After a player bet 450 with the board reading 
, Jeff Grimes called, as did a third player. The river was a 
, and Grimes came out betting with 1,500. The first player called, and the second one folded.
Grimes showed 
for top pair, and his opponent tossed his cards into the muck, saying Grimes had him outkicked.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
27,300
800
|
800 |
Jonathan Pansano got all in for 12,075 on a 
flop against Darius Brown.
Pansano: 
Brown: 
Pansano was in rough shape, and the dealer burned and turned the 
, leaving him in need of a river king or a nine to to take the pot. The arrived to save him on the river, and Brown got up and walked off before being called back to the table to play his last few thousand in chips.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
36,000
-2,150
|
-2,150 |
|
|
3,000 |
With the board reading 
, Kou Vang bet 2,275 from the cutoff after a player under the gun checked. Vang's opponent raised to 6,000, and Vang put him all in for another 6,000. The player made what appeared to be a resigned call, and Vang showed him 
for a flush. The player under the gun mucked his hand, but the dealer was forced to turn over 
per tournament rules, and the meaningless 
completed the board.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
35,000
15,000
|
15,000 |
Danielle Andersen, also known as "dmoongirl," recently signed a deal with Ultimate Poker and is the latest guest on the Strategy with Kristy podcast where she talks about her new sponsorship, moving to Las Vegas with her family, and discusses the keys to longevity and balance in poker.
Here is a snippet from the interview:
"The first thing that comes to mind when I think about having longevity in poker is mental health. Take care of tilt and frustration. You have to understand variance. I guess the key word to all that is balance. I just think that it's completely inevitable that, if you are a professional poker player and you don't have balance, you're going to be miserable. You're going to live a miserable existence. It will affect your game and your life. It's hard because, in other professions, you might be kind of forced to have more balance. You go to work from nine to five and then you have your social functions. As poker players, if we want to, we can sit in front of our computer for 18 hours a day, not talk to anybody, and be in our underwear. Nobody would know the difference. So I think people can get sucked into just making as much money as they possibly can, but ultimately the goal in life is to be happy. I just think balance is the foundation of that."
By Jon Zaun
With PokerNews proudly delivering coverage throughout Season 5 of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT), we thought new readers following the coverage could use a quick primer on the live blog's set-up and structure.
The red tabs on the screen allow you to navigate between PokerNews' live blogging coverage - which includes hand recaps, player interviews, chip count updates, photos and all the rest - and the site's other extremely useful features.
If you prefer to simply scan the chip counts to see how your favorite players are faring, clicking the red tab titled "Chip Counts" will take you to a list screen with updated chip counts for the players we have information for. Those using the MyStack app from the table can always add their counts to this page through their smartphones, so if you don't see who you're searching for in the counts, have them download MyStack and update their progress as the day continues.
The “Player Updates" tab is next, and this tool allows you to see how notable players and top pros have been faring lately, with arrows showing if they have been climbing or falling in the counts.
Finally, if you just want to soak in the scene from the various MSPT stops, click on the "Photo Gallery" tab to take a look at a gallery of photos taken throughout the day.
Combining the "Live Reporting" coverage PokerNews strives to provide with these three tabs is the best way to enjoy our continued coverage of the MSPT, because you can follow along in the way you prefer. If you like the stories emerging from the event, stick with the "Live Reporting" tab to read all about the goings on here from the floor. If chip count tracking is what you prefer, the "Chip Counts" tab is the perfect way to track the tournament. When you're only interested in a particular player's progress, the "Player Updates" tab will keep you're coverage centralized. And if you just like seeing your favorite players do their thing, the "Photo Gallery" tab takes you on a visual tour of the tournament as it happens.
As seems to be his custom, Kou Vang just late registered the tourney. He took a seat at Table 5.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
20,000
20,000
|
20,000 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 50/100
Ante:
Two players checked to Seville Hale in middle position after the first four cards came 
. Hale bet 1,100, and the player in the big blind raised to 2,200. Hale fired back with 4,800.
"I reraise," his opponent said with a southern drawl. He tossed out 6,500 more. Hale immediately moved all in for about 15,000 total, and his opponent tanked for a couple of minutes before folding.
"Nice hand," the player said, claiming he laid down threes full.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
27,500 |
The tournament may be underway, but it hasn't been the primary focus of some of the players in the room.
We found two players at Table 5 sweating out the closing moments of a men's college basketball game between LSU and Kentucky on their mobile devices. At other tables, players craning their necks to see the game shown on TVs on the flanks of the tournament tables was a common sight. College sports support in the South dwarfs the passion of most fans nation-wide, and Baton Rouge is the heart of LSU country.
Tiger fans had their hearts broken moments ago though, as Kentucky wrapped up a narrow 77-76 home victory in overtime. At least the players can turn their attention back to matters at hand.
