Tonight, legendary Tonight Show host Jay Leno is slated to play the Seneca Events Center just outside the tournament area. It'll be a big show, but for us all eyes will be on the 2014 Western New York Poker Challenge $100,000 Guaranteed Main Event!
The two-day tournament marks the culmination of the 16-event series (though there are still a couple events to come), and some of the area's best players are expected to participate including Thomas Keeper, who took down Event #10 on Thursday night after a four-way chop at the final table; runner-up in that event Ryan Rivers, who won the Bad Beat Jackpot here at the Seneca Poker Room on Wednesday night for $72,000; and Andy Spears, who won Event #12 NLHE Turbo Deepstacks last night in impressive fashion. In addition, we expect many of the players featured in our Players to Watch at the 2014 Western New York Poker Challenge to pony up.
The Main Event is set to kick off shortly on the balcony of the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, and of course the PokerNews Live Reporting team will be bringing you hand updates, photos, chip counts and more from the floor. We will also be activating the MyStack App for this event, allowing players to directly update their chip counts in the PokerNews blog using their iPhone or Android phone.
Fourteen hours ago Andy Spears took down Event # 12 of the WNY Poker Challenge, topping a field of 141 entries to claim the top prize of $6,422. Now, Spears will attempt to win the third straight Main Event of a major series here at the Seneca Niagara Falls Casino & Hotel.
Last August Spears took down the Summer Slam Series Main Event for $23,700, and a few months later he went wire-to-wire to win the $1,500 Fall Poker Classic Main Event for $52,410. We were on hand to witness his dominant performance in the Fall Classic; Spears doubled up with aces in the first level of the tournament and never looked back, eventually defeating a tough final table that included Scott Gaddi, Jason Nablo, Alex Barker and Travell Thomas.
We'll see if he can navigate another big field and three-peat.
The payouts have been released for the Main Event. A total of 183 entries created a prize pool of $176,595, smashing the $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. The top 21 finishers will receive a minimum of $2,119, and the eventual winner will take home the trophy and the top prize of $45,915.
Last November, Andre Smith was in Quebec for the World Series of Poker Circuit Casino Lac-Leamy. It was there that the 29-year-old triathlete took down the $1,125 No-Limit Hold'em event to win $44,547 and a WSOP Circuit gold ring. Smith, who is wearing the said ring today, is hoping to top that score by capturing the $45,915 first-place prize here in Seneca Niagara Falls.
In a recent hand, a player in early position opened for 900 and was met by an all-in three-bet to 2,925 from a middle-position player. Smith then raised to 6,500 from late position, which inspired both blinds and the initial raiser to fold.
Smith:
Opponent:
Both players shared a queen, which meant Smith's ace had him well out in front. The flop delivered the middle-position player a gutshot straight draw, but it proved fruitless as the blanked on the turn followed by the on the river.
Rick Block fired three bullets into this Main Event, and unfortunately for him there's no longer an option for a fourth. According to Block, he four-bet shoved pocket aces into a limper and a three-bettor, and only the three-bettor called with queens. The rest is history, and Block is on his way home.
Ryan Rivers has had a hell of a week, but he won't be capping it off with a Main Event title. Rivers won the Bad Beat Jackpot in the Seneca Poker Room on Wednesday for $72,000, and followed it up with a runner-up finish in Event #10 on the following day for $6,000.
He never gained any momentum today and got the last of his chips in preflop with the . Two players called, and after big bets on the turn and river of a board Rivers came up second best against another player's .
Art Demmerley got his stack of 11,000 or so all in preflop and was racing against Tom MacKinnon.
Demmerley:
MacKinnon:
It was a flip, and all Demmerley needed to do was hold in order to survive. The flop not only kept Demmerley in the lead, it also gave him an open-ended straight draw. Conversely, the turn was kind to MacKinnon as it gave him a flush draw to go with his overs.
The river allowed MacKinnon to complete the said flush, and a downtrodden Demmerley took his leave from the Main Event.
As previously reported, Greg Ostrander defeated Jackie Glazier in a memorable heads-up match to win the bracelet in Event #41: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em back at the 2012 World Series of Poker. He was one of two bracelet winners in the field (the other being Michael Malm), but his hopes of a Seneca Niagara title just came to an end.
In his last hand, action folded to Ostrander in the hijack and he moved all in for his last 9,800. Dave Olshan called from the cutoff and the rest of the players got out of the way.
Ostrander:
Olshan:
Ostrander needed some help, and while the flop gave him a little, he needed more if he hoped to stay alive. The turn didn't do it, and neither did the river.
Meanwhile, Olshan went on to eliminate the player in Seat 9 a short time later to jump up to 138K.
We caught the tail end of a huge double-up for Nick Walker. Fortunately, Walker was kind enough to fill us in with the details.
Walker opened to 2,500 and received one caller before another player three-bet to 5,800. Action folded back to Walker, who four-bet to 14,400. That induced a fold from the player to his left, but the other player shoved for about 60,000 effective. Walker called and tabled the , which was well in front of .
The flop added some straight outs to his opponent's hand, but Walker held up through the turn and river. He's now among the leaders with 133,000.
Andy Spears won two Main Events here at the Seneca Niagara Falls Casino & Hotel in the past nine months, but he will not make it a third. Pete Kaemmerlen opened to 3,100 from under the gun and action folded around to Spears in the big blind. He shoved for around 17,000, and Kaemmerlen called.
Spears:
Kaemmerlen:
Spears increased his lead to 83% when the flop added a flush draw to his hand, and it looked like he'd survive when the hit the turn. But the on the river improved Kaemmerlen to Broadway, sending Spears to the rail.
![[user153906]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop delivered the middle-position player a gutshot straight draw, but it proved fruitless as the 
blanked on the turn followed by the 
on the river.
. Two players called, and after big bets on the turn and river of a 
.
flop not only kept Demmerley in the lead, it also gave him an open-ended straight draw. Conversely, the 
turn was kind to MacKinnon as it gave him a flush draw to go with his overs.
flop gave him a little, he needed more if he hoped to stay alive. The 
turn didn't do it, and neither did the 
river.
flop added some straight outs to his opponent's hand, but Walker held up through the 
turn and 
flop added a flush draw to his hand, and it looked like he'd survive when the 