Dinner break – chip leaders and other stacks

  • Level: 7
  • Small Blind: 250
  • Big Blind: 500
  • Ante: 75
  • Chip Average: 41.3K
  • Remaining: 152
  • Entries: 209


The players have just returned to the tables after the 45-minute dinner break. During the break we found just two players who can rightfully be called “chip leaders” as they are the only two players over 100K in chips. Interestingly, they’re both playing on Table 54.

  1. Mike Leah – 149K
  2. Linda Huard – 116K

Trailing the leaders are several players in the 80-90K range, so we’re certain to see some marked stack-growth in the coming levels.

Some other notable players’ counts during the break – organized into fun categories.

“Team Quebec”

  • Guillaume Rivet – 53K
  • Laurence Grondin – 13K
  • Chris McClung – 50K
  • Rayan Chamas – 21K
  • Jean-Philippe Piquette – 24K
  • Philippe Plouffe – 53K

Only players named “Greenwood”

  • Max Greenwood – 88K
  • Lucas Greenwood – 30K

Past winners/finalists in Playground Events

  • Alim Perales – 78K
  • Jason Comtois – 12K
  • Serge Cantin – 11K

And more…

  • Kara Scott – 20K
  • Dan Smith – 52K
  • Byron Kaverman – 83K
  • Jason Mercier – 51K
  • Jeff Madsen – 55K
  • Antonio Esfandiari – 28K
  • Paul Klann – 10K
  • Daniel Strelitz – 40K
  • Will Failla – 51K
  • Christian Harder – 45K
  • Andrew Frankenberger – 44K
  • Michael McDonald – 35K
  • Pratyush Buddiga – 19K
  • Todd Terry – 35K
  • Matt Marafioti – 12K

Add Mercier and Esfandiari to the mix…

  • Level: 6
  • Small Blind: 200
  • Big Blind: 400
  • Ante: 50
  • Chip Average: 36.7K
  • Remaining: 169
  • Entries: 208


Both Jason Mercier and Antonio Esfandiari have taken their seats in Day 1b of the WPT Montreal. Antonio has been seated directly to the left of Mike Leah – on a table that has had a lot of chips on it from the beginning when the set-over-set-over-set hand occurred earlier this afternoon.

The last time we checked, Mike Leah had grown his stack to over 125K within his first level at the table, so the potential is there…

Will there be fireworks? Only time will tell.

Mike Leah joins the action

  • Level: 5
  • Small Blind: 150
  • Big Blind: 300
  • Ante: 50
  • Chip Average: 35K
  • Remaining: 175
  • Entries: 204


Mike Leah has been one of Canada’s top online and live poker pros for years – he has published results going back to 2006 – and he has been a regular visitor to big events here at Playground Poker Club. Widely known by his online alias GoLeafsGoEh, he even has (tongue-in-cheek) special permission to wear his trademark Toronto hockey jersey while at the tables here in the Montreal area.

For all of his success in the past, nothing predicted his monster year so far in 2014. Leah kicked off the year with a side event win in a $5K Turbo at the PCA, followed it up with a string of successes at events throughout North America… and then he went to Florida, where he placed 2nd in the huge $5K SHRPO Main Event. Then it was off to Australia, where he won the A$25K High Roller event at the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific in Melbourne. Mike has gone from being a successful, well-respected poker pro to a superstar in a matter of just a few months.

Mike Leah arrived to take his seat in the 2014 WPT Montreal – and he seems to be continuing his mission to win anything and everything in 2014 – he asked floor staff immediately to confirm that he correctly understood the re-entry rules for this event!

 

Mike Leah

New leaderboard at break 2

  • Level: 5
  • Small Blind: 150
  • Big Blind: 300
  • Ante: 50
  • Chip Average: 34.2K
  • Remaining: 178
  • Entries: 203


Players are on their second 15-minute break of the day and during the break we took the opportunity to update the leaderboard now that a full 4 levels are in the rear-view mirror.

  1. Mark Harding – 125K
  2. Mark Darner – 99K
  3. Linda Huard – 97K
  4. Maduka Meragal – 93K
  5. Danny Qutami – 92K
  6. Caylen Pelletier – 91K

There are just two more levels before the dinner break tonight, and the end of the dinner break will mark the end of late registration. If you’re thinking of playing today, now’s the time to get to Playground and take your seat in the 2014 WPT Montreal!

