2014 Mid-States Poker Tour Golden Gates Casino

Main Event
Day: 1a
Event Info

2014 Mid-States Poker Tour Golden Gates Casino

Final Results
Winner
Winning Hand
88
Prize
$114,156
Event Info
Buy-in
$1,000
Entries
453
Level Info
Level
27
Blinds
40,000 / 80,000
Ante
10,000

Main Event

Day 1a Completed

Gioia Leads 38 Day 1a Survivors, Sandness in Second (full)

Level 10 : 1,000/2,000, 200 ante
Gene Gioia bagged the most chips on Day 1a.
Gene Gioia bagged the most chips on Day 1a.

Gene Gioia bagged the top stack with 302,100 here at Mid-States Poker Tour Golden Gates Day 1a. Mark Sandness, winner of MSPT Running Aces earlier this year, trails in a distant second with 234,800. John Taitt (193,800), David Gutfreund (192,100), and Charles Anderson (161,900), also bagged top five stacks.

A total of 137 entrants were recorded today, and some notable players survived the grind: Phil Mader (86,000), Ryan Tepen (61,200), and Bryan Devonshire (38,100). Though Devonshire bagged one of the shorter stacks, he still looms as one of the more dangerous players in the tournament, as his resume includes more than $2 million in live cashes.

Gioia gained most of his stack on one of the last hands of the night. With the first four cards coming {6-Spades}{4-Diamonds}{9-Spades}{7-Clubs}, Gioia bet 25,000 and got called. On the river, he put all of his red T5,000 chips in the center: 85,000. His opponent immediately called, and Gioia tabled {a-Spades}{a-Diamonds}. The button raised his cards high into the air and slammed {q-Spades}{q-Clubs} onto the felt. Nobody else had time to catch Gioia after that, as just one more hand was played at his table.

Day 1b will commence tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time, and PokerNews will be on the scene to bring all of the live updates, so come back and see us then.

Player Chips Progress
Gene Gioia us
Gene Gioia
302,100 302,100
Mark Sandness us
Mark Sandness
234,800 19,800
John Taitt us
John Taitt
193,800 193,800
David Gutfreund us
David Gutfreund
192,100 11,600
Charles Anderson us
Charles Anderson
161,900 161,900
Michael Del Toro
Michael Del Toro
154,100 4,100
Eric Loehr
Eric Loehr
118,300 118,300
Adam Wilber
Adam Wilber
114,600 114,600
Martin Tingelhoff
Martin Tingelhoff
113,000 113,000
Daniel Colpoys us
Daniel Colpoys
109,500 109,500
Darren Hicks
Darren Hicks
102,200 102,200
Herbert Burkhalter JR
Herbert Burkhalter JR
101,800 101,800
Stephen Le Peau us
Stephen Le Peau
92,400 92,400
Daniel Dreyfuss
Daniel Dreyfuss
89,900 89,900
Bradly Zotti
Bradly Zotti
88,400 88,400
Phil Mader us
Phil Mader
86,000 -49,000
Kenneth Lechel
Kenneth Lechel
79,500
Craig Varnell us
Craig Varnell
WSOP 1X Winner
WPT 1X Winner
76,800 76,800
Suetlana Martie
Suetlana Martie
73,400 73,400
Aaron Gardner
Aaron Gardner
71,400 71,400
Michael Kelley
Michael Kelley
64,700 64,700
Daniel Weiss
Daniel Weiss
63,000 63,000
James Hansen
James Hansen
62,800 62,800
Ryan Tepen us
Ryan Tepen
61,200 -24,500
Lawrence Brookes us
Lawrence Brookes
60,500 60,500

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Tags: Bryan DevonshireDavid GutfreundGene GioiaMark SandnessPhil MaderRyan Tepen

Gioia Fires Away With Bullets

Level 10 : 1,000/2,000, 200 ante
Gene Gioia got big value with AA.
Gene Gioia got big value with AA.

