A total of 279 players turned out for the 2009 World Poker Tour (WPT) Legends of Poker. Now, Steven Begleiter, a member of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine, leads the pack after Day 1.
When the smoke cleared on Day 1, 181 players remained in the hunt in the $10,000 buy-in tournament, which is being held at the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles. Although attendance was down 25% from last year, the mood remained upbeat, especially for fans of Begleiter. The Full Tilt Poker pro holds the largest stack in the room at 232,275, comfortably ahead of the second place tally of 135,025 belonging to Alex Golshanara. The average stack in the room is just 46,243, with Gary Lent claiming the smallest tally at 5,800.
Begleiter went on a heater to end his day in Los Angeles, leading to his massive edge over the field. After building his stack to over 100,000, Begleiter hit a full house on the river to draw out on an opponent who held a set. Then, Tim Phan shoved with A-K, only to run into Begleiter’s pocket kings. The better hand held, catapulting Begleiter to a commanding lead. He told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman after play had concluded, “I’m glad I did this today. I hope I can do this on November 7th.”
The 2009 WSOP November Nine was determined on July 15th. One month later, Begleiter has found his way back into the spotlight. He explained, “It’s really getting my blood flowing. Seeing the level of competition here and having a good day certainly adds to my excitement for November 7th.” Here’s a look at the top of the leaderboard entering Day 2 of the WPT Legends of Poker, which will play out on Sunday:
1. Steven Begleiter: 235,275
2. Alex Golshanara: 135,025
3. Tommy Vedes: 124,725
4. Eugene Katehalor: 124,150
5. Sam Stein: 112,250
6. Markus “LURPED” Gonsalves: 108,600
7. Matt Marafiot: 107,500
8. Eddie Ngo: 105,000
9. Mike Krescanko: 104,950
10. Toto Leonidas: 90,525
Other notable names in the Top 50 include:
14. Nick Schulman: 88,000
15. Mark Seif: 84,700
30. Scott Montgomery: 71,550
35. David “The Dragon” Pham: 68,900
36. Greg “FBT” Mueller: 68,800
37. Kenna James: 67,800
48. Scotty Nguyen: 60,300
Former Bellagio Cup winner and online poker pro Kevin “BeL0WaB0Ve” Saul was ousted on the final hand of the night after running his set into an opponent’s straight. Kenna James doubled up in the closing seconds of Day 1 holding pocket kings against Alexandre Gomes’ pocket aces. A king hit the flop, sending James into the lead in the hand for good. Gomes, the chip leader early on in the 2009 Legends of Poker, now sits in 84th place with a stack of 41,200.
Mark Seif and Amir Vahedi traded shots late in the day. Seif told Vahedi that he held pocket aces in a hand, leading to Vahedi folding and Seif earning a penalty for his actions. In the first hand after rejoining the table, Seif doubled up with pocket kings against Vahedi, who held pocket queens. Vahedi then came back to double up with four of a kind against a different opponent. At the end of Day 1, Seif holds 84,700 chips, good for 15th overall, and Vahedi boasts the 120th largest stack at 30,900.
The 2009 Legends of Poker will air as part of Season VIII of the WPT on Fox Sports Net. Its six-handed final table will play out on Wednesday with the following prizes up for grabs:
1st Place: $1,034,500
2nd Place: $471,670
3rd Place: $231,300
4th Place: $144,600
5th Place: $116,225
6th Place: $89,220
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for updates from the Legends of Poker.