David Guay has taken over the chip lead in the Main Event by a comfortable margin as play resumes in level 11 following the players’ first break of the day. David is a Quebec-based player who is best known for his awesome summer of 2017 in which he came 2nd in the WSOP $1K Tag Team event (with Pablo Mariz) and went as deep as 22nd place in the WSOP World Championship the same summer.

Here are a few more photos taken as level 10 wound to a close.

Random seating in tournaments often has surprising outcomes, and today’s table 55 in the Tournament Hall is just such a table. It may not be the table of doom, exactly, but there’s some extremely impressive talent sitting there today’s in the shadow of the WPT Champion’s Trophy and the Champion’s Belt.

• Jeff Gross – Online and Live pro with results going back to 2007 including 3rd place in the 2012 WPT Montreal
• Steven Firestone – One of the chip leaders to start Day 2.
• John Krpan – well-known high-stakes cash game player.
• Noeung Troeung – local businessman who is a past Playground event champion
• Kurt Lichtman – From New York, Kurt has cashes going back a decade in all of the major poker centers in the US
• Eric Afriat – two-time WPT Champion from Montreal
• Rodney Ramalho – 2015 DeepStacks Poker Tour Championship winner
• Mukul Pahuja – two final tables in successive WPT events at Playground, Season 12 WPT Player of the Year

Play has begun in level 10 – there is only 1 hour left to register in the tournament!

Here are a few photos taken during level 9, the first level being played on Day 2. Registration is now up to 728, which is made up of a combination of new entries and re-entries.

One of the players that has joined us today is Jeff Gross, who, in the first ever WPT Montreal in 2012, managed to book his first major live tournament breakthrough with a 3rd place in the event – and he hasn’t looked back since!

The players have taken their seats – both new and qualifiers – and cards are now being dealt in Day 2 of the Main Event. The tournament starts in level 9 today with blinds at 400/800 and a bb ante of 800.

So far there have been 72 entries today, adding up to a total of 707 entries for the entire event to date. Of that number, there are 418 players currently at tables spread throughout the Tournament Hall and in the new building.

Day 2 in the 2018 WPT Montreal Main Event is set to begin in about 30 minutes. There were 355 Day 1 qualifiers whose sealed bags have been distributed around the Tournament Hall and the new building, ready to be rejoined by their owners. As well, there are also new Day 2 entries buying in – so far there are over 30 new entries, a number that will grow sharply as Day 2 begins.

The chip leader to start today is Marius Kikinezhdi, who played on Day 1A and amassed 283,500 in chips. The rest of the top 5 stacks to start the day is a list of impressive players: Upeshka De Silva (249,000), Matthew Salsberg (237,200), Steven Tripp (227,600), and Alex Foxen (213,800). Just outside of the top 5 to start the day is the 2017 WPT Montreal champion, Maxime Heroux, who is clearly intent on defending his title! There is one other former WPT Montreal Champion still in the field as well: poker legend Mike Sexton will begin his Day 2 journey with 57,000.

Registration in the event remains open to begin Day 2, and with a 40,000 chip starting stack, players will begin with a healthy 50bb. Players may enter or re-enter during the first 2 levels of play and through the 15-minute break following these two levels – in other words, until 2:15pm. We’re expecting a big rush of new entries on Day 2, so it’s going to be a huge day of poker here at Playground!

Good luck to everyone who plays today!