CCPT Event 3: 1st Place - Husted ($3,492)

Steve Husted - Card Player Poker Tour Event 3 Champion

It's a bit ironic that the one event in which "chops" are a common occurrence was the only one to play down to a champion and not split up the prize pool and trophy at the Final Table, as Steve Husted (Lancaster, PA) would outlast a field of close to 50 players to claim the Card Player Poker Tour Event 3 title.

When we finally got done with the $100,000 GTD coverage, we approached the Omaha H/L 8B Final Table with Husted and Frank Williams III heads up for the trophy, with Husted holding a pretty decent chip advantage.

That advantage would become even greater after the first hand we saw at the Final Table, with Husted turning two pair and then rivering the "wheel" to scoop the whole pot, crippling Williams in the process.

Williams would say that the river card was the only card that wouldn't have resulted in a chop, a brutal beat that more or less cost him the Event 3 title.

Williams would end up all-in on the very next hand and actually had a decent low draw, only to see Husted flop a nutted full house and the board run out with no low, awarded the whole pot and the championship to Husted.

Husted's come close before to championship, Final Tabling three "mix" game events in his career, including two last year at the Borgata, but he's fallen short in each of those events, finally getting that breakthrough result here at Foxwoods.

Below is a complete list of those that cashed in Event 3:

1. Steven Husted - $3,492
2. Frank Williams III - $2,425
3. Elaine Cyr - $1,552
4. Danny Chang - $1,261
5. Monty Dennis - $970

The Event 3 title would be the third and final trophy awarded on this Super Bowl Sunday and the CPPT trophies won't be broken out again until Tuesday as all of tomorrow's tournaments, including daily tournaments are cancelled due to the impending snow storm.

Thanks for following along and we will be back on the blog and live stream on Tuesday when the Card Player Poker Tour resumes play with Event 5.

CCPT Event 1: Co-Champions - Marsel Backa & Brad St. Vincent

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 29 (30,000/60,000/10,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 1

Chip Average: 6,400,000

Marsel Backa & Brad St. Vincent - Card Player Poker Tour Event 1 Co-Champions

Nearly ever major pot or elimination at this Card Player Poker Tour Event 1 Final Table involved or could be traced to either Marsel Backa (Waterbury, CT) or Brad St. Vincent (Bristol, RI), so it was only fitting that those two player not only got to heads up play, but also decided on an even chop for a share of the remaining $62,000 prize pool.

The two tried to work a deal when heads up play started, but both players wanted to walk way with a CPPT trophy, so after some unsuccessful negotiations, they decided to play it out for the trophy and a little bit of side money.

We're glad they did, as their heads up battle was some of the more exciting and entertaining poker we've seen in a while, as both players treated it like an ego war more than a card game, raising and re-raising almost non-stop.

While we are just in the first few days of the CPPT schedule, we might have already seen the bluff of the series as Marsel check called two streets and then moved all-in on a board of [Jd][10h][5h][Jh][2h], enough to put St. Vincent to a decision for all his chips.

St. Vincent would show [Jc][8h] an extremely strong hand, but he put Marsel on a higher heart and folded to keep the heads up battle alive.

But Marsel didn't have a higher heart, in fact, he didn't have a heart at all, as he would table [10c][Ad] for nothing more than middle pair.

After that, St. Vincent would continue to get chipped down and then he'd get it all-in pre-flop holding [5d][5c] to Marsel's [Ah][6h] and after the [Ad] came in the window of the flop, it looked like we would crown our champion.

But, the [Qs] and the [5s] would follow it and St. Vincent would double with a set to get back to even and it was then that the two players agreed to the chop, as there wasn't much left to separate them.

There would also be another twist in the chop, since Event 4, which was originally scheduled for tomorrow was cancelled, the players would then go in blind on the last hand of the night. The winner would get the "real" Event 1 trophy and the loser would get the trophy for Event 4.

Both players would get dealt one card face up and one card face down, with Marsel holding the [4d] and St. Vincent holding the [9c].

The dealer would then put out a [Kd][9s][4h][8d][Jd] board and each player sweated their other card.

St. Vincent only had a pair of nines to his name, but Marsel pealed back his other card like a Baccarat player would, to reveal the [Qd] to give him runner-runner flush and the Event 1 trophy.

Both players will make just over $30,000 for their Event 1 effort and Marsel, a regular cash game grinder here at Foxwoods, would move up and over the $100,000 mark in terms of career tournament earnings with the result as well as earn his first "major" tournament title with the flip win.

St. Vincent, a tournament grinder with two Foxwoods titles to his name, will move up and over the $225,000 mark in tournament earnings and make his sixth five figure score and his fifth of that variety right here at Foxwoods.

That almost wraps up the CCPT action for tonight, with just the Event 3 Omaha H/L 8B Final Table yet to be decided.

CPPT Event 2: 1st Place - Ching Poon

Ching Poon - Card Player Poker Tour Event 2 Champion 

While the $100,000 GTD Event 1 was getting down to it's final two players, the Event 2 field decided on a result of their own, as the Final Table decided on a ten way chop, with the 1st place Card Player Poker Tour trophy and a little extra going to Ching Poon (Staten Island, NY).

