A total of 95 entries were made in the first of two starting flights of the 2017 Card Player Poker Tour Seneca Fall Poker Classic$1,000 no-limit hold’em main event. The tournament features a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool. The eventual champion of this event will not only win the lion’s share of the aforementioned money, but will also grace the cover of an upcoming issue of Card Player magazine!
From the 95 entries today only 19 player players survived to make day 2. The chip leader at the end of the night was Leo Kaplin, who bagged up 358,500. Kaplin finished second in the $300 event that kicked off this series, cashing for $22,256 after outlasting all but one opponent from a field of 636 entries. Other large stacks at the end of day 1A included Illan Kandiah (336,500), Joe Catalano (301,200) and Ernie Guardarrah (212,500). Cameron Bartolotta, who finished second in this event in 2016, bagged up 135,000 heading into day 2.
The second and final starting flight will begin on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 11 a.m. local time. In 2016 this event saw Day 1B dramatically outdraw day 1A and the same is expected this year. Last year the $200,000 guarantee was easily surpassed when 300 total entries built a prize pool of $264,810. In the end Dan Wagner emerged victorious, capturing the title, the trophy, and the $64,882 first-place prize.
The Seneca Gaming and Entertainment poker room is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the first floor of the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel. The 23-table room features 13 big screen televisions, free wifi, free drinks, free parking, player rewards and spreads a large selection of hold’em, stud and Omaha games. The gaming floor offers roughly 4,000 slot machines, table games and keno.
The world-class gaming facility opened in 2002 as the result of an $80 million remodel of the Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center into a full-service casino. The property also features fine dining, star-studded entertainment, a health and wellness spa and many other premium guest amenities. For more information, or to book a room, call 716-299-1100 or visit the casino homepage.
To learn more about the CPPT and see other upcoming tour stops, visit the tour’s homepage.
Here is a look at the chip counts of the 19 players that survived day 1A:
| Rank | Player | Chip Count |
| 1 | Leo Kaplin | 358,500 |
| 2 | Illan Kandiah | 336,500 |
| 3 | Joe Catalano | 301,200 |
| 4 | Ernie Guardarrah | 212,500 |
| 5 | Guy Klass | 183,500 |
| 6 | Dennis Durante | 169,500 |
| 7 | Blake Napierala | 157,500 |
| 8 | Cameron Bartolotta | 135,000 |
| 9 | Chris Meyers | 122,000 |
| 10 | Patty Fitzgerald | 118,000 |
Source : www.cardplayer.com
