Soukha's Misstep Sets Him Up For The Money

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 16 (1,500/3,000/500)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 45
Chip Average: 147,000

Three-time Foxwoods Champion Soukha Kachittavong is playing one of the top two stacks as Event 1 is just nine places from the money. 

The action was picked up at an outer table with Soukha Kachittavong (Woonsocket, RI) making a pre-flop raise in early position and the action would fold to an unknown player in middle position who would three-bet to 22,000.

The action would then get back to Soukha, who would slide a full stack of red 5,000 value chips across the betting line, putting his opponent at risk if he were to call.

He would and Soukha would say, "Oops." before tabling [2c][2s].

Perhaps he thought his opponent had a higher pocket pair, but he'd technically be flipping against [As][Qc].

Soukha's misstep turned into gold as the hand was over on the [2d][7c][6c] flop and the turn and river would run out with Souka already having his opponent drawing dead.

The eliminated player would kick himself as he went out a few spots before the last pre-money table break, but, with just over 80,000 chips to his name to start the hand, it was a standard spot that he wins, literally, half of the time.

This wouldn't be one of those times and the misstep that ended with a flopped set for Soukha now looks like it's putting him in a position to not only make the money, but perhaps make the money with one of the biggest stacks in the room, as he's currently playing just under 370,000 and is only trailing Doug Lyford who is over the 400,000 mark.

While Lyford is a relative "unknown", Soukha is a three-time Foxwoods Champion with just under $150,000 in live tournament earnings to his name, with the majority of those scores coming at his "home casino" where he looks like a lock to record another as we are now just nine places from pay dirt.

Bubble Looms With Two Levels Remaining In Day 1

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 16 (1,500/3,000/500)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 49
Chip Average: 135,000

After we saw close to 50 players get sent to the rail in a matter of a few levels right after the dinner break, we've hit a slight lull in the action as the remaining 49 players have tightened up and return to Level 16 with two goals, to survive the last two levels and make tomorrow's Day 2, but maybe more importantly, survive the money bubble to start their Card Player Poker Tour with a cash.

With two more 40 minute levels and the chip average playing just over 40 big blinds, we don't expect to get down to our final two tables, but we'd also be shocked if we didn't hit the money before the end of Day 1 at the conclusion of Level 17.

That leaves us just an hour and twenty minutes of play, which means Day 1 will end around 12:40 AM and the Foxwoods Poker blog will be here up until that point brining you updates as this $100,000 GTD field continues it's slowed march to the money.

From 50K To 250K Real Quick

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 15 (1,200/2,400/400)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 49
Chip Average: 135,000

Joe Pereira

Joe Pereira was sitting with under half the chip average when we walked the tournament area to get chip counts a few minutes ago and after back-to-back massive hands, he's now sitting with just over 250,000 after tripling up in the first and getting three streets of value from Stan Shaw in the second.

The first hand saw two players limp in early and late position, Pereira complete the small blind and the big blind check his option to see a [Js][6c][2c] flop.

The big blind would check and the player in early position (X) would bet out 8,000.

The limper in late position (Y) would then raise to 19,000 and the action would then be on Pereira.

After a few moments of thought and perhaps hesitation, Pereira announced himself "all-in" for just over 55,000 chips.

After the big blind got out of the way, the action was back on Player X, who after close to a minute of thought, re-shoved having both players covered.

Player Y would snap call and the hands were then turned up, with everyone having a piece of the flop.

Player Y held the best of it, with [2d][2h], but both of his opponents had outs they could hit on the turn and river, as Pereira held [6d][2s] and Player X held [Jc][10c].

The hand was wrapped up on the turn though, as the [6s] fell, giving Pereira a superior full house, leaving both Players X and Y drawing dead and crippled below the 15 big blind mark.

After the inconsequential river, the dealer would count out the main pot that would be Pereira's, which totaled close to 170,000 when it was all said and done.

