If you were looking for a quick World Poker Tour (WPT) event, you are in luck. The 2014 WPT Fallsview Poker Classic Main Event started on Saturday and is already down to its final ten players. Jason James is the chip leader going into Monday’s Day 3 with 2,606,000 chips, a significant advantage over his closest competitor, Ben Graham, who has 1,556,000.
A total of 383 players sat down on Day 1 at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario and paid the CAD $5,000 to start the trek towards the Champions Cup. The field was trimmed by more than two-thirds – down to 114 – by the end of Saturday.
The top 45 finishers are getting paid in this tournament with the remaining payouts as follows (CAD / USD):
1. $363,197 / $326,866
2. $254,238 / $228,806
3. $163,439 / $147,090
4. $121,066 / $108,956
5. $90,799 / $81,716
6. $72,639 / $65,373
7. $60,533 / $54,478
8. $48,426 / $43,582
9. $36,320 / $32,687
The chip leader, Jason James, is a local of sorts, hailing from Mississauga, ON, about an hour’s drive from Niagara Falls. He has done fairly well in major tournaments, scoring seven World Series of Poker (WSOP) cashes, but he has never broken through for even a six-figure cash. Last May, he also found a bit of success in his home country, finishing 41st in the WPT Canadian Spring Championship. James’ most lucrative live tournament was a preliminary event at this same Fallsview Poker Classic in 2011, when he cashed for CAD $43,520 (USD $43,738).
One of James’ most significant hands on Sunday narrowed the field to 27 players. On a flop of 6♣-8♥-7♣, James bet 46,000 and Abraham Sasson raised to 100,000 after having his raise to 200,000 recalled because he made it in two motions (essentially a string raise). James called and bet 100,000 when the 9♥ was dealt on the turn. Sasson called to bring on the river of the 4♥. James moved all-in, forcing Sasson to fold and hang onto his remaining 105,000 chips.
The final table has just gotten underway at the Fallsview Casino as the ten players still in the game attempt to become the next World Poker Tour champion.
2014 World Poker Tour Fallsview Poker Classic Main Event – Day 3 Chip Counts
1. Jason James – 2,606,000
2. Ben Graham – 1,556,000
3. Spiro Mikrogianakis – 1,455,000
4. Peter Labib – 1,238,000
5. Josue Sauvageau – 1,234,000
6. Matthew Lapossie – 1,171,000
7. Dylan Wilkerson – 982,000
8. Howie Leung – 657,000
9. John Boulougouris – 255,000
10. Xiaohu Chen – 237,000
Tournament information, including chip counts and hand detail, courtesy wpt.com