Today’s 17th and final Day 1 flight has just come to a close.

When the dust had settled, a full 72 players lasted all 18 levels in this morning’s Turbo event. When added to the 430 players that had already qualified in the previous Day 1s, we end up with a total of 502 players starting the Grand Prix Canada Day 2.

Day 2 begins today at 3:30PM. Congratulations to all who have earned their seats!

We’ll see you soon. It’s gonna be a big one!

On table 57 just now we witnessed something that is becoming more common now that late registration is over and the last two levels tick away: tighter play.

Mohammad El-Khatib and Richard Sim were in a battle of wills, and in the end Mohammad ended up taking it. The hand began with a raise to 32,000 preflop, which Richard called. The flop was dealt .

Next Mohammad fired a 47,500 bet. This was also called by Richard, and very calmly at that. It was so calm and measured, in fact, that we suspected he was trapping Mohammed, perhaps having caught something huge on the flop.

However, we were wrong, because after the turn came down a Mohammad bet nearly 150,000, a pot-sized wager. This was too much for Richard, who folded. With only 25 minutes to go, perhaps it is best to be cautious. However, with the average chip stack at only 325,000, perhaps now is the time for boldness. After all, most of the other previous Day 1s had average chip stacks nearer to 700,000.

We’ll see how it shakes out. There are still 83 players left, more than double what we expected to finish the flight with. The next (and final) 15 minutes of today’s Turbo flight will give us the final Grand Prix Canada numbers, and help us determine the exact amount places being paid in Day 2, starting in just a couple of hours.

As the field’s size continues to dwindle and players continue to shove in an attempt to build a decent chip stack, Mario Defoy recently took advantage of his larger pile to call Fadi Barsoum’s all in. Mario ended up taking out Fadi with his pocket pair.

When we joined the hand the flop had already been dealt and Fadi had already shoved for his last 58,000.  It was now up to Mario to make a decision. He thought about it for a solid two minutes, weighing his options. Ultimately he decided it was worth the risk. It was a good call.

Fadi flipped over a , and Mario his .

The last two community cards came down , and Fadi’s day was over – he didn’t catch any of his open-ended straight draw. There are only 119 players remaining from a total group of 280 entries.

Play continues!

If you were hoping to find yourself in the running for the Grand Prix Canada and you hadn’t yet joined us, we’re afraid we have some bad news: you’re too late.

Late registration has now closed for the final Day 1 event, today’s 10AM Turbo. There were a whopping 280 entries to this morning’s contest (including 80 re-entries), of which 160 currently remain.

Those that make it through will join the rest of the Day 2 field, which numbers at 430. If past trends continue, there should be approximately 35 survivors from today’s Turbo, and they will join the rest of the (rather large) group starting Day 2 at 3:30.

Good luck to everyone!

After ten 15-minute levels the players went on their one and only break of the tournament. We took the opportunity to tally up the chip stacks of our leaders, which are listed below.

Out front is Pascal Gregoire, with nearly 600,000 in chips.

Entries to the Grand Prix Canada Day 1L Turbo have now surpassed 250, a huge morning crowd. Below are some more photos of those vying for their seats in Day 2, beginning later today at 3:30PM.

Randy Khalil staked his tournament life on an . It cost him.

When we arrived at the table he had already shoved for his last 19,000. It was called by two players, Anthony Henderson and Michael Rodriguez.

Flop:

Although he was out of the hand, Randy had an open-ended straight draw. Michael, now in a side-pot with Anthony, shoved for his stack (150,000+ chips), which chased Anthony out. Now just the two of them, Michael and Randy flipped their cards. Randy’s faced off against Michael’s .

The turn was an , giving Randy a pair. But it was not enough, as the came down on the river and Michael collected the chips with his victorious pair of queens.

Update: Randy has bought back in and is taking another shot at a birth in Day 2.

Just over an hour into play the field has grown to include more than 200 entries.

This is our most well-attended Grand Prix Canada Turbo to date, and it makes sense, since it is the last chance for players to earn their way into Day 2. Only those who can survive all 18 levels of play (each 15-minutes long) will be granted their seats into the next phase.

Day 2 of this tournament begins today at 3:30, and late registration for this tournament is open for one more hour, until 12:15PM. Get down here and grab a seat!