He wouldn't be done there though, as the very next hand, he'd call a raise from Stan Shaw on the button and, long story short, turn a set and river quads, getting close to 70,000 chips from Shaw in the process.

From one of the smaller stacks in the field to one of the biggest, Pereira will certainly be a player to watch as we play down to the money and beyond as he looks to continue his "heater" mid-way through Level 15.

Top Stacks Twenty From The Money

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 14 (1,000/2,000/300)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 56
Chip Average: 120,000

Don Lohr is sitting with a top five stack as the $100,000 GTD Event 1 is just twenty places from the money. 

We are officially twenty players from the money here in the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1 and it's about time we bring you some of the big and notable stacks from around the room.

Most of those big stacks belong to players that we've profiled so far today, but there are a few newcomers to the list, including Don Lohr (Grotin, CT) who just eliminated a short stack to move over the 250,000 chip mark when his [Jc][Jd] spiked a set on the river against a player with [Ac][Kd] after the flop came down King high.

Almost immediately after Lohr's small victory, Stephanie Hubbard was taking in a massive pot at her table, when she read an opponent's raise on a board of [7h][Jh][6c][Kd] as weak, moving all-in and forcing a fold to continue to her assault on the field into Level 14.

It should be a tense next level or so as we play down to the money bubble and we expect to see some changes to this list by the time we do hit the money, but here are your current chip leaders and notable stacks in Event 1:

Doug Lyford - 345,000
Stephanie Hubbard - 270,000
Don Lohr - 250,000
Ralph Macri - 235,000
Stan Shaw - 230,000
Peter Sennon - 220,000
Soukha Kachittavong - 220,000
Nick Palma - 160,000
Chris Tryba - 150,000
Jake Vo - 110,000
Ryan Eriquezzo - 85,000
Chris Leong - 80,000

Card Player Poker Tour $100K GTD Event 1 Official Payouts

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 14 (1,000/2,000/300)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 70
Chip Average: 95,000

Players are now back from break and with 70 players remaining in the $100,000 GTD Event 1 of the Card Player Poker Tour, we are at a point in the tournament where just about half of the remaining field will cash and the other half will leave empty handed.

While we won't get into the "big" money in Event 1 until tomorrow's Day 2 session, we fully expect to get into the money before the next break, so we now bring you the official Event 1 payouts for players and followers to consult as we play towards the money bubble.

Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1 - $600 NLH
Total Entries: 332
Total Prize Pool: $170,681
Places Paid: 36

1. $39,137
2. $23,895
3. $15,788
4. $12,545
5. $9,217
6. $7,510
7. $6,144
8. $4,865
9. $3,765

10-12. $2,730

13-15. $2,304

16-18. $2,048

19-21. $1,792

22-24. $1,621

25-27. $1,450

28-36. $1,331

We'll bring you the top chip stacks from the Event 1 field in our next post, as well as some "notable" counts from the remaining tables.

Hubbard Shows Her Strength Before Break

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 13 (800/1,600/200)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 70
Chip Average: 95,000

Stephanie Hubbard (Hazlet, NJ)

In one of the final hands of the level Steph Hubbard (Hazlet, NJ) would take in a sizable pot to move herself close to the 200,000 mark, after getting two streets of value after flopping top set.

The action was picked up on the flop of [8d][4c][5d] with an unknown player leading out from the blinds for 4,000.

Hubbard would raise to 9,500 and see her opponent flat the bet to see the turn.

The [7s] put a potential "scare" card out there, slowing down the unknown player as he checked to the flop aggressor.

Hubbard would not slow down, firing out a bet of 15,000, a decent percentage of her opponents remaining stack.

The unknown player would call, leaving himself just over 20,000 behind and he'd again check the [Ks] and Hubbard would throw out a teasing bet of 15,000.

The player would struggle with the decision for a few moments and then fold, looking up to see Hubbard table [8c][8h] as she'd say, "Figured I'd show you this time."

