Main Event
Day 2 Completed
2016 PokerStars Festival - New Jersey
Main Event
Day: 2
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2016 PokerStars Festival - New Jersey
Buy-in
$1,000
Entries
208
Level
27
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
10,000
Day 3 Table and Seat Draw
Level 16
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Country | Chip Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Peter Smyth | UK | 102,500 |
| 1 | 2 | Jason Acosta | USA | 137,000 |
| 1 | 3 | Darren Elias | USA | 66,000 |
| 1 | 4 | Robert Cheung | Canada | 53,000 |
| 1 | 5 | Randy Lew | USA | 100,500 |
| 1 | 6 | Dan Howe | USA | 480,000 |
| 1 | 7 | Eli Kim | USA | 113,500 |
| 1 | 8 | Jovy Ounthongdy | USA | 268,500 |
| 2 | 1 | Sridhar Sangannagari | USA | 338,500 |
| 2 | 2 | --empty-- | ||
| 2 | 3 | Jack Duong | USA | 51,000 |
| 2 | 4 | John Gulino | USA | 246,500 |
| 2 | 5 | Rocco Dicondina | USA | 93,500 |
| 2 | 6 | Wayne Gerichten | USA | 54,000 |
| 2 | 7 | Matt Affleck | USA | 418,000 |
| 2 | 8 | NIck Aguilera | USA | 247,000 |
| 3 | 1 | Ruben Costa | USA | 132,600 |
| 3 | 2 | John Kim | USA | 109,500 |
| 3 | 3 | David Vamplew | UK | 219,000 |
| 3 | 4 | Tom Revello | USA | 199,500 |
| 3 | 5 | Jesse Elliott | USA | 84,500 |
| 3 | 6 | David Johnston | USA | 534,000 |
| 3 | 7 | Chris Dombrowski | USA | 494,500 |
| 3 | 8 | Michael Gagliano | USA | 484,000 |
David Johnston Leading After Day 2 of PokerStars Festival NJ, Gagliano Third
Level 16
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
Day 2 of the $1,100 Main Event at PokerStars Festival New Jersey proved to be a short one, as it took just seven hours for the 70 starting runners to be trimmed to the final 23, who bagged up to return Friday.
Twenty-two of them will be looking up in the counts at David Johnston, who put 534,000 in a bag and will be north of 100 big blinds when the tournament resumes. Bracelet winners Chris Dombrowski (494,500) and Michael Gagliano (484,000) are the next two biggest stacks, followed by Dan Howe (480,000) and Matt Affleck (418,000).
Johnston got in a preflop raising war during the last level of the night with blinds at 2,500/5,000/500. Ryan Hohner opened from the hijack to 11,000, Johnston made it 28,000 to go from the small blind, and Hohner jammed it in for 130,000. Johnston called with 
and won against Hohner's dominated 
.
Gagliano has been having a good week at Resorts Casino Hotel. He won the small $2,000 six-max opening event for $11,350 and then bagged the chip lead in his starting flight for the Main Event. He wasn't afraid to play big pots from start to finish, coming after PokerStars Team Online Pro Randy Lew with a number of three-bets early on.
Just before the night ended, with players at other tables waiting for their bags, Gagliano busted Craig Mason in a huge pot on a board of 
. Mason bet about 45,000 on the end from early position, and Gagliano put him all in for about 100,000 more, which was almost all of Gagliano's remaining chips as well. Mason tanked awhile and called with aces but was shown 
for the nut flush.
David Vamplew, Nick Aguilera, Jack Duong, Jesse Elliott, Darren Elias, and Robert Chung also bagged.
Lew, incidentally, is the only PokerStars-sponsored player remaining after making it through with 100,500. Victor Ramdin and Barry Greenstein both busted during the course of play.
Others joining them included Carlos Chadha, Matthew Wantman, John Myung, and Asher Conniff, who bubbled out courtesy of a beat from Lew. Vinny Pahuja, Survivor star Tyson Apostol, Alex Queen, and Ramdin were among the players making it into the money but not to the end of the day.
