The 2015 edition of the Western New York Poker Challenge heats up today with the start of Event #5, a $25,000 Guaranteed No Limit Hold'em tournament with a $50 buy-in.
Kicking off inside the Niagara Falls Poker Room at 11 a.m. is the first of six starting flights that will play out over the next three days. The second starting flight will go off at 7 p.m. local time tonight.
Players get 10,000 in tournament chips and will play 15 20-minute levels with the opportunity for unlimited re-entries up until the 13th.
They can also jump in as many starting flights as they like and carry the biggest stack forward to Thursday's second and final day.
The affordable buy-in and re-entry format is designed to attract both veteran rounders and recreational players and should be a fun ride throughout as players try to build a contending stack.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team promises keep you updated on all the action throughout the day.
Rochester, NY's Brian Morse is the first player past the post today having found an early double up.
When one opponent bet 500 preflop and he looked down at two kings he three-bet, making it 2,500. His opponent called and they went heads up to a queen high flop.
That's when Morse piled it in and got the call from his opponent holding a queen. Kings held and Morse jumped into the early chip lead.
Tonawanda, NY's own John Jemiolo got three streets of value, betting all the way down a board, even getting his heads-up opponent to call all in and go broke on the river.
Add that to a number of small pot wins early on and he has vaulted into the chip lead.
Jody Peterson, from nearby Olean, NY, is having quite a day so far.
He's made a few flushes and generally run pretty good to push up into the early chip lead.
A few moments ago he joined a chorus of limpers into a flop, but was the only caller when the small blind led out for 3,000. He called again when the small blind bet 4,000 on the turn.
Both players checked the river and Peterson showed a jack to collect yet another pot.
To the surprise of no one who has been paying attention to the results of the 2015 Western New York Poker Challenge thus far, Jerry Calvaneso has vaulted in the chip lead and is the first player to hit the six-figure mark.
He bumped it up to 5,000 preflop and got one caller, who shoved all in on an flop after Calvaneso checked.
Calvaneso called with and was in front against his opponent's . He stayed there after two blanks on the turn and river and is now stacking the chips - a familiar site at Seneca Niagara.
Thomas Fleming spent the last few levels dusting off his chip lead and got the last of it across the line in a three way all in pot with Tom Law and David Conron.
Conron had jacks and the jacks held to bust Law and Fleming on what would be the final hand of this first flight.
They are now down to just 13. A full list of the remaining players and chip counts is coming up.
![[user127999]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
all the way down a 
board, even getting his heads-up opponent to call all in and go broke on the river.
flop, but was the only caller when the small blind led out for 3,000. He called again when the small blind bet 4,000 on the 
river and Peterson showed a jack to collect yet another pot.
flop after Calvaneso checked.
and was in front against his opponent's 
. He stayed there after two blanks on the turn and river and is now stacking the chips - a familiar site at Seneca Niagara.