Hubbard was clearly showing her strength to not only her opponent, but her entire table, something they will need to be aware of as Hubbard is now looking like one of the bigger stacks remaining in Event 1.

Hubbard is looking like a strong candidate to make her first big score of the new year after coming off a 2014 which saw her make some of her biggest scores to date, most notably Final Tabling three Borgata Poker Open events, with her biggest cash coming from a 10th place finish in a Deep Stack Spring Poker Open event for $14,000.

Players are now on their first break since returning from dinner and will return to Level 14, where they will play four more levels before bagging and tagging their chips for tomorrow's Day 2.

Before that happens though, we will be popping the money bubble with the official payouts being posted as we come back from break.

Macri With A "Final Table Stack In The Middle Of Day 1"

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 12 (600/1,200/200)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 87
Chip Average: 78,000

Ralph Macri (Reading, PA)

We've thrown Ralph Macri's name around through our early Event 1 coverage and after mentioning the Foxwoods legend a few times we figure we'd introduce him for real, as he has a "Final Table stack in the middle of Day 1" as Chris Leong would put it.

But first, how he got his chip leading stack...

The action was picked up pre-flop with Macri raising to 4,500 on the button and we'd see both blinds call.

An unknown player in the small blind would lead out for 6,000 on a flop of [Ah][2h][Jd] causing the big blind to fold, with Macri just flatting in position.

The [2c] would come on the turn and the player in the small blind would now check to Macri, who would cut out a bet of 15,000.

The unknown player asked for a count and then declared himself "all-in" with Macri snap calling and tabling [As][10s] for top pair.

That pair would be good enough to win the hand as it stood, but he'd need to fade a lot of outs, as his opponent held [Jh][Qh] for middle pair with a flush draw.

Macri would fade the river as the [3c] bricked out and awarded a massive pot to Macri that would put him close to the 250,000 chip mark.

"How good do you run huh Ralph?" Leong would say from across the table, as Macri has notched a few eliminations since we returned from dinner to see his stack skyrocket from average to the top of the leaderboard within a matter of a few levels.

While Macri would laugh it off and go about stacking his chips, the rest of this tournament field should be on high alert, as Macri might be one of the more accomplished tournament players in this field and is made even more dangerous with a big stack.

Macri has just over 50 rated cashes totaling $300,000 in live career tournament earnings, with the majority of those results coming at Foxwoods, including two outright wins.

He'll certainly be a player to watch throughout the course of this series and it will be interesting to see if Leong's prediction holds up and Macri can make the Event 1 Final Table as he is the far and away chip leader mid-way through Level 13.

Devanney Up An Down But Still Looking Strong

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 12 (600/1,200/200)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 87
Chip Average: 78,000

Tom Devanney (Clifton Park, NY)

Table 11 is the place to be, not only housing two of the better tournament players in this field with Chris Leong and Ralph Macri, but also all the action over the last few hands with Tom Devanney (Clifton Park, NY) in the middle of it all.

In the first hand, the action was picked up with Devanney raising to 6,200 from late position and the action would fold to an unknown player in the big blind, who would re-raise to 20,000 even.

Devanney then thought for a moment, announcing himself "all-in" for just under the 85,000 chip mark.

That move would put his opponent to a decision for all his chips, as Devanney had him slightly covered, with the unknown player going deep in the tank for close to three minutes before someone at the table eventually called "clock" and the one minute countdown would begin.

When the unknown player eventually did call, the entire table was shocked to see the decision he was grappling with, as he announced "call" and tabled [Kh][Ks] just as the final few seconds were being counted down by the tournament floor.

Devanney would flip over [As][Ad] and his opponent would say, "I knew it, I almost folded too."

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone that would not "slam that down so fast" as Leong would put it, meaning in less words, that he would snap call with Kings in more or less any spot pre-flop.

The board would run out clean for Devanney's rockets and the unknown player was being sent to the rail. After taking in the pot, Devanney would be the only player over the 200,000 chip mark, but that advantage wouldn't last as he'd send close to 50,000 of it to Jake Vo in one of the very next hands.