Poon was one of the shorter stacks in the field when Event 2 was down to it's final two tables and then rivered a full house against a big stacked player to stay alive.

In the very next hand, Poon would get dealt [Kh][Kd] and get a full double through that same player, going from the bottom of the leaderboard to the top in on of the bigger "swings" you'll ever see in tournament poker.

Poon would take that swing and only keep climbing, bossing the final portion of play to enter the Final Table as the massive chip leader, hence why he's walking away with the trophy.

While we weren't able to see much of the Event 2 action, Poon will certainly be on our radar heading into the bigger events coming up this week, as he'll look to build off his first major tournament victory and perhaps even make another deep run in the CPPT.

The final results from Event 2, with the chop value taken by each player, are listed below:

1. Ching Poon - $2,696
2. Michelle Gaspar - $2,100
3. Brian Goodwin - $2,100
4. Baseem Nsier -$2,100
5. Mirsad Colic - $2,100
6. John Caputo - $2,100
7. Roger Palombizio - $2,100
8. Anthony Magistrale - $2,100
9. David Labriola - $2,100
10. Micahel Williams - $2,100
11. Douglas Drexel - $568
12. Michael Fiumefreddo - $568

CPPT Event 1: 3rd Place - Patel ($15,788)

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 28 (25,000/50,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 2

Chip Average: 3,300,000

Raj Patel (Meriden, CT)

Raj Patel was the shortest stack at the Final Table coming back from the last break and while he couldn't make up any ground on the two big stacks and get to heads up play, he would make a pretty sizable pay jump winning the last longer with Rami Jradeh.

Patel would last very long after Rami's elimination though, as a few hands later he was all-in and at risk in a blind vs. blind encounter with Brad St. Vincent.

Patel held a slight advantage [Ad][4d] to St. Vincent's [Kd][9c], but both players would pair up on the flop with St. Vincent getting the best of the [4c][3d][9h] board.

Patel would need back door diamonds or two pair to win the pot, but would get neither as the flopped pair would hold up for St. Vincent.

Patel, a former WPT Champion from the 2007 season stop at Foxwoods, will make just over $15,000 and we are now heads up for the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1 Championship, with Brad St. Vincent and Marsel Backa nearly even in chips.

We are also a few minutes from the start of Level 29.

CPPT Event 1: 4th Place - Jradeh ($12,545)

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 28 (25,000/50,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 3

Chip Average: 2,400,000

Rami Jradeh (Quincy, MA)

Rami Jradeh and Marsel Backa have clashed a few times over the last hour and it was only fitting that Jradeh's tournament end would in a massive pot with Backa.

The action was picked up on a flop of [8h][7s][Jd] with Jradeh check raising all-in for close to 800,000 more, a move that would send Backa deep into the tank.

It was a tough spot as Backa held a sizable advantage over Jradeh and Raj Patel and if he were to call and be wrong, those three would be very closely stacked leaving Brad St. Vincent as the far and away chip leader.

The pay jumps also had to play in his mind, as the next player eliminated would make $12,500, with some big jumps coming for the higher places.

After weighing all the options, Backa just couldn't find a fold and would call, tabling [Jh][9h] for top pair.

Jradeh would table [Ks][10d] and need to hit on the turn and river to stay alive and swing the momentum of this Final Table.

He wouldn't be doing any hitting as the turn and river would brick out and the WSOP Circuit Ring winner and Foxwoods Champion would be sent to the rail in 4th place.

Marsel Backa now controls close to 3,000,000 chips in play with Raj Patel sitting as a very short stack with just over 10 big blinds.

Four Handed Counts On Break

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 28 (25,000/50,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 4

Chip Average: 1,600,000

We're now on a quick break here at the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1 Final Table.

Four players remain and the stacks of Brad St. Vincent and Marsel Backa are very similar near the top of the leaderboard, with Raj Patel and Rami Jradeh sitting well below the chip average.

The updated counts are:

1. Marsel Backa - 2,850,000
2. Raj Patel - 600,000
3. Brad St. Vincent - 2,400,000
4. Rami Jradeh - 1,100,000

Live updates will continue to bring you all the Event 1 action until we are down to our first CPPT Champion of the series. 

CPPT Event 1: 5th Place - Lyford ($9,217)

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 27 (20,000/40,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 4

Chip Average: 1,600,000

Doug Lyford will make just over $9,000 for his Event 1 Final Table finish, the biggest score of his tournament career.

Doug Lyford has been an interesting player to watch at the Final Table, while other players are playing big pots and throwing chips around, Lyford's been very quiet, patiently waiting for chances to double up.

We can't really blame him, as he's been well below the chip average since doubling up as he hasn't had many playable hands or spots to work with, but he just found one and would be unlucky to to get a double up against the chip leader, Rami Jradeh.

Lyrfod would move all-in over top of Rami's pre-flop bet for just over 350,000 more left for Rami to call.

It looked like he really didn't want to, but he eventually did, tabling [8c][6c].

Even though he just had eight high, he'd be live and basically flipping against Lyford's [Ac][9d].

The [5d][10c][7c] flop gave Rami the world, as he had straight, flush and pair outs with two cards to come.

The [5h] wouldn't change anything on the turn, but the [Qc] on the river would send us to a four handed Final Table as Rami would hit his flush and Lyford would be eliminated in 5th place, making just over $9,000 for his efforts.

