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Day 1b Completed
2019 Heartland Poker Tour East Chicago
Main Event
Day: 1b
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Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Day 1b of Heartland Poker Tour Ameristar East Chicago $1,650 Main Event wrapped up after 12 hours of play on Friday with another 20 players punching tickets to Monday's Day 2, joining the 16 who advanced from the first starting flight.
Nadya Magnus had a stellar day at the felt, surpassing Day 1a leader Craig Casino by bagging 497,000 to lead the remaining field. Magnus, who gained some measure of poker fame with an appearance on televised cash game "The Big Game," actually peaked even higher than that with north of 500,000 after she crushed an opponent's jacks with pocket kings during the final level of the night.
With over $500K in cashes including numerous scores in $5k+ events, Magnus brings a good deal of experience to the felt and now has a commanding chip stack heading into Day 2, which could prove a tough combination for her opponents to handle.
Mark Morris also threatened Casino's mark before ultimately falling just 1,000 short with 463,000. Jim Kasputis, David To, Chris Moon and Prince Gaspard also advanced, although the latter has the shortest stack with 40,000 so he has plenty of work to do if he doesn't opt to try to bag bigger on a subsequent flight.
Another player making it through was defending HPT Player of the Year Aaron Johnson. He had a slow start but quietly accumulated chips in the middle stages to get around 250,000 before sliding a bit late and finishing with 130,000.
The Minnesota pro did work on the tour in 2018, with four cashes, including one win for $86,189 and a sixth-place finish in the season-ending championship for $37,043.
The 127 entries on the day slightly edged past the 116 of Day 1a to push the total to 243. Shawn Roberts, Michael Hudson, Mike Shin and Ryan Olisar were some of the notables to show up but brick out.
They'll have another chance on Saturday's Day 1c, set for a noon start. Come back to PokerNews to see what develops on the third starting day of the HPT Main Event.
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Four players saw a flop of 
for 11,000 apiece and preflop raiser Mark Morris bet 30,000 in the cutoff after the blinds checked. Jim Kasputis called on the button and they saw a 
turn. Morris checked and Kasputis ripped in for about 85,000.
"I flopped the second nut, but I'm not gonna call," Morris said, flicking in 
after a brief think.
Kasputis knuckled the table and collected the pot.
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Prince Gaspard raised on the button and quickly called a shove from Brian Thomas in the small blind, who had 83,000.
Prince Gaspard: 
Brian Thomas: 
Thomas stood up as 
flopped to give Gaspard a leading pair but the 
turn pulled Thomas into the lead. The river was a 
and Gaspard was left shaking his head and shipping a double.
Every table will deal six more hands before bagging.
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Nadya Magnus was already sitting with one of the biggest stacks but it just got a whole lot heftier when she got 
in preflop from the big blind against an early player with 
. The board ran out 
and Magnus collected 155,000 or so from her busted opponent.
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
On a flop of 
, Prince Gaspard bet 20,000 and was facing an all-in shove of 54,000 from Henry Zou.
"I'm gonna make a read on this guy," Gaspard declared. "He has king-jack with the king of hearts."
Gaspard called and Zou said he didn't have a heart, then showed . Gaspard had only so the pair was in great shape. The 
turn and 
river changed nothing and Zou scooped in a double.
Level 15
: 2,000/4,000, 4,000 ante
Brek Schutten shoved for 31,000 in the hijack and Chris Moon reraised in the small blind to drive out the big.
Chris Moon:
Brek Schutten: 
"Live," Schutten said hopefully.
"Very live," Moon responded.
"Mark, do you have a buy-in for tomorrow?" Schutten said.
"Wow, just give it to him," Moon said. "Everyone's figured out this trick of asking for tomorrow's buy-in."
However, the 
board favored Moon's Big Slick and Schutten hit the rail.
"See you tomorrow," he jested at Moon.
Level: 15
Blinds: 2,000/4,000
Ante: 4,000
Level 14
: 1,500/3,000, 3,000 ante
A player under the gun jammed for 27,000 and action folded to David McGowan in the hijack. After getting a count, he called. Gary Herstein thought about it on the button but folded and the blinds followed suit.
"I didn't like that call," Herstein declared.
"Nor should you," McGowan acknowledged, tabling .
His opponent had and found no salvation on the 
board.
