Day 1A of the World Poker Tour North American Poker Championship occurred on Friday and leading the pack after the conclusion of five levels of play was poker pro J.C. Tran. The World Series of Poker bracelet winner held 159,300 chips when the day concluded and now has two days to explore Niagara Falls in advance of Monday’s Day 2.
The tournament attracted 125 players in total to the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The country’s gaming rules permit 19 and 20 year-olds to play, which means an influx of younger poker talent. Last year’s champion, Scott “BigRiskky” Clements, is a notable Omaha pro. He holds a pair of World Series of Poker bracelets in Omaha events and defeated fellow online poker star Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little heads-up. Also at the final table was three-time WSOP bracelet winner Barry Greenstein, who autographs a copy of his book “Ace on the River” for the player who knocks him out of major tournaments.
One of the notables to be ousted from Day 1A was Annette Obrestad, who plays in the online poker world under the name “Annette_15.” Obrestad took down the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe Main Event in 2007 for ₤1 million, her first major live cash. Online, she presumably won a $4 buy-in 180-man sit and go tournament without ever looking at her cards, solidifying her as among the greatest names in online poker. She hit the rails on Friday holding A-6 of hearts against Roy Winston’s A-J of spades. Her hand never improved and she was left to enjoy the Maid of the Mist, the boat tour that takes guests right up to the falls.
Also in the field was Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron, regularly considered by many online pros to be one of the top players in the world. Baron was knocked out just before play concluded for the day. He held J-10 of diamonds on a board of A-7-4-8 with two diamonds. His opponent held A-8 for two pair and called Baron’s all-in. A diamond or nine was nowhere to be found on the river, sending him out of the North American Poker Championship.
Although Baron was sent packing, 76 of the 125 players who began Day 1A survived to see Day 2 on Monday. Here were the top 10 chip stacks at the end of the day:
1st Place: JC Tran, 159,300
2nd Place: John Mori, 127,600
3rd Place: Christian Harder, 125,400
4th Place: Dario D’Agostino, 123,400
5th Place: Brian England, 122,000
6th Place: Matt Matros, 106,900
7th Place: David Scott, 103,400
8th Place: Robert Robbins, 100,100
9th Place: Aerial Noseworthy, 99,300
10th Place: Martin Raus, 95,500
Other notables who remained in the field after Day 1A, which concluded after five levels of play, included:
14th Place: Joe Sebok, 84,700
19th Place: Erik Seidel, 71,800
27th Place: Roy Winston, 52,300
31st Place: Gavin Smith, 45,400
47th Place: Bill Gazes, 28,800
62nd Place: Luke Staudenmaier, 20,700
72nd Place: Tim West, 14,400
Those who busted on the first day of play included WSOP bracelet winner Nenad Medic, Obrestad, former Fallsview Casino tournament director Jason March, Team PokerStars Pro member Chad Brown, and internet pro Shaun Deeb.
The low stack in the room after Day 1A was Stephen Ladowsky, who held just 5,900 chips. Ladowsky and company will join the survivors from Days 1B and 1C, which will occur on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Play begins at 12:00 noon local time each day and will last for five levels with no dinner break.
