Wunstel, Friedman, Souther Join In

A few more well-known names recently hopped in the tournament.

Corrie Wunstel is a local from here in Baton Rouge, but he's a familiar face at poker tournaments nation-wide such as World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker events. Wunstel ran deep in the 2013 Main Event, finishing 65th for just over $100,000, and has since scored multiple five-figure cashes. including an outright win in August's Gulf Coast Poker Championship. There, he claimed $65,700.

Souther is another Mississippi native, hailing from Biloxi, and he has more than $700,000 in cashes dating back to 2005, making him a true veteran of the live poker circuit. Souther, who writes a popular poker blog, was the subject of a little bio written by PokerNews' own Chad Holloway earlier this year before the first MSPT here. Souther made a deep run then, finishing fourth for $10,914.

Friedman, meanwhile, is undoubtedly among those who have traveled farthest to get here, hailing from Ohio. He has north of $1.6 million in earning, including a prestigious WSOP bracelet from a Stud Hi/Lo event in 2012. Friedman has recently become a familiar face on the MSPT, having attended a few events since this summer's WSOP. His most successful run came in a third-place effort at MSPT Firekeeper's in Michigan, and when Friedman doesn't find himself at the final table, you can often hear him commentating about those who did make it.

All three players are surely among the favorites here.