Ben Mintz called it off with 77 but couldn't catch up to KK.
Frank Bravata bet 12,000 on the turn with the board reading , and Austin Bursavich pushed all in. Bravata called immediately.
Bravata:
Bursavich:
Unfortunately for Bravata, he was in awful shape against Bursavich's flopped trips, and the river wasn't the card he needed to catch up. He was forced to send another 7,350 to his opponent.
The very next hand, Bursavich opened for 800, and Ben Mintz three-bet to 2,225 from his immediate left. Action folded back to Bursavich, and he tossed out two gray T5,000 chips. Mintz moved all in for about that amount, and Bursavich immediately turned over . Mintz showed , and he found no help on the flop, turn, or river. He wished the remaining players good luck before exiting the tournament area.
If you’ve played poker in Louisiana, you’ve likely crossed paths with Ben Mintz. The man with the raspy voice, over-the-top amiability, and drink in his hand is a unique and memorable character. Everyone seems to love Mintz, and if you buy into one rumor, that includes actor Channing Tatum.
As the story goes, Tatum was recently in New Orleans filming 22 Jump Street and decided to spend some of his downtime at a local casino playing $1-$2 NLHE. Mintz was in the game, and of course he couldn’t resist talking to one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. The two hit it off, and Tatum confided that he wanted to learn a little more about this game called poker. Mintz offered to teach him, and just like that he landed Tatum’s number.
"I told him I would give him free poker lessons if he could teach me how to pick up girls better," Mintz told PokerNews.
Whether or not that story is true is hard to know, but when Mintz tells it you can’t help but believe him.
Aside from a winning personality, Mintz is also quite the accomplished poker player. He has $232,179 in live tournament earnings, which included a 75th-place finish in the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event for $90,343, his largest career score. His other notable cashes include third in the 2011 World Poker Tour Jacksonville Summer Series $1,500 Main Event for $52,904; first in the 2012 WSOP Circuit Biloxi $1,125 NLHE event for $30,000; and eighth in last year’s WSOP Circuit New Orleans $1,675 Main Event for $27,192.
For more on Tatum, we recommend you check out this funny clip he did on the set of 22 Jump Street:
Mintz has made the 70-minute drive to Baton Rouge to play his first-ever MSPT, so rest assured we’ll be keeping in eye on him here today.
A player in middle position opened for 175, and Nicholas Graphia reraised to 625 from the raiser's left. Everyone folded back to the first raiser, who called.
The flop came , and Graphia bet 600 after his opponent checked. The player made the call, and the two checked the turn. On the river, the first player bet 600, and Graphia raised to 1,700, only to see his opponent come back with 6,000. Graphia four-bet to 12,000, and his opponent made the call.
Graphia flipped for flopped quads, while opponent showed for kings full.
“Wow, how do you not go broke there?” Allen Kessler asked.
After a flop of , an under-the-gun Matt Alexander had a wager of 2,000 in front of him. Frank Bravata, in the big blind, raised to 5,000, and Alexander thought for a bit before calling. The turn paired the board, and Bravata bet 5,000 more.
"That's a pretty bad card," Alexander said before tossing face up into the middle.
Alexander, who was unable to get anything going at last week's season-opening Mid-States Poker Tour Running Aces Harness Park event, appears to be off to another rough start here at the second tour stop.
Day 1a of the Mid-States Poker Tour Belle of Baton Rouge is set to kickoff here at 5 p.m. local time, as the last satellite before the start of the tournament just wrapped up.
MSPT Belle of Baton Rouge, the second stop on Season 5 of the MSPT, will be the first MSPT event held here. The riverboat casino sits on calm waters, soaking in the sun on a beautiful southern day. We'll see how the turnout is, but we do know one player who will be here: Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler just registered for the tournament.
Players will complete nine levels of play, and blinds will start out at 25/50 before eventually progressing to 800/1,600/200. The starting stack will be 15,000, though a 5,000 add-on is available for $10 and will likely be universally used. Each level will last 50 minutes, and players will receive breaks after every two levels. Players are allowed one reentry per Day 1 flight in the first four levels, so be advised that players busting early on may still be playing.
Be sure to tune in throughout the day as we bring you all of the live updates here on PokerNews.
, and Austin Bursavich pushed all in. Bravata called immediately.
river wasn't the card he needed to catch up. He was forced to send another 7,350 to his opponent.
, and Graphia bet 600 after his opponent checked. The player made the call, and the two checked the 
for flopped quads, while opponent showed 
, an under-the-gun Matt Alexander had a wager of 2,000 in front of him. Frank Bravata, in the big blind, raised to 5,000, and Alexander thought for a bit before calling. The 
turn paired the board, and Bravata bet 5,000 more.