Play resumes Friday at 11 a.m. with coverage here on PokerNews.
End-of-Day Chip Counts (full)
Level 16
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
534,000
-1,000
|
-1,000 |
|
494,500
-500
|
-500 |
|
||
|
484,000 | |
|
|
||
|
480,000
10,000
|
10,000 |
|
418,000
250,500
|
250,500 |
|
338,500
133,500
|
133,500 |
|
268,500
-57,000
|
-57,000 |
|
247,000
119,000
|
119,000 |
|
246,500
1,000
|
1,000 |
|
219,000
-45,000
|
-45,000 |
|
||
|
199,500
-10,500
|
-10,500 |
|
137,000
-5,000
|
-5,000 |
|
132,500
37,500
|
37,500 |
|
113,500
-3,500
|
-3,500 |
|
109,500
38,500
|
38,500 |
|
102,500
-119,500
|
-119,500 |
|
100,500
-6,500
|
-6,500 |
|
||
|
93,500
-45,500
|
-45,500 |
|
84,500
-135,500
|
-135,500 |
|
66,000
-6,000
|
-6,000 |
|
||
|
|
54,000
12,000
|
12,000 |
|
53,000
9,000
|
9,000 |
|
|
||
|
51,000
-115,500
|
-115,500 |
|
|
||
Mason Can't Find a Fold
Level 16
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
Craig Mason bet about 45,000 on the river and had Michael Gagliano shove on him. The board read and Gagliano had Mason's last 100,000 or so barely covered.
"This is fucking sick," Mason said with a sigh, double-checking his cards.
After a few minutes in the tank, he called. Gagliano showed him for the nut flush and Mason flicked his 
into the middle.
Players are now bagging for the night.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
484,000
291,000
|
291,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
David Johnston Crosses 500K
Level 16
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
Ryan Hohner raised to 11,000 from hijack, David Johnston three-bet to 28,000 from the small blind, Hohner four-bet shoved for about 130,000, and Johnston called with , leading Hohner's .
The board came down clean for for Johnston, ending Hohner's tournament in 25th place.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
535,000
240,000
|
240,000 |
|
Busted |
Cheung Loses a Late Race
Level 16
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
Robert Cheung opened to 12,000 and called the shove of a player who had about 40,000 in the cutoff.
Cheung:
Opponent: 
The board ran out 
, and the pot went to Cheung's opponent, leaving Cheung short.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
44,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
|
|
||
Dombrowski Takes Down Queen
Level 16
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
Chris Dombrowski raised from middle position and Alex Queen called from the big blind.
The flop came down 
and Queen checked to Dombrowski who continued for 9,000. Queen called.
The turn was the 
and Queen checked again. Dombrowski bet 24,000 and Queen called.
The river was the 
and Queen checked for a third time. Dombrowski shoved for effectively 75,000-ish and Queen called all in.
Dombrowski tabled 
for a set of kings, Queen mucked, and Dombrowski scored the elimination.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
495,000
165,000
|
165,000 |
|
|
||
|
Busted | |
Turn Lead Gets Elias in a Bind
Level 16
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
Darren Elias was defending his big blind and check-called a bet of 16,000 from Chris Dombrowski, who was under the gun on a 
flop. When the 
arrived, Elias came out betting with 28,000. Dombrowski then shoved all in to put Elias to the test for what looked like about 72,000 more. He eventually folded.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
330,000
104,000
|
104,000 |
|
|
||
|
|
72,000
-132,000
|
-132,000 |
|
|
||
Ramdin Eliminated
Level 16
: 2,500/5,000, 500 ante
PokerStars Team Pro Victor Ramdin got his last 35,000 or so in with and was at risk against a player in the big blind with eights. The board ran out clean for the player with eights, and Ramdin headed for payouts.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
Busted | |
|
|
||