Tournament: Lichtenberger leads NAPT Venetian Day 2
Online poker veteran Andrew "LuckyChewy" Lichtenberger stands as the chip leader after Day 2 of the North American Poker Tour Venetian Main Event. Mr. Lichtenberger will go into Day 3 of the US$5,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Holdem event with a slim lead over Andy Seth. The two leaders, along with one hundred fifty other players in the star-studded field, will attempt to be among the one hundred twenty-seven to reach the "money bubble" and take home some of the massive prize pool.
Lichtenberger built much of his stack in one climactic hand against Danish poker pro Lars Bonding. Lichtenberger went all-in with his pocket kings, but ran into Bonding’s pocket aces. Lichtenberger caught a third king on the river to vault him into the chip lead. Meanwhile, Seth, the Day 1 chip leader, maintained his hot streak in two big hands, including one where he cracked his opponent’s pocket aces.
With nearly five hundred players starting on Day 2, the tournament action saw several high-profile eliminations. The most notable former champion to bust out on Day 2 was 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker. Other Day 2 victims included the winner of 2009 World Poker Tour Championship, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, and the Bluff Magazine Player of the Year Jason Mercier.
Like the corresponding European Poker Tour, Latin America Poker Tour and Asia-Pacific Poker Tour, the NAPT carries a sponsorship from online poker giant PokerStars.Net. Many of the site’s sponsored pros, including 1983 WSOP Main Event Champion Tom McEvoy and 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion Greg Raymer, are still in contention for a piece of the US$4.1 million prize pool.
Once the tournament reaches the "money bubble", the action will continue until only twenty-four players remain. The next day, those remaining will play down to the final table, which will be broadcast later in the spring.
