Ross	359,000	76	9
AL	Riccobono	100,000	77	1
EMPTY			77	2
Jon	Rublee	329,500	77	3
Billy	Sanford	110,500	77	4
Anirban	Roy	546,000	77	5
Rich	Swanson	29,500	77	6
Velnmailum	Sathiawathan	129,500	77	7
Paul	Shepaker	265,000	77	8
Malik	Saunders	267,000	77	9
Andrew	Zhu	516,000	78	1
EMPTY			78	2
Leon	Zinder	69,000	78	3
Ray	Shackelford	108,500	78	4
Christopher	Senape	274,000	78	5
Jeff	Wicker	367,500	78	6
Charles	Welch	250,500	78	7
Seetal	Patel	118,000	78	8
Dan	Sweeney	245,500	78	9
Mike	Sesson	118,500	79	1
EMPTY			79	2
Esther	Taylor	157,500	79	3
Marv	Siegel	154,000	79	4
Jennifer	So	121,000	79	5
Aristides	Santana	89,000	79	6
Joe	Taormina	179,000	79	7
Ed	Stanish	251,000	79	8
Matt	Vitale	112,500	79	9
Vincent	Teurnio	53,500	80	1
EMPTY			80	2
Dennis	Thurman	255,000	80	3
Paul	Morton	41,000	80	4
Yao	Wu	53,000	80	5
Petar	Mudrinic	60,000	80	6
Jeffrey	Spence	46,500	80	7
James	Wheeler	70,000	80	8
Collin	Whyte	463,000	80	9
Daniel	Wellborn	73,500	81	1
EMPTY			81	2
Eric	Most	235,000	81	3
Eugene	Zaslavsky	410,000	81	4
Matthew	Gross	67,500	81	5
Dawn	Wilno	290,000	81	6
Jesse	Willgruber	253,000	81	7
Phillip	Totty	73,000	81	8
JR	Marquetie	143,500	81	9