That would be the biggest score of his tournament career and while he said he has to go back to the "real world and his job tomorrow", we will keep an eye out for him throughout the rest of the series heading into next weekend as he might just want to come back and take a shot in the Card Player Poker Tour $300,000 GTD Main Event.

Players are ten minutes from another break where we will list the updated chip counts of the remaining four players.

Rami And Marsel Trading Blows

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 27 (20,000/40,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 5

Chip Average: 1,300,000

Rami Jradeh has had an up and down Level 27, but is now sitting as the chip leader of Event 1 with just under a third of the total chips in play. 

After flying under the radar for the first half of this Final Table, Rami Jradeh has come alive here in Level 27, playing three massive pots in a row, locking with two Marsel Backa in two of them.

The first hand was picked up late, with Rami checking to Marsel on a board of [Qc][6h][Jd][Ah][8h].

Marsel would cut out a bet of 410,000 and Rami would call, risking more than half his stack in the process.

Those chips would be headed Marsel's way as he tabled [Ad][Jc] for a winning two pair.

Rami would be cut down to less than 20 big blinds, but then find a double up through Brad St. Vincent a few hands later.

He'd be back to about where he started his Level 27 adventure and it would get better for him as this time he would be doubling through Marsel as he check raised on a board of [Jd][4c][10s] and then called a four-bet shove from Marsel with middle pair, [Qc][10d] to win a 1,800,000 chip pot as Marsel held [Kc][9s].

Marsel would say, "I knew he had a ten, I was just trying to get him off it."

Rami's call might have been because Marsel's been very "loose" at this Final Table and while he got paid off when he had "it" against Ryan Eriquezzo, when he doesn't he opens himself up to taking some big hits, just like he did in that last hand.

Rami is now sitting with close to 2,000,000 chips and Marsel has been knocked down slightly, playing just over 1,800,000.

CPPT Event 1: 6th Place - Eriquezzo ($7,510)

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 26 (15,000/30,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 5

Chip Average: 1,300,000

Ryan Eriquezzo (New Haven, CT)

One of the biggest hands played out prior to the elimination of Malik Curry, as Ryan Eriquezzo was this time on the losing end of a river two outer and would be left with just over three big blinds.

The action was picked up with Marsel Backa raising to 75,000 and the table would fold to Eriquezzo in the small blind.

Eriquezzo would then announce "all-in" and Backa would snap call, putting close to 1,600,000 in the middle of the pot.

Eriquezzo would table [Ad][Jc] and Backa would table [Qc][Qd] and in a flash one of these extremely talented players were about to have close to a third of the chips in play.

Eriquezzo would take the lead on the [Ah][3s][9c] flop and Backa's tournament life hung in the balance as the [4h] came on the turn.

He'd hit gin on the river though, as the [Qh] spiked as audible gasps could be heard from everyone at the table.

It was a sick end to an interesting hand, as Backa has been extremely active pre-flop as we've seen him play some less than "premium hands" in the early portions of this Final Table.

But, when aggressive players do have "it" they usually get paid off and that's exactly what happened here as Eriquezzo made the "right" move, just at the wrong time and then couldn't have his pair hold up by the river.

Eriquezzo would be kicking himself after the pot, but couldn't complain after making a pay jump when Curry was sent to the rail in 7th place, as he would be eliminated a few hands after Curry.

The WSOP Bracelet winner will make $7,500 for his Event 1 efforts.

CPPT Event 1: 7th Place - Curry ($6,144)

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 26 (15,000/30,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 6

Chip Average: 1,100,000

Malik Curry (Everton, MA)

After Doug Lyford double up right after the dinner break, Malik Curry (Everton, MA) was the shortest stack at this Final Table and after the action folded to him, he'd move all-in for just over 350,000 from the button.

He'd get Marsel Backa to fold in the small blind, but after a few moments of thought Raj Patel would call in the big blind. 

Malik would be live, but behind, holding [8h][Qh] to Patel's [As][3h]. 

Malik would then need a miracle to stay alive after the [3d][Ad][6h] flop that put Patel in the driver's seat. 

He'd get one of two running cards, as the [6h] gave him outs to the flush. 

The table kind of expected it to come after the previous craziness we've seen on the river, but the [9c] would put those thoughts to rest and put an end to Malik's Event 1 run. 

He'd make just over $6,000 for his efforts and we're sure we are going to see more of him over the rest of the CCPT series. 

Lyford's Third Double Move Him Close To 1 Million

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 26 (15,000/30,000/5,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 7

Chip Average: 950,000

Doug Lyford (Hallowell, ME)

Doug Lyford came into this Final Table as one of the big stacks, but was immediately cut down by Ryan Eriquezzo and has been nursing a short stack of close to 10 big blinds ever since.

While we say "nursing" he's been playing to perfection, using his stack to steal the occasional blinds and antes to keep himself afloat and getting some two vital doubles before the dinner break to keep himself alive.

He just got another one a few hands after dinner and is now back up to the chip average for the first time in recent memory when his [Ac][10h] beat the [Ks][Js] of Marsel Backa.

The action was picked up with Lyford raising in early position to 65,000.

The table would fold to Backa on the button and he'd three-bet to 225,000.