A few more snaps

  • Level: 5
  • Small Blind: 150
  • Big Blind: 300
  • Ante: 50
  • Chip Average: 34.2K
  • Remaining: 178
  • Entries: 203


Photographs taken during level 4

Player’s Party tonight, 9pm

Tonight we welcome all Main Event players the 3rd Annual WPT Montreal Player’s Party!

Join your friends and poker adversaries alike at The Rail Coal Fire Bistro – located right here under the same roof as Playground Poker Club. Festivities get kicked off at 9pm with drinks (Open Bar for WPT Montreal Players!) and a DJ in the room to set the mood – the perfect way to unwind and share your bad beat stories.

Better yet, keep your bad beat stories to yourself and just have a great time!

See you at 9pm tonight, Friday November 21st, at the Rail Coal Fire Bistro.

The WPT Montreal Player's Party

First break leaders

  • Level: 3
  • Small Blind: 75
  • Big Blind: 150
  • Ante: 25
  • Chip Average: 32.2K
  • Remaining: 167
  • Entries: 179


Players have just returned from their first break of the day and while the players were away from the table we found that there are already a few players who have built up significant stacks.

  1. Mark Harding – 103K
  2. Domenico Scalamogna – 87K
  3. Bob Green – 71K
  4. Zennawi Petros – 71K
  5. Alan Wentz – 63K

Mark Harding built his stack primarily through a set-over-set-over-set hand he was involved in during level 2.

Mark held the Ace of Clubs Ace of Spades while his opponents held 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds (Marko) and 10 of Spades 10 of Clubs (Sylvain Siebert).

The chips all got in the middle on the turn Ace of Hearts after a flop of 10 of Diamonds 2 of Spades 4 of Clubs, and the river didn’t deliver quads for either Marko or Sylvain, Marko was eliminated and Sylvain was severely crippled on the hand, while Mark stacked a huge pot.

Tweets… coming from *inside* the building…

  • Level: 2
  • Small Blind: 75
  • Big Blind: 150
  • Ante: 0
  • Chip Average: 30.4K
  • Remaining: 163
  • Entries: 165


It’s always great to see what people react to and find most interesting when they arrive (or return to) Playground Poker Club for a big event.

Level 1 photos

  • Level: 2
  • Small Blind: 75
  • Big Blind: 150
  • Ante: 0
  • Chip Average: 30.4K
  • Remaining: 162
  • Entries: 164


We’ve seen 164 players take their seats so far in this Day 1b of the WPT Montreal, and late registration will remain open for another 5 levels plus the dinner break. Amongst the field we can find the likes of Marc-Etienne McLaughlin, Dan Smith, Ankush Mandavia, Sylvain Siebert, Lucas and Max Greenwood, Eric Afriat, Mike McDonald, Andy Frankenburger and many more highly skilled players.

Photographs from level 1

Day 1b begins

  • Level: 1
  • Small Blind: 50
  • Big Blind: 100
  • Ante: 0
  • Chip Average: 30K
  • Remaining: 127
  • Entries: 127


Tournament staff have made the opening announcements and made the traditional starting declaration: “shuffle up and deal” and with that, cards are in the air for Day 1b of the 2014 WPT Montreal.

Late registration today will continue until the end of the 45-minute dinner break after level 6, which is to say you can register today until approximately 6:15pm. The attendance to start today is already quite strong, so it looks like this starting flight will follow the expected pattern and welcome approximately double the players as Day 1a yesterday.

When players arrived at their tables today they were greeted by very sharp looking Partypoker WPT Montreal workout shirts – a nice gift from Partypoker!

Partypoker Athletic Shirts-2514

There are three other promotions players should keep in mind today. First – the chip leader at the dinner break will receive a pair of Partypoker-branded Monster DNA headphones (courtesy of PartyPoker), and the chip leader at the end of the day will receive Monster DNA headphones courtesy of the World Poker Tour.

The third promotion is pretty amazing – any player that makes a Royal Flush today (using both hole cards, whether the hand goes to showdown or not) will win a free WPT Cruise (with a +1 as well)!

Good luck to all of the players today!