$300 No Limit Hold'em | 2017 Seneca Fall Poker Classic

A 30-year-old window installer from Niagara Falls, Canada won $36,024 and the Seneca Fall Poker Classic Opening Event inside the Niagara Falls Poker Room at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino this evening.

Matt Brunskole came into the day among the leaders and persevered through more than 13-hours of poker to capture the title.

The tournament drew 636 entries over four starting flights, creating a $160,113 prize pool. The final day started with 107 players remaining and after breaking through the money bubble early on, things moved quickly down to a top eleven.

There was a bit of a stall eleven-handed, but after local standout Alex Visbisky busted, the final table of ten was set with Leo Kaplin leading.

The first four players to fall, including perennial Seneca contender Blake Napierala, fell out fast. However, things stalled again five-handed. The blinds escalated to the point where the stacks were shallow and the lead kept changing hands until another local legend, Jason Nablo, took fourth.

They tossed a few chips around three-handed as well, but suddenly Lue Huang ran a weak ace into Brunskole's dominating one. A hand or two later, Kaplin flopped the world and missed against Brunskole's pair to give Brunskole a quick win after a long day.

PokerNews' coverage of the Seneca Fall Poker Classic continues tomorrow with the $10,000 Guaranteed $150 No Limit Hold'em event beginning at 5 p.m. local time in Western New York. See you then.

Armed with an extra hour of sleep thanks to Daylight Savings Time, 107 poker players return to the Niagara Falls Poker Room at the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino today to finish up the opening event on the 2017 Seneca Fall Poker Classic schedule.

They are the survivors from a whopping 636 entries over four flights Friday and Saturday in this $300 No Limit Hold'em event. It came with a $100,000 prize pool guarantee, but it's about a whole lot more than that now.

In fact, they will be vying for pieces of a massive $160,113 prize pool that will pay the top 63 finishers. Just making the money will earn players $576, but surely each has their eye on the $36,024 up top.

Canadian Alex Avdelopoulos bagged 440,000 in the first flight and all eyes will be on him from the start, as he's got a healthy lead. Of course, anything can happen, and with the length of the levels increasing to 40 minutes today, the group in chase will have the time to get it done.

After posting big numbers in the flights themselves, Seneca standouts Chris Damick, Sahar Khajavi, and Matt Marcinkiewicz are in the top ten right now. The wildly unpredictable Andy Stover joins them there as well.

Plus, perennial contenders Matt Brunskole, Scott Hosbach, David Olshan, Maria Parlatore, and Peter Beshay are among those within striking distance.

Local heroes like Guy Klass, Blake Napierala, Silvio DeRubeis, Kurtis Boutelle, Alex Visbisky, Rick Block, Budwey Salhab and the enigmatic Jason Nablo are also in the mix, so it should be a day filled with exciting poker action.

They race to the money will begin at 12 p.m. local time. Blinds start at 2,000/4,000 with a 500 ante. After the money bubble busts, it's all about making the final table, booking a big cash and collecting a little Seneca Niagara poker glory.

PokerNews will be on hand throughout, so stay right here to see who can capture the 2017 Seneca Fall Poker Classic opening event crown.