Erica Sumner leads by nearly 50,000 heading to Day 2.
Erica Sumner collected 232,600 over the course of nine levels of play to lead the 18 survivors of Day 1b here at Mid-State Poker Tour Belle of Baton Rouge. Sumner may be the first woman in MSPT history to hold the chip lead heading into the final day of play, a tour official said.
Michael Benton (145,300), Kou Vang (117,200), David Holmes (89,700), and Jeff Grimes (85,800) also bagged top-five stacks, while notable players Allen Kessler (82,100) and Gene Dudek (81,900) followed closely behind.
Players falling out of contention included Matt Alexander, Kenny Milam, Nick Jivkov, and "Wild" Bill Romer. Alexander's elimination had to be particularly painful, as the sponsored pro looked poised to break a recent run of bad fortune (failing to bag a stack in three straight Day 1s) until he ran into the of Sumner just before the end of the night.
The 18 survivors from each flight will meet tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. local time, at which point we will watch them play down to a winner. You can follow all of the action right here on PokerNews, so don't forget to wake up early.
Matt Alexander opened for 4,000 in early position, and Erica Sumner made it 12,000 from his immediate left. Action folded to the button, who shoved for 14,400. Alexander shipped it as well after the blinds folded, and Sumner immediately called.
Sumner:
Button:
Alexander:
"She's gonna be massive chip leader," a player at the table said, and indeed the board came , giving Sumner an unnecessary straight.
With the community reading , a player bet 2,000 into Matt Alexander, who raised to 4,500. A few more raises later, the two were all in for Alexander's 19,800.
Alexander:
Opponent:
Alexander's recent run of poor luck seemed to be continuing, as his trip tens were no good. He managed to spike the on the river for a flush though, and he doubled up while leaving his opponent crippled.
After a flop of , Larry Green fired 3,700 from middle position. Kenny Milam shoved 13,500 on the button, and Green made the call.
Milam:
Green:
Milam wasted no time pulling ahead with the turn, but he was far from out of the woods since that gave Green a flush draw. A river was a brick, and Milam doubled up.
With a community of , Darius Brown bet and got raised by a player on the button. Brown shoved all in for 12,125, and his opponent made the call.
Brown:
Button:
Brown got up to leave, but the dealer burned and turned the , giving him a winning two pair.
"Back from the dead," another player at the table said, and indeed Brown is now above the starting stack after being down to 3,000 following a rough beat in an earlier pot.
According to Gene Dudek, he just coolered Nick Jivkov when they got all in with sets of kings and deuces, respectively. Dudek had his opponent covered, and he collected Jivkov's stack.
We found a huge pot brewing between three players in a recent hand.
After two checks, the hijack bet 3,500 on a board of . Michael Benton called in the big blind, and Isidro Sifuentes made it 13,000. The hijack jammed for 14,725, and Benton shoved over that for more than 30,000. Sifuentes called off his stack with no hesitation.
"You have the nuts?" Benton asked him. He didn't, but he did have the lead.
Sifuentes:
Benton:
Hijack:
The player in the hijack was drawing dead, but Benton could still win the pot if the board paired. The river brought the , and Benton celebrated while the dealer counted out stacks. Sifuentes was covered, so Benton took both players' stacks.
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.
Players react to the late stages of LSU versus Kentucky.
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.
, giving Sumner an unnecessary straight.
, a player bet 2,000 into Matt Alexander, who raised to 4,500. A few more raises later, the two were all in for Alexander's 19,800.
on the river for a flush though, and he doubled up while leaving his opponent crippled.
, Larry Green fired 3,700 from middle position. Kenny Milam shoved 13,500 on the button, and Green made the call.
river was a brick, and Milam doubled up.
, Darius Brown bet and got raised by a player on the button. Brown shoved all in for 12,125, and his opponent made the call.
. Michael Benton called in the big blind, and Isidro Sifuentes made it 13,000. The hijack jammed for 14,725, and Benton shoved over that for more than 30,000. Sifuentes called off his stack with no hesitation.
, and Benton celebrated while the dealer counted out stacks. Sifuentes was covered, so Benton took both players' stacks.