That action was picked up with Devanney again raising from middle position and Vo moving all-in from the big blind for 47,000.

Devanney would call and table [Kd][Qd] and be flipping against Vo's [Jc][Jd].

Vo would hold through the [8d][As][7h][3c][Ad] run out and complete the double to get himself up and over the 100,000 mark, with Devanney dropping slightly, still playing close to 160,000, still one of the biggest stacks in the room.

Lyford Near The Top After Dinner

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 11 (500/1,000/100)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 92
Chip Average: 72,000

Doug Lyford (Hallowell, ME) might have started today as an "unknown" quantity, but he now sits with one of the bigger stacks in the room, as there are less than 100 players remaining in Event 1. 

It's been the same frantic pace coming back from dinner that we saw heading to the break, as the outer tables continue to consolidate as we are now under the 100 player mark.

Peter Senon continues to lead this $100,000 GTD Event 1 tournament, but Chris Tybra has stumbled slightly while still sitting with a top ten stack mid-way through Level 11.

The player to replace Tybra near the top of the leaderboard looks to be Doug Lyford (Hallowell, ME) who has chipped up well through the first few orbits of this level, using his big stack and some aggressive pre-flop play to move himself near the 140,000 mark despite having a tough table draw with some top Foxwoods "regulars".

Lyford might not have the tournament pedigree that some of the previously mentioned players such as Tybra, Nick Palma and Chris Leong have, but we could be seeing a breakthrough score in the making here from the young "amateur", as he seems to be bossing his table to move up the Event 1 leaderboard.

We've just received the finalized payouts for Event 1 and those will be posted as soon as possible as just over 30% of this remaining field will be "in the money".

Back From Dinner With Seven Levels Remaining In Day 1

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 11 (500/1,000/100)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 121
Chip Average: 58,000

While we and the Event 1 field was away from dinner, the official tournament clock was updated to read that 121 players remaining in this $100,000 GTD Card Player Poker Tour opening event. 

We expect to see just a quarter or so of those players bag and tag their chips for tomorrow's Day 2 session, but we won't know that exact number until we play through Level 17, which will mark the official end to Day 1. 

That leaves us with just over five hours of play remaining in Day 1 and the Foxwoods Poker blog will bring you updates throughout the rest of the night as we continue to thin this Event 1 field.  

Sennon Joins Tryba Atop Leaderboard Into Dinner

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 10 (400/800/100)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 130
Chip Average: 55,000

Peter Sennon (Bronx, NY)

In the last hand of Level 10 Peter Sennon (Bronx, NY) would be shoot up the Event 1 leaderboard after he flopped a set and would get maximum value against former 'November Niner' Michael Esposito.

The action was picked up on a flop of [9h][4d][4h] with Esposito calling Sennon's lead bet to see a turn.

The [6h] would fall on the turn and Sennon would again lead out, this time with Esposito moving all-in for just under 25,000.

Sennon wouldn't need a count and would snap call, tabling [9d][9s] for a full house, leaving Esposito drawing dead as he held [Ac][6c].

The meaningless [2s] would fall on the river, but Sennon would already be raking in his new chips, missing the first few minutes of the dinner break as he stacked and counted his stack, ending with a total of 155,000.

While Sennon missed a little of his dinner break, Esposito will have an extended one as he has been sent to the rail here in Event 1. But we do expect to see much more from this WSOP Final Tabler throughout the rest of the Card Player Poker Tour.

Sennon would be the final player to leave the tournament area on break, but he looks to be one of the first on our chip count leaderboard as he is the only player near the 150,000 chip mark, along with the previously mentioned Chris Tryba.

Ching Flips Right In Blind Vs. Blind

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 10 (400/800/100)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 130
Chip Average: 55,000

Ching Poon (Staten Island, NY)

We saw an rush of eliminations as we headed to the last break and the "seat open" calls have continued at a pretty steady pace over the last hour or so, with multiple tables breaking mid-way through Level 10.

