WPT Jacksonville, Day 1B Recap

By BJ Nemeth

Day 1B of WPT Jacksonville began with an additional 205 entrants, creating a total field size of 393 players and a prizepool of $1,277,250.

Down on the dog track, there were two specially-themed dog races in honor of the World Poker Tour.

Here’s a look back at Day 1B:

In addition to the Poker Room, the Orange Park Kennel Club also has dog racing. While the WPT tournament continued in the Poker Room inside, the Saturday races continued outside.

Vince Van Patten gave the traditional "Shuffle up and deal" again on Day 1B, joined by new Royal Flush Girls Ivy Teves (left) and Angelique Velez (right). The WPT Champions Cup can be seen on a rotating display behind them to the right.

Before each race, the dogs march out on the track with their handlers so fans can get a look at them.

A young fan watches the dogs race around the final turn.

Afternoon rain are hardly unusual in Florida, but the races continue.

Artie Rodriguez was one of three players in the Day 1B field who qualified into the tournament thru ClubWPT.com. Rodriguez survived the day with 46,800 in chips, eager to play thru the money bubble on Day 2.

Watson Gay was another one of the ClubWPT.com qualifiers, smiling after picking up one of the first pots of the day. Unfortunately, Gay was nearly felted early, and spent most of the day treading water with a short stack before busting late.

Registration closed at the end of Level 4, and Tommy Vedes was the last person to enter the tournament, getting in just under the wire. As he took his seat, Vedes confidently said, "Last one in, and I’m gonna be the last one out."

Royal Flush Girls Ivy Teves (left) and Angelique Velez wait in the winner’s circle before the special World Poker Tour-themed race begins.

At the start of each race, a mechanical rabbit is released to give the dogs something to chase. Moments before the start of each race, the announcer proclaims, "Here comes Rusty!" In this photo, the dogs have just left the starting gate.

The #7 dog extends his lead in the final stretch as they race toward the finish line.

In the winner’s circle, the Royal Flush Girls (Angelique Velez and Ivy Teves) are joined by some of the players (Andy Frankenberger, Carter King, Darryll Fish, and Raw Deal Analyst Tony Dunst) along with Ging Masinda-Quinto and Jeanine Deeb of the WPT. And, of course, the greyhound who won the World Poker Tour-themed race.

Imari Love was at the top of the chip counts for most of Day 1B, building a lead early and holding on to it. But in the final few minutes, he lost a pot with trip queens against another player’s flush to drop down to second for the day with 172,000.

As it turned out, Tommy Vedes put his chips where his mouth was, and finished Day 1B with 209,200 in chips — giving him the overall chip lead heading into Day 2. For that, he was named the ClubWPT Player of the Day by Jessica Welman (left).

Of the 205 entrants on Day 1B, there were 86 survivors. Here’s a look at the top of the Day 1B leaderboard:

1. Tommy Vedes – 209,200
2. Imari Love – 172,000
3. Barry Wiedermann – 162,100
4. Michael Swimelar – 158,100
5. Dann Turner – 148,200

The survivors from Days 1A and 1B (168 players) return to action on Day 2, beginning Sunday at 12:00 noon ET. Stay tuned to WPT.com for live coverage throughout the day.