partypoker US Network Players Choice Series (Dec.13-20)

In Level 18 with blinds of 4,000/8,000 and an ante of 1,000, "Jinxy" raised to 88,000 in the cutoff to leave crumbs behind that they eventually called off once action folded to Jon "jetsfan411" Borenstein in the big blind and he reraised to put "Jinxy" all in.

"Jinxy":
Jon "jetsfan411" Borenstein:

"Jinxy" flopped top pair, top kicker but saw the number of immediate outs they needed to fade increase from three to four on the flop . The turn and river provided no sparks of any sort and "Jinxy" earned what amounted to an easy double.

On the adjacent table at the same time, big stacks clashed in a pot between Ryan "TheSims" Hohner and "Ptkceaser". Hohner check-raised on the turn and was called, and he then fired again on the river. "Ptkceaser" came over the top, shoving all in to send Hohner into the tank before eventually folding. With the pot, "Ptkceaser" is now the chip leader again with 13 players still in contention.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ptkceaser	883,169 263,128	263,128
Ryan "TheSims" Hohner	362,794 -282,126	-282,126
Jinxy	224,000 117,050	117,050
Jon "Jetsfan411" Borenstein	191,318 -115,758	-115,758

In Level 17 with blinds of 3,500/7,000 and an ante of 875, Ryan "TheSims" Hohner raised to 14,000 in middle position and action folded around to Ryan "Whosyourdoddy" Dodd in the big blind, who three-bet jammed for 157,000. Hohner immediately called.

Ryan "Whosyourdoddy" Dodd:
Ryan "TheSims" Hohner:

A ten-high runout of left Dodd's hand second best and he was eliminated in 14th as a result.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ryan "TheSims" Hohner	644,920 149,165	149,165
Ryan "Whosyourdoddy" Dodd	Busted

Play has moved into Level 17 with blinds of 3,500/7,000 and an ante of 875. Fourteen players now remain and are on a five-minute break, with "A.Jackson1767" being unable to stave off elimination despite earning a double just prior to their departure from the tournament.

"ChickenTendies" has ballooned to the top of the leader board with a stack of over 700,000, with "Ptkceaser" as the only other player over half a million. Ryan "TheSims" Hohner rounds out the top three with a stack just shy of that same half-million figure.

Complete chip count son break have been posted below.

Player	Chips	Progress
ChickenTendies	723,619 513,790	513,790
Ptkceaser	620,041 85,338	85,338
Ryan "TheSims" Hohner	495,755 400,517	400,517
Don "dhimp20" Himpele	401,359 284,361	284,361
Got_Milk	326,510 245,870	245,870
Jon "Jetsfan411" Borenstein	307,076 216,844	216,844
MBohmerwald23	233,420 -226,466	-226,466
John "Slapshot1085" Forlenza	232,443 -46,231	-46,231
ScarletRaptor	226,985 1,421	1,421
juansolo10	205,220 91,200	91,200
Yong "IReadYrSoul" Kwon	202,741 128,441	128,441
deerpathdave	185,416 67,330	67,330
Ryan "Whosyourdoddy" Dodd	157,915 -51,850	-51,850
Jinxy	106,950 22,480	22,480
A.Jackson1767	Busted

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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 �C 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.��

In Level 16 with blinds of 3,000/6,000 and an ante of 750, action folded to "A.Jackson1767" in the hijack and they jammed for 53,000. Three more folds ensued, and then Ryan "Whosyourdoddy" Dodd called in the big blind to give him a shot at an enlarged bounty.

"A.Jackson1767":
Ryan "Whosyourdoddy" Dodd:

"A.Jackson1767" was ahead and saw the flop give them an even bigger cushion. However, they were not completely out of the woods as the turn gave Dodd a chance at a counterfeit should a wheel come on board. Instead, "A.Jackson1767" further improved to trips as the river completed the runout to earn them the double.

Less fortunate was Josh "layitdown08" Rothberg, who became the first to bust after the registration period closed. Rothberg took 16th, and seven more eliminations are needed to reach the final table and make it into the money.

Player	Chips	Progress
Ryan "Whosyourdoddy" Dodd	209,765 56,453	56,453
A.Jackson1767	116,028 -39,044	-39,044
Josh "layitdown08" Rothberg	Busted

In Level 15 with blinds of 2,500/5,000 and an ante of 625, all of the chips went into the middle before the flop between "dadadada" in the small blind and "MBohmerwald23", who was in the hijack. There was 422,000 up for grabs and "dadadada" was the one at risk for their tournament life.

"dadadada":
"MBohmerwald23":

"dadadada" was in trouble but picked up a few backdoor possibilities to give them an extra glimmer of hope. The turn gave them six outs going to the river, but it fell instead to give "MBohmerwald23" a set and earn them the pot and knockout.

Player	Chips	Progress
MBohmerwald23	459,886 459,886	459,886
dadadada	Busted

Level 15 has just begun with blinds of 2,500/5,000 and an ante of 625. It is the final level of the late registration period, making this the final chance to enter the tournament.

Registration will close at 10:42 p.m. ET.