2015 WPT Canadian Spring Championship Day 3: Samuel "samuelbt" Tsehai Leads Final 15
Monday's Day 3 of the 2015 partypoker World Poker Tour Canadian Spring Championship at PlayGround Poker Club in Montreal, Quebec, was a short, and certainly sweet one for some.
Play began with 45 players already in the money and played down to just 15 after four 90-minute levels. World Series of Poker Circuit ring winner and Heartland Poker Tour title holder Ari Engel came in with the healthy chip lead as the only player holding over 1 million in chips. But it would have to be considered a sour day for Engel, as he doubled up Lu Zhang twice to fall from the top of the counts early, then busted in 17th place later on.
The chip lead changed hands several times throughout the day, with at least half a dozen players reaching the top at one point. In the end, it was Samuel Tsehai that bagged the biggest number. Tsehai is a player that counts a 25th-place finish at WPT Montreal in 2013 and a 70th at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure this year as his two biggest scores. Tsehai will come into Day 4 with a little over 1.5 million, but 2014 WPT Montreal 10th-place finisher Sheraz Nasir and fellow Canadian Trevor Delaney are close as the only other two over 1 million in chips.
Top 10 Day 3 Chip Counts
| Rank | Player | Chips |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Tsehai | 1,522,000 |
| 2 | Sheraz Nasir | 1,207,000 |
| 3 | Trevor Delaney | 1,141,000 |
| 4 | Eric Afriat | 765,000 |
| 5 | Lu Zhang | 733,000 |
| 6 | Jonathan Karamalikis | 701,000 |
| 7 | Levi Stevens | 691,000 |
| 8 | Gary Lucci | 622,000 |
| 9 | Robert Taylor | 607,000 |
| 10 | John Krpan | 600,000 |
Tsehai's live tournament results aren't anything to jump off the page, but he is a strong online player with plenty of poker experience. Online, Tsehai goes by "samuelbt" on PokerStars, "biz-tings" on Full Tilt, and "jokerstarsdegen" on partypoker. All together, he boasts over $2 million in online tournament earnings.
The aformentioned Zhang, who finished ninth at WPT Fallsview earlier this year, Montreal local and 2014 WPT Seminole Hard Rock Showdown champ Eric Afriat, and Aussie online star and two-time Asia-Pacific Poker Tour title holder Jonathan Karamalikis are also within striking distance.
Another player that remains in is Jeff Gross, and PokerNews' Caitlyn Howe catches up with him for the following video interview.
A $237,390 first-place prize that comes with a seat in the WPT Season XIV World Championship still awaits the winner here in Montreal and play will resume at 12 p.m. local time Tuesday with plans to play down to the final table of six.
As you've come to expect, the PokerNews Live Reporting team will be on hand for all the action from beginning to end, with live updates and videos throughout, so stay tuned.
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 Facebook!
