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Canadian Jason Sagle leading North American Poker Championship

Canadian Jason Sagle is the chip-leader at the first North American Poker Championship (NAPC) held outside the United States.

The World Poker Tour moved the annual NAPC this year to Niagara Falls, Canada this year to try and expand their international market. The move also gave Canadians Daniel Negreanu, Gavin Smith and Isabelle Mercier a chance to play in front of a home crowd.

Sagle took the overall tournament lead late on Day 1B with $180,000 in chips. He has $9,000 more chips than Day 1A chip boss John Juanda.

Sagle, who has never won a major event, has some tournament success on his resume. He finished fifth this year in the 2006 World Series of Poker $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em event and has four "in the money" finishes at the last three WSOP tournaments.

Sagle's fellow Canadians are not faring quite as well at the Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort. Negreanu, who was vocal about his desire to win this prestigious tournament in his native land, was one of the first players out. Gavin Smith and Isabelle Mercier survived Day One, but are severely short-stacked.

With 201 players remaining, it's still anyone's tournament. But the favorite heading into the weekend has to be Juanda.

The three-time WSOP bracelet winner is one of the best WPT player to never win a Main Event. Juanda has made seven WPT final tables and has finished as high as second. He does have a Professional Poker Tour victory.

Other notables in contention are: WPT Champions Steve-Paul Ambrose, Alan Goehring, Barry Greenstein, Annand "Victor" Ramdin, Mark Newhouse and Nam Le, WSOP Main Event Champion Dan Harrington, multiple WSOP bracelet winner Allen Cunningham and two-time PPT runner-up Chris Bigler.

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