This will be the final break before the hour long dinner break and one player who looks poised to enter that recess with one of the bigger stacks in the room is Ching Poon (Staten Island, NY) who just made a tough call in a blind versus blind encounter for most of his stack with a pair of fives. 

The action was picked up as a central table folded around to a short stacked player in the small blind, who would then move all-in for just under 10,000.

Poon would be in the big blind and while he looked interested, he had to take a tally of his remaining stack before going any further, as he'd be cut down significantly if he were to call and lose the hand. 

Poon would eventually commit the chips and table [5c][5s] flipping against the [Qd][10c] of the unknown player. 

The board ran out [7h][8s][3d][Ks][As]and Poon would take in the pot, chipping him up and over the chip average after making the correct decision in a very critical early spot. 

Players are on a slightly abbreviated schedule and will go on a 60 minute dinner break at the end of this level. 

They will then return with seven more levels left in the night to finish this Day 1 session. 

Tryba Playing Triple The Average

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 9 (300/600/100)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 153
Chip Average: 50,000

Chris Tryba

While we were going to give you a rundown of some of some of the bigger stacks in the room, the search for multiple "big" stacks didn't yield much of anything and when we passed Chris Tryba moving from a broken table we knew why, most likely because he has all of them.

While many players are playing either at or near the chip average, Tryba is playing close to 150,000 heading into the end of Level 9.

Foxwoods is Tryba's "home turf", or so he says in a recent tweet, but he hasn't been feeling a "home turf advantage" over the last year, as his last cash at Foxwoods came in 2014 version of this series, when he finished as the runner up in the Card Player Poker Tour Main Event for just over $90,000.

But that certainly doesn't mean that he hasn't been making scores since then, as he has over 140 live rated cashes to his name totaling just under $1,500,000 in earnings, with 20 of those coming over the last year at circuit stops from the WSOP, to the Heartland Poker Tour and nearly all the "local" tournament series.

But, despite the multiple poker titles, including two WSOP Circuit Rings he won in 2009, Tryba's crowning achievement on the felt and his biggest score came in 2012 when he won a WSOP Bracelet in a $2,500 Mixed Hold'em event, earning him just over $210,000.

He might be on his way to adding another piece of hardware to his poker trophy case if he can keep this pace up, as he is the far and away chip leader of the $100,000 GTD CPPT Event 1.

$100K GTD Event 1 Field Frozen At 332

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 9 (300/600/100)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 171

The late registration period has officially closed as the players have returned from their post-Level 8 break meaning that the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1 field has been frozen at 332 players.

There was a flurry of bust outs right before the break as players did not seem interested in coming back with "short" stacks and a few players have been seen re-entering, coming back to a full 20,000 chip starting stack.

There are plenty of "notable" Foxwoods players that survived the late registration period, including Joseph Steirs, Je Wook Oh, Jason Rivkin, James Woods and Matthew Wantman to name a few.

Those players and the rest of the remaining field will now focus on completing a full Day 1 session, with play set to end tonight after the completion of Level 17.

We're still a ways away from that though and the updates will continue at a more frequent pace through the end of this Day 1 session as we start getting into the "meat and potatoes" of the CPPT $100,000 GTD Event 1.

"Seat Open!"

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 8 (250/500/75)
Total Entries: 313

We are mid-way through Level 8 and since this is the last level before late registration, the calls of "seat open" have been coming from dealers in nearly every corner of the tournament area, as players are looking to jam their short stacks in to either double up or get a re-entry slip instead of playing a "short stack".

It's not surprising to see players firing a second or third bullet in this event, as there is already close to $170,000 in the prize pool, well over the original guarantee put on this event, giving this tournament even more "value" than before.

Players entering or re-entering before the end of this level will be sold a full 20,000 chip starting stack, which equates to 40 big blinds and plenty of room to play after the late reg period closes.

