We've reached the third day of coverage here at the 2014 Western New York Poker Challenge in Niagara Falls, New York. Sunday's event is a $300 no-limit hold'em event with re-entries available until the start of Level 5. Each player will receive 20,000 in chips and the blind levels will increase every 30 minutes.
Last night, Joseph Elia took down Event #2: $500 No-Limit Hold'em for $14,364 after besting a field of 112 entries. The final table included three of our Players to Watch for this series: Jason Nablo (5th place), Randy Pfeifer (3rd place) and Rick Block (2nd place). It marked the second final table in as many days for Nablo, and he told us he'll return on Sunday to try to make it three in a row.
Event #3 begins at 11 a.m., and the PokerNews Live Reporting team will be bringing you hand updates, photos, chip counts and more from the floor of the Seneca Poker Room. 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. You can even write up hand recaps yourself to update your family and friends of your progress.
The action gets underway in less than an hour. See you then!
Seneca Poker Room Manager Amanda Scarcelli just handed us the payouts for Event #3. The 132 entries created a prize pool of $33,231, and the top 15 finishers will earn a minimum payday of $565. The eventual winner will take home $9,305.
The Western New York Poker Challenge isn't the only thing generating excitement here at the Seneca Poker Room. The Bad Beat Jackpot is currently $142,764!
Seneca Poker Room Manager Amanda Scarcelli told us that the jackpot is the biggest it has been since 2010. This room is filling up right now with cash game grinders looking to hit that big score. The qualifying losing hand is a minimum of quad twos, and both of your hole cards must be used to be eligible.
Two of the chip leaders just went head-to-head for a pot worth more than 300,000, and Josh Ross finished on top. We walked over to Table 3 to see Ross and Bob Koentegen staring at a board of . Koentegen was standing in disbelief as he was the victim of a set-over-set situation; Koentegen's was no good against Ross' after all the chips went in on the flop.
Ross now boasts a massive stack of 330,000, while Koentegen was crippled down to 5,000.
Mike Shavensky got his last chips in good with the against Rio Mansour's , but the on the flop spelled the end of Shavensky's tournament in 15th place.
Joe O'Keefe opened from late position, Tom Scanlon three-bet from the cutoff, and Adam Greenly shoved from the small blind. O'Keefe folded, but Scanlon snap-called.
Greenly:
Scanlon:
The board ran out , sending Greenly out in 10th place. O'Keefe said he folded pocket queens and would have made a winning set on the river.
Shortly after folding his pocket queens preflop, Joe O'Keefe was all in with the against Greg Miller's , with Miller barely having O'Keefe covered. The hit both players, but O'Keefe needed to go runner-runner to catch up. He was unable to do that on the turn and river.
Tom MacKinnon moved all in for 76,000 from middle position and Tom Scanlon called from the blinds. "My favorite hand," MacKinnon said as he rolled over kings. He was in great shape to double against Scanlon's , but Scanlon spiked a set on the board to eliminated MacKinnon in eighth place.
What a hand. Greg Miller moved all in for 117,000 from under the gun, and Marcy Jo Penkalski called directly behind. Action folded over to Rio Mansour on the button, and he moved all in for 62,000 more. Action was still pending, but Mansour mistakenly exposed pocket aces. The blinds folded, and Penkalski claimed she didn't see Mansour's hand before calling the additional 62,000.
[Removed:433]:
Miller:
Penkalski:
Incredibly, Penkalski drillled a set on the flop, and she faded a re-suckout when the and completed the board. Since Miller had less he earned seventh place money, and Mansour is our sixth-place finisher. Penkalski is now the overwhelming leader.
Josh Ross held the chip lead for much of the day, but his run came to a crashing halt at the final table. After Tristran Coffin opened, Ross moved all-in for 124,000. Coffin called immediately.
Ross:
Coffin:
The aces held up on this hand as the dealer rolled out a board. We're down to four players, and the deal negotiations have begun.
![[user153906]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
. Koentegen was standing in disbelief as he was the victim of a set-over-set situation; Koentegen's 
was no good against Ross' 
after all the chips went in on the flop.
against Rio Mansour's 
, but the 
on the flop spelled the end of Shavensky's tournament in 15th place.
against Greg Miller's 
hit both players, but O'Keefe needed to go runner-runner to catch up. He was unable to do that on the 
turn and 
river.
, but Scanlon spiked a set on the 
flop, and she faded a re-suckout when the 
completed the board. Since Miller had less he earned seventh place money, and Mansour is our sixth-place finisher. Penkalski is now the overwhelming leader.
