We thought there would maybe, possibly be a chance to burst the money bubble during Day 2 of the World Poker Tour (WPT) Montreal Main Event, but we certainly didn’t expect it to be obliterated like it was. 357 runners started Monday’s action after surviving one of the three Day 1 flights and in the end, just 59 remained, easily breaking into the ranks of the payouts, which went down to 99th place. Ludovic Lacay is the chip leader entering Tuesday’s Day 3 with 1,261,000 chips.
Unlike many major events where a single player separates himself from the rest of the field early on, the top of the leaderboard on Day 2 is quite compact. After Lacay, there are four more players with over a million chips: Marco Cannizzaro (1,170,000), Jerry Wong (1,160,000), Jonathan Little (1,053,000), and David Barter (1,014,000). The remainder of the top ten are all over 800,000.
Ludovic Lacay is no stranger to success on the live tournament circuit. His most significant score came Last fall, when he won the European Poker Tour (EPT) San Remo Main Event, good for €744,910 ($961,807). He has made two final tables at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), including a fourth place finish in the 2010 $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship for over a quarter million dollars. He also has two final table appearances on the World Poker Tour, the first in 2007 when he placed second in the WPT Spanish Championship for €295,200 ($414,747), the second in 2009 when he finished third in the WPT Marrakech Main Event for €164,789 ($242,833). All told, according to TheHendonMob.com, Ludovic Lacay has won over $3 million in live tournaments, ranking sixth on France’s all-time money list.
Lacay’s biggest hand of the day was reported by the man himself via Twitter. It came very close to the end of the night when he was under the gun against Byron Kaverman. Holding T-6 offsuit, Lacay three-bet a Kaverman raise, which was called. On the flop of T-8-7, both men checked, but Kaverman decided to bet 48,000 when a 3 was dealt on the turn. Lacay called, bringing forward a deuce on the river. Kaverman shoved for 220,000 and Lacay called, picking off Kaverman’s bluff with just K-J and eliminating him in 64th place.
Day 3 will begin at noon ET at the Playground Poker Club in Montreal. With fewer than expected players remaining, it should go rather quickly, as play will stop when 18 participants remain. Levels will be increased from 60 minutes to 90 minutes.
2013 WPT Montreal Main Event – Day 2 Chip Leaders
1. Ludovic Lacay – 1,261,000
2. Marco Cannizzaro – 1,170,000
3. Jerry Wong – 1,160,000
4. Jonathan Little – 1,053,000
5. David Barter – 1,014,000
6. Guillaume Darcourt – 952,000
7. Alexandre Lavigne – 899,000
8. Derrick Rosenbarger – 862,000
9. Amirmasoud Babakhani – 816,000
10. David Paredes – 801,000
