With registration and reentry now closed, this fourth event on the WNYPC schedule officially drew 72 entries.
On paper it's on overlay, which means there is not enough in the prize pool to cover the $10,000 guarantee and the Niagara Falls Poker Room will have to throw in the rest.
However, do a little math and you might see things differently.
Players pay $150 for each entry, with $125 going to the prize pool and $25 set aside as an entry fee. A total of 72 players make $9,000 going into the prize pool.
So basically there's an overlay of $1,000. However, with $1,825 in fees collected, the room doesn't exactly have to go out of pocket to cover it.
In reality, it could be considered more of a fee rebate than an overlay.
James Miller's earlier generosity with those Girl Scout cookies has him in good steed with the poker gods for sure.
Two players with jacks and threes shoved in front of him and Miller called both with big slick. A king on the turn was like manna from heaven and Miller has the chip lead now.
It's the last level before registration and reentry closes and just 25 players remain from a field of 64 entries so far.
Erie, PA's Joe Malec has had about as good a 15 minutes as a poker player can have and now sits on the top spot on the leader board as a result.
He found both a straight flush and quads in that 15-minute heater and his stack is closing in on 60,000 now.
Speaking of quads, the player next to him had four-of-a-kind twice in a row, but still has about a starting stack due to some bad luck earlier. Strangely, someone also hit quads on table over as well.
However, Malec is the man right now with roughly half the field of 64 entries already gone.
If you're local to the Niagara Falls area and have ever thought about hopping in one of these tournaments, now is the time.
Whether it's a hangover from the weekend action, the early start time, or just the fact it is a Monday, the entry numbers are a little light right now.
Basically they need 80 players to meet the $10,000 guarantee and they are short. Registration and reentry is available for three more levels, but the board reads just 49 players heading into the day's first break.
Unless there is a huge rush after it, there could be an overlay here. That means value for the players, and if you think you are one, you should head on over to the Niagara Falls Poker Room at the Seneca Resort & Casino right now and get in on this.