LIVE EVENTS

Play has just ended on the first live starting flight of the Grand Prix Canada, Day 1A. This flight proved to be tremendously popular, taking in a total of 196 entries, which put over 19 million in chips in play.

The early levels were full of wild, loose action, as everyone in the field was looking to run up their stacks as quickly as possible. Thanks to the extended late registration and re-entry period, this dynamic kept up all the way until the late stages of play when the end of the flight came into sight.

Shortly after level 18 began, this flight was brought to an end without a delay thanks to back-to-back eliminations just before hand-for-hand play was set to begin. When the chips went in the bag, Michel St-Francois emerged as the chip leader with nearly 1.7 million in chips ready to go to Day 2. To see the combined Day 1 results, click here.

After 16 levels of play, there are only 34 players remaining on Day 1A, and there is a new chip leader.

Alexandre Lajoie went from having a relatively small stack to the top of the leaderboard in less than two levels of play. The hot streak put him in great position to qualify for Day 2 with ease, as he now has over 76 big blinds in his possession, and the end of play for the day is only six eliminations away. Former chip leader Samuel Pouliot navigated a rough patch that put a dent in his stack and recovered to become one of only four players in this flight with a seven-figure stack.

The pace of play has slowed down significantly since the last break, now that the end of the flight is only a dozen eliminations away. The players are counting their blinds carefully, and each decision is being thoughtfully considered. The bloated, multi-way pots of the early levels are no longer, as most hands are being played out heads-up, and showdowns are becoming more and more scarce.

The two players at the top of the leaderboard at the last break, Samuel Pouliot and Richard Chabot, still have mountains of chips in front of them, however, several others in the field are quickly catching up.

Here is a look at the action from level 14:

The third break of the day has just concluded and play has resumed in level 13.

There are now 50 players still in contention, and they are (still) led by Samuel Pouliot. Pouliot rose to the top of the leadboard at the last break and maintained the strong play that got him there over the course of the last four levels. With about 113 big blinds in his possession, Pouliot is in great shape to cruise to the end of the flight, which will occur when the field is down to 28 players.

Thanks to the huge turnout of 196 entries, 28 players will advance to Day 2 from first live starting flight of the Grand Prix Canada. Everyone who advances to Day 2 will be assured of a payout of at least $400 and have the opportunity to enter as many more starting flights as they wish, should they want to try to run up a larger stack.

There are now 59 players remaining on Day 1A, and an average stack still provides about 55 big blinds, so almost everyone still involved has many options at their disposal.

To see the combined Day 1 results, click here.

Play has just resumed following the second break of the afternoon, with 87 players still involved on Day 1A.

The current chip leader, Samuel Pouliot, is sitting on a stack of more than triple the current chip average, good for about 206 big blinds at this stage.

Now that there is only about 45 minutes left in the late registration and re-entry period, we may see a few more re-entries, but most players are likely to opt for Day 1B, which starts at 5:00pm.

After seven levels of play on Day 1A, there are still 97 players in contention. The late registration and re-entry period is winding down and will end at 5:30pm, giving about 80 minutes to get involved or fire another bullet. There have been 52 re-entries so far, which has helped put 19 million in chips in play.

With the field reduced by nearly half, the current chip average gets players slightly more than 64 big blinds, which leaves plenty of room to maneuver and take almost any line.

Here is a look at the field from level 7:

Play has just resumed in level 5, and this flight just keeps getting bigger. Although the flow of new players and re-entries has slowed from what it was prior to the beak, the extended late registration period and re-entry format has been embraced by all and will allow many more runners to get in on this flight.

Thanks to the wild early action, many players were able to run up their stacks. A handful of players even managed to more than triple their starting stacks. For the time being, the current chip leader, Joseph Sabbah, is sitting on nearly 220 big blinds.

The late registration and re-entry period will remain open until 5:30pm, giving players three more hours to join Day 1A.

With two hours of play in the books on Day 1A, new players and re-entries keep adding to the field with each passing minute. This flight took in 23 re-entries through the first four levels, bringing the total number of entries up to 157, with roughly three and a half hours to go in the late registration and re-entry period.

Virtually everyone in the field is looking to run up their stacks as quickly as possible, which has led to many bloated pots and multi-way all ins in the early stages. And it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Here is a look at the action from level 3:

Day 1A of the Grand Prix Canada has brought players out in droves.

After less than one hour of play, this flight has already accumulated 124 entries, including 5 re-entries, showing that everyone is looking to sprint out of the gate and set up a deep run. The late registration and re-entry period will be open until 5:30pm so expect many more new players and re-entries before then. It’s shaping up to be a huge flight!

The Grand Prix Canada has arrived! As the marquee event of the World Cup of Cards, this epic tournament features 15 starting flights and a $500,000 prize pool guarantee for a buy-in of only $200 + $20. Starting flights began this past weekend on partypoker, allowing 46 players to qualify for Day 2. The first two live starting flights, Day 1A and Day 1B, start today at noon and 5:00pm, respectively. 

In each starting flight, players will begin with 100,000 in chips to play through as many 30-minute levels as needed to reduce the field to one in seven entries, at which point the money will be reached and the remaining players will advance to Day 2. Each live Day 1 will start 10-handed and move to 9-handed play as soon as possible. 

The Grand Prix Canada is a re-entry event with unlimited re-entries permitted until the end of the late registration period at the beginning of level 11, which will arrive at 5:30pm on Day 1A. Players may enter additional Day 1s even if they have survived a previous Day 1 with chips. Players who qualify for Day 2 more than once resume play on Day 2 with their largest qualifying stack; all other qualifying stacks are forfeited. Players would, however, retain the associated cash prize for every forfeited stack.