Day 1A Ends with 141; Over 500 Pre-Registered for Day 1B

Level 12: 800-1,600, 200 ante

The players have bagged and tagged their chips and 141 players made it through Day 1A at WPT Montreal. The total size of the field today was a massive 478 players, it was so large that two levels were added to the night. There are already over 500 players pre-registered for tomorrow so the field size could eclipse 1,000 players for the first time at a Canadian World Poker Tour event. It will destroy the old record for a WPT Canadian event of 504 players.

The new batch of players will be playing 12 levels on Day 1B on Saturday. Players can register (or re-enter if they busted today) through the end of Level 4 tomorrow.

The chip leader at the end of Day 1A is Patrick Leviever with 326,100. Here's a look at the nine players with more than 200,000 in chips on the unofficial leaderboard:

1. Patrick Leviever – 326,100
2. Kerry Shears – 299,300
3. Kevin McDonald – 272,200
4. Jean-Louis Forino – 272,000
5. Marc-Andre Ladouceur – 247,300
6. Benjamin Armstrong – 221,700
7. Guiallaume DeCaen – 214,200
8. Michael Watson – 207,300
9, Tamer Alkamli – 204,600

Notables that made it through with healthy stacks include Joseph Cheong, Xuan Liu, Ken Aldridge, Dominik Nitsche, Tony Dunst, Allen Kessler, Peter Jetten, and Tristan Wade. They will all return for Day 2 on Sunday.

Since this is a re-entry event, anyone who busted today can try again tomorrow for an additional $3,300. But even players who survived today can try to improve upon today's finish by playing tomorrow. If they bust tomorrow, they will still advance to Day 2 with their Day 1A chip stack. If they survive both days, then they will advance with whichever stack is larger (but not both).

Return to WPT.com at 12:00 noon ET tomorrow for 12 levels of Day 1B action from the Playground Poker Club in Montreal.

Fun Players Make For a Fun Day

Level 12: 800-1,600, 200 ante

Finished Day 1 of WPT Montreal with 61k. Played all day with @subiime and @peterjetten -- good times.

— Tristan Wade (@TristanCre8ive) November 24, 2012

Patrick Lelievre Increases His Chip Lead

Level 12: 800-1,600, 200 ante

Patrick Lelievre just eliminated a player on a board of J10963. His opponent had A-Q, but it never caught up to Lelievre's [Ad-Kx], which was ahead the entire way, and rivered a diamond flush.

Lelievre appears to be the first player to cross the 300,000-chip mark.

Patrick Lelievre  -  327,000  (204 bb)

Marc-Andre Ladouceur Above 250,000

Level 12: 800-1,600, 200 ante

When we arrived the board read K10644 and there was over 100,000 in the pot. Both Marc-Andre Ladouceur and his opponent check and Ladouceur flips over J10. His opponent mucks and Ladouceur is above 265,000 after the hand.

Three More Hands

Level 12: 800-1,600, 200 ante

The tournament clock has been stopped and the field was informed that they will play three more hands. There are 146 players that have survived according to the tournament clock.

Stay tuned as we will be collecting chip count information from the bag and tag and catching the final hands of the night, which will be posted soon.  

Salsberg Falls Late on Day 1A

Level 12: 800-1,600, 200 ante

Matt Salsberg raises to 4,000 preflop and both David Williams and one other opponent call. The flop falls K-J-2 with two spades and Salsberg bets 6,500. Williams and the other player call and the turn falls A.

Action is checked to Williams and he bets 15,000. Salsberg moves all in (he started the hand with 40,000) and both of his opponents call. The river brings the 8 and the players flip over their cards:

Williams: J10
Salsberg: 109
Opponent: Q10

Salsberg is eliminated on the hand after Williams wins the pot when the fourth spade on the river gives him a higher flush by one card over Salbserg.

Joseph Cheong Keeps On Chipping Up

Level 12: 800-1,600, 200 ante

Joseph Cheong is now up to 115,000 after he won a pot with pocket nines, defeating his opponents pocket threes on a board reading 6654Q.

Joseph Cheong - 115,000 (71 bb)

Level 12 Begins

Level 12: 800-1,600, 200 ante

The 162 players that remain have finally begun their final level of play on Day 1A. Blinds are now 800-1,600 with a 200 ante. 

Quick Clock Tick Tock

Level 12: 800-1,600, 200 ante

There is 34,000 in the pot and a board reading 933JJ on the table when the big blind bets 25,000. Matt Salsberg goes into the tank on the button for a considerable amount of time before a player calls the clock on him.

The dealer launches straight into a 60-second countdown without calling over a tournament director. Several players at the table including David Williams protest, and the situation is straightened out by a tournament director, who comes over and starts an official countdown.

Salsberg ends up folding before his alotted time expires and he is down to 37,200 after the strange hand.

Matt Salsberg - 37,200 (23 bb)

Xuan Liu's Secret Washroom

Level 11: 600-1,200, 200 ante

Hooray for secret washrooms #WPTMontreal

— Xuan Liu (@xxl23) November 23, 2012

@marcandre_fdawg if I tell you I might have to kill you.

— Xuan Liu (@xxl23) November 23, 2012

I came back 3 minutes late for bonus levels because I was in the secret washroom doing aerobics. #WPTMontreal

— Xuan Liu (@xxl23) November 24, 2012