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.
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.
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.
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