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Idrovo Leads Heading to Day 2
Ritchie Idrovo's late surge up the chip counts resulted in him bagging a Day 1b-best 205,900 here at Mid-States Poker Tour Majestic Star Casino. A total of 52 players survived the nine-level heat, and rounding out the top five stacks were Jason Martens (197,600), Nick Pupillo (192,600), Jason Smith (152,300), and Carter Gent (122,800).
Other notables bagging stacks included Fadi Hamad (122,500), Matt Alexander (66,000), Ken Payne (61,800), "Wild" Bill Romer (53,900), and Terry Ring (22,700).
Notably, Alexander may have broken out of his recent jinx when he managed to come from behind for a late double up to secure a Day 2 appearance.
Mark Kroon, Tom Midena, Doug Redmann, Tom Tracy, and Mike Reynolds were among the notable players falling out of contention today.
We caught Idrovo's two-hand ascent on the last level of the night. In the first pot, he opened for a raise to 5,200 under the gun, and a player in middle position called. The small blind shipped it for 13,800, and Idrovo reraised to 23,200. The caller inquired about the legality of the raise before folding after the dealer assured him it was an allowable wager.
Idrovo: 
Small blind: 
Idrovo had a commanding lead, but a 
flop gave his opponent a straight draw, while a 
turn meant an eight would chop the pot. The board paired with the 
though, and Idrovo eliminated his short-stacked opponent.
Shortly thereafter, he wielded another monster in an all-in pot, busting an opponent when his aces held against jacks.
The 86 players from both Day 1 fields will return tomorrow at 10 a.m., when they will play down to a winner. Prize pool information will be available at that time, so be sure to tune in to PokerNews for the conclusion of the tournament and the crowning of an MSPT champion.