CA$10,300 Main Event
Day 1a Completed
2019 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS North America
CA$10,300 Main Event
Day: 1a
Lam Surprises the Field on Day 1a of CA$10,000 Main Event
Level 10
: 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
The opening day of the 2019 partypoker LIVE MILLIONS North America has drawn to an end after 10 levels of play. A total of 151 players have made their way to Day 2 and it was Sandy Lam bagging up the Day 1a chip lead with an impressive stack of 6,840,000 chips.
While Lam is a recreational poker player hailing from the United States, she managed to find her way through one of the toughest fields in this CA$10,000 Main Event. Lam has just one recorded cash in her poker career of under $1,000. Lam is looking to change that this week with at least a five-figure score and she is well on her way to accomplishing that feat.
A couple of notable names are sitting within striking distance of Lam including German high-roller Manig Loeser. Coming off a recent victory worth over $670,000, Loeser bagged up 6,620,000 chips and is looking to keep the momentum rolling here in Montreal. Armin Rezaei (5,790,000), Jonathan Concepcion (5,320,000), and Georgiy Filippovich (5,305,000) round out the top five chip counts.
The day got started with around 150 players in their seats but that number continued to escalate quickly through the four levels of late registration. With no re-entry option available on the same day, the action started off rather slow. When registration closed after four levels, there were a total of 304 entries, surpassing the halfway mark of the CA$5,000,000 guaranteed prizepool.
Some of the big names to be eliminated throughout the day include Patrick Serda, Sergio Aido, Scott Seiver, Ema Zajmovic, Alex Lynskey, Jeff Gross, Taylor Black, Anatoly Filatov, Ludovic Geilich, and Darryll Fish. They will have one more chance to run up a stack when Day 1b begins on Wednesday, May 22.
None of the partypoker team members were able to find a bag, however, some of the online qualifiers found better success. Leo Liberal (1,790,000), Daniel Dubeau (730,000), Matthew Urban (255,000), and Samuel Gagnon (235,000) will all return for Day 2 with a shot at turning their rags into riches.
The action will resume tomorrow with Day 1b beginning at 12 p.m. local time. Day 2 will continue on Wednesday, May 23 where the entire field will come together for the first time. Continue to follow along with the PokerNews live reporting team for all of the updates throughout the entire event.
End-of-Day 1A Chip Counts (full)
Level 10
: 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
6,840,000 | |
|
6,620,000
3,020,000
|
3,020,000 |
|
||
|
5,790,000 | |
|
5,320,000
280,000
|
280,000 |
|
5,305,000
2,055,000
|
2,055,000 |
|
5,235,000
285,000
|
285,000 |
|
5,205,000
2,355,000
|
2,355,000 |
|
5,180,000
1,380,000
|
1,380,000 |
|
4,850,000
650,000
|
650,000 |
|
4,705,000
35,000
|
35,000 |
|
4,665,000
-135,000
|
-135,000 |
|
4,645,000
3,314,000
|
3,314,000 |
|
|
4,535,000
575,000
|
575,000 |
|
4,250,000
1,250,000
|
1,250,000 |
|
4,070,000
4,070,000
|
4,070,000 |
|
4,000,040
-49,960
|
-49,960 |
|
4,000,000
4,000,000
|
4,000,000 |
|
3,825,000
-1,150,000
|
-1,150,000 |
|
||
|
|
3,795,000
3,795,000
|
3,795,000 |
|
3,700,000
-1,080,000
|
-1,080,000 |
|
3,520,000
1,675,000
|
1,675,000 |
|
||
|
3,475,000
3,475,000
|
3,475,000 |
|
3,435,000
2,735,000
|
2,735,000 |
|
|
3,410,000
2,485,000
|
2,485,000 |
|
3,355,000
-205,000
|
-205,000 |
|
|
||
Day 1A of the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS North America Main Event Concludes with Sandy Lam Leading
Level 10
: 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Day 1A of the partypoker LIVE MILLIONS North America CA$10,300 Main Event has concluded with the 304-player field reduced to approximately 151 players.
Sandy Lam is the overall chip leader after amassing a 6,840,000 chip stack to edge out Armin Rezaei who finished with 5,790,000 after losing a million-chip pot late in the level to give up the chip lead.
Also among the leaders include Jonathan Concepcion, Ben Wilinofsky, Philippe D'Auteuil, and last year's third-place finisher Tony Ruberto who will all return for Day 2 on Thursday, May 23, at 12 p.m. (EDT) along with the remainder of the Day 1A survivors.
A full recap of the day, along with a full list of chip counts will be posted later tonight.
Grafton Out-Flops Gimbel
Level 10
: 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Sam Grafton raised it up from the cutoff and Harrison Gimbel just called from the big blind. The flop came 
and Gimbel check-called a bet of 30,000 from Grafton.
The turn was the 
and Gimbel checked again. Grafton stuck in a bet of 150,000 this time but Gimbel still called. The river was the 
and both players quickly knuckled the table. Gimbel showed 
but Grafton held 
for the winner.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,800,000
900,000
|
900,000 |
|
1,550,000
-740,000
|
-740,000 |
|
||
Four More Hands
Level 10
: 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
The Tournament Director has announced that there will be just four more hands remaining for Day 1A.
Geci Doubles Through Bain
Level 10
: 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
On the turn with the board reading 
and 300,000 in the middle, Endrit Geci found himself all in for his last 685,000 against Tristan Bain.
Bain: 
Geci: 
The river landed the 
, and Geci doubled through with his turned straight.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
2,520,000
-1,160,000
|
-1,160,000 |
|
1,670,000
980,000
|
980,000 |
Acey-Deucey for Filippovich
Level 10
: 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Georgiy Filippovich raised to 55,000 in middle position and Tony Ruberto called in the cutoff. From the button, Rainer Kempe three-bet to 200,000, and both Filippovich and Ruberto called.
The 
board checked through to the river where Filippovich tabled his 
and both Ruberto and Kempe mucked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,050,000
1,380,000
|
1,380,000 |
|
|
3,250,000
-790,000
|
-790,000 |
|
1,750,000
-270,000
|
-270,000 |
Lam Continues to Rise
Level 10
: 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
On a flop of 
, Sandy Lam led out for 100,000 from the big blind. The other big stack at the table, Gerald Karlic, called in position.
The turn was the and Lam checked to Karlic who bet 225,000. Lam check-raised to 525,000 and Karlic pushed his cards to the muck with a smile on his face. Lam showed her 
as she pulled in the pot to extend her lead over the field.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
6,310,000
250,000
|
250,000 |
|
|
4,670,000
-430,000
|
-430,000 |
Wilinofsky Shoves on Bayley
Level 10
: 10,000/25,000, 25,000 ante
Ben Wilinofsky opened to 60,000 in the cutoff before Lawrence Bayley three-bet the small blind to 310,000.
Wilinofsky responded with a four-bet shove amounting to 4,300,000 and Bayley went deep into the tank before folding.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
4,975,000
3,095,000
|
3,095,000 |
|
|
||
|
2,570,000 | |