When it does, we will bring you a finalized player count for Event 1 and then turn our attention to the task at hand here in Day 1, as the "surviving" players will all look to bag up chips and advance to tomorrow's Day 2 session.

Tavolacci Cuts Down 'November Niner'

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 7 (200/400/50)
Total Entries: 301

Frank Tavolacci (Pound Ridge, NY)

There may be no greater honor in modern poker than that of making the WSOP Main Event Final Table, as it is always one of, if not the, biggest and toughest field to navigate and just making it to that spot is an massive success and a testament to a player's ability.

Since they moved the Final Table from the actual end of the summer series to November, for television, reporting and advertising reasons, those players lucky enough to make it to the Final Table have been dubbed 'The November Nine' and while there are great players with amazing poker resumes in today's field, there is only one player that can lay claim to that title.

Michael Esposito (Seaford, NY) made the 2012 WSOP ME Final Table and cashed for just under $1,300,000 in 7th place, but just because he has that result on his resume, doesn't mean that players in today's field are going to shy away from him, as Frank Tavolacci (Pound Ridge, NY) just doubled up through Esposito in a recent hand.

The action was picked up late, but by the post-hand conversation, it seemed that Esposito would check call a bet on the [10s][Qc][10c] flop and then the two players would get it all-in on the [8c] turn with Esposito tabling [9c][10d] and Travolacci turning over [Ac][Kc]for the nut flush.

The [2d]would fall on the river and Travolacci would complete a double up, as Esposito had him covered after chipping up over the last few levels.

When the dust cleared, Travolacci would collect a close to 50,000 chip pot and he'd confirm Esposito's question as to whether he was willing to get it all-in on the flop.

The hand was going to get all the chips in the middle regardless, it was just a matter of time and while it is still early and we aren't planning on concerning ourselves with chip counts just yet, Travolacci looks like one of the biggest stacks in the room, mid-way through Level 7.

Approaching 300 Players On Second Break

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 6 (150/300/25)
Total Entries: 290

Players are now on their second break of the day with this $100,000 GTD Event 1 field just under the 300 player mark.

That number represents "total entries" though and judging by a quick walk of the tournament area, we'll tell you that there are certainly less than that remaining in the field, as a few dozen or so players have already busted out of Event 1.

We expect to see some of those bust outs back in the field though, as this event allows late registration and unlimited re-entry though Level 8, giving players just under an hour and a half to get into the $100,000 GTD action.

This is also structured as a two day event, so while this field will probably peak around the 350 player mark, we will not be in for a marathon title run here, as Event 1 will end Day 1 after the completion of Level 17, with the surviving players bagging and tagging their chips to play down to a winner tomorrow.

When players return from break we will continue to update you on notable players in the field.

No Days Off Is Paying Off For Palma

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 5 (100/200/25)
Total Entries: 249

Nick Palma will look to regain the form that saw him crush the Foxwoods World Finals, where he won a $1,000 event and finished as the runner-up in a $100,000 GTD event.

After a month on the road following the early 2015 tournament circuit, Nick Palma (New Rochelle, NY) has finally settled down and is now back to his favorite place to play poker.

Nearly every poker player has their favorite spot where they "run better" than anywhere else and for Palma, that place is Foxwoods, as it's where his tournament career started and where he basically just crushed an entire series during the 2014 Foxwoods World Poker Finals.

That series would see Palma make a handful of scores, but he'd run pure for seemingly an entire week in the middle of the series, finishing 2nd in a $100,000 GTD event and then winning a $1,000 buy-in event, with those scores netting him just over $60,000 in earnings.

Palma didn't slow down after that, Final Tabling events in his next two stops at the WSOP Circuit Hammond and the Borgata Fall Poker Open.

He wouldn't slow down coming into this year either, as he spent New Years stateside but then flew to the Bahamas for the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, where he continued to play well and make serious scores, cashing in both the PCA EPT Main Event for $20,000 and making a deep run in a PCA Turbo event as well.

