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Jay Melancon leads the 87 remaining players, but there's still a long way to go.
We're a half hour away from the cards beginning to fly for Day 2 of Mid-States Poker Tour Canterbury Park, and Jay Melancon has pole position on his 86 rivals. Melancon's 266,400 is good for an ever-so-slight chip lead over Day 1a leader David Abramowicz, who bagged 259,500.
Melancon and Abramowicz will have plenty of tough competition as the players fight for a first-place prize of over $110,000. Jason Smith (176,200), Mike Schneider (148,900), Kou Vang (139,800), Adam Dahlin (116,100), Blake Bohn (111,400), Mark Sandness (98,800), Jovan Sudar (92,300), Lance Harris (78,300), and Nes Coburn (46,000) all lurk as significant threats to take home the bacon, with plenty of big-time experience among them.
We'll begin at Level 15, with the blinds at 1,500/3,000 with a 500 ante, and progress from there until we reach a final table of 10. At that point, we'll go on hiatus for an hour as players eat and recharge in preparation for the finale, which will be streamed live with hole cards right here on PokerNews. Don't go anywhere until then, because all of the live updates will be found right here.
Steve Pint opened for a raise to 9,000 and got shoved on by the button, Jason Seitz. The total wager was 32,000, and Pint softly announced a call after thinking things over.
Pint:
Seitz:
The flop came , and Pint jumped ahead with jacks. The was a blank, and the sealed Seitz's fate. The former champion, who took down an MSPT event when it was still called the Minnesota State Poker Tour, made his way to the exits.
Mike "Schneids" Schneider flopped a set in a big pot.
Four players put in 10,000 preflop, and the hit the felt. Action checked to the last man in the pot, Mike "Schneids" Schneider, who bet 22,500. Brian Zekus called out of the blinds, and Steve Pint shipped all in. Schneider pushed as well.
"You have to have a set, right?" Zekus asked as he tossed his cards into the muck, flipping the by accident or on purpose, we couldn't tell.
Schneider nodded as he revealed for middle set, miles ahead of Pint's . The turn left Pint drawing dead.
It won't be two Mid-States Poker Tour titles in his home state for Mark Sandness, at least not for awhile. Kou Vang, it seems, is his kryptonite.
According to players at the table, Sandness opened for 11,500 in early position and got shoved on by Kou Vang in the big blind. Sandness called it off.
Sandness:
Vang:
Vang's three-outer materialized immediately on the flop. Fourth and fifth streets were and , no help to Sandness.
"Sorry, man," Vang said.
Vang, who ousted Sandness from MSPT Golden Gates in March by turning a set of nines all in preflop against Sandness' overcards, now holds two wins by KO over the MSPT Running Aces champion this season.
David Abramowicz had already dusted off most of his formerly-leading stack when he opened for what looked like 20,000 in early position. One player called from the cutoff, and Jason Smith made it about 80,000 in the small blind. Abramowicz shoved for not much more, and the cutoff quickly folded before Smith called.
Smith:
Abramowicz:
Smith was dominated, but he found some chop possibility on a flop. A turned, but the river brought a sweet for Smith, leading to Abramowicz's demise. Smith now has a castle of chips in front of him.
In a pot that occurred during the last level, Brian Zekus dragged a huge three-way all in with against a player holding and another with .
More recently, he opened to 16,000 in early position and got three-bet shoved on by a player in the cutoff for 82,000. Zekus called.
Zekus:
Cutoff:
The cutoff got up after the gave Zekus a flush draw. The hit the turn, and the the river, eliminating the cutoff from contention and putting Zekus over the 500k mark.
Three players saw a flop for what appeared to be 100,000 each. Ken Pates checked, Todd Lyfoung bet 80,000, and Mike Wilmes made it 250,000 on the button. Pates announced a reraise and he pushed 500,000 into the middle. Lyfoung got out of the way, and Wilmes moved all in for 621,000 and was called.
Wilmes:
Pates:
Wilmes had a massive draw, while Pates had flopped middle set. The was a brick on the turn. The dealer placed down a river, giving Wilmes the stone nuts, and he now has a chip lead over the field.
Mike Wilmes opened for 55,000 in the cutoff, and Mike Schneider jammed for about 250,000 on the button. Jason Smith woke up with a reshove in the small blind, and Wilmes followed the big blind into the muck.
Smith:
Schneider:
Smith was in a very comfortable spot, and the flop brought Schneider nothing. A brought a backdoor prayer, but the river signaled the end for longtime CardRunners pro "Schneids."
, and Pint jumped ahead with jacks. The 
was a blank, and the 
sealed Seitz's fate. The former champion, who took down an MSPT event when it was still called the Minnesota State Poker Tour, made his way to the exits.
hit the felt. Action checked to the last man in the pot, Mike "Schneids" Schneider, who bet 22,500. Brian Zekus called out of the blinds, and Steve Pint shipped all in. Schneider pushed as well.
. The 
turn left Pint drawing dead.
flop. Fourth and fifth streets were 
and 
, no help to Sandness.
turned, but the river brought a sweet 
for Smith, leading to Abramowicz's demise. Smith now has a castle of chips in front of him.
.
gave Zekus a flush draw. The 
hit the turn, and the 
turn gave Coburn a flush draw, and the 
. Jim Lawrence made the call.
turn and 
river, and the former chip leader made his exit.
with Morency II covering.
flop for what appeared to be 100,000 each. Ken Pates checked, Todd Lyfoung bet 80,000, and Mike Wilmes made it 250,000 on the button. Pates announced a reraise and he pushed 500,000 into the middle. Lyfoung got out of the way, and Wilmes moved all in for 621,000 and was called.
was a brick on the turn. The dealer placed down a 
river, giving Wilmes the stone nuts, and he now has a chip lead over the field.
