Patrick Kennedy Grabs Chip Lead Heading into Final Day of �10,200 Pot-Limit Omaha
When the dust had settled here at Casino Barcelona after a day full of four-card action, only 15 players remained from the 106 entrants for Day 1 of Event#40 �10,200 Pot-Limit Omaha at PokerStars European Poker Tour (EPT) Barcelona.
Those figures generated a �1,028,200 prize pool, with all 15 players being in the money and having secured a minimum cash of �17,400. A spot at the final table is worth �30,050, while the winner will take home �268,600.
After 12 hours of play, rising British young gun Patrick Kennedy is best placed to do just that, having stormed to the top of the standings after bagging up 850,000, good for 70 big blinds. Kennedy's current biggest live score is the $86,000 he earnt for coming fifth in the Heads-Up Championship at this year's World Series.
PLO World Series bracelet winner Ka Kwan Lau (716,000) leads the chasing pack, while Canadian poker legend and two-time EPT winner Mike Watson (538,000) completes the podium places.
Plenty of notable names fired a bullet or two but did not make the Day 2 cut, including the top two finishers from last year, Tom-Aksel Bedell and Roberto Sagra, along with Sean Winter, Niklas Astedt and mixed-game specialist Benny Glaser.
Players such as Finnish legend Juha Helppi, Nacho Barbero and Matthew Wantman made it past late registration, but also did not find a bag for Day 2. Helppi in particular was unlucky to exit, the poker gods contriving to send the pot to Watson despite Helppi flopping top set and the nut flush draw.
Meanwhile, Jim Collopy was the unlucky player to bubble when he was left drawing dead on the turn by Watson, bursting the bubble in one hand.
End of Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts
| Place | Player | Country | Chip Count | Big Blinds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Kennedy | United Kingdom | 850,000 | 70 |
| 2 | Ka Kwan Lau | Spain | 716,000 | 59 |
| 3 | Mike Watson | Canada | 538,000 | 44 |
| 4 | Henri Puustinen | Finland | 357,000 | 29 |
| 5 | Christopher Philippou | Cyprus | 357,000 | 29 |
| 6 | Alexander Petersen | Denmark | 331,000 | 27 |
| 7 | Theo Jorgensen | Denmark | 311,000 | 25 |
| 8 | Jorryt Van Hoof | Netherlands | 299,000 | 24 |
| 9 | Mark Buckley | Ireland | 280,000 | 23 |
| 10 | Yuriy Boyko | Ireland | 242,000 | 20 |
�10,200 Pot-Limit Omaha Payouts
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1 | �268,600 |
| 2 | �173,300 |
| 3 | �123,750 |
| 4 | �95,200 |
| 5 | �73,250 |
| 6 | �56,350 |
| 7 | �45,050 |
| 8 | �36,050 |
| 9 | �30,050 |
| 10-11 | �25,050 |
| 12-13 | �20,850 |
| 14-15 | �17,400 |
The final 15 players will return to Casino Barcelona at midday local time on Thursday, September 5 to resume play for the title and chunky first-place prize.
The players will return to 30-minute levels, with nine minutes left in Level 19, 6,000/12,000, with a 12,000 big blind ante. Stay tuned to PokerNews as we will be on the floor to until the conclusion of the tournament.