Poker professionals don't have many off days, so Palma would go right from the PCA to the Borgata Winter Poker Open where he'd notch another top ten finish in a PLO/NLH mix event, putting his early 2015 tournament haul at just under $25,000 in January alone.

After nearly an entire month away from home, Palma left the Borgata to get a few days to relax, but, staying true to the "no days off" way of thinking, is back on the grind here in the $100,000 GTD Card Player Poker Tour Event 1 field.

He'd be hard pressed to replicate his finishes from the last time he played a full Foxwoods series, but judging by his recent results and his hot start to 2015, we certainly wouldn't be surprised to see him make a few deep runs here at the CPPT.

Leong Looking To Defend His Crown

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 4 (100/200)
Total Entries: 220

Chris Leong (New York, NY)

One of the more interesting storylines to watch throughout tournament series is how defending champions of big events fair the following year, as they always look to defend their title, with few actually accomplishing that goal. 

While some events throughout this series might have defending champions that are of the "one hit wonder" variety, the opening $100,000 GTD Event 1 of the Foxwoods Card Player Poker Tour has a defending champion that has proven himself on nearly every stage in poker. 

Chris Leong (New York, NY) returns to Foxwoods for the first time since the Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge held in December, where he Final Tabled two events earning just under $10,000 for those deep runs, looking to defend his Event 1 victory from last year's CPPT opening event. 

That win would be Leong's third major tournament victory of his career after he won back-to-back WSOP Circuit Rings in the same series held in the spring of 2013 at Caesars Atlantic City. 

The CPPT title would earn him just over $40,000, just shy of his highest career cash, $48,000, that came from his first WSOPC win. 

Leong has just over $200,000 in live tournament earnings to his name and a look at his recent tournament scores from last year indicate that Leong certainly feels comfortable playing here, with close to a dozen rate scores coming at Foxwoods in 2014 alone. 

Leong will have his work cut out for him to repeat as CPPT champion here in Event 1, as this already looks like a tough field with Foxwoods regulars Ralph Macri, Ryan Eriquezzo and Raj Patel taking their seats prior to the last break. 

But, Leong has not only the poker resume, but also the Foxwoods resume to make himself a serious contender to not only take down the Event 1 title again, but make numerous deep runs throughout the entire Card Player Poker Tour. 

Just sat down at CPPT Foxwoods $600 100k gtd with 20k ss at 50/100. Title defense on the line #letsgo
— Chris Leong (@ChrisLeongPoker) January 31, 2015

Complete Card Player Poker Tour Schedule

As mentioned in our opening post of the day, the Card Player Poker Tour returns to kick off their Season III at Foxwoods from January 31st - February 9th, with three-quarter of a million dollars up for grabs across 13 main events.

The CPPT will open with today's $100,000 GTD Event 1 and will culminate with the $300,000 GTD Main Event, but there are plenty of options in between, with tournament options that without a doubt will appeal to every facet of the Foxwoods Poker community.

A complete list of the Card Player Poker Tour is listed below:

• January 31 - Event 1 $600 NLH $100,000 Guaranteed
• February 1 - Event 2 $250 NLH $20,000 Guaranteed
• February 1 - Event 3 $250 Omaha Hi/Lo 8+ $10,000 Guaranteed
• February 2 - Event 4 $300 NLH $75,000 Guaranteed
• February 3 - Event 5 $250 NLH $20,000 Guaranteed
• February 3 - Event 6 $250 PLO Hi/Lo 8+ $10,000 Guaranteed
• February 4 - Event 7 $400 NLH Multi Flight Event $75,000 Guaranteed
• February 5 - Event 8 $250 NLH Seniors $20,000 Guaranteed
• February 6 - Event 9 $300 NLH Semi Turbo $25,000 Guaranteed
• February 7 - Event 10 $250 NLH Ladies Only $20,000 Guaranteed
• February 7 - Event 11 $1,650 NLH Championship Multi Flight Event $300,000 Guaranteed
• February 8 - Event 12 $500 NLH $50,000 Guaranteed
• February 9 - Event 13 $300 NLH Bounty $20,000 Guaranteed

Click each individual link to view that event's respective structure sheet and make sure you follow along, as the Foxwoods Poker blog will be bringing you all the action from every CPPT event live as it happens.

