The first of two Day 1 starting flights for the 2015 Seneca Niagara Summer Slam Main Event drew 195 entries to the Niagara Falls Poker Room at Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel on Friday.
It's a number that put the $600 buy-in event well on it's way to exceeding the $150,000 guarantee with a second flight set for Saturday at 11 a.m. That second flight is expected to be even bigger, so if you're in the area there's still time to get in on the action.
By the time the first 15 levels of play were done, just 33 remained in the hunt for the title. Paul McLean built a massive chip lead through 14 levels of play, but could not sustain it, ending up on the wrong end of a huge straight-over-straight cooler against Rochester, NY's Adam Foster.
However, Foster couldn't hold the lead either, losing a few pots late and allowing Jeffery Hobrecker to bag the biggest stack. Hobrecker finished on 321,500 following a late flurry.
Last year, the 2014 Seneca Niagara Summer Slam Main Event drew 339 entries across two starting flights, with top local rounder Buck Ramsay earning the title and $41,000 in prize money. Ramsay turned up in defense of his title today and flirted with a big stack for a while, bagging 104,000 by the time play was through.
After all was said and done, 33 survived from today's flight. Those players will return Sunday to play down to a winner after they join up with Day 1b's remaining competitors. In the meantime, the second Day 1 starting flight will kick off at 11 a.m. local time on Saturday with plans to play the same 15 levels they did on Day 1a.
Keep it locked right here on PokerNews for updates live from the floor of the Niagara Falls Poker Room all day long.
Paul McLean has finally been knocked off his perch at the top of the chip counts, but it took a massive cooler to get the job done.
Adam Foster got it in on an flop holding for the nut straight. McLean had and was on the wrong end of things, handing the chip lead to Foster in this final level of the night.
Paul McLean has moved back on top of the chip counts by grinding small pots and chipping up steadily.
He recently fired out a raise from under the gun to 3,600 and only the big blind called. The big blind led the flop for 5,000, but folded when McLean fired back, raising it to 12,000 total.
Cheektowaga, NY's Billy Vogel has rocketed up to a spot at the top of the chip counts here in Niagara Falls.
All this due to one massive hand where he flopped Broadway holding and managed to get his heads-up opponent to call it off on the river with for two pair.
Rochester, NY's Adam Foster got it up to 100,000 in chips getting lucky with a double-gutter in a massive pot early.
A few minutes ago he moved into the chip lead using that big stack to push an opponent off a hand.
Facing a 5,000-chip bet on a flop, Foster check-raised to 12,000. His opponent called, then led the river for 15,000. Foster wasted little time pushing a stack of yellow 5,000-denomination chips out front and announcing all in. His not-so-big stacked opponent folded.
It appears defending Summer Slam Main Event champ Buck Ramsay does nothing but win here in Niagara Falls.
Seven months after taking the 2014 Summer Slam Main Event belt and $41,744, Ramsay also grabbed the $1,000 Western New York Poker Challenge Main Event crown, winning another $56,352 this past March.
The defense of his Summer Slam title has started here on Day 1a and and Ramsay is already dragging pots and building a stack, firing all three streets in one pot and forcing a fold from his heads-up opponent to chip up early.
![[user127999]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
flop holding 
for the nut straight. McLean had 
and was on the wrong end of things, handing the chip lead to Foster in this final level of the night.
flop for 5,000, but folded when McLean fired back, raising it to 12,000 total.
flopped top two.
flop, Foster check-raised to 12,000. His opponent called, then led the 
river for 15,000. Foster wasted little time pushing a stack of yellow 5,000-denomination chips out front and announcing all in. His not-so-big stacked opponent folded.