That would be close to 75% of Lyford's stack and after more than a minute in the tank, he'd announce himself all-in.

Back would have to call as he was priced in, but he wasn't happy about it, tabling his King high hand that he'd need to hit to win the pot and bring us to a six handed Final Table.

But, it would be Lyford being the one "hitting" and completing the double as he's now playing just shy of 1,000,000 chips, a well deserved reward for what has been some exceptional short stacked play.

Backa on the other hand is now below the chip average, playing close to 750,000.

Back From Dinner To Play Down To A $100K GTD Champion

We are now back from break and return seven handed to play down to a Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1 Champion.

With the big blind "costing" players 30,000, average stacked players are still playing 30 big blinds so everyone is still pretty "deep" at this point so this isn't going to be a "fast" Final Table.

Regardless of how quickly this plays out, the Foxwoods Poker blog and the live stream of this Final Table will bring you all the action as we play down to our first CPPT winner of the series here in Event 1.

ATTENTION: All Foxwoods Tournaments Cancelled Tomorrow February 2nd

All Foxwoods Poker tournaments, including the Card Player Poker Tour $75,000 GTD Event 4, have been cancelled for tomorrow, February 2nd, due to the impending storm.

Poker tournaments and the Card Player Poker Tour will resume on Tuesday with two events, the $25,000 GTD Event 5 and the $10,000 GTD PLO H/L 8B Event 6.

We hope you and your families stay safe during the storm and look forward to seeing you on Tuesday.

Updates From All Events On $100K Dinner

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 25 (12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 7

Chip Average: 950,000

The remaining players at the $100,000 GTD Event 1 Final Table has been sent on their dinner break and will return to Level 26 around 7:40 PM.

The updated counts of those seven players are as follows:

1. Malik Curry - 580,000
2. Marsel Backa - 1,120,000
3. Raj Patel - 995,000
4. Brad St. Vincent - 1,275,000
5. Rami Jradeh - 1,055,000
6. Doug Lyford - 475,000 
7. Ryan Eriquezzo - 1,130,000

Live updates from the Final Table as well as the live stream will resume when play does, but in the meantime, let's update you on the action from around the Foxwoods tournament area, as both Events 2 and 3 have just returned from their own dinner break. 

Event 2 
Level 11 (800/1,600/200)
Total Entries: 109
Players Remaining: 18
Places Paid: 12

The payouts for Event 2 are listed below:

1. $6,365
2. $4,297
3. $2,819
4. $2,114
5. $1,591
6. $1,273
7. $1,046
8. $841
9. $682
10. $568
11. $568
12. $568

Event 3
Level 8 (600/1,200)
Total Entries: 43
Players Remaining: 12
Places Paid: 5

The payouts for Event 3 are listed below:

1. $3,492
2. $2,425
3. $1,552
4. $1,261
5. $970

CPPT Event 1: 8th Place - O'Connell ($4,865)

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 25 (12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 7

Chip Average: 950,000

Ed O'Connell

It was a made for TV hand that sent Ed O'Connell to the rail in 8th place with a cruel runout benefitting Ryan Eriquezzo, but to be fair, the WSOP Bracelet winner was way ahead pre-flop and on the flop and the best hand won in the end.

That won't ease the pain of the elimination though, as O'Connell got it all-in pre-flop with [Jd][Jc] only to see Eriquezzo table [As][Ac].

The [Qh][Qd][9h] flop caught Eriquezzo's eye as he'd say, "Huh, that's a lot of paint..." 

Unfortunately for him, there'd be more paint on the turn, as the [Jh] would give O'Connell Jacks full and a massive double up if he could hold through the river. 

Eriquezzo would shake his head in disbelief, picking up his pocket aces seemingly conceding the hand, only to see the [Ah] spike on the river, immediately followed by Eriquezzo flinging his Aces in the air laughing to himself at the sick runout. 

The table all half jokingly said they were expecting it, with Brad St. Vincent claiming, he "knew" the Aces was coming on the river. 

He was the only one, as the entire dynamic of this Final Table would have changed if it had not, but as it stands O'Connell is out in 8th place for just under $5,000 and Eriquezzo is now playing close to 1,100,000 with a few minutes remaining before the dinner break. 

When the players go on their dinner break, we will update the remanning chips count and bring you updates on Event 2 and Event 3 which are both closing in on the money. 

CPPT Event 1: 9th Place - Kachittavong ($3,765)

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 25 (12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 8

Chip Average: 860,000

Soukha Kachittavong (Woonsocket, RI)

Brad St. Vincent started as one of the shorter stacks coming back into Day 2 and started his ascent up the leaderboard almost immediately.

He's done nothing but increase his stacks since and went from being in danger of missing the money to sitting with one of the biggest stacks at the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1 Final Table after the elimination of Soukha Kachittavong.

St. Vincent just eliminated Stephanie Hubbard in a somewhat "unusual" spot, but this was a pretty standard one, as St. Vincent opened the action to 55,000 and Soukha would move all-in from the small blind for just over 400,000.

St. Vincent would more or less snap call and table [Ac][Kd], flipping against Soukha's [8d][8h].

Soukha would be down to two outs after the [Ks][Qh][Jh] flop and he'd be unable to find an eight on the turn or river, eliminating him in 9th place.

