2015 WPT Canadian Spring Championship Day 1a: Mike Leah Grabs the Lead
The first stop on Season XIV of the World Poker Tour kicked off on Friday in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with the partypoker.net WPT Canadian Spring Championship. The first of two Day 1 flights drew 136 runners to Playground Poker Club with some 50 players surviving through 10 levels of play. Canadian pro Mike Leah grabbed the overnight chip lead, continuing a two-year tear that has seen him score two runner-up finishes in the 2015 WPT L.A Poker Classic and Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open and win his first World Series of Poker bracelet in Australia.
Top 10 Day 1a Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Leah | 265,300 |
| 2 | Rene Bourbeau | 249,100 |
| 3 | Pascal LeFrancois | 189,100 |
| 4 | Ratharam Sivagnanam | 184,000 |
| 5 | Angelo Cusinato | 174,200 |
| 6 | Nicholas Palma | 122,800 |
| 7 | Basil Laurin | 120,600 |
| 8 | Luke Greenwood | 113,100 |
| 9 | Ami Alibay | 108,800 |
| 10 | Paul Klann | 108,000 |
Leah schooled one local in series of pots to chip up early, then had the better hand and held as players like Mike Yacoubain and Samuel Chartier got it in against him late. He bagged 265,300 to finish ahead of a late charge from WSOP bracelet winner Pascal LeFrancois and local Rene Bourbeau.
Those hitting the rail included local stars like 2010 WSOP Main Event champ Jonathan Duhamel, Philippe D'Auteuil, and WPT Champions Club member Eric Afriat.
However, this is a five-day tournament with two Day 1s and next-day reentry format, giving all who busted all another shot at things when Day 1b kicks off at 11 a.m. local time Saturday.
Once again the PokerNews Live Reporting team will be on hand for it all with live updates and videos throughout. In the meantime, check out what Leah had to say in the following video with PokerNews' Caitlyn Howe:
Want to stay atop all the latest in the poker world? If so, make sure to get PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!
