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Mike Wilmes took home more than $100,000 in April.
For its final event of 2014, the Mid-States Poker Tour has returned to the site where it all began, Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. It's the second time the tour can come through Canterbury this year. The first time, in late April, high school math teacher Mike Wilmes had the solutions, taking home $108,984 for defeating a field of 447, which set a state record for a major tournament in Minnesota.
We'll soon see if the tour can one-up its own record, starting when cards begin flying at 4 p.m. local time for the first of two Day 1 flights. Once again, the Allen Kessler-approved structure will be in use, starting with blinds of 50/100 and stacks of 20,000. Levels will last 40 minutes each, with breaks given every three levels. Each player is allowed to reenter once should they go bust. At the end of Level 9, reentries will be cut off, and players are scheduled to bag at the end of Level 14.
There will be a big prize pool and some serious Player of the Year sweats involved, so don't go anywhere.
On a board of , Aaron Johnson bet 2,225 from the cutoff against a lone opponent on the button. The player there tossed out 4,000, not enough for a raise, and there was a pause as the player put out the necessary amount for a min-raise. Johnson then came back with 13,300, and the player quickly called.
Johnson showed for top set, and his opponent's cards hit the muck.
Tour pro Blake Bohn has already busted his first bullet. We didn't catch the action, but he had in front of him, good for aces up, but Harry Behling had better aces up with .
Ken Rosheisen bet 1,400 on a flop of , and Nick Pupillo made it 4,400 in late position. Jason Sell, who had checked from the small blind, shoved all in for 8,225, and Rosheisen let his opponents have at it. Pupillo immediately called.
Pupillo:
Sell:
Sell's two overcards and a straight draw didn't have as much equity as he may have hoped since Pupillo had a better hand and a better draw. The turn and river were both bricks, and Sell sent his stack to Pupillo.
Pupillo, an Illinois native, has racked up more than $250,000 in cashes this year and is in the hunt for Mid-States Poker Tour Player of the Year, currently sitting in seventh.
Justin Thurlow bet 2,500 on a board of , and Brian Zupancich, who had checked from under the gun, made it 6,000. Thurlow came back with 10,500, and Zupancich thought a bit before shoving all in.
"Call," Thurlow said instantly, tabling for a flopped flush. Zupancich held and needed a fourth diamond, which he didn't find on the river.
Thurlow collected Zupancich's stack, which was in the neighborhood of 15,000.
Mark Sandness opened for a raise and saw a player behind him three-bet to 1,700. Jonathan Olson made it 3,300 to go, and Sandness folded. The reraiser put Olson all in, and he called.
Olson:
Opponent:
Olson didn't have to wait long for the bad news as an ace hit the flop. Sandness banged the table in frustration as the board ran out.
"If he doesn't wake up with two kings there, you lose a lot of chips," Sandness said.
Olson, who had already fired and missed his first bullet, headed out after he failed to find a third king.
Chad Holloway shoved all in for about 8,000 from an early position, and "Minnesota" Jon Hanner isolated with a reraise to 16,000, forcing out the remaining players.
Holloway:
Hanner:
Holloway didn't improve as the board ran out eight-high, and he's reentering.
Mark Sandness opened for a raise in middle position and was called by Aaron Johnson on his left, Chad Holloway in the next spot, Bill Criego on the button, and the big blind. On the flop, Johnson bet 3,700 after two checks. Holloway pushed all in for 14,000, and Criego quickly announced all in as well. Everyone else folded.
Criego:
Holloway:
Holloway had a heap of outs against the top two, but he couldn't spike any of them as the turn was followed by a river.
Mike Schneider is known as one of the best at limit.
At Table 2, Jon Hanner is engaging Mike "Schneids" Schneider in a theoretical discussion of limit hold'em. Schneider, a noted limit expert who has been a longtime coach, was asked what the biggest hand he's ever folded in a limit game was.
"Does a tournament count?" Schneider asked.
"Limit cash," Hanner specified.
Schneider leaned back and thought.
"Two nines?" he speculated. "I know I've folded ace-queen suited a few times.
Gennady Shimelfarb said he thought he'd thrown away two jacks, causing Schneider to raise his eyebrows, saying there weren't too many spot he could think of where dumping jacks preflop would be good.
After a flop of , Mark Dunbar got what looked to be his last 60,000 or so in against Nick Pupillo. Dunbar had for an open-ender and a pair, but Pupillo had him crushed with , a better hand and a better draw. None of Dunbar's outs emerged, and Pupillo added to an already-monstrous stack.
, Aaron Johnson bet 2,225 from the cutoff against a lone opponent on the button. The player there tossed out 4,000, not enough for a raise, and there was a pause as the player put out the necessary amount for a min-raise. Johnson then came back with 13,300, and the player quickly called.
for top set, and his opponent's cards hit the muck.
in front of him, good for aces up, but Harry Behling had better aces up with 
.
, and Nick Pupillo made it 4,400 in late position. Jason Sell, who had checked from the small blind, shoved all in for 8,225, and Rosheisen let his opponents have at it. Pupillo immediately called.
turn and 
river were both bricks, and Sell sent his stack to Pupillo.
for a flopped flush. Zupancich held 
river.
flop, Johnson bet 3,700 after two checks. Holloway pushed all in for 14,000, and Criego quickly announced all in as well. Everyone else folded.
turn was followed by a 