Soukha will make $3,765 for his Event 1 efforts and the entire table would look around after the elimination, with Ryan Eriquezzo the only one to say what was one everyone's minds, "Pay jump."

Doug Lyford would agree, as he's looking to make the biggest tournament score of his career in this event, and then double up holding [Ad][Ac], moving himself up close to the 400,000 chip mark, still under the chip average.

St. Vincent is well above that mark though, looking like a threat to take down this title, playing one of the biggest stacks at the Final Table with just under 25 minutes remaining until the dinner break.

CCPT Event 1: 10th Place - Hubbard ($2,730)

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 25 (12,000/24,000/4,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 9

Chip Average: 750,000

Stephanie Hubbard (Hazlet, NJ)

After close to an entire level of "feeling out" we finally lost the first player from our Final Table, as Stephanie Hubbard was just sent to the rail in 10th place.

The action would be picked up pre-flop with the table folding to Hubbard on the button and she would announce herself "all-in" for just under 250,000.

Ed O'Connell would fold in the small blind and the action was then on Brad St. Vincent in the big blind.

Hubbards shove was an interesting one, as it was a sizable amount of chips, but in relative terms, it was for just over 10 big blinds, leaving St. Vincent in an interesting spot as he'd have to commit close to a quarter of his stack to make the call.

He eventually would with [10c][8c] and Hubbard held the current advantage with [As][9h].

That advantage would be gone on the flop of [Kd][3s][10h] and she'd be left with just three outs to save her tournament, with two cards to come.

Neither would help her, as the turn bricked out and the river teasingly paired her nine just to add insult to injury.

Hubbard would roll her eyes at the "gamble" that St. Vincent took and while she might not have been a fan of the call or her finish, she'll take home close to $2,700 for her efforts and the fact that she made the Final Table of one of the more difficult fields we will see throughout this Card Player Poker Tour series.

St. Vincent is now playing close to 900,000 with one level left to play before the dinner break.

Some "Interesting" Button Clicking

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 24 (10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 10

Chip Average: 660,000

Marsel Backa (Waterbury, CT)

The action has opened up over the last few orbits with players utilizing their "deep stacks" to play some pots and put each other to the test.

Most of the action has been with less than stellar holdings as Marsel Backa and Soukha Kachittavong getting involved in a massive three-bet pot that has moved Backa close to the 1,000,000 chip mark. 

The action was picked up with Backa raising from the button to 40,000 and Soukha would three-bet from the small blind to 120,000. 

Back would flat call and both players would then check the [6c][Jd][2s] flop. 

The [10h] would come on the turn and Soukha would fire out a bet of 150,000 and Backa would call, shooting Soukha a glance right before the river. 

The river would pair the board as the [10d] completed the community and again both players would check, both seemingly waving the white flag. 

Soukha would table [Ks][2d] and Backa would respond with [6d][4s], good to win the pot. 

Ryan Eriquezzo would lean over the get a better look at the cards and would mumble something about "clicking buttons" to himself while Backa stacked up his newly won chips. 

Backa would hear Eriquezzo's comment and the two would get in a back and forth friendly banter with Backa claiming, "You can't win with tens (referencing a previous hand that Eriquezzo played) so you got to mix it up and play the six four sometimes."

He's certainly mixing it up and if he continues to kick buttons like he has and play unpredictably, he will be a tough player to stop at this Final Table. 

Backa is now playing just under 1,100,000 and he and Raj Patel now control almost a third of the total chips in play. 

Everyone Starting Slow, Except For Eriquezzo

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 24 (10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 10

Chip Average: 660,000

Ryan Eriquezzo (New Haven, CT)

The action has started slowly here at the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1 Final Table, as players are feeling each other and we don't expect the action to be "forced" as players are all somewhat deep with the chip average holding close to 30 big blinds.

Most of the hands have been won pre-flop, either with raises or three-bet shoves from the short stacks with no one chipping up or down significantly through the first 20 minutes of play.

One player who is the exception to that is Ryan Eriquezzo, who just got a full double against Doug Lyford.

The action was picked up pre-flop with Lyford raising from the cutoff and Eriquezzo, to his immediate left, would move all-in for just over 350,000 from the button and get snap called.

It was a flip, as Eriquezzo held [6d][6c] and Lyford held [Ah][Ks].

Lyford would shake his head after the [8d][7c][2d] flop, as he had just two more cards to hit his pair and the outlook didn't look great.

It looked even worse after the turn, as he'd be drawing dead as Eriquezzo hit his set with the [6s].

The meaningless river would fall and Lyford would be cutting out nearly half of his stack and sending it to his left, bumping Eriquezzo up and over the chip average with 725,000.

Lyford is now playing just over 10 big blinds.

Final Table Of The Card Player Poker Tour $100K GTD Event 1

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 24 (10,000/20,000/3,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 10

Chip Average: 660,000

We are now at the Final Table of the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1 after Raj Patel won a massive flip against Jeff Bleu to make himself the massive chip leader.

