After three grueling heats, 121 players have advanced to Day 2 of Mid-States Poker Tour Golden Gates. Leading the way into Day 2 is Gene Gioia, who got two days off to watch Day 1b and Day 1c players try and fail to match his count of 302,100.
William Givens (267,100), Dan McCabe (249,900), Rosie Paules (242,800), Nader Wahdan (234,900), MSPT Running Aces champion Mark Sandness (234,800), Reza Yazdi (230,500), Colin York (215,600), Olimpia May (194,900), and John Taitt (193,800) also bring top-10 stacks into the day. Meanwhile, other threats such as Lance Harris (148,100), Jeff Fielder (124,800), Brett Schwertley (106,900), Kou Vang (98,700), and Phil Mader (86,000) lurk with solid stacks.
The players will be vying for a first-place prize that's unofficially listed at $114,156 by the MSPT. We'll have official payout information listed as soon as it becomes available.
Play will begin at noon local time at Level 11 (1,200/2,400/400). All levels will be one hour today, allowing for considerable play as the field is whittled down over 10 levels or until the final table is reached.
Be sure to stay tuned to PokerNews as we bring you all of the relevant live updates.
On a flop, Kou Vang bet out 8,200 from under the gun only to see Mark Sandness make it 21,300 from the cutoff. Vang three-bet to 53,200. Sandness responded by pushing all in, and Vang quickly called.
Vang:
Sandness:
Vang's overpair was good, and a kept him in front. Sandness couldn't suck out on the river either, and Vang's quest for three straight MSPT final tables got a big boost.
Mark Sandness open shoved from middle position for 79,000, and action folded to Kou Vang's small blind. He moved all in as well, and Colin York called off his stack out of the big blind.
York:
Sandness:
Vang:
The flop came , no help to anybody besides Vang since all three players whiffed. The turn gave Vang a set and meant only York was drawing live with diamonds. A black card arrived though: the , and Vang sent both of his opponents to the rail.
William Givens just took round one in what will surely be the first of many battles between two of the largest stacks in the room seated next to each other.
He opened for 15,000 when action folded to his small blind, and Kou Vang defended. On the flop, Givens bet 14,000 and Vang called. A hit the turn, and Givens continued his aggression with 32,000. Again, Vang called. When a fell, Givens fired 70,000 and Vang immediately announced a call.
Givens showed for two pair, and he dragged the hefty pot.
Rosie Paules just dragged the biggest pot of the tournament when she got all in after a flop with against a player holding for top set. Paules turned additional outs when a hit the board, and an river meant she had filled both of her draws to bust her unfortunate opponent.
Olimpia May shoved all in before the flop and got called immediately by Dan Colpoys in the small blind.
Colpoys:
May:
May's run was in trouble, but she almost pulled out a chop when the first four cards came , meaning she needed a spade on the river to survive or the to win the pot. The fell though, and Colpoys' already-massive stack grew even larger.
Dan Colpoys checked to Gene Gioia on a board of . Gioia fired 130,000, and Colpoys announced all in after getting a count. Gioia snap-called.
Gioia:
Colpoys:
Gioia had flopped the nuts, but it's better to turn the nuts, as Colpoys had. Needing the board to pair, the Day 1 chipleader watched a fall, ending his tournament.