We found a large heads-up pot brewing between Gene Gioia, in early position, and an opponent on the button. With the first four cards coming {6-Spades}{4-Diamonds}{9-Spades}{7-Clubs}, Gioia bet 25,000 and got called. On the river, he put all of his red chips in the center: 85,000. His opponent immediately called, and Gioia tabled {a-Spades}{a-Diamonds}. The button raised his cards high into the air and slammed {q-Spades}{q-Clubs} onto the felt.

The players just counted down their stacks under the staff's supervision, and we'll have all of the counts up shortly.

Tags: Gene Gioia

Gutfreund Calls a Shove

Level 10 : 1,000/2,000, 200 ante

We found David Gutfriend contemplating an all-in wager of 48,800 from a player on the button after a {10-Diamonds}{10-Spades}{3-Spades} flop. Gutfreund, who was in the big blind, grabbed the stack he had counted out and placed in confidently in the middle.

Gutfreund: {j-Diamonds}{j-Spades}
Button: {4-Diamonds}{4-Spades}

Gutfreund was way in front, and the {6-Clubs} and {3-Diamonds} that completed the board were bricks.

Player Chips Progress
David Gutfreund us
David Gutfreund
180,500

Tags: David Gutfreund

"Tightest Player Ever" Calls and Wins

Level 10 : 1,000/2,000, 200 ante

After a short stack shoved all in for 32,300 from middle position, Brad Zotti thought for a bit on the button before sliding forward calling chips. Everyone else folded.

Zotti: {q-Clubs}{q-Diamonds}
Middle position: {a-Hearts}{3-Hearts}

"What took you so long?!" his neighbor exclaimed.

The {6-Diamonds}{5-Diamonds}{j-Hearts}{3-Diamonds}{4-Diamonds} board gave Zotti a winning flush, and his neighbor continued to needle him.

"Are you going to write that he's the tightest player ever?' she joked.

Player Chips Progress
Brad Zotti
Brad Zotti
90,000

Tags: Brad Zotti

Hansen Wins a Race

Level 10 : 1,000/2,000, 200 ante

After the cutoff opened for a raise, Jim Hansen jammed from the big blind for about 25,000 and was quickly called.

Hansen: {k-Spades}{q-Spades}
Cutoff: {9-Clubs}{9-Hearts}

Hansen got out of his seat, but the board ran out {q-Hearts}{2-Diamonds}{8-Diamonds}{3-Hearts}{6-Hearts}, giving him a pair of queens and the pot.

Player Chips Progress
Jim Hansen
Jim Hansen
60,600

Tags: Jim Hansen

Level: 10

Blinds: 1,000/2,000

Ante: 200

"Desperate" Brookes Spikes the River

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 200 ante

A player opened for 4,800 under the gun, and Larry Brookes shipped it for 25,600 from early position. One player folded, and a middle-position player reraised to about 50,000. Everyone behind him folded.

Brookes: {a-Spades}{10-Clubs}
Middle position: {k-Hearts}{k-Diamonds}

Brookes was behind the red kings of his opponent, but a {10-Spades}{9-Clubs}{8-Spades} flop opened up some hope with a pair and a backdoor flush draw. The {q-Spades} turn improved his position by keeping the backdoor draw alive, and a {10-Diamonds} gave him trips and the winning hand.

"Sorry, my friend," he called to the player in Seat 1.

"That's OK, good hand," the player graciously responded.

"Well, no," Brookes replied. "But I'm kind of desperate."

Player Chips Progress
Larry Brookes
Larry Brookes
60,000

Tags: Larry Brookes

Mader Fires the Six-Bet

Level 9 : 800/1,600, 200 ante
Phil Mader moved all in preflop.
Phil Mader moved all in preflop.

Phil Mader opened for 3,800 from middle position, and Thao "Scratch" Thiem three-bet to 9,200 in the small blind. Mader made it 23,800, and Thiem five-bet to around 35,000 only to hear Mader immediately announce all in. Thiem quickly folded.

Player Chips Progress
Phil Mader us
Phil Mader
135,000 21,000
Thao Thiem us
Thao Thiem
92,000 92,000

Tags: Phil MaderThao Thiem