The Final Table seating assignments and chip counts are listed below:

1. Malik Curry - 600,000
2. Marsel Backa - 975,000
3. Soukha Kachittavong - 675,000
4. Raj Patel - 1,350,000
5. Stephanie Hubbard - 320,000
6. Ed O'Connell - 380,000
7. Brad St. Vincent - 320,000
8. Rami Jradeh - 450,000
9. Doug Lyford - 650,000 
10. Ryan Eriquezzo - 350,000

The remaining payouts in Event 1 are also listed below: 

1. $39,137
2. $28,395
3. $15,788
4. $12,545
5. $9,217
6. $7,510
7. $6,144
8. $4,865
9. $3,765
10. $2,730

This Final Table can be followed here on the Foxwoods Poker blog and on the live stream which can be found here.

There Will Be A New Champion As Hubbard Gets There Against Leong

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 22 (8,000/16,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 12

Chip Average: 530,000
Coming into the day, not many people would have thought Chris Leong would have made it to the final two tables with a chance to defend his Card Player Poker Tour Event 1 championship from last year, as he was sitting with well under the chip average to start Day 2.

But, Leong chipped up well to survive the money bubble and then continued to chip up at the "feature" table putting himself in serious contention to at least make the Final Table again.

He'd see those chances go up dramatically as he would get it all-in and have Stephanie Hubbard dominated, with a chance to move up and close to the 500,000 mark.

The action was picked up with Jeff Bleu raising from late position to 20,000.

Leong was in the small blind and would move all-in for just over 200,000 and Hubbard, in the big blind would then re-shove, having Leong covered.

Her isolation play worked as Bleu would fold, but the isolation wouldn't help her as Leong held [Kh][Ks] to Hubbard's [7c][7h].

Hubbard was at risk of losing a significant portion of her stack, but she'd be saved on the river after the board ran out [4c][6c][8d][2s][7d], to give her a winning set.

She'd immediately apologize, but while she might be a little sympathetic, she certainly won't be complaining as she is now playing close to 600,000 and while we don't know who is going to win this event yet as there is still a lot of poker left to play, we do know that there will not be a repeat champion here in Event 1 as Chris Leong has been eliminated and will have to wait until later in the series to get another CPPT title to add to his poker trophy case.

We are now playing with two tables of six and will redraw for our Final Table after two more eliminations.

Event 2 and Event 3 Updates And Outstanding Event 1 Payouts

We've hit a bit of a lull in the action in the $100,000 GTD Event 1 and with Event 2 and Event 3 on simultaneous breaks, we'd thought we'd update you on those tournaments as well as the outstanding payouts of Event 1.

Event 2 
Level 11 (800/1,600/200)
Total Entries: 109
Players Remaining: 38
Places Paid: 12

Event 3
Level 8 (600/1,200)
Total Entries: 43
Players Remaining: 34

Event 1 Outstanding Payouts

16-18th Place - $2,048
Nick Palma
Giacomo D'Agostino
Dillipkumar Patel

19-21st Place - $1,792
Jeff Butts
Keith Trumbo
Craig Curran

22-24th Place - $1,621
Brian Strair
Daniel Lobel
Joe Pereira

A True "Feature" Table After Redraw

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 22 (6,000/12,000/2,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 18

Chip Average: 360,000

We are down to the final two tables here in the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1, meaning the players have redrawn for the last time before the Final Table.

The "feature" table is stacked, as it has some of the biggest stacks and biggest names that remain in this field.

The complete table assignments, along with chip counts after the redraw is listed below:

Table 1

1. Jeff Bleu - 260,000
2. Don Lohr - 340,000
3. Raj Patel - 450,000
4. Nick Palma - 210,000
5. Chris Leong - 250,000
6. Stephanie Hubbard - 270,000
7. Soukha Kachittavong - 550,000
8. Ryan Eriquezzo - 425,000
9. Rami Jradeh - 620,000

Table 2

1. Doug Lyford - 420,000
2. Seunghwan Lee - 200,000
3. Malik Curry - 315,000
4. Brad St. Vincent - 600,000
5. Jonas Bendik - 275,000
6. Dilipkumar Patel - 100,000
7. Ed O'Connell - 440,000
8. Marsel Backa - 340,000
9. Giacomo D'Agostino - 400,000

To watch the action from the "feature" table live, CLICK HERE. 

St. Vincent Looking Strong After Returning As The Short Stack

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 21 (5,000/10,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 18
Chip Average: 360,000

Brad St. Vincent (Bristol, RI)

In our opening post of the day we mentioned Brad St. Vincent as one of the players to watch on the money bubble as he was one of the shortest stacks remaining in the field, with just over 10 big blinds.

We did watch him, seeing him double up on one of the first hands of the day and then continue to chip up through the money bubble and now, after hitting a runner runner flush to send big stacked Brian Strair to the rail, he looks like he might be one of the chip leaders after coming into Day 2 as the "shorty".

The action was picked up with Strair opening the action from middle position and the table would fold around to St. Vincent in the small blind, who would three-bet to 81,000.

Strair would then quickly move all-in and begin to table his hand before the dealer and the other players at the table stopped him from doing so.

St. Vincent had missed that encounter, as he was taking a count of his own chips, facing a 175,000 bet that would more or less have him playing for his tournament life as he had Strair slightly covered.

St. Vincent would raise his cards in the air and then say, "I have a bad feeling about this, but I call." tabling [Qh][Qc].

