2018 Western New York Poker Challenge

Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info

2018 Western New York Poker Challenge

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
45
Prize
$66,736
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$278,050
Entries
315
Level Info
Level
29
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
10,000

Alex Visbisky Claims Day 1b Chip Lead at 2018 WNYPC Main Event

Level 15 : 1,500/3,000, 400 ante
Day 1b chipleader Alex Visbisky
Day 1b chipleader Alex Visbisky

That's a wrap for the second and final qualifying flight of the $200,000 guaranteed 2018 Western New York Poker Challenge Main Event. Day 1b saw 199 entries take to the felt bringing the grand total to 315. Just 39 hopefuls booked their seat on Day 2 with Alex Visbisky ending the night with the most chips.

Visbisky finished the night with 422,000 to claim the chip lead, just two antes short of the overall mark of 423,000 set on Day 1a. When asked if any significant hands stood out, Visbickey mentioned flopping a set of nines and getting three streets of value from two tablemates. He also picked up aces and got two good sized bets paid off. Visbisky also mentioned he has been in this position before and with sub-par results and knows there is a lot of poker yet to be played.

Baggind second-best on Day 1b was Medhat Ramsay with 359,500. Dominic Baranyi (287,500), Patrick Tighe (276,000), Mike Latour (273,500),Joe Cantalano (269,500),Justin Cannazi (261,500), and Scott Murawa (259,500) round out the top stacks heading towards Day 2.

The day wasn't so lucky for the likes of Mike Rellinger, Alex Rivera,Maria Palatore, Matt Heiligenthaler, and Kristan Mackiewicz who all saw there Main Event run come to an end.

Not only was the $200,000 guarantee smashed but the Seneca Niagara poker room also broke a record today with the Main Event's attendance. The 301st entry of the event became the most they have ever received for a $1,000 event. The prize pool for this year's Main Event closed at $278,050. The top 36 places will make the money with a top prize of $66,736 awaiting the eventual champion.

Cards will get in the air at 11 AM on Sunday with Day 2 action. The plan will be to play down to a final table but may continue on if the final table is reached early.

PokerNews will be here throughout the festival, bringing you all the news and live updates. Follow @pokernews on Twitter, on Facebook, and Instagram.

Tags: Alex RiveraAlex VisbiskyDominic BaranyiKristan MackiewiczMike LatourMike RellingerScott Murawa

Breaking News; Pocket Jacks Hold

Level 13 : 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Andy Ranaletti
Andy Ranaletti

It's unclear how many bets it took for all the chips to go in the middle but on a {6-Diamonds}{8-Spades}{2-Diamonds} flop, a 185,000 chip pot was created, Jordan Lagano had Andy Ranaletti and a third player in the hand all in and at risk as the cards hit their backs.

Jordan Lagano: {a-Diamonds}{9-Diamonds}
Andy Ranaletti: {j-Spades}{j-Hearts}
Opponent: {a-}{k-}

Ranaletti was ahead needing to fade a bunch of outs. The board ran out {4-Spades}{5-Hearts} and as shocking as it may seem, pocket jacks actually held and earned Ranaletti a huge pot.

Player Chips Progress
Andy Ranaletti us
Andy Ranaletti
185,000 75,000
Jordan Lagano us
Jordan Lagano
35,000 -100,000

Tags: Andy RanalettiJordan Lagano

River Straight Triples Up Murray

Level 13 : 1,000/2,000, 300 ante
Matt Murray
Matt Murray

All the chips went in preflop between Matt Murray, Arthur Gates, and a third player in the hand. Murray was the shortest stack with 36,000 committed and Gates having the other player covered as well.

Matt Murray: {a-Hearts}{a-Spades}
Arthur Gates: {10-Hearts}{10-Clubs}
Opponent: {8-Hearts}{8-Diamonds}

Much to the delight of the whole table, except possibly Gates, the board ran out {j-Spades}{k-Hearts}{4-Clubs}{10-Diamonds}{q-Clubs}. A roller coaster for Murray as he went from having the best hand, to losing, to binking a straight on the river to triple up.

Gates grabbed the side pot sending the third player in the hand to the rail.

Player Chips Progress
Arthur Gates us
Arthur Gates
140,000 -20,000
Matt Murray us
Matt Murray
120,000

Tags: Matt MurrayArthur Gates

Don't Keep Your Fans in the Dark, My Stack App Activated for the 2018 WNYPC

Level 1 : 50/100, 0 ante

The PokerNews MyStack App is available for players here at the 2018 Western New York Poker Challenge, allowing players to directly update their chip count on the PokerNews Live Reporting page for their friends and family to see.

You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.

Day 1b of the 2018 WNYPC Kicks Off at 11 AM

The second and final flight of the $200,000 guaranteed 2018 Western New York Poker Challenge (WNYPC) Main Event begins at 11 AM on Saturday.

Day 1a played out on Friday with a total of 116 entries hitting the felt. Just 20 survivors secured seats for Day 2 with the current chip lead set by Jason Eisele with 423,300. The prize pool has so far grown to $102,393 and should have no problem surpassing the guarantee with an even larger field expected on Day 1b.

Starting stacks will consist of 30,000 in tournament chips with 40-minute blind levels before changing to 60-minute levels on Day 2 and then 90 minutes during the final table.

Registration will remain open for the first 10 levels of each Day 1 with unlimited re-entries permitted during that time. Players also have the option of playing both Day 1s even if they book a seat on their first try. Only their largest stack will be put in play on Day 2.

In 2017, Guy Klass claimed the Main Event title after chopping heads up with Peter Beshay in a field of 267 entries to collect a top prize of $47,016. Klass joined Rick Block, Buck Ramsay, and Nicholas Walker as former champions of the prestigious event.

Past Results:

YearChampionEntriesPrize
2017Guy Klass267$47,016
2016Rick Block244$52,768
2015Buck Ramsay275$56,352
2014Nicholas Walker183$37,061

PokerNews will be here throughout the festival, bringing you all the news and live updates. Follow @pokernews on Twitter, on Facebook, and Instagram.

Tags: Buck RamsayGuy KlassNicholas WalkerRick Block