We will also be live streaming all Final Tables and some "feature" tables throughout the series, starting with tomorrow's Day 2 of Event 1.

Approaching The Guarantee

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 3 (75/150)
Total Entries: 186

The $100,000 GTD Event 1 of the Foxwoods Card Player Poker Tour is mid-way through Level 3 and the original guarantee that this event boasted is just a few more entrants from being eclipsed.

There are just under twenty tables running in the tournament area, with more at the ready to house late entrants and re-entries.

There's been constant activity at the registration cage since play started earlier today, so we certainly expect to see the field and prize pool continue to grow.

When this level concludes, we will have our first fifteen minute break, after which we will update you on some "notable players in the field", as well as continuing to update you on the overall field size of this $100,000 opening CPPT event.

$100K GTD Kicks Off Foxwoods Card Player Poker Tour

Event 1 (Day 1)
Level 1 (25/50)

Season III of the Card Player Poker Tour is ready to begin, with the $100,000 GTD Event 1 early arriving field seated and awaiting the "shuffle up and deal" announcement from the tournament staff.

Although it is early, there is a sizable field and crowd at the registration cage already, as players will look to get a piece of this massive prize pool and start off their poker years with a big score in the opening event of the CPPT.

This $100,000 GTD opening event will follow a two day structure with players starting Day 1 with 20,000 in tournament chips.

Players will play 17 levels on Day 1, with the late registration and unlimited re-entry period lasting through Level 8.

All Day 1 levels will last 40 minutes in length, with that number increasing to 50 minutes mid-way through tomorrow's Day 2 session.

But, before we can start talking about Day 2, we need to get through this opening starting flight which has just begun.

When the tournament tables and area begin to get more populated we will bring you a few "notables" in the field, as well as keep you up to date on the size of the field through the late registration period.

It should be an exciting opening day here at Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Foxwoods Poker blog will be bringing you all of the action from every Card Player Poker Tour event as we will be crowning 13 CPPT champions over the next week and a half.

Stay tuned for a complete schedule of the CPPT as well as early Event 1 updates.

Card Player Poker Tour Begins Season III At Foxwoods Resort Casino (Jan 31-Feb 9)

For the second year in a row, the Card Player Poker Tour will kick off it's season at one of the most popular poker destinations in the Northeast, with Season III of the CPPT kicking off at Foxwoods Resort Casino on January 31st.

This 10 day long series will boast 13 events, offering $750,000 in guaranteed prize pools, culminating with the $300,000 GTD CPPT Main Event, starting Saturday, February 7th.

The full schedule has something for everyone, with no-limit Hold'em tournaments, an Omaha H/L 8B event, a Pot Limit Omaha 8B event, as well as a seniors and ladies only event, with every tournament having a juicy guaranteed prize pool attached to it.

The Foxwoods Poker blog will be there to cover all the action from start to finish, with every Final Table being live streamed, an added feature that Foxwoods players have come to love over the last few series.

The CPPT Main Event will up the ante though, with that Final Table streaming live on CardPlayer.com.

The action gets underway January 31st, with the $600 NLH two-day $100,000 GTD Event 1, with a full listing of events and guarantees listed below:

For a complete list of the events, as well as access to each event's structure sheet, head to the Foxwoods Poker page HERE and/or click the image above to view as an expanded PDF file.

Over the next few days we will be posting more information to get you ready for the start of the Card Player Poker Tour, opening their Season III schedule only at Foxwoods Resort Casino.