partypoker US Network Series (Jan. 17-24)

In Level 19 with blinds of 5,000/10,000 and an ante of 1,250, a three-way all-in preflop situation ensued with Chris "rumpthumper" White being the shortest of the three and at risk from the hijack. "RiverMan" was also all in from the small blind, while "joey1way" was on the button and covered both players.

Chris "rumpthumper" White:
"RiverMan":
"joey1way":

"joey1way" was able to fade paint, but White stuck three hearts on a runout of to earn the triple. Meanwhile, "joey1way" earned the side pot good for 122,000 and the bounty on "RiverMan", which was good for $243 directly into their pockets.

Moments earlier, "SaltSea" was also eliminated, leaving just 14 players remaining in the tournament after the hand was finished.

In Level 18 with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and an ante of 1,000, Anthony "supremetny" Chin opened to 16,000 on the button and saw Ryan "TheSims" Hohner three-bet shove for 129,000 in the small blind. Chin called once it became his turn to do so, taking two live cards to a shot at sending Hohner packing.

Ryan "TheSims" Hohner:
Anthony "supremetny" Chin:

The flop came , leaving Hohner with a sizeable lead. He pulled even further ahead on the turn , taking away half of Chin's outs as he picked up a potential backdoor gutshot to Broadway. The final card fell , earning Hohner the easy double and bringing him up to 271,000.

If you’ve ever played poker either at Borgata or online in New Jersey, there’s a good chance you’ve crossed paths with Don Himpele, who has more than $630K in online lifetime tournament earnings and $89K in live scores on HendonMob.

Himpele, a father of five who has been married for 24 years, graduated from Gettysburg College with a degree in Business and Economics, and for the last 25 years he has worked as a trader on the New York Stock Exchange as a Managing Director for Goldman Sachs and IMC Trading. So how did the professional family man find poker?

“I began playing as a teenager,” he told PokerNews. “My mother was an early influence and taught me many ‘gameplay skills.’ I have combined that and my skills as a trader to make strong decisions on the felt.”

He continued: “I consider myself a recreational player, as family and work obligations don't allow for a robust live game tournament schedule. I do play the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main yearly, and many Parx Big Stax tournaments. I am a regular online tournament player who targets buy-ins usually ranging from $200-$2,000. I play in local cash games – usually $5/$10.”

While he only plays when his schedule allows, it’s worth noting Himpele has been playing for a long time. In fact, one of his favorite poker memories stems all the way back to the 2004 WSOP Main Event.

“My most notable experience was my first WSOP Main Event in 2004 and sitting at ESPN feature TV table with top pros,” he recalled. “Also, I cashed in the 2010 WSOP Main Event after being sponsored by Absolute Poker.”

While his Absolute Poker days are behind him, Himpele does spend a fair amount of time competing on the partypoker US Network, which is comprised of partypoker US, Borgata Poker and BetMGM Poker.

“partypoker US brings a strong level of competition and I particularly like when they run a series as it brings a variety of games and a strong turnout with a commensurate prize pool,” said Himpele. “I have a lot of respect for New Jersey's top pros such as Mike Lavenburg, Mike Gagliano, Katie Stone and David Coleman. I enjoy the challenge of battling against them as a test of skill.”

Play is now in Level 17 with blinds of 3,500/7,000 and an ante of 875, and Ryan "simlSgg" Hagerty is still atop the counts by a large margin. Just 16 players now remain after a flurry of post-late-registration eliminations have occurred, and complete chip counts have been provided below for all who remain.

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In Level 16 with blinds of 3,000/6,000 and an ante of 750, Event #3 Winner earlier this series "kgkg510" saw action fold to them in the small blind and open-jammed for 65,000. Angel "chromeking' Lopez called in the big blind, giving him a shot at both the pot and a bounty.

"kgkg5610":
Angel "chromeking' Lopez:

The board came completely in Lopez's favor, running out to give him two pair and best the ace-high of "kgkg510" to bring about their elimination from the tournament just after the registration period has closed.

In Level 15 with blinds of 2,500/5,000 and an ante of 625, John "Slapshot1085" Forlenza got his last 33,000 into the middle preflop from the small blind and received action from "ndirish50", who was in the hijack.

John "Slapshot1085" Forlenza:
"ndirish50":

The closest Forlenza came to improving was a backdoor flush draw on the flop , which was followed up with a turn and river that left his hand second best and brought about his elimination.

Level 15 has begun with blinds of 2,500/5,000 and an ante of 625, marking the final 10-minute level of the late registration period. All who wish to enter must do so before registration closes at 10:43 p.m. ET.

Eighty-four entries have currently been logged, and 28 players remain.