Today, the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan will crown a champion. What began with 411 entrants — a number considerably larger than last year's 301 — is now down to the final 65, of which 45 will split the $397,170 prize pool and walk away with a minimum payday of $1,986.
There are plenty of notable still in contention for the $101,482 first-place prize, including Day 1c and overall chip leader Nick Perkins, who will start today with 368,500. Only two other players, Frank Galilei (311,000) and John Michalak (308,000) will start Day 2 with over 300K in chips, and amazing they amasses those stacks on Day 1c as well. As for the other starting flight leaders, Day 1b's Carter Myers will begin with 273,000 while Day 1a's Scott Hammett has 212,500.
Others returning to action today include MSPT regular "Wild Bill" Romer; grinder Taylor Tollefson (210,500); MSPT Majestic Star champ Ken Baime (179,000); Wisconsin's Ken Payne (96,500); MSPT Running Aces third-place finisher Tyler Caspers (83,500); and Adam Lamphere (45,500), who has finished runner-up here at FireKeepers the first two times the MSPT rolled into town, though he faces an uphill battle as he begins the day as the fifth-shortest stack.
Play kicks off at 10 a.m. local time, which is less than an hour from now. The plan is to play all day long, and eventually the final table of ten will be set. At that point there will be a 45-minute dinner break and then the final table will be live streamed (we'll still be providing live updates). The MSPT's Byran Mileski and WSOP and HPT champ Adam Friedman will be providing commentary on the live stream.
The cards will be in the air shortly, so stay tuned!
For more on the MSPT stop at FireKeepers, visit MSPTpoker.com.
In the first, Gary Farhat opened for 15,000 from the button and Baime three-bet all in for 82,000 from the small blind. The big folded and Farhat called off for 57,000.
Farhat:
Baime:
The flop saw Farhat stand in preparation to take his leave, but then the dealer burned and turned the to give him the lead. the river was of no consequence, and Baime was crippled on the hand.
In the next hand, action folded to Baime on the button and he moved all in. John Michalak called from the small blind, Marko Doljevic came along from the big, and then both active players checked it down as the board ran out . Michalak tabled the , which bested the of Baime. However, it'd be Doljevic who would win the pot as his was best.
Baime will take home $2,184 for his 32nd-place finish.
Action folded around to Scott Hammett, who finished as the Day 1a chip leader, and he moved all in from the hijack for his last 82,000. Carter Myers, who was the Day 1b chip leader, called him from the button, and after the blind folded, the cards were turned up.
Myers:
Hammett:
It was a bad spot for Hammett, and even though the flop paired his three, he needed either another or an ace to stay alive. The turn wasn't what he was looking for, but the river was.
"Ohhh," Hammett let slip. Myers simply counted out the chips and sent them over to his opponent without so much as a word.
There will be no final table for Adam Lamphere. The runner-up the past two times the MSPT came to town, Lamphere began today the fifth-shortest stack. He got lucky to double when his Big Slick cracked aces, and he used those chips to make his way deep into the money. Alas, his run just came to an end courtesy of JC Chen.
It happened when Lamphere shoved all in preflop holding the and Chen called him with . The flop paired Chen's eight, but it also contained two diamonds to give Lamphere a flush draw. A on the turn improved Chen to trips, while an on the river gave him a full house. Lamphere missed his flush and had to settle for 17th place. Still, that's three times the MSPT has come to FireKeepers and three times Lamphere has shown he's one of the best.
Action folded to Tyler Caspers, who if you recall finished third in the MSPT Season 5 opener at Running Aces in Minnesota, and he moved all in for roughly 100,000 on the button. Mark Johnson called him from the small blind, and Dash Dudley folded from the big.
Caspers:
Johnson:
Both players held a weak aces, and that meant there was a decent chance of a chop. Unfortunately for Caspers, that didn't turn out to be the case as the board ran out low and clean, allowing Johnson's kicker to play. Caspers will take home $3,972 for his 15th-place finish.
Two stops ago, Wisconsin's Ken Payne finished fifth at the MSPT Meskwaki, and now he has notched a 12th-place finish here at FireKeepers.
In what would be his last hand, action folded to Payne in the small blind and he raised to 60,000. JC Chen was in the big and decided to push back with a three-bet to 170,000, and that inspired Payne to quickly announce that he was all in for right around 500K. Chen snap-called.
Chen:
Payne:
Payne was feeling the pain as his kicker had him in big trouble. The flop was as dry as could be, and the turn actually paired Chen and left Payne drawing to a chop for his tournament life. He needed a jack on the river to do it, but it wasn't in the cards as the blanked.
Jason Zarlenga opened for 55,000 under the gun and Marko Doljevic called from middle position. The rest of the field folded and it was heads-up action to the flop. Zarlenga continued for 65,000, Doljevic raised to 150,000, and Zarlenga three-bet all in. Doljevic thought for a bit before calling of for around 500,000 and discovered the bad news.
Doljevic:
Zarlenga:
Both players held overpairs to the board, but of course Zarlenga's was best. Neither the turn nor river influenced the hand, and Doljevic was eliminated in tenth place.
Action folded around to Dash Dudley on the button and he moved all in for 335,000. The small blind folded, but then John Michalak called him from the big.
Dudley:
Michalak:
Dudley's supporters on the rail began calling for a king, but they didn't get on on the flop. Dudley quietly asked for a diamond for a sweat, but instead the dealer burned and turned the to leave him drawing dead.
The meaningless was put out on the river for good measure, and then Dudley bowed out in ninth place for $7,943.
Mike Deis kicked off the action with a raise to 65,000, which JC Chen called. When action reached Scott Hammett in the small blind, he opted to three-bet to 200,000, leaving himself 300,000 behind. Deis folded, and then Chen announced that he was all in. Hammett didn't seem thrilled, but ended up calling off after thinking about it for a few moments.
Hammett:
Chen:
Hammett was pleasantly surprised to be ahead, and he was looking good through the flop. The turn made things interesting as Chen picked up a flush draw, but it would be the on the river that would do Hammett in.
Chen's kings sent the Day 1a chip leader to the rail in eighth place, good for $11,518.
flop saw Farhat stand in preparation to take his leave, but then the dealer burned and turned the 
to give him the lead. the 
river was of no consequence, and Baime was crippled on the hand.
. Michalak tabled the 
, which bested the 
of Baime. However, it'd be Doljevic who would win the pot as his 
was best.
turn wasn't what he was looking for, but the 
. Armster will take home $2,462 for his efforts.
and Chen called him with 
. The flop paired Chen's eight, but it also contained two diamonds to give Lamphere a flush draw. A 
turn nor 
flop. Dudley quietly asked for a diamond for a sweat, but instead the dealer burned and turned the 
to leave him drawing dead.
flop. The