The second of two Day 1 flights for the 2015 Seneca Fall Poker Classic $1,000 Main Event went off in Niagara Falls, NY, on Saturday.
Day 1b drew a whopping 209 entries, ensuring the event more than met its $200,000 guarantee with a grand total of 291 entries over two days. Full prize pool information will be released on Sunday morning, but it looks like the field will be playing for a slice of the $250,000-plus prize pool that will pay 27 spots with over $60,000 awaiting the winner.
Just 47 made it through the Day 1b flight, adding to the 13 from Day 1a to make for a total of 60 players headed into Sunday's play down to a final table. The final table will play out Monday in the Niagara Falls Poker Room.
With a lot more players and a lot more chips in play, the lead changed hands several times throughout the day, but ended in the grasp of the venerable Pat Tighe, who bagged 392,500 after nursing a relatively short stack all day before exploding in the late levels.
Others to bag big included Max Droege, Mike Hallmark, Colin Padgett, Kyle Rzeszutek, and top Seneca Niagara contenders Jason Nablo, Thomas Clayton, and Alex Rivera. Despite the larger field and more chips in play on Day 1b, the entire group is still chasing multiple Seneca Niagara Poker main event winner Buck Ramsay, as he bagged a massive 461,500-chip stack on Day 1a and will take the overall lead into Day 2.
Play will resume at 11 a.m. local time Sunday morning as the field squares off in a battle for a seat at the 2015 Seneca Niagara Poker Classic Main Event final table. PokerNews will be on hand to capture all the action and you are more than welcome to follow along right here.
Local legend Jason Nablo, who final tabled this event in 2013, just went from 70,000 at the last break to over 200,000 heading into this one.
Big hands included one massive set-over-set set-up and an opportunity to play bluff catcher.
In the meantime, Ron DeLollis still leads on 240,000, but things are tightening at the top.
Sandra Boyle is over 200,000 now and Ladies' Night continues with Cathy Schenone filling up twice to drag big pots and take the spot right underneath DeLollis.
A 10-minute break starts now with the board claiming 65 remaining and two levels to play before the day is done.
The clock struck six and it's suddenly ladies night at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino.
Not only are there two-for-one margaritas at all casino bars, but Sandra Boyle keeps chipping up and it appears she'll take the lead into the dinner break.
In the meantime, 2015 Seneca Niagara Fall Poker Classic Event #1 champ Kristan Mackiewicz goes into the dinner break on a massive heater, having picked up aces three out of fives hands.
She busted one player shoving into them with on the third and now has 90,000 and counting.
David 'Dae Dae' Battaglia leads heading into the second break of the day.
He raised it up with the old , getting three callers before flopping a gutshot and a flush draw on a board with two spades.
He check-raised a flop bet and got the call to go heads-up to an turn that now gave him a double-gutter. A bet and a call saw them go down to the river where Battaglia piled it in for 22,000 after the came down, making him the nut-low straight.
He got the call and the muck to start the push towards six-figures faster than anyone else in the room as they head into a 10-minute break starting now with the board reading 167 entries and 137 remaining.
It's big time poker, Western New York style, as the second and final Day 1 starting flight for the $200,000 Guaranteed 2015 Seneca Fall Poker Classic $1,000 Main Event kicks off this morning.
The first flight drew a total of 82 entries with just 13 players making it through to Sunday's Day 2. Counting dozens of satellite winners and local rounders with fat bankrolls from the prelims, staff at the Niagara Falls Poker Room are expecting this flight to be almost twice as big, setting the over-under at 150.
Add in the facts the top players from across Western New York and beyond always turn out in droves for a shot at a big score and since its on the balcony, the event is open to anyone 18 and up, and the over isn't a bad bet.
Friday's flight had a very familiar feel to it, with 2015 Western NY Poker Challenge Main Event and 2014 Summer Slam Main Event winner Buck Ramsay running like a god on the way to bagging a massive 461,500-chip stack. Plus, 2014 Seneca Niagara Poker Classic champ Rick Block earned the spot just underneath Ramsay on the leader board in defense of his title.
Today players will try to match those performances, starting with 30,000 in chips and the need to survive through 15 40-minute levels. There is a 45-minute dinner break following Level 10 and registration and unlimited re-entry is available until it is over.
Even those bagging chips last night can try again on this second starting flight, taking their best stack forward to Sunday's Day 2 where the levels increase to 50 minutes and the final table will be set. They will play down to champion Monday inside the poker room playing 60-minute levels.
PokerNews will be on hand throughout bringing you live coverage, so sit back and enjoy what promises to be an action-packed day from the balcony inside the Seneca Resort & Casino beginning at 11 a.m.
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on the third and now has 90,000 and counting.
.
, getting three callers before flopping a gutshot and a flush draw on a 
board with two spades.
turn that now gave him a double-gutter. A bet and a call saw them go down to the river where Battaglia piled it in for 22,000 after the 
came down, making him the nut-low straight. 
