Event #11 - $1,000 + $100 Playground 1000 | Page 18 of 19

Tight race for the lead

Level: 5
Small Blind: 400
Big Blind: 800
Button Ante: 800
Chip Average: 117K
Remaining: 82
Entries: 96

2018/01/26 - 15:46 by Jôle Simard

Four levels have been played so far in Day 1A of the PG1000, and a handful of players are pushing over 200K. Pierre Lamothe is only 16K behind Eric Cormier, who lost a few feathers but is still our top dog.

Here is our current top 10:

First Name	Last Name	Chip Count
Eric	Cormier	254,000
Pierre	Lamothe	238,000
Charles	Laboissonnière	224,000
Richard	Paradis	217,000
Kevin James	Macdonald	206,000
Daren	Keyes	204,000
Alain	Zarka	199,000
Claude	Perreault	193,000
Isham	Yamani	189,000
Ami	Alibay	181,000

Some of their photos:

Abdelhay catches a break

Level: 4
Small Blind: 300
Big Blind: 600
Button Ante: 600
Chip Average: 112.5K
Remaining: 80
Entries: 90

2018/01/26 - 15:00 by Jôle Simard

Donald Abdelhay, who couldn’t find a spot for over 3 levels of play, finally picked up a hand to work with. Also, he was fortunate enough to see a short stack go all-in on him.

Donald Abdelhay:
Rottanak Ly:

Board:

Abdelhay flopped big, and although Ly found some hope on the turn, the set of kings held, and Abdelhay moved up by about 25K.

Level 4 photographs:

Cormier wins big

Level: 4
Small Blind: 300
Big Blind: 600
Button Ante: 600
Chip Average: 110K
Remaining: 80
Entries: 88

2018/01/26 - 14:23 by Jôle Simard

We came across a hand that created a monster stack. Indeed, Eric Cormier, who was already doing very well, took down a record pot for this blind level.

The flop was checked around. On the turn, Michael Tessier-Strasbourg bet out 8K into a 13K pot. Eric Cormier, Pinto S., Linda Huard and Kevin Macdonald all called. Tessier-Strasbourg, facing so much resistance, checked the river. Cormier did not hesitate and threw in 50K. Pinto S. committed his 40K stack, and Huard called 50K.

Eric Cormier:
Pinto S.:
Linda Huard:

Board:

This powerful river filled up 3 straights, and with this pot Cormier is now sitting on over 300K. He is in a great position to keep the pressure on his opponents for a very long time. Play enters level 4, with 80 players at the tables.

Level 3 photographs:

Front runners

Level: 3
Small Blind: 250
Big Blind: 500
Button Ante: 500
Chip Average: 102.5K
Remaining: 79
Entries: 81

2018/01/26 - 13:29 by Jôle Simard

After 2 hours of of play, and despite the very deep starting stacks, some players have managed to distance themselves from the pack. Two of them – Walter Asatoorian and Eric Cormier – even doubled their belonging. Their respective tables count 2 players each in our current top 5, which is presented below:

First Name	Last Name	Chip Count
Walter	Asatoorian	211,000
Eric	Cormier	200,000
Daren	Keyes	175,000
Jean-François	Bouchard	166,000
Carl	Martel	163,000

Deep play

Level: 2
Small Blind: 200
Big Blind: 400
Button Ante: 200
Chip Average: 101.4K
Remaining: 69
Entries: 70

2018/01/26 - 12:33 by Jôle Simard

During this early stage of Day 1A, players are mostly playing small pots and studying each other. The biggest pot we came across was between Louis Boutin and Yan Nadeau. Nadeau fired 3 post-flop barrels – 3.3K, 7K and 11K – and Boutin released on the river on the following board:

Nothing was shown, and these 2 players playing a pretty advanced game, anyone’s guess is valid. Here are some shots taken early in level 2:

Through the lens

Level: 2
Small Blind: 150
Big Blind: 300
Button Ante: 150
Chip Average: 101.8K
Remaining: 56
Entries: 57

2018/01/26 - 11:47 by Jôle Simard

Day 1A started with 45 players, and 12 more joined the field in the first level. Knowing the poker player’s tendency toward lateness, we can expect players to come in at a regular pace until the end of the flight.

Some known faces were noticed in the room. Here is a first look at the field: