2018 Card Player Poker Tour Derby Lane: Main Event Draws 257 EntriesAfter Four Starting Days Only 34 Players Remain With A Shot At The $57,444 Top Prize |
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The 2018 Card Player Poker Tour Derby Lane $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event drew a total of 257 entries across four starting flights, easily surpassing the $200,000 guarantee to create a $243,379 final prize pool. With the four flights now all-in the books, just 34 players managed to fight their way to day 2 of this event.
The remaining players are now in the money and guaranteed to cash for at least $2,000. Of course, everyone remaining will have their eyes in the title and the first-place prize of $57,444.
Here is a look at the breakdown of the turnout by flight and how many players made it through from each starting day:
| Flight | No. of Entries | No. of Players To Advance |
| Day 1A | 53 | 9 |
| Day 1B | 69 | 8 |
| Day 1C | 61 | 8 |
| Day 1D | 74 | 9 |
All of the surviving players will return to the Derby Lane Poker Room in St. Petersburg, Florida at noon on Sunday, Oct. 7. Play is scheduled to continue until the next CPPT champion is decided.
The overall chip leader when play resumes will be Day 1B leader Mike Collins, who is fresh off of a win in the $250 buy-in seniors event earlier this series. Collins bagged up 1,168,500, or just over three times the average stack.
Collins’ nearest competitor is Day 1C leader Jose Delacruz with 731,000. Day 1A’s biggest stack was Nashaat Antonious with 577,000, while Day 1D leader Ronald Lane ended with 565,000.
Justin Zaki will enter the final day in 14th chip position. The four-time World Poker Tour final tablist is arguably the most accomplished live tournament player left in the field, with more than $2.3 million in lifetime live tournament live tournament earnings.
Zaki played in all four of the starting flights, and came close to bagging up chips several times but kept falling short until day 1D on Saturday. He ended his night with an exciting hand, correctly calling all-in on the river with just ace high. Zaki raised to 24,000 from middle position with ten players remaining. Armando Figueroa called from the button. The blinds folded and the two players saw a flop of 7
4
2.
Zaki bet 32,000 and Figueroa called. The turn was the 10
and Zaki check-called a bet of 48,000 from Figueroa. The river was the 10 and Zaki checked again. Figueroa quickly announced all-in. Zaki started to think it over.
“Guess I’m gonna have to call off with ace high for my life on the bubble?” said Zaki with a laugh.
He thought for a few more minutes before calling with the AJ. Figueroa showed the A
J and the two chopped the massive pot. Zaki will enter day 2 with 411,000.
Here is a look at the chip counts of all the remaining players heading into day 2:
| Rank | Player | Chip Count |
| 1 | Mike Collins | 1,168,500 |
| 2 | Jose Delacruz | 731,000 |
| 3 | Kristopher Villanueva | 628,000 |
| 4 | Joel Brink | 587,500 |
| 5 | Ian Casey | 587,000 |
| 6 | Ronald Lane | 565,000 |
| 7 | Nashaat Antonious | 557,000 |
| 8 | Peter Pompeii | 537,000 |
| 9 | Armando Figueroa | 535,000 |
| 10 | Jordan Joeckel | 503,000 |
| 11 | Nicholas Owens | 462,000 |
| 12 | Anthony Dianaty | 424,000 |
| 13 | Steve Collins | 418,000 |
| 14 | Justin Zaki | 411,000 |
| 15 | David Dibernardi | 400,000 |
| 16 | Carlos Loving | 397,000 |
| 17 | David Hilbert | 387,000 |
| 18 | Paul Dlugozima | 326,000 |
| 19 | Jim Egan | 293,000 |
| 20 | Filipp Khavin | 256,500 |
| 21 | Tommy Nguyen | 249,000 |
| 22 | Brandon Figueroa | 243,000 |
| 23 | Joe Hodge | 238,000 |
| 24 | Donald Brown | 225,000 |
| 25 | Alan Ramkhalawon | 222,000 |
| 26 | Doyle Elliott | 212,000 |
| 27 | Thomas Tataris | 205,000 |
| 28 | Heinz Schuter | 202,000 |
| 29 | Roberto Gabino | 194,000 |
| 30 | Derek Csanadi | 189,000 |
| 31 | Chris Williams | 180,000 |
| 32 | Richard Thompson | 141,000 |
| 33 | Jonathan Hilton | 114,500 |
| 34 | John Weikert | 64,000 |
About Derby Lane
Derby Lane is located in St. Petersburg, Florida, the second largest city in the Tampa Bay Area. The poker room is part of the St. Petersburg Kennel Club, which is the oldest continuously operating greyhound track in the world, having run their inaugural race back in January of 1925.
Throughout its history, Derby Lane was a hotspot for star athletes, and played host to players such as Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth. The track even served as a filming location in the movies Coupe de Ville in 1990, in Ocean’s Eleven in 2001, and again in The Infiltrator in 2015.
Derby Lane offers live racing and replays, with evening performances Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m., and matinee performances Monday and Wednesday through Saturday starting at 12:30 p.m. Bettors can enjoy simulcast wagering on tracks from South Florida to New York, and even California with 50 large flat-screen TVs to watch all of the action. There are also plenty of table games available, including Three Card Poker, Fortune Pai Gow, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, the recently added Crazy 4 Poker, and High Card Flush.
Gamblers who work up an appetite won’t be disappointed with what Derby Lane has to offer. Circa 1925 is a six-tiered restaurant with panoramic views of the racetrack and was the winner of the Diners’ Choice award in 2016. It’s located next to The Prohibition, a bar that serves extraordinary cocktails and drinks. For more casual fare, check out the Gallery Lounge or Derby Club Four.
The Derby Lane Poker Room
The track added poker in 1997 for the first time, and in 2009, Derby Lane finished a $2.5 million renovation on the poker room, instantly making it one of the premier poker destinations in the state. The Derby Lane poker room spreads a variety of games and limits, including the popular $2-$5 no-limit hold’em game with table stakes buy-in.
More than $200,000 is given back to players each month with jackpots and other various high hand promotions, and the players stay busy with plenty of daily tournaments including deep stacks, ultra stacks, mega deep stacks, and the popular Nickel tournament, a $500 buy-in event that features a big blind ante format.
After getting player feedback, poker room staff responded with new and improved tournament offerings, a new tournament area, new high-limit rooms, an improved Wi-Fi signal, and even a full lunch and dinner menu with extended hours for those that enjoy table-side dining.
“The room was updated with our players in mind to create an engaging gaming environment for all playing levels,” says Derby Lane Card Room Manager Pam Buzzetto.
The Derby Lane poker room is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 a.m., and is open 24 hours-a-day during the weekend. For more information about the poker room, visit the casino webpage or call (727)812-3339 ext. 214 to get the poker room directly.
For more information about the CPPT, visit the tour homepage.
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