Strair would then turn over [Ac][Ad] and St. Vincent's read would be right, as he was just five cards away from being crippled.

He wouldn't be as four of those five cards would give him a flush on a board of [8h][7h][Jc][2h][Kh], going runner-runner to send Strair and his pocket rockets to the rail.

St. Vincent and the rest of the table couldn't believe it and after taking in the pot, his stack is now being eyeballed just over the 450,000 mark, playing 45 big blinds and an above average stack after coming into today with 10 big blinds and a dream...

We are now down to our final 18 players, which means we will redraw for the final two tables of the $100,000 GTD Event 1.

$100K GTD Event 1 Results (25th-36th Place)

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 21 (5,000/10,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 24
Chip Average: 185,000
We are back from break and there are some outstanding cashes to report, as the following players have cashed in the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1:

25-27th Place - $1,450
Stan Shaw
Ralph Macri
Derek Blenman

28-36th Place - $1,331
Troy Balisciano
Jason Ruotolo
Alexander Baker
Barry Weprin
Scott Aziz
Kyle Haberman
Guy Bartlett
David Labriola

Pay jumps will now come every three eliminations, with the next pay jump making an additional $200.

Feature Table Big Stacks Into Break

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 20 (4,000/8,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 24
Chip Average: 185,000

Ed O'Connell 

Stan Shaw was moved to Table 1 after the last table break, but he's now on the rail after two big pots that chipped up Ed O'Connell and Ryan Eriquezzo.

The first hand was picked up pre-flop with O'Connell three-betting from the small blind after Shaw opened the button. Shaw would flat to see a [4h][Kd][Qd] flop. 

O'Connell would then lead for 50,000 and Shaw would announce himself "all-in" with O'Connell snap calling, tabling [Ah][Ks]. 

Shaw was more or less drawing dead, holding [Ac][8c] and after the turn and river were dealt and the dealer counted out O'Connell's stack, Shaw would be left with just under 80,000 and O'Connell would be doubling up, playing just under 600,000. 

Shaw would then get his remaining chips all-in on the very next hand, running his [Ac][10h] into Eriquezzo's [Kh][Ks] with the pocket pair holding to complete the elimination and move Eriquezzo up near the 300,000 mark. 

O'Connell and Eriquezzo aren't event the biggest stacks at Table 1 though, as Soukha Kachittavong is playing near the 700,000 mark, pacing the remaining Event 1 field. 

The action over the last few hands of Level 20 at the "feature" table should create an interesting dynamic coming back from break, as three of the biggest stacks in the room are front and center at Table 1. 

When we return from break we will be updated you on the players that cashed in the first two "waves" of the payout structure in 25-27th place and 28-36th place. 

Curry's Chipping Up Despite Tough Table Draw

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 19 (3,000/6,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 26
Chip Average: 185,000

Malik Curry came into Day 2 sandwiched between two big stacks and is now a "big" stack of his own with over 350,000 chips heading into the first break of the day. 

When the seating assignments were published this morning, Malik Curry (Everton, MA) was in a less than ideal spot, as he was sandwiched between chip leaders Doug Lyford and Jeff Butts.

While most players would have taken a backseat and perhaps waited for the table to break to assert themselves, Curry has attacked the challenge on the big stacks at his table since play began and it has worked for him so far, as he is currently playing just over 350,000, nearly doubling the stack he entered Day 2 with.

Curry hasn't registered a live rated score since August, but he's in the money here in Event 1 of the Card Player Poker Tour, a series that he enjoyed success in last year as he Final Tabled two events making just over $20,000 during the week long series.

Table 3, where Curry, Lyford and Butts are stationed, is also home to Foxwoods legend Ralph Macri and Stephanie Hubbard, as well as Giacomo D'Agostino, all players sitting with over 200,000, meaning that this table is "stacked" and we could see some fireworks throughout the next level as players will look to assert themselves as the "table captain".

There are just under 10 minutes remaining in Level 20, after which there will be a 15 minute break where we will update you on the players that have cashed in Event 1 so far and update some of the "notable" chip counts.

Eriquezzo Continues To Climb After Bubble

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 19 (3,000/6,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 30
Chip Average: 185,000

Ryan Eriquezzo (New Haven, CT)

We mentioned that Ryan Eriquezzo was one of the biggest "gainers" through the money bubble that stalled play for close to a full level to start Day 2 and he hasn't slowed down since we entered the money as he just sent a player to the rail and moved himself close to the 250,000 chip mark.

The action was picked up with Eriquezzo raising from early position and the table would fold around to Barry Weprin, who would move all-in for just over 60,000 from the small blind.

Eriquezzo would snap call and the two would be flipping [Ad][Kc] against Weprin's [6c][6h].

The board would run out in Weprin's favor until the river, [2c][4d][2d][8c][Kh], with the final card ending his Event 1 run in 30th place.

"There it is," Eriquezzo would say, expecting a pair the whole time, never looking too concerned about the outcome of his flip.

Eriquezzo looks to be picking up where he left off last night, as he ended yesterday's Day 1 session with a big double to move close to the chip average, having already increased his stack by close to 100,000 chips today.

With that increase, after a quiet Day 1 in which he flew under the radar for close to the entire day, he's reasserted himself as a player that needs to be considered for this Event 1 title, as he has one of, if not the, best tournament resumes of the remaining field.

