Main Event
Day 1b Started
2014 Mid-States Poker Tour FireKeepers Casino
Main Event
Day: 1b
Event Info
Final Results
Event Info
Level Info
2014 Mid-States Poker Tour FireKeepers Casino
Buy-in
$1,000
Prize Pool
$397,170
Entries
411
Level
28
Blinds
30,000 / 60,000
Ante
1,000
Welcome to Day 1b of Mid-States Poker Tour FireKeepers Casino
Today, Season 5 of the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) will continue with Day 1b action from FireKeepers Casino in Battle Creek, Michigan. Yesterday 106 entrants took to the felt, which was the biggest opening flight at FireKeepers to date. That bodes well for the rest of the weekend, and we're expecting even more players for Day 1b.
One player who will be in action is Adam Friedman. If that name is not familiar to you, it should be. At the 2005 World Series of Poker, Friedman became infamous for his reaction to a particularly brutal beat. Fortunately for him, that wasn't the end to his poker legacy as he went on to defeat Todd Brunson in the 2012 WSOP $5,000 Seven Card Stud 8/b event to win a gold bracelet. As if that wasn't enough he also added an Heartland Poker Tour title to his résumé in November of last year.
Friedman is here at FireKeepers Casino to play his first MSPT event, and after resting up on Day 1a, he'll be in action today. Likewise, rumor has it that current MSPT Player of the Year leader, Kou Vang, will be making the trip today. Vang made three consecutive finals tables earlier in the season, so his presence will no doubt be cause for concern amongst the other players.
Some players who fired bullets on Day 1a and have the option to reenter are MSPT Downstream champ TJ Ryan; MSPT Running Aces third-place finisher Tyler Caspers; WSOP bracelet winner Nick Jivkov; and MSPT regulars Bruce "The Hammer" Swart and Dusty Feller. We expect to see most — if not all — of those players give it another go.
Cards will be in the air at Noon local time. The plan for the day is to play 14 40-minute levels, meaning action will wrap up around 10 p.m. tonight. Players are allowed one reentry up through the end of Level 9, and of course they'll have another chance to get in on the action (as will any newcomers) during Saturday's Day 1c.
For more on the MSPT stop at FireKeepers, visit MSPTpoker.com.
Level: 1
Blinds: 50/100
Ante: 0
MyStack App Available for MSPT FireKeepers
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
The PokerNews MyStack App is available for players here in the Mid-States Poker Tour Season 5 FireKeepers, allowing players to directly update their chip count on the PokerNews Live Reporting page for their friends and family to see.
You can download the app for iPhone or Android now to get started. Then, create a new PokerNews account or update your current one to start updating your status immediately. Your followers can see all the live action that you're involved in.
Be forewarned, however, any abuse of the app will result in account suspension or termination.
There's a "Dusty Feller" in the Room
![[user269680]](/img/avatars/avatar.svg){kind=avatar}
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
After final tabling this event last year, Dusty Feller is in the room today, looking for another deep run. Born Herman Feller, he legally changed his name years ago. As he told this reporter, "I used to work in Texas recreating gunfights and when I would stand up after being knocked down, they said that I looked like one "dusty feller."
The nickname stuck and he's officially Dusty Feller and officially shooting for another final table.
Some Faces in the Field
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | 20,000 |
|
20,000 | |
|
20,000 | 20,000 |
Bringing the Payne
Level 1
: 50/100, 0 ante
Ken Payne is a relatively new faces on the MSPT, but he's become a regular here in Season 5. Payne, a native of Baraboo, Wisconsin, has traveled to almost every MSPT this season, and he recently had success at the 2014 Mid-States Poker Tour Meskwaki Casino stop where he placed fifth for $18,787.
Payne is in action here on Day 1b, and he's off to a good start. In a recent hand, five players each paid 500 to see a flop of 
. The under-the-gun player was first to act and led out for 1,500, which Ken Payne called from middle position. The other three players folded, and it was heads-up action to the 
turn. The under-the-gun player checked and then called when Payne bet 1,500.
When the 
completed the board on the river, it went check-check and the under-the-gun player showed the 
for a missed flush that turned into a pair of nines. Payne then rolled over the 
for a missed flush and pair of tens.
"You didn't want that spade to hit," Payne joked.
"No, I didn't," his opponent admitted. "I got away with that."
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
25,000 | 5,000 |
Level: 2
Blinds: 75/150
Ante: 0
Argiero Takes a Big Pot Late in Level One
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
After a raise, Michael Argiero three-bet to 1,700 preflop and after a call from the button, they were heads up. The flop was 
and Argiero bet 1,500, the button raised to 4,000. Argiero came over the top for all of his chips. The button thought for a moment before calling approximately 18,000 total. The board ran out 
, the button player was eliminated, and Argiero is over 40,000.
| Player | Chips | Progress |
|---|---|---|
|
|
40,000 | 40,000 |
Midena Walks Away with the Inaugural MSPT FireKeepers Title
Level 2
: 75/150, 0 ante
From March 8-10, 2013, the MSPT visited FireKeepers for the first time and attracted 272 entrants and created a prize pool of $272,000, making it the largest first-time event in the history of the tour. After three days of intense play, popular local pro Thomas Medina, who qualified for the tournament through a $250 qualifier, walked away with the $73,456 first-place prize and the coveted RF Moeller diamond championship bracelet.
Midena, who primarily played cash games, did so by defeating another local grinder, Adam Lamphere, in a heads-up match that lasted more than an hour. Lamphere, who would be back at the final table later in the year, earned $39,351 for his runner-up finish.
"This [event] was so much fun." said then-MSPT Ambassador Chris "Fox" Wallace. "To come back to Michigan and host an event here that was such a huge success is fantastic. The staff was great here, from the beverage servers all the way up to the top, we had everything we needed, and we were able to make sure the players all left wanting more. We're really looking forward to coming back in August."
Here’s a look at the first-ever MSPT FireKeepers final table:
Final Table Results
| Place | Player | Hometown | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Midena | Brooklyn, MI | $73,456 |
| 2 | Adam Lamphere | Lansing, MI | $39,351 |
| 3 | Tim "Homer" Ebenhoeh | Chesaning, MI | $24,922 |
| 4 | Patrick Steele | Chelsea, MI | $18,364 |
| 5 | Benjamin Krill | Parts Unknown | $15,740 |
| 6 | Trevor Kirkland | Jackson, MI | $11,805 |
| 7 | Tom Hujda | New Lenox, IL | $9,969 |
| 8 | Sai Muduluru | Lansing, MI | $8,920 |
| 9 | Adam Bacon | Bryan, OH | $7,346 |