The second Day 1 flight of the 2015 partypoker.net World Poker Tour Canadian Spring Championship drew 234 players to Playground Poker Club just outside of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Saturday. Add that to the 136 from the first flight and the first stop on the tour's 14th season officially drew 370 entries.
Saturday, a total of 101 players survived 10 levels of play with local rounder and 2014 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown champ Eric Afriat grabbing the end-of-day chip lead. Afriat had a hot start to the day, building his stack up to 90,000 in just the first level and a half, and although there were some bumps in the road, he bagged 212,200 and the lead.
Others who built big stacks before play ended included 2013 World Series of Poker bracelet winner and WPT Canadian Spring Championship finalist Jason Duval, WSOP final tablist Laurence Grondin, WSOP Circuit winner Darryll Fish, and WPT Champions Club member Marvin Rettenmaier.
Hitting the rail as they day wore on were stars like Poker Hall of Fame member, partypoker Team Pro, and WPT host Mike Sexton, 2010 WSOP Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel, and 2014 WPT Montreal winner Jonathan Jaffe.
The 101 Day 1b survivors will join the 50 left over from Day 1a on Sunday, making for a total of 151 players that will hit the felt when play kicks off again at 12 p.m. local time in Montreal. Day 1a chip leader Mike Leah will be bringing the biggest stack with him.
The PokerNews Live Reporting team will be back then to bring you all the action from start to finish with live updates and videos throughout, so be sure to stay tuned to these pages.
In the meantime, check out what Afriat had to say about his big start in the following video interview with PokerNews' Caitlyn Howe:
Local rounder and former World Series of Poker final tablist Laurence Grondin has moved into the top spot on the leaderboard this level.
She three-bet aces from the big blind, flopped a set, rivered a boat and simply had to call when one over aggressive opponent pushed all in behind her.
He didn't show but claimed a cooler as Grondin climbed the ranks.
Owen Sound, Ontario's Dave Graham is making a run at the dinner break chip leader spot.
He's got the biggest stack in the room right now after making a set against top two to push over 100,000. He's also managed to make big slick hold in a big pot and is now pushing 150,000.
With just a few minutes left in Level 6 it looks like Graham is the man right now.
Local John Pentefountas has edged into the chip lead now.
He managed to flop top pair against bottom set, then go runner-runner to build a bigger boat than his heads-up opponent to drag a massive pot pushing him over 100,000 and into contention.
Toronto's Kyle Chang has had two black kings no less than six times so far today.
One of those times he flopped top set and called big bets on the flop and turn before three-betting all in on the river. His opponent called and mucked leaving Chang as the first person past the 100,000-chip mark.
In fact, he's got the chip lead with just minutes to go before the second break of the day.
Thanks to partypoker, Belgium's Swennen Maxime is living the WPT dream here in Montreal.
He turned $5 into a $100 satellite seat; $100 into a $500 satellite seat; and that $500 into a package that covers travel, expenses and his seat here in the 2015 WPT Canadian Spring Championship.
While Maxime told PokerNews he's just happy to be here and experience all that Montreal, The WPT and the Playground Poker Club has to offer, he's also primed for a deep run.
Things are off to the right kind of start for Maxime as well after he picked up aces in the early levels to drag a decent pot.
After busting out in a flush over flush debacle on Day 1a, Montreal local and 2014 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown champ Eric Afriat left the Playground feeling a little sour.
Well, he's all smiles today, having dragged two sizable pots by making flushes against overpairs and chipping up to around three times the starting stack with his second bullet.
Just halfway through the day's second level, Afriat is pushing the 100,000-chip mark and leads the field.
No TV for this event means no commentary duties for the legendary Mike Sexton.
As a result, the partypoker Team Pro fired a bullet today and is off to a decent start. Heads up on the button against the cutoff, Sexton got 300 chips in before the flop.
Then, when the flop fell and his opponent bet 500, Sexton bumped it to 1,000. His opponent tossed it in the muck and Sexton chipped up to begin play.
The World Poker Tour returns to the Playground Poker Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada this morning for the second of two starting flights in the partypoker.net WPT Canadian Spring Championship.
This is the first stop of WPT's 14th season and drew 136 entries on Friday's Day 1a.
Just 50 players survived through ten 60-minute levels, the same number they will play today beginning at 11 a.m. local time.
Canadian Mike Leah bagged the chip lead putting up a number close to 270,000.
In 2014, this tournament was a WPT National event that drew 1,079 entries with Jason Comtois winning it all.
Organizers are expecting a big number today with a host of partypoker online qualifiers and Playground satellite winners planning to jump in the fray.
Plus, anyone who busted or bagged a short stack Friday can fire a second bullet today.
Players will start with a 30,000-chip stack and a chair, the rest is up to them.
Stay tuned right here as the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be on hand for it all with live updates and videos throughout.
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to send two players home unhappy and add to his suddenly bloated stack.
and his opponent bet 500, Sexton bumped it to 1,000. His opponent tossed it in the muck and Sexton chipped up to begin play.