Leong Pops Bubble, Event 1 "ITM"

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 19 (3,000/6,000/1,000)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 36
Chip Average: 185,000

Chris Leong (New York, NY)

While we lost short stack Frank Liseno fairly early in this Day 2 restart, it took over an entire level to lose the next player as a few short stacks doubled up and some averaged stacked players used some well time aggression to chip up during the 40 or so minutes of bubble play.

Ryan Eriquezzo and Stephanie Hubbard were the biggest "gainers" on the bubble, each winning multiple pots and taking down some of the "dead money" that is always available as plenty of players tense up around the money. 

Just as we moved into Level 19, Chris Leong sent Event 1 into the money in a blind vs. blind encounter with Kwang Soo Lim. 

The action would fold around to Lim, who would shove all-in from the small blind with Leong snap calling in the big blind. 

It was a hand that played itself as the short stacked Lim had moved in for 60,000 and Leong would call, risking close to two-thirds of his stack to try to send Event 1 into the money. 

Leong held a massive advantage as well, [As][Kh] to Lim's [Ad][Qh]. 

The board would run out [4c][8d][10c][Jd][7s] and Leong would score the elimination and now sits with close to 140,000 and his hopes for a repeat Card Player Poker Tour Event 1 Championship are still alive. 

The remaining 36 players are now guaranteed a minimum cash of $1,331. 

Some notable updated chip counts are also listed below as there were a few players to both increase and decrease their stack size on the bubble:

Soukha Kachittavong - 540,000

Doug Lyford - 480,000

Marsel Backa - 330,000

Jeff Bleu - 320,000

Jonas Bendiks - 310,000

Nick Palma - 250,000

Steph Hubbard - 240,000

Ryan Eriquezzo - 210,000

Shuffle Up And Deal, Day 2 Is Under Way

Event 1 (Day 2)
Level 18 (2,500/5,000/500)
Total Entries: 332
Players Remaining: 38
Chip Average: 175,000

Day 2 of the $100,000 GTD Event 1 is now officially underway and the updates should be coming at you very quickly, as we return just two spots from the money.

The shortest stacks in the room are Brad St. Vincent, Craig Curran and Daniel Lobel, who are all playing near 10 big blinds stacks.

They will be players to watch over the first few hands and orbits as they try to sneak into the money with their short stacks.

As we mentioned, Table 1 will be our "feature" table until we get to a Final Table with the action live streamed all day online.

The next update will likely see this $100,000 GTD event go into the money, as we are tantalizingly close to the money.

A list of payouts has been listed below as a reminder for players and fans:

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

$100K GTD Event 1 Day 2 Table Assignments

We are just under 15 minutes from the start of Day 2 of the Card Player Poker Tour $100,000 GTD Event 1.

38 players will return for Day 2, with two of them coming back to miss the money, as only 36 players will get paid in Event 1.

The live updates will bring you all the coverage up to and through the money bubble, as we look to crown our first CPPT Champion here today.

Below are the table assignments for Day 2 and it should be noted that Table 1 will be our "featured" table and will be live streamed at this LINK.

Table -Seat	By Table	Chip Count
	Day 2 Players Returning
1-1	Trumbo, Keith	175,000
1-2	Kachittavong, Soukha	348,500
1-3	Blenman, Derek	141,000
1-4	Aziz, Scott	135,000
1-5	Bartlett, Guy	94,000
1-6	OPEN SEAT	n/a
1-7	Bendiks, Jonas	263,500
1-8	Patel, Raj	184,500
1-9	Brestak, Roger	93,500
2-1	Lim, Kwang Soo	82,500
2-2	OPEN SEAT	n/a
2-3	Backa, Marsel	214,000
2-4	OPEN SEAT	n/a
2-5	Ruotolo, Jason	112,000
2-6	Liseno, Frank	101,000
2-7	Curran, Craig	45,000
2-8	Baker, Alexander	124,000
2-9	Palma, Nicholas	205,000
3-1	Butts, Jeff	325,000
3-2	Curry, Malik	168,000
3-3	Lyford, Doug	588,500
3-4	Lobel, Daniel	59,000
3-5	Hubbard, Stephanie	130,000
3-6	D'Agostino, Giacomo	303,000
3-7	OPEN SEAT	n/a
3-8	Patel, Dilipkumar	166,500
3-9	Macri, Ralph	118,000
4-1	Bleu, Jeffrey	140,000
4-2	St.Vincent, Brad	58,000
4-3	Jradeh, Rami	132,500
4-4	Weprin, Barry	108,000
4-5	OPEN SEAT	n/a
4-6	Shaw, Stan	265,500
4-7	OPEN SEAT	n/a
4-8	Haberman, Kyle	134,000
4-9	Pereira, Joe	164,500
5-1	Leong, Christopher	127,500
5-2	OPEN SEAT	n/a
5-3	Striar, Brian	357,500
5-4	Lohr, Donald	201,000
5-5	Balisciano, Troy	118,500
5-6	Lee, Seunghwan	210,000
5-7	Eriquezzo, Ryan	168,500
5-8	O'Connell, Ed	230,000
5-9	Labriola, David	91,000