2015 WPT Amsterdam Main Event Day 1a: Boeken and Stephensen in Strong Contention
The first starting day of the first-ever 2015 World Poker Tour Amsterdam €3,300 Main Event was a big success, and it was Fredrik Andersson who came out on top with a stack of 228,100 in chips. The Swedish chip leader came out of nowhere and racked up a big lead, mainly due to lots of aggression in the last levels of the day.
A total of nine levels were played and 54 players remained from the 130 total entries on Day 1a. Among the big stacks moving on to Day 2 was top local player Noah Boeken with 195,200. World Series of Poker Main Event runner-up Felix Stephensen bagged 114,400.
At the start of the day, we immediately spotted Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi and Anthony Zinno battling it out. Mizrachi, winner of two WSOP bracelets and two WPT events, did not have a good day and busted out twice, while Zinno, a three-time WPT champion in his own right, survived the day with 47,700 in chips.
Dutch poker legend Rob Hollink entered the event as well, and after a relatively quiet day he made it through with 48,000 in chips. Former Master Classics of Poker Main Event winner David Boyaciyan busted out once, and he will likely reenter on Day 1b. The same goes for Paul Newey, as the Big One for One Drop finalist couldn't get anything going.
The €6,000 High Roller event did not finish before the Main Event started, and Jack Salter battled it out against Jason Wheeler in heads-up play while Day 1a started up. In the end, it was Wheeler who won the match, and he took home €125,000. Both players also made it through Day 1a, as Salter bagged up 56,100 and Wheeler survived with 92,800.
One of the hottest players on Day 1a was without question Samantha Abernathy, who bullied the guys on her table around pretty badly. Abernathy showed a lof of aggression and held the chip lead for quite some time. In the end, the lone lady in the field survived the day with 92,700 chips.
In other news, Jorn Walthaus busted out in the early goings, but he returned and finished the day on 36,900 in chips. Dutch WSOP bracelet winner Marcel Vonk busted out as well, when his aces got cracked in the fourth level of play. Vonk will reenter on Day 1b as well, as he decided to not enter again on Day 1a. Ludovic Geilich started the day very strong and even got his stack up to 130,000. The end of the day was a lot less fortunate for him, though, as he called off a large portion of his stack with pocket kings. Geilich was crippled, and survived the day with 47,400, while his opponent, Monty Albadawi, jumped up the ranks and bagged up 189,700.
Play will resume on Tuesday at 2 p.m. local time, and a big field is expected for Day 1b. Please stay tuned to PokerNews.com for more coverage of this event, as we will be here with you for the duration.
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+!
