The chip leaders in Day 1a following level 6 have all managed to build up stacks of greater than 100K while the average is currently just 45.9K and blinds in level 7 will be only 250/500/a75.
In just 3 minutes the (electronic) chime will signal to mark the end of level 6 and players in the WPT Montreal will begin a 45-minute long dinner break. During this break is the last opportunity players will have to register for today’s starting flight, and there are always a few last-minute registrations so we will update the final tally for Day 1a at the other side of the break.
During the break we’ll also compile a list of chip leaders and get some stack sizes for some notable players as well.
Three more local players have joined the action, each of whom has his own kind of notoriety.
First is Jonathan Roy, the champion of the initial WPT Montreal in 2012. Jonathan travels the international circuit extensively and after winning here at Playground made final tables in the PCA Main Event (2013) and the WPT World Championship (2013).
Second is Charles-Alexandre Sylvestre – better known in these parts at “Chucky”. Chucky has been a fixture in local games for many years – and then in 2013 won both a bracelet in the WSOP in Las Vegas and a ring at a WSOP-C event.
The third local of note to have joined the field is TJ Ulmer. TJ – aka ‘1bigacehole’ may not have a high profile as a live poker player, but he’s a certified legend of online poker and in the past has been considered the clear #1 player in the world. TJ actually started the day on the final table of the $1,100 WPT Warm-up, and then joined the WPT Montreal field after he busted in 8th place.
Antonio Esfandiari, Jeff Gross and Brian Rast have arrived at Playground Poker Club and taken their seats in Day 1a of the 2014 WPT Montreal.
In the past couple of levels we’ve also seen Shannon Shorr, Jeff Madsen, and Yann Dion join the action.
Late registration ends at the end of the dinner break following level 6 – which is to say in just about 2 hours.
The first 4 levels of play have concluded in Day 1a on the WPT Montreal and players are currently on break. There’s still a long way to go in today’s starting flight – they play 10 levels today, a few players have managed to jump to an early lead.
Now in its third year, the WPT Montreal has had some great champions, some epic final table battles, and some great performances from some of the top poker pros in the world.
But – there is only one true WPT Montreal Legend. His name: Sylvain Siebert.
Sylvain had no published results before the first WPT Montreal in 2012 – but since then, he has final tabled both the 2012 and 2013 editions of the WPT Montreal, as well as the WPT Canadian Spring Championship in 2014. In addition to these Playground successes, he has also cashed in two other main events that have been held here – his results are simply unparalleled.
Sylvain is back at Playground for the 2014 WPT Montreal – in fact, he has already finished his first starting flight, having been eliminated in the level 2 of Day 1a earlier today. It’s pretty safe to assume that Sylvain will try at least one more starting Day… and maybe, just maybe, he’ll make his way to the final table for a third year in a row.
Here are some additional photos of players in the action in Day 1a of the WPT Montreal.
Photos from level 3
One of the things the WPT Montreal has become known for is the one-of-a-kind Champion’s Belt awarded to the winner!
This year’s version has arrived at Playground, direct from the workshop where it was made, and it looks fabulous!
