BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Iaron Lightbourne With Slim Chip Lead, As Players Enter Final Two Levels

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 9 (Blinds 500/1,000/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1B Entries: 109

Iaron Lightbourne (London, England) brings an impressive resume to the table, but also a sense of the unknown, will little to no history with most of these players he's sharing the felt with.

Players have returned from their final break of the flight, with just two levels left to play for the evening.  That being said, it's now a good time to look at some of the larger stacks in the room, to see how players fare in regards to the chip lead bonus (Event #18 seat).  Iaron Lightbourne (London, England) leads the field, sitting with 150,000, but has a group of players within striking distance.  Lightbourne may be a new name to the blog, but he owns a resume with over $1,378,000 in live tournament earnings, including a WTP Nottingham Main Event win ($308,766).

Iaron Lightbourne - 150,000 (155bb)
Jose Delcid - 145,000 (145bb)
Ian O'Hara - 125,000 (125bb)
Alex Nguyen - 123,000 (123bb)
Donald Francois - 110,000 (110bb)
Nancy Birnbaum - 100,000 (100bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Next Month Will See First Isle Poker Multi With Singe-Ante Format

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1B Entries: 104

As mentioned in the title, next month will see the first every single-ante format multi, with the $1,100 No Limit Hold'em Single-Ante ($200,000 GTD) event running from April 26th-April 29th.  The tournament has a great structure, with 30,000 unit starting stacks, and levels that last (40) minutes during opening flights (transitioning to 50 minutes on Day 2).  There will be both step-qualifiers and satellites for the event, with structures sheets to be released soon.

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Nancy Birnbaum Doubles Through Saltzman, After Time In The Tank

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 8 (Blinds 400/800/100) | Structure
Total Flight 1B Entries: 103

Nancy Birnbaum (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) was not confident that she had the best hand when Alan Saltzman shoved, but ended up making the correct decision, after thinking things through.

On a board of J♦ 3♠ 5♦ 7♠, with over 25,000 already in the pot, Alan Saltzman would shove all-in against Nancy Birnbaum.  Alan's stack of 44,425 was just over 5,000 more than Nancy's, so if Nancy called...and was wrong, she'd be eliminated from play.  Nancy went deep into the tank, with her hands on her head, just trying to figure out what she could be up against.  After about ninety seconds, she shrugged her shoulders, and announced a call. 

"You got it," Alan said, "I don't have anything."  He would flip of K♦ Q♣, which was drawing dead agains the K♣ K♦ of Birnbaum.  The river was just a formality, as Nancy doubles to just under 100,000, while Alan drops down to the ten big blind mark.

Nancy Birnbaum - 98,000 (122bb)
Alan Saltzman - 7,500 (9bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): "I Have A Full House, And They Just Go All-In"

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 7 (Blinds 300/600/75) | Structure
Total Flight 1B Entries: 103

Ian O'Hara (Boca Raton, FL) had been navigated a stack below chip average for most of the day, but just picked up a nice pot to pad the numbers.

Isle Poker notable Ian O'Hara (Boca Raton, FL) just got a little boost to his stack, as he held 8♠ 8♣ on a board of Q♥ 6♥ 6♣ 8♦.  After making the full house (and checking), his opponent announced himself all-in for 21,000, with O'Hara quickly making the call.  While his opponent wasn't drawing dead (A♠ Q♠), it would take a miracle on the river for Ian to lose the hand (two outs remained for his adversary).  The river eventually brought a deuce, locking up the hand for O'Hara, who is now sitting with close to double the chip average.

Ian O'Hara - 70,000 (116bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Luke Brereton Knocks Out Beckley, Heads To Break As The Chip Leader

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/75) | Structure
Total Flight 1B Entries: 103

Luke Brereton (Naples, FL) bypassed events in his area, to come down and play this Battles At The Beach $1,500 Championship...which currently looks like a good decision.

We'd approach Table 7 just as the dealer completed a board of A♦ 5♣ Q♥ 3♠ K♣, with Joshua Beckley shoving the river for just over 8,500.  An unknown opponent released their hand, with Luke Brereton (Naples, FL) quickly making the call.  Beckley turned over K♥ K♠, having made a set on the river, but was in second place against Luke's A♣ A♥ (flopped top set).  Joshua could only smile as he walked away from the table, while Brereton uses the newfound chips to take over the top spot on the leaderboard (125,000).

Luke is an accomplished tournament player, originally from England, with over $1,229,000 in career tournament earnings.  A majority of that number was won last year, as he recorded results in 2017 worth just over $492,000.  Brereton finished runner-up in the 2017 Goliath Phamous Poker Series $2,000 NLH Main Event ($260,964), and followed that up with an eighth place finish in the $5,250 NLH Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open Championship Event ($100,408).

Luke Brereton - 125,000 (250bb)

Players are now on their third break of the day, and will be returning to Level 7, with new blinds of 300/600/75.

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Pearlman's Passive Play Works, More Than Doubles Up

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 6 (Blinds 250/500/75) | Structure
Total Flight 1B Entries: 98

Two-time WSOP Circuit ring winner Daniel Pearlman (Hollywood, FL) just vaulted up the leaderboard, after doubling through Jose Delcid.

Table 5 was approached on the flop (8♦ 7♣ 2♥), in a hand between Jose Delcid, Qasem Jamhour, and Daniel Pearlman.  Delcid checked the flop (from the small blind), with Jamhour putting out a bet of 3,400, which Pearlman called (from the button).  Delcid then pushed forward a check-raise to 10,400, which would be called by both players.  After the dealer placed down the 4♣ on the turn, Delcid shoved all-in for 53,000, which had both of his opponent covered.  Qasem quickly tossed his hand in the muck, with Pearlman taking just a few moments, before calling for less.

Board: 8♦ 7♣ 2♥ 4♣

Delcid: A♥ 8♠
Pearlman: A♣ A♦

River: J♠

Even though Delcid shoved, Daniel ended up tabling his hand first, with Delcid pretty shocked to see what Pearlman had.  Jose turned his hand over with a smile, knowing that he'd need to hit a two-outer on the river to win.  It wouldn't be for Delcid, who dropped down to 16,500, while Pearlman chipped up to just under 100,000.

Daniel Pearlman - 95,000 (190bb)

BATB Event #14 ($1,500 NLH Championship): Taking A Peak At April's Tournament Calendar

2018 Battles At The Beach
Event #14 | $1,500 NLH Championship ($500,000 GTD)
Level 5 (Blinds 200/400/50) | Structure
Total Flight 1B Entries: 95

Followers of the blog are now getting a first look at the April Tournament Calendar, which just made it's way to the poker room (for those that would like a hard copy).  There are a few highlighting events to note, beginning with a little Single-Ante Mini-Series, which starts on April 2.  For three afternoons in a row, there will be a single-ante event, with escalating prize points (and guarantees).  There is also a $175 No Limit Hold'em ($100,000 GTD) multi that runs from April 18th through April 22nd.  Lastly, we will be running the first ever Isle Poker single-ante format multi, which has an $1,100 buy-in...$200,000 guaranteed prize pool...and structure that is about as player-friendly as they get.