$100,000 Guaranteed Main Event
Day 1 Completed
2014 Western New York Poker Challenge
$100,000 Guaranteed Main Event
Day: 1
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 Western New York Poker Challenge
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$176,595
Entries
183
Level
24
Blinds
15,000 / 30,000
Ante
3,000
Jerry Calvaneso Holds Massive Lead After Day 1 of WNY Poker Challenge Main Event
![[user153906]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 13
: 1,200/2,400, 300 ante
The 2014 Western New York Poker Challenge continued Saturday with the start of the $1,100 Main Event on the balcony of the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls, New York. The flagship event of the series smashed the $100,000 guaranteed prize pool as the 183 entries created a prize pool of $176,595.
Jerry Calvaneso will lead the 34 survivors into Day 2, all of whom will be eyeing the trophy and the $45,915 top prize. Calvaneso bagged 398,800, nearly double the amount of his next closest competitor.
Calvaneso told us that he played a satellite to the Main Event with the intention of selling it if he won. However, when he found out that he couldn't sell it, he attempted to negotiate a deal to get cash instead of the seat. He ended up winning the seat after another satellite player rejected his offer, and now he could parlay his satellite success into a much bigger payday on Sunday.
Registration and re-entries were available during the first four levels of the Main Event on Saturday, and most of the 183 entries came from single bullets. However, Rick Block fired three times before being eliminated early in the day. In his final entry, Block picked up aces against the pocket queens of Geoff McLeery, but McLeery drilled a queen to send Block home empty-handed.
The red-hot Andy Spears, fresh off his victory in Event #12 the night before, was also unable to advance to Day 2. Spears, who won two Main Events at the Seneca Niagara Falls Casino & Hotel in the past nine months, was eliminated during Level 10 on Saturday. 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 77% 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 out the door.
Other notables joining Spears and Block on the rail on Day 1 were Jason Nablo, Randy Pfeifer, Alex Rivera, Ryan Rivers, and WSOP bracelet winner Greg Ostrander.
Several familiar faces managed to evade elimination on Day 1, including Johannes Mueller, Blake Napierala, Joseph Elia and the defending that of this event, Matthew Sande. Mueller, one of our Players to Watch entering the series, picked up most of his chips during a massive confrontation against Scott Gaddi after the dinner break.
According to Mueller, he called a four-bet preflop against Scott Gaddi to see a flop of 
. Gaddi bet 25,000, Mueller shipped it all in for around 60,000 effective, and Gaddi called.
Mueller: 
Gaddi: 
Gaddi called the shove ahead, and he improved further on the 
turn. But Mueller hit gin when the dealer rolled over the 
on the river, giving Mueller a massive pot and sending Gaddi out the door.
Here's a look at the top 10 stacks entering Day 2:
| Place | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jerry Calvaneso | 398,800 |
| 2 | Pete Kaemmerlen | 239,100 |
| 3 | Bob De Wolfe | 226,800 |
| 4 | Mike Shavensky | 223,700 |
| 5 | Joe Cruz | 217,400 |
| 6 | Leon Halat | 213,100 |
| 7 | Ray Snell | 208,200 |
| 8 | John Aga | 193,000 |
| 9 | Eric Tumbioro | 191,600 |
| 10 | Joseph Elia | 165,900 |
The action will resume at noon ET on Sunday and won't end until a champion is crowned. Will Calvaneso continue steamrolling the field, or will Matthew Sande make another run at the title? Stay tuned to the PokerNews Live Reporting page to find out!
Official Chip Counts & Day 2 Seat Draw (full)
Level 13
: 1,200/2,400, 300 ante
| Table | Seat | Player | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Dave Grana | 39,800 |
| 2 | 2 | Matthew Sande | 123,600 |
| 2 | 3 | Adam Foster | 69,200 |
| 2 | 4 | Michael Shavensky | 223,700 |
| 2 | 5 | Johannes Mueller | 153,800 |
| 2 | 6 | Greg Miller | 112,700 |
| 2 | 7 | Nicholas Walker | 94,600 |
| 2 | 8 | Leon Halat | 213,100 |
| 2 | 9 | empty | N/A |
| 3 | 1 | Kyle Gay | 141,700 |
| 3 | 2 | Pete Kaemmerlen | 239,100 |
| 3 | 3 | Travell Thomas | 62,500 |
| 3 | 4 | Kevin Mathias | 94,400 |
| 3 | 5 | Robert De Wolfe | 226,800 |
| 3 | 6 | Kyle Gauchat | 94,900 |
| 3 | 7 | Robert Bourkey | 39,700 |
| 3 | 8 | Richard Burton | 75,100 |
| 3 | 9 | Tracy Rouse | 61,700 |
| 7 | 1 | Eric Tumbioro | 191,600 |
| 7 | 2 | -empty- | N/A |
| 7 | 3 | Shawn Rodwell | 132,800 |
| 7 | 4 | Todd Saffron | 47,600 |
| 7 | 5 | Andrew Cicatello | 107,200 |
| 7 | 6 | Jerry Calvaneso | 398,800 |
| 7 | 7 | Joe Cruz | 217,400 |
| 7 | 8 | Joseph Elia | 165,900 |
| 7 | 9 | John Aga | 193,000 |
| 6 | 1 | Andre Smith | 143,900 |
| 6 | 2 | Jim Goertz | 89,900 |
| 6 | 3 | Weiyi Mo | 152,000 |
| 6 | 4 | Blake Napierala | 141,200 |
| 6 | 5 | Ray Snell | 208,200 |
| 6 | 6 | Louis Aquilina | 142,800 |
| 6 | 7 | Thomas Babiarz | 127,000 |
| 6 | 8 | Jim Piffer | 37,500 |
| 6 | 9 | Robert Notkin | 13,000 |
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
398,800 | 93,800 |
|
239,100 | 59,100 |
|
|
226,800 | 106,800 |
|
223,700 | -1,300 |
|
217,400 | -12,600 |
|
213,100 | 73,100 |
|
208,200 | 118,200 |
|
193,000 | 38,000 |
|
|
191,600 | 191,600 |
|
165,900 | 97,900 |
|
153,800 | 30,800 |
|
152,000 | -32,000 |
|
143,900 | -19,100 |
|
142,800 | 2,800 |
|
141,700 | 65,700 |
|
141,200 | -8,800 |
|
132,800 | |
|
127,000 | 127,000 |
|
123,600 | -14,400 |
|
112,700 | 18,700 |
|
|
107,200 | 107,200 |
|
94,900 | -100 |
|
94,600 | -53,400 |
|
94,400 | -5,600 |
|
89,900 | -70,100 |
We're Finished!
Level 13
: 1,200/2,400, 300 ante
Day 1 of the WNY Poker Challenge Main Event has come to a close, and the players are now bagging for the night. We'll have a full recap and Day 2 seat draw for you shortly.
Five More Hands
Level 13
: 1,200/2,400, 300 ante
The tournament clock has been paused with 10:02 remaining in Level 13. Officials have announced that the final four tables will play five more hands each before bagging and tagging for the night.
We're headed out to grab any last-minute action and to compile chips counts. Stay tuned for those, the Day 2 seat draw, and a full recap of the Day 1 action.
Cruz Cracks Aces
Level 13
: 1,200/2,400, 300 ante
"All in and a call," we heard a dealer yell. We made our way over just in time to see Joe Cruz get his last 99,000 all in on a 
flop against Dave Grana.
Grana: 
Cruz: 
Grana seemed none too pleased that his pocket aces got outdrawn on the flop, and he watched helplessly as the 
turn and 
river failed to help him. Cruz was shipped the big double while Grana was left with 40,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
230,000 | |
|
40,000 | -120,000 |
Shavensky vs. Kaemmerlen
Level 13
: 1,200/2,400, 300 ante
On a flop of 
, Mike Shavensky checked and opened the door for Pete Kaemmerlen to bet 18,000 from the button. Shavensky responded with a min-raise to 36,000, Kaemmerlen called, and then it went check-check on the 
turn.
When the 
completed the board on the river, Shavensky led out for 30,000 and Kaemmerlen called. Shavensky tabled the 
for a full house, and it was good as Kaemmerlen sent his cards to the muck unseen.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
225,000 | 90,000 |
|
|
180,000 | -79,000 |
Level: 13
Blinds: 1,200/2,400
Ante: 300
Updated Stacks
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
259,000 | 29,000 |
|
|
155,000 | 27,000 |
|
|
148,000 | -9,000 |
|
|
138,000 | -12,000 |
|
|
135,000 | -40,000 |
|
|
123,000 | -29,000 |
|
|
94,000 | 36,000 |
|
|
76,000 | 16,000 |
|
73,000 | 45,000 |
|
61,000 | 16,000 |
|
|
38,000 | -13,000 |
Perrone Perishes
Level 12
: 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Dave Grana opened for 4,500 from the cutoff and was met by an all-in three-bet to 32,500 from Michael Perrone in the small blind. The big folded and Grana thought for a bit before making the call with . Perrone then revealed the inferior 
, and that was all she wrote for him as the board ran out clean.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
160,000